NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS. November 16, 2014 Table of Contents

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1 NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS November 16, 2014 Table of Contents NEWSDAY... 1 Percy Harvin on being labeled a troublemaker: 'I know the real me' (Kimberley Martin)... 1 Michael Vick to Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson: Speak out against domestic violence (Bob Glauber)... 3 NJ ADVANCE MEDIA biggest surprises from the Jets' first 10 games (Darryl Slater)... 3 NEW YORK POST... 4 The (brief) good, the bad and the so ugly of the Jets season (Brian Costello)... 4 NEW YORK DAILY NEWS... 7 Sunday Morning Quarterback: NY Giants coach Tom Coughlin fights for job vs. rival San Francisco 49ers (Gary Myers)... 7 ESPN NEW YORK Sunday notes: Wrong to blame Jets for giving up on Mark Sanchez (Rich Cimini) SATURDAY S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS NEWSDAY Percy Harvin on being labeled a troublemaker: 'I know the real me' (Kimberley Martin) Newsday Percy Harvin knows you're waiting for another issue to arise. He's been called a selfish malcontent and a locker-room cancer, but labels are of no concern to him. If people want to question his character, so be it. "I'm fine with that. Because I know the real me," Harvin said after the Jets' final bye-week practice. "The people who know me, [who are] real close to me, know what time it is. I've gotten texts from all my old teammates. So I can live with that." His reputation precedes him wherever he goes -- that of a troubled wide receiver who despite all of his God-given ability can't make nice with his teammates long enough to find a permanent home in the NFL. Sure, Harvin could share the details of his year and a half in Seattle, but he'd rather let others talk about him. Even if, as he says, their versions are exaggerated. "I just really don't worry about what people say. I just kind of go about my business," he said during a quiet moment at his locker. "There's always two sides to a story. I don't like giving my version just 'cause I don't even want to get into it. 1 P a g e

2 "I just know, personally for me, I never want to get into who-said-what or anything like that. And then I feel like when you do give your side, it's almost like making an excuse. But me, I kind of -- not saying there wasn't a situation, but definitely not to the point of anything that's written." Weren't there several situations? "Yeah," he acknowledged. Nineteen months after giving the Vikings three draft picks for Harvin, the Seahawks dealt him to the Jets for virtually nothing. A conditional draft pick was all Seattle needed to cut ties with the former first-round pick. Immediately after the trade was announced, more reports of Harvin's bad-boy behavior surfaced: bodyslamming Seahawks teammate Golden Tate the week before the Super Bowl and getting into an altercation with fellow receiver Doug Baldwin in the preseason. There also were reports of Harvin, 26, refusing to re-enter the Seahawks' Week 6 game against the Cowboys in the fourth quarter. At the time of his mid-october trade to the Jets, general manager John Idzik -- a former Seahawks executive -- labeled the move "a potential coup" for the franchise. However, some members of the organization saw it as a desperation tactic that was too-little-too-late to save a struggling team. The Jets (2-8) have lost two of the three games they've played with Harvin, but his new teammates continue to rave about his versatility. In those three games, he had 17 catches for 174 yards (including a 42-yard reception) and 11 carries for 69 yards. Harvin also has made an impact in the return game. During his breakout game against the Chiefs, which included 11 catches for 129 yards, he was tripped by Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos on a kickoff return. Had it not been for the penalty, Harvin would have made it into the end zone. He settled for a 65-yard return that set up a field goal. "Just having Percy is part of the reason we're having so much success right now," quarterback Michael Vick said Tuesday after the Jets' impressive win over the Steelers. "He's done a great job for us and he works extremely hard. "The things that have been put out about him, that's been said, we don't see it here." Perhaps that's because Harvin says he's finally "at peace.'' "I'm enjoying playing football right now. I'm enjoying coming into work every day with my teammates," he told reporters on Tuesday. "That's what you want. You just want to be able to come in, you love your teammates and you go from there." He's also "loving" his various roles in the offense, "rather than me being in the exact same spot every time,'' he said. While the Jets hope to make something out of their disappointing season, the Seahawks appear to be playoff contenders. Harvin, however, said he doesn't mind seeing his former team chase another Super Bowl without him. "It's still all love," he said. "If those guys go on and win the Super Bowl, I tip my hat off to them. No ill will here." Some may say Harvin's upbeat demeanor is all a facade, but the Jets, at least publicly, see someone who truly has found a home. 2 P a g e

