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New Jersey – A few things to get into today, including Mo Wilkerson in Houston, something on Antonio Cromartie, Sheldon Richardson and Dion Bailey . . .
Expect a monster game from Mo Wilkerson in Houston.
Not just because he’s having a great year, but because who is playing on the other team – J.J. Watt.
Wilkerson is looking for a contract in the Watt-vicinity. So to juxtapose a great outing, with Watt on the same field, wouldn’t hurt his cause. To out-perform him would be a really nice bargaining tool.
So you know darn well he’s going to want a monster game with Watt in the same stadium . . .
Here is the answer from Todd Bowles on why Antonio Cromartie remains the starter opposite Darrelle Revis when I asked yesterday.
“Because [Cromartie] earned it in summer camp and in the preseason, (and) over the years,” Bowles answers. “We decided to start him.”
From what I hear, I was attacked for asking the question by WFAN’s Craig Carton a modern-day Edwards R. Murrow. From what I hear he called me “a douche.”
I don’t take these things personally. I’m can dish it out and I can take it. T think it’s funny.
Look, if they want to start Cromartie that is their right. If you think he gives you the best chance to win, then go for it. On a human level, I hope Cromartie succeeds. I’m not wishing ill-will on him.
But like I said yesterday, I don’t get the part of earning it in summer camp. He didn’t have a good camp. The spin on that was he’s a veteran who knows what he needs to work on in the summer and he was working out the kinks.
That’s fine, but then don’t turn around and say he earned the starting job due to his work in summer camp. That doesn’t make any sense to me.
Also, to say he earned it “over the years” is a dangerous philosophy from a player personnel standpoint. The NFL is all about what you can do for a team now. You can’t base current decisions based on what guys have done in the past. No, it’s what they can do for you in the here-and-now.
One of the things that makes Bill Belichick so successful is he doesn’t make personnel decisions for sentimental reasons. Every decision is about now.
I think Cromartie will be fine this week because the Jets are facing T.J. Yates.
We will see what he does after that. I hope me proves me wrong.
But Bowles logic in the answer doesn’t pass the smell test to me . . .
Manish Mehta sat with Sheldon Richardson at his locker today and had a long interview with him.
It was like a “Barbara Walters Special.”
Nothing good can come of this.
We will see how this turns out in tomorrow’s paper.
I wouldn’t allow this if I were in charge, but that is just me.
A few minutes perhaps, but a half-hour? You are allowing the biggest anthill kicker to sit there with the biggest loose cannon on the team, and you expect that to turn out well?
Shut it down quickly . . .
There is no way Dion Bailey is playing this week. He was totally not involved in practice and he’s still limping on his high ankle sprain.
He’s where Calvin Pryor was with the injury a couple of week ago.
This is generally a 4-6 week injury, and Bailey suffered the injury against Jacksonville . . .
November 19, 2015
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