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New Jersey – It’s time to knock this off. It’s wrong. It has no place in conferences. It’s time to stay away from this.
It’s really sad what is going on in the world of journalism.
Almost anything goes these days as websites hunger for hits.
Over the last few days, some reporters asked players and Rex Ryan about the fans wanting the Jets to lose to get a better draft pick.
Hey, we all know that sentiment is out there, but why would you bother players and coaches with this stuff.
It should be beneath us.
“It never ceases to amaze me how the media caters to the fringe fan bases of teams that find themselves in the position we’re in now,” one long-time New York sportswriter said. “CBS yapped it up Sunday about how fans want the Jets to lose out to secure the top draft pick. AP did a story today about how unhappy some fans are that we beat Tennessee. This is a sign of the trouble ahead for all of us. A bunch of yahoos get together and say, ‘The Jets should lose all their games and try to get the No. 1 pick! The Jets screwed up by beating Tennessee.’ And the MSM give these idiots a platform to spew.”
There was a reporter, in the post-game locker room in Nashville, that led off the media scrums with each player, with this question.
I would never ask a question like this, but if I did, I wouldn’t lead off the press conference. Question placement should be strategic, and this isn’t a lead-off question. Maybe at the end.
This reporter asked a myriad of players this question. There is no doubt it my mind his editor put him up to it.
His editor is very big on spicy stories that get hits.
If fans want to think this way, that is their right, but leave the players and coaches alone. They are fighting for jobs. They want to win. You should have seen how festive the Jets’ post game locker room in Nashville
It doesn’t matter what the record is, players love to win.
Football is a brutal sport. You destroy your body. It feels so much more worth it when you get a “W.”
Plus there is danger in not going full speed.
“The one thing football players will always do, and they will always tell you, whenever you step on that football field if you don’t go as hard as you can go, you get hurt,” said Michael Irvin. “ I’ve always believed you get hurt anytime you don’t play all-out on a football field. I just don’t see it [tanking] happening.”
These players are playing for jobs, whether it’s in Florham Park, or with another team.
And if they are seen going half-speed in games, they aren’t going to get a job.
So often GM’s and scouts will actually value how players play in meaningless games even more, when looking at tapes.
Playing really hard in “meaningless” games is a big-time feather in your cap.
So I’m begging my media brethren to knock it off.
Stop lowering yourself to this level.
December 16, 2014
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