3 "He is at peace,'' Rex Ryan said. "I can tell you this, we are at peace that he is here." While he played for Seattle, Harvin was referred to as "too moody" and "a time bomb" by unnamed sources in a Seattle Times story. But the Jets have only seen Harvin the hard worker. Said Ryan: "I think for whatever reason, I don't know, he just feels great here. And we are happy he is here. Really, a nice young man.'' Harvin said his family is at ease because they can hear the "calm'' in his voice. That's because he finally feels he can focus solely on football and "not have to worry about all the outside stuff.'' Somehow, a Super Bowl champion has found serenity on a team with two wins in 10 games, no franchise quarterback and a general manager who has been the target of a fan-commissioned flyover and billboards. "I believe everything happens for a reason,'' Harvin told the cameras. "You never know what the reason is. But since the trade happened, I've been calm the whole time. The transition has been very smooth. So I'm hoping it stays that way.'' Michael Vick to Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson: Speak out against domestic violence (Bob Glauber) Newsday Jets quarterback Michael Vick has some advice for Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson once they are reinstated to the NFL: Speak out against domestic violence. "If they want to do something, being an advocate for the cause of what they were involved in, I think that's a good thing," said Vick, who sat out two years while serving a prison sentence after pleading guilty to federal dogfighting charges. Vick partnered with the Humane Society of the United States when he resumed his NFL career with the Eagles in "Most people need to spend more time helping others, educating others, as opposed to scrutinizing and bashing people. If they choose to do that, it would be good for them. It's their personal preference, but to help the cause, yeah, I absolutely recommend it." NJ ADVANCE MEDIA 5 biggest surprises from the Jets' first 10 games (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media We are taking stock of the Jets this week, as this 2-8 team hits its bye week. We've already brought you a list of the five Jets players who have been disappointments this season. We also examined six Jets who, in the final six games, will be auditioning for starting jobs in And reviewed six big contract decisions for the Jets heading into next season. 3 P a g e

4 We even looked into our crystal ball and predicted how the Jets' final six games of this crummy season will unfold. (Colleague Dom Cosentino did the same, with his predictions for the Jets' final six games.) There are, at least, these five intriguing storylines to watch in the stretch run. Now, let's take a look at the five biggest surprises from the Jets' first 10 games. Since this team is 2-8, not all five of these items will be positive developments, of course. It's just a list of the five most surprising things that have happened to the Jets this season, besides the obvious, big-picture surprise that this team is a whole lot worse than most people envisioned. So check out the photo gallery (and captions) at the top of this post, and feel free to leave your top five surprises down in the comments. 1. The Percy Harvin trade: Raise your hand if you saw this one coming over the summer. Anybody? The Jets got Harvin for cheap, so he was worth the risk. But this is clearly the most unforeseen development of the season. 2. Cornerback attrition: Dimitri Patterson clearly wasn't the solution opposite Dee Milliner, so maybe this group was destined to fail regardless. But after rookie Dexter McDougle (knee) went down for the year in training camp, Milliner was lost for the season to a torn Achilles tendon in Week 6. Now, even Darrin Walls is dealing with a calf injury. The Jets are down to guys like Marcus Williams and Phillip Adams. 3. Turnover problems: It's not a big surprise that quarterback Geno Smith continued to turn the ball over. But through the first nine games, the Jets gained just three turnovers. They gained four in last week's win over the Steelers, including a fumble recovery and two interceptions by safety Jaiquawn Jarrett. 4. Draft class disappointment: The Jets picked 12 players this year. Only the top two, safety Calvin Pryor and tight end Jace Amaro, have significant roles. Pryor, who has been playing out of position because of the cornerback issues, was benched for the last game, after being late to meetings. The Jets cut their fourth overall pick, wide receiver Jalen Saunders, when he couldn't hold onto punts. It's too early to give a final assessment of this draft class, but so far, it has underwhelmed. 5. Michael Vick playing well: This is the least surprising of these five things, because Vick has a history of success, and also because it's not like he's putting up monster numbers. But through two his two starts, the Jets are 1-1 and he has not turned the ball over. That's just what the Jets need from their quarterback, and why Smith is on the bench. NEW YORK POST The (brief) good, the bad and the so ugly of the Jets season (Brian Costello) New York Post The Jets get a breather this week in the middle of one of the worst seasons in the franchise s recent history. An eight-game losing streak, billboards and airplane banners calling for the firing of general manager John Idzik and the failure of quarterback Geno Smith have made this a dismal year so far for the Jets. 4 P a g e

