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People shouldn’t always take quotes at face value. And something some people do is sensationalize what was said . . .
… when it really didn’t mean anything
So much of what is done today on websites is to get clicks.
And this Pro Football Talk headline is a perfect example:
“Josh McCown respects Brandon Marshall’s dim view of the Jets.”
This is a major reach.
Marshall, who continues to comment on his former team, said he asked to be released by the Jets, “knowing we didn’t have a chance.”
ESPN’s Rich Cimini asked McCown about this quote.
“That’s Brandon’s opinion and Brandon is a friend of mine,” McCown told ESPN.com. “I love him and he’s entitled to his opinion. I wish him the best at the Giants. We’ve got a direction we’re headed and excited about. I really don’t pay too much attention to it just because guys have different opinions about things, and that’s his. I don’t agree with it, but as a friend, hey, I respect it.”
Do you really think he respects it?
Absolutely not.
It’s just something you say to avoid getting into a spitting contest, and “falling for the cheese” as players put it.
The Jets believe they have “a chance.”
And McCown is extremely motivated to finish his career on a high-note, and show the football world he’s not an also-ran, and he can lead the Jets to wins this year.
Like I’ve said on many occasions, based on what I saw I the spring, he can be a functional game-manager with the Jets this year. Look, I understand you take spring practices with a grain of salt, but there are things you can take away from these sessions.
For instance, when there were three quarterbacks on the field, one of them was consistently making quick decisions and getting rid of the ball on time, and the other two guys, tended to hold the ball a lot longer, that is something you can hang your hat on.
The quick decision-maker was McCown.
He also did a nice job of spreading the ball around, and getting a lot of different guys involved.
And he was better at reading defenses.
Once, again, we need to keep in mind it’s like flag football in the spring, but I saw a QB in McCown who can manage a game effectively, and that is all the Jets need this year. They don’t need Air Coryell.
Also, he showed great leadership skills throughout the spring, instructing, motivating, inspiring and cajoling teammates. The Jets need this kind of leader on offense, at this time, after last year’s train wreck.
And when addressing the press, he said all the right things.
He was somewhat political in his answers, but that is okay; the Jets need to get out of the business of making headlines with their mouths.
And the last line of that quote about Marshall was totally political.
Surely, Pro Football Talk knows that, but they are trying to get clicks.
That headline certainly got my attention – “Josh McCown respects Brandon Marshall’s dim view of the Jets.”
Respecting a dim view of your team is like interviewing a writer who predicted your team would go 0-16, and putting his soundbites on your website.
McCown doesn’t respect Marshall’s view of the Jets.
He’s just trying to avoid a tete-a-tete with his former teammates, who is somewhat mercurial.
July 24, 2017
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