GUEST COMMENTARY FROM A JETS FAN

Ok, now that I have had time to take it all in … I am still a little confused. I just don’t get it.

Mind you, I have been a Jets fan all my life, and have continually been baffled by what the team does both in the off season and on the field. Being a Jets fan is always like living on a roller coaster of emotions. Something will happen to spark hope, a glimmer of greatness if you will (two consecutive AFC championship appearances). But then reality sinks back in and we end up with the same ol’ Jets! I thought that all of our off-season moves were going pretty well — signing valuable players and filling needed positions at safety and back up QB and then … BAM. Tebow time.

(Photo: Businessinsider.com)

As a displaced Jets fan living in Denver, this was like the nausea that arrives after you have been swiftly kicked square in the nuts. It sucked. But theres nothing I can do so I am trying to see the value and not try to understand the “why”. One thought I just can’t shake out of my head is that Woody made the decision to fill seats and sell jerseys. I went to a few home games in New Jersey last year and the stadium was maybe three-quarters full. I know that Tannembaum and Rex are really pushing to “win now”, as it’s likely that their fates are in line with the success of this season, but picking up Tim Tebow doesn’t really seem like the team’s golden ticket.

That being said, maybe that was never the Jets intent. Maybe they just saw an opportunity to bring value to the team at little perceived cost. With the media surrounding Tebow and New York being what it is, maybe we are just blowing this whole thing way out of proportion. If the Jets made this move to get back, say, Brad Smith, no one would be making such a huge fuss about it. Brad was a QB in college and took over 10 snaps in wildcat formation in many games for the Jets. The big difference was his fit on special teams and in other positions. If Tebow is really willing to do what ever it takes to help the team like he said in his press conference he could prove to be very valuable for the Jets.

The major thing that is keeping me from jumping on the Tebow band wagon is the 4th and 6th round pick we traded away. Will the looks the Jets get with Tebow, combined with his unknown in special teams, be better than the other positions we could have filled in those spots? How bout some offensive linemen? Some pass-rushers perhaps? I guess the draft and the season are the only ways to tell, and it never does anyone any good to play the what-if game. He’s here, he’s a Jet, and now we can just wait and see.

The positive side of all of this craziness is it allows the Jets to be very active filling the roster and preparing for the draft without much analyzation outside of Tebowmania. We had a lot of WTF moments at the end last year that people aren’t really talking about too much. Other than obvious tensions in the locker room, the team performed poorly from the ground up. While everyone is looking at what Tim Tebow will do, the Jets can and should focus on fixing the major problems that plagued them last year.

Adding another great athlete and competitor to your team should come to any fan as a positive, but for some reason I still don’t get that feeling from this move. I am open-minded, and know that there are worse things that could have happened because Tim is not going to have baby momma drama or get locked up for a DUI or call out other players anonymously in the press.

I just want to have the team I support with all my being be good at playing regular football. Not surprise antics and wacky formations, ground and pound and play action for long touchdowns. Is that too much to ask?!?!?

Sincerely,

The Ever-Disgruntled Jets Fan
“I bleed green and white”

(Photo: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images via BleacherReport.com)

The New York Jets introduced Tim Tebow as their backup quarterback today, which means that the circus has officially rolled into town for Rex Ryan & Co.

The anonymous player quotes and speculation as to whether Tebow will compete for starting time with the newly re-upped Mark Sanchez have already begun, and we’re months away from the start of training camp.  Just wait until Jets nation gets a real taste of Tebowmania …

For his part, let’s just say that Tebow is “excited” to be a Jet.  In fact, let’s let Timmy say it … a total of 44 times during his 30-minute session with the media:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

[H/T Buzzfeed]

In the words of Bart Scott , I genuinely CAN’T WAIT to hear Rex Ryan explain their thinking on this one. Let the Big Apple circus commence!!!

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Before all you Jets fans out there go and purchase your new Tim Tebow jerseys, you might want to wait for the deal for the Broncos QB to actually be finalized.

(Photo: terezowens.com)

It seems that the trade between the Jets and Broncos that would send Tebow (and a 7th round pick) to New York in exchange for a 4th and 6th round pick has hit a snag.

And despite the fact that the Jets announced the deal on their Twitter page (which is still up at the time of this posting), they apparently didn’t really read Tebow’s contract before agreeing to the terms. And now they’re contesting a clause that would require NY to pay back $5 million in advance salaries from his rookie contract in Denver.

If this deal doesn’t end up going through, the Jets are going to end up looking really, really stupid.

I mean, did GM Mike Tannenbaum just get so geeked up about landing Tebow that he didn’t bother to read the fine print on the man’s contract? The Broncos – who even with Twitter-happy John Elway at the helm, have made no official announcement, by the way - feel as though the Jets need to hold up their commitment to the deal, since it’s their own fault they didn’t pay closer attention before signing off on it.

