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Farm your own land. Stay in your lane . . .
Whatever cliché you want to throw out there.
Some might be of the opinion that player’s play, coach’s coach, GM’s find the players.
So perhaps it’s not a great idea for current players to delve into which free agents their team should got after.
Jamal Adams appeared on the NFL Network during the Combine and was asked about who the Jets should go after in free agency, and offered this answer:
“I would definitely go for (Jadeveon) Clowney. Pass rusher, that’s what I’m looking forward to,” Adams said. “That’s a safety’s best friend. Definitely Clowney, Big 9-1 down in Jacksonville Yannick Ngakoue, he’s a beast. Dante Fowler. I mean, there are so many guys coming out right now in free agency that we could sure use coming off that end, man.”
Then you had Le’Veon Bell tweeting about free agent right tackle Jack Conklin who has been rumored as a possible Jets target: “He’d look in that green and white, again.”
That is a reference to Conklin being a former Michigan State star, like Bell, and that school wears green and white uniforms as well.
Player chiming in on who their team should sign in free agency is perhaps bad form, and not ideal for the football culture. Why?
Because suggesting that your team sign a defensive end or right tackle, you are in a round about way disrespecting current players on the roster who man those positions.
Now, I don’t think it was the intent of Adams or Bell to insult current teammates, but perhaps they didn’t think through the cause and effect of their comments.
People in the world of social media would likely attack me for making this point by saying something like, “What are you an idiot, you think ends like Tarell Basham, Frankie Luvu, Kyle Phillips or Jordan Willis are better than Clowney, Ngakoue or Fowler? You are delusional if you think Conor McDermott or Chuma Edoga is better than Conklin.”
That entirely misses the point. This has nothing to do with talent level. Of course the Jets could use players like Clowney, Ngakoue, Fowler and Conklin.
But let Joe Douglas make that determination, not players on the roster.
And if I was a player on the Jets, and was asked about what free agents the team should sign, I would say, “I will leave that to Joe Douglas and the front office. That isn’t my job.”
Because if the Jets sign any of those players, somebody on the current roster is going to lose his job.
And maybe they deserve to lose their job to free agents who are better.
But current players should avoid getting involved in this, because it can hurt relationships in the clubhouse.
Look at this way. Let’s say you work at a corporation, and you said publicly, “I think we need a new general counsel and accountant.” How would that impact your working relationship with the current general counsel and accountant?”
Once again, I don’t think Adams or Bell had any malicious intent, but it’s probably best for the Jets’ football culture and locker room, that they stay away from being free agency consultants to Douglas.
March 2, 2020
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