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Rex Ryan used to call it “blunt force trauma” when he was with the Jets.
He meant the brutal honesty needed in NFL-level personnel meetings.
New Miami Dolphins GM Jon Eric-Sullivan was asked about his mindset about cuts and the roster.
“We’re not going to tell ourselves lies when things aren’t getting done at the level that they need to get done, and we’re going to continually turn over rocks to get better at every turn,” Sullivan said after the final cutdown.
This may sound cliché, but it should not be.
It’s the best way to run an NFL team.
“We’re going to play the best players – competition is going to be at the forefront of everything we do,” Sullivan said. “It doesn’t matter if you were a second-round pick or an undrafted free agent, an eight-year vet, or a second-year player – if you give us the best chance to win on Sunday, you are going to be one of the 22 (starters).”
The last few years, under the old regime, and last year under a new one, you could argue that was not always the case.
Too much rolling with guys too long who weren’t getting the job done.
No need to name names anymore. I’ve done that enough, but it was a problem in recent years, spanning two regimes.
To Aaron Glenn’s credit, he did a lot of self-scouting after last season and is looking to improve in a lot of areas in 2026.
You need to run a true meritocracy at all times if you want to be successful.
If somebody isn’t playing well, get them the heck off the field.
Confirmation bias or defiant loyalty doesn’t help you win . . .
There is a chessboard in the Jets locker room for players to use to relax during their downtime.
It made me think about how being better at “chess on grass” is going to be a key to the Jets improving this year.
Last year, too often, other teams won the strategic chess match against Gang Green.
With Frank Reich running the offense, this should not be a problem for the team anymore on that side of the ball.
Chris Banjo is a rising star as a special team’s coordinator, so they should be fine there, as long as they find a steady placekicker. In three NFL seasons, Blake Grupe has connected on 81.9 percent of his field goals, and his competitor for the job, Jason Sanders, 84.6, in seven seasons. If they got something like that from either one, they could live with it.
The biggest question is how the defense is going to be with Aaron Glenn/Brian Duker running that unit. Not sure about the chess part until we see this tandem do it with the Jets, but it would be shocking if the Jets aren’t better this year on defense than last year, with a marked improvement in talent on that side of the ball on all three levels. A key to the success on this side of the ball will also be connected to the previous note – don’t stick with guys too long not getting the job done, which was a big problem on defense for this team the last couple of years. Once again, not naming names, but you can figure out some of the individuals we are talking about here…
Chip Traynum has a locker in the team’s clubhouse in Florham Park.
Remember, he suffered a neck injury in the team’s preseason finale against the New York Football Giants.
Often, guys, especially UDFAs, get injury settlements after getting hurt, but it looks like the kid is hanging around. He looked good this summer before getting hurt . . .
Practice squad center/guard Xavier Newman was practicing today with a bulky right knee brace.
Clearly there is an issue there. Not sure when it happened.
Newman, Texas tough, was practicing, though, and while he likely won’t play on Sunday, he is a good resource for his fellow interior lineman in preparing this week for the Titans’ superb defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, who was his teammate in Nashville in 2022-23, and who he faced a lot in practice.
September 8, 2026
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