But apparently, the trade was never registered with the league, and was therefore never valid. So it’s all pretty much up in the air for now, with teams like Jacksonville re-entering the fray for Tebow’s services.

And even if the deal with the Jets does go through in the end, we have a feeling Tebowmania is not going to play very well in New York, what with the Ryan-Sanchez circus already in full effect … so this whole situation really feels like a lose-lose for the Jets.

Football’s top brass have all re-convened at Lucas Oil Stadium for the proceedings to assess more than 300 young men’s physical and mental preparedness for the rigors of the pro game. Each prospect will endure a battery of tests with everyone’s thoughts toward April’s draft, and each team’s front office looking to outsmart the other 31 franchises and improve their fortunes for the future. The Combine itself is a bit of a snoozer for the casual fan, but it’s become more and more of a spectacle, with fans attending the event for the first time ever this year, and reports that Roger Goodell is considering adding “Superstars”-style competitions at the event in the future to increase spectator interest (ie., revenue).

You can follow all the riveting action on NFL Network or NFL.com’s blog, and fortunately for us, TDH is on the front lines and has been able to snap a few pictures with his Blackberry along the way. We’ll continue to update this post with more images throughout the weekend as his schedule allows, when he’s not too busy hanging out with Bernie Kosar or preparing to smoke Rich Eisen in the 40 yard dash.

This year's "can't miss" prospect, Stanford's Andrew Luck (Photo: TheDarkHorse)

2011 Heisman Trophy Winner, Baylor's Robert Griffin III (Photo: TheDarkHorse)

Jets head coach Rex Ryan looking svelte and somehow more modest (Photo: TheDarkHorse)

Broncos VP of Football Operations John Elway patiently answers questions about Tim Tebow (Photo: TheDarkHorse)

New Rams head coach Jeff Fischer told reporters that trading Sam Bradford was "not an option" (Photo: TheDarkHorse)

Browns head coach Pat Shurmer looks about as forlorn as you'd expect (Photo: TheDarkHorse)

STAY TUNED FOR MORE UPDATES … 

(Image via reddit.com/r/nfl)

New York’s love affair with Rex Ryan might finally be over. After yet another year of bluster, bravado and championship guarantees from their head coach, the Jets failed to make the playoffs following an ugly 8-8 season. Today, the organization seems to be in an utter state of disarray, as supposed team leaders Santonio Holmes and Bart Scott lead the way with infighting, finger-pointing and wildly immature behavior, both during and after their season-ending loss at Miami.

It’s gotten so bad that Rex actually broke down in tears while addressing his team yesterday, overcome by the emotion of the season. But then again, Ryan has never been one to apologize for letting his passion getting the better of him:

“I’m Irish. So what do you want?” Ryan said … “It’s hurtful. I’m extremely prideful. I want to be the best. I want to win. Sometimes it comes out like that.”

With his unabashed, fun-loving & always-quotable style, Ryan has turned the Jets into one of the league’s most high-profile teams and twice brought them to the brink of a Super Bowl appearance in his three seasons with the club. But now, people around the league are questioning whether Ryan’s “player’s coach” mentality ultimately points to a lack of control over his team … which in turn leads to sloppy, undisciplined play at the most critical times from his players.

Is it finally time for Rex to grow up and instill some discipline into his routine?  Only time will tell, but there’s one thing most can agree on: Ryan’s schtick has grown tired, and without the hardware to back it up, his bluster will soon turn to white noise and players will start tuning him out completely.

(Photo: the700level.com)

Lest you were worried that the world had forgotten, the good people of Philadelphia are to here to remind everyone about Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan’s foot fetish.

Timely or not (the story originally broke around this time last year), it’s just nice to see fans so committed to their mockery of the opposition. Instant classic.

(Image via Sportsgrid.com)

You know what? I’m starting to think that, for all his bluster (and girth), Rex Ryan might not have the thickest skin for criticism … especially when he’s losing.

At halftime of his team’s 37-16 drubbing at the hands of the Patriots, with his team trailing just 13-9, the Jets head coach cursed out fan in the stands at MetLife Stadium. The guy – possibly drunk, probably a Patriot fan – clearly struck a nerve with Ryan, shouting, “Hey Rex, Belichick is better than you!”, to which Rex retorted, “Shut the f@#k up” as he walked into the tunnel.

Watch the video below, with the action coming at the 15-second mark:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

And now, of course, the NFL is investigating the incident, and a fine is likely forthcoming for Ryan.

