The New York Jets Can’t Stop Saying Dumb Things in the Media
Jan 8, 2013; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson (right) and head coach Rex Ryan (left) review the 2012 season and address changes for 2013 at the New York Jets Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
Just when you think this organization can’t get any worse, owner Woody Johnson gives an interview featuring this quote regarding Mark Sanchez’s shoulder injury:
“I don’t have any regrets,” Johnson said. “He’s an experienced guy. I wish he hadn’t gotten hurt, but you got to protect yourself, too.”
That’s it. I’m at the end of my rope. To insinuate that Sanchez was somehow responsible for being injured?
Johnson walked it back later, probably because there is still one lone person in the Jets PR department without a tone deaf ear for the media. But it was a transparent attempt at damage control.
Woody is right that you have to try to protect yourself. Smart quarterbacks know to try to scramble away from trouble to avoid big hits. But this injury? 100 percent on the coaching staff and organization. How is it smart to put your only healthy starting quarterback in behind the backup offensive line in a meaningless preseason game? Rex Ryan took the blame for that decision. But he should have known better. He saw how badly Geno Smith performed against the Giants. It was apparent to anyone watching that Sanchez should be the Week 1 starter—to me it’s a fireable offense to expose Sanchez to injury at that point.
What is ironic is that Sanchez is finally sidelined by an injury incurred because the offensive line cannot protect whomever is at quarterback; actually, it’s not ironic, it’s just plain sad. Sanchez has been beaten up non-stop the last two years and got up every time. Remember the brutal hit by Von Miller against Denver? Remember when Rex left him in so he could get Plaxico Burress a meaningless touchdown in the fourth quarter blowout against Jacksonville? In four years starting, Sanchez has missed only one game due to injury (knee). Smith couldn’t even make it out of the preseason without injury and he was untouched when he rolled his ankle!
And now the owner is blaming the Sanchez for the injury?
Say what you will about Sanchez and the turnovers the last two years, but there can be no disputing his class in front of the media. He has never hung ownership out to dry. He took the high road through the entire Tim Tebow debacle, and even when his hero ball tendencies led to turnovers, at least he was trying to compete—trying to make something out of the nothing this team has steadily surrounded him with.
In any event, maybe this injury will be a blessing in disguise for Sanchez. He needs to rest and rehab with an eye toward getting out of New York.
Aug 29, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) works out prior to the game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sunday is going to be a train wreck. Geno Smith is not ready in any way, shape or form.
And in keeping with the current Jets habit for saying dumb things in the media, Smith said this in response to a reporter’s question of whether he’d watched any film on Darrelle Revis:
“I mean, I don’t think it’s necessary,”
Really? Are you serious? Way to poke the bear, Geno. You don’t need to give Revis or his teammates any additional motivation.
The absolute best part was Revis’ priceless response. Watch it here.
Sunday is going to be cover your eyes awful. It likely won’t be a blowout because the Jets defense can hopefully keep it within a couple of touchdowns. But I have zero faith in this Smith led offense. I will also not be the least bit surprised if Santonio Holmes is a game time scratch, unable to perform optimally because of his foot injury. Revis appears to be much further along in his injury recovery than Holmes and those two would likely be matched up against each other. So if Holmes does play, the biggest offensive playmaker on the Jets will likely go against a guy the new Jets starting quarterback can’t even be bothered to watch film on.
Ugh.
This Jets team should be hunkering down, working on scouting the opponent and not handing them bulletin board material. Meanwhile, Revis is conducting an in depth tell all of everything he knows about Ryan’s defensive tendencies to his pals on the Bucs.
The only Jets quarterback who actually does know what it’s like to go against Revis is injured. And all because Rex Ryan just had to win the Met Life trophy.
Good grief.
Rebuilds aren’t always pretty. But they don’t have to be stupid.