For his part, Rex had this to say in his Monday press conference:

“It was emotional, an emotional time,” Ryan said. “I obviously made a mistake. I was full of emotion and just popped off. Obviously I know I represent the NFL, I know I represent the Jets, and I know it was a mistake. I apologize. … I’m about as big a competitor there is. At that time, I was in no mood to hear anything, but I also understand I have to handle that better.”

“I’m not perfect by any stretch,” he added. “I’m trying to get better, but sometimes my emotions get the best of me.”

I’m guessing that Rex probably just needed a goddamn snack.

For what it’s worth, apparently Bill Belichick still isn’t such a great winner, either. According to a NY Post report, as he walked off the field with his son, Belichick basked in his victory, exclaiming, “Thirty-seven points on the best defense in the league, suck my d#%k”.

To his credit, upon hearing this, Ryan took it in his normally good-natured stride:

That tells you how big a game that was for both teams,” Ryan said Monday. “I don’t take offense to it. Quite honestly, I said the exact same thing to my son when we were walking off the field after we beat them in the playoffs about their offense being the No. 1 offense in the league. I’ve got no problem with that.

Good times in the AFC East.

And as this image shows, in addition to sporting a moustache and being a few pounds lighter than he is today, back then Rex also favored the Kenny Powers-esque mullet as his hairstyle of choice:

(Photo: Twitter.com)

Aeneas Williams approves.

This week features a couple of one-handed grabs by Tony Gonzalez (“You catch that one-handed? Yeah, I think so!”) and Vincent Jackson, Vince Wilfork describing how he wasn’t getting caught by a lineman on his epic interception return, and much much more:

Also, be sure to check out the full-length mic’d up segments from Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan and Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, as he led his club to a comeback win against the Raiders.

We’ve generally avoided covering the hot new trend of in-stadium fighting at sporting events, but things seem to be reaching new heights this year, as this latest incident clearly demonstrates.  Let’s just say we won’t be taking our kids to any NFL games any time soon.

59-year-old Leroy McKelvey was arrested on Sunday and charged with three counts of aggravated assault and two weapons counts after using an illegal taser on other fans during the Jets-Cowboys game at MetLife Stadium. Apparently McKelvy – a die hard Cowboys fan from South Carolina – and three friends refused to stand and were talking loudly during the pre-game 9/11 ceremonies, which offended a US Marine sitting nearby, and ultimately led to a halftime scuffle. At that point, McKelvey unleashed the taser (which are illegal in New Jersey) he had snuck into the stadium past security. Three people were hit with the stun gun, but all refused treatment at the scene.

From the Cliffview Pilot:

“A Marine at the end of the row noticed that McKelvey and three others in his party would not stand or take their hats off for the national anthem,” a law enforcement officer told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “So the Marine tells McKelvey he better not have to get out of the row cause he won’t let him out.”

Sure enough, during the halftime show, McKelvey got up. Words were exhanged.

Keep in mind that this happened on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 … in metro New York.  In the grainy cell phone video of the tail-end of the incident (above), you can clearly hear the taser being used, and you can also hear fans wondering aloud, “How did he get in there with that thing? On 9/11? How the f**k did that happen?”. 

McKelvey's mug shot (Photo via CliffviewPilot.com)

Great question. MetLife Stadium CEO Mark Lamping said all fans were patted down and had their bags checks upon entry, as part of normal gameday security procedures, and that there was also heightened security including bomb-sniffing dogs for the 9/11 anniversary. But apparently, with 85k fans entering through a handful of gates, that’s not quite enough. Much like airline security, they’re bound to miss something, and it’s almost impossible to stop one crackpot from smuggling in a weapon if he really, really wants to.

The atmosphere surrounding NFL games, which has grown increasingly confrontational, certainly didn’t help matters. With recent brawls between 49ers and Raiders fans fresh in everyone’s mind, the threat of violence is very real for fans who choose to venture into enemy territory.  In the days leading up to the game, Rex Ryan warned opposing fans against wearing Cowboys gear into MetLife Stadium:

“It’s probably not recommended that you wear Cowboys stuff, I would think…I don’t know why they’d be here. They’re coming into our stadium.”

Now, we’re not quite blaming Rex for this incident, and this brawl doesn’t seem to have been motivated by anti-Dallas sentiment. But Cowboys fans – who are everywhere, mind you – have every right to go watch their favorite team play, and Rex didn’t exactly foster a warm feeling of safety heading into Sunday’s game. And since Jets fans aren’t known for their hospitality to begin with, this could have led to McKelvey’s decision to bring the taser in the first place.

Ultimately it all comes down to personal responsibility, and McKelvey should obviously be punished to fullest extend of the law and banned from sporting events forever … but the fighting has gotten out of hand, and the NFL is going to have to do some real work to make attending games a safer, more family-friendly experience.