5 Coach Rex Ryan appears to be a dead coach walking at 2-8. The Jets have not been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, but in reality their playoff hopes ended in October. In the aftermath of the season, it will be fascinating to see if owner Woody Johnson cleans house and fires Idzik and Ryan or decides to keep one or both for another season. The Jets entered the year hoping Smith could build on a strong finish to his rookie season and possibly be the franchise quarterback the Jets have been looking for since Joe Namath left town. Instead, Smith fell on his face. He had 12 turnovers before getting benched in favor of Michael Vick in late October. Beyond that, he cursed out a fan and missed a meeting the night before a game. All of that leaves the Jets wondering who their quarterback will be in On defense, the secondary has been awful. The Jets have allowed a league-high 25 passing touchdowns as Ryan mixes and matches at cornerback, trying to find some combination to stop people. The front seven has been strong against the run, but has not been able to pressure the quarterback consistently. Here is a look at the Jets at the break: Worst Moment There are plenty of terrible moments to pick from that occurred during a game, but the most lasting image of the 2014 season may have come in a practice. On Nov. 5, an airplane carrying a Fire John Idzik banner circled the Jets practice for 20 minutes as Idzik, Ryan and Johnson stood on the field underneath. It was a surreal moment in a lost season that showed how unhappy the fanbase is with this team. Idzik is in just his second season as GM, but the team is going in the wrong direction and he could be fired at the season s end. Best Moment The list of candidates for this one is small. Last week s win over the Steelers snapped an eight-game losing skid and gave reasons to believe this team can finish with four or five wins this year, saving some face. Vick threw two touchdown passes, one a 67-yarder, in his second start at quarterback. The defense played its best game, forcing three turnovers (with another from special teams) and stopping a red-hot Ben Roethlisberger. Safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, making his first start, was the star with 10 tackles, two interceptions, a sack and a fumble recovery. Best Player Muhammad Wilkerson consistently has been the best player on the field for the Jets and may be on the way to his first Pro Bowl. The big defensive lineman has 48 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Wilkerson plays all over the defensive line, sometimes lining up over the center and sometimes on the outside and everything in between. He is stout against the run, leading the Jets fifth-ranked rushing defense. Wilkerson can also pressure the quarterback and leads the team in sacks. Wilkerson is in line for a long-term contract after this season with the way he is playing. Most Disappointing Player The Jets entered this season with high hopes for Smith, who had a strong offseason following a pretty good finish to But he played terribly and was a turnover machine. Smith looked unsure of himself in several games and only played well in a couple of his starts. He had 10 interceptions and two fumbles against seven touchdowns. The Jets finally pulled the plug after he threw three interceptions in the first 10 minutes of the game against the Bills in late October. Add in the off-the-field mistakes he made and you wonder if Smith has played his last game for the Jets. Reasons for Despair 5 P a g e

6 The 2014 draft class was supposed to be the foundation of Idzik s rebuild. That foundation already is crumbling. Idzik strategically built up 12 draft picks through a trade and free agency decisions that gave him compensatory picks. He used all 12 picks in May, but just two players Calvin Pryor and Jace Amaro have been major contributors. There have been injuries, most notably third-round CB Dexter McDougle, but four of the picks already are off the roster completely. In a deep wide receiver draft, the Jets picked three that have combined for zero catches. Reasons for Hope The Percy Harvin trade could be the coup Idzik thought it might turn into. Harvin has amazing athletic ability and the Jets are using him in a variety of ways. When Harvin is on the field, defenses have to pay attention. Even if he doesn t get the ball, he opens things up for others. The Jets have not had a player like that in years. Harvin had 11 catches two weeks ago against the Chiefs and will be a huge factor down the stretch. Second Guess There should have been a true quarterback competition in the spring and summer. The Jets handed the job to Smith and told Vick he would be Smith s mentor and backup. Then, the Jets lied about it being a competition to the fans. It was clear in training camp there was not going to be any competition. With the way Smith played, it s clear there should have been. Vick looked uninterested during the spring and was stuck with the second-team in training camp. The Jets decided this season was about developing Smith, and that turned out to be a mistake. First Guess This sounds odd since the Jets are ranked third in the NFL in rushing offense, but the Jets need to commit more to the run down the stretch. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg seems to abandon the run too often in games. Now, the Jets have been trailing in nearly every game, but even when they are only down by 7-10 points, Mornhinweg seems to fall in love with passing. The Jets need to pound Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson at opponents and Vick at quarterback presents some intriguing zone-read option possibilities. Crystal Ball Every game left on the Jets schedule is winnable of course, that does not mean they will win them. I think the Jets have one more win left in them let s say the Dolphins at home on a Monday night. They finish with four straight losses to end up 3-13 and the Jets are looking for a new GM, coach and quarterback in Mid-Season Report Card Offense The Jets have not scored more than 25 points in a game this season and are averaging 17.4 points, 29th in the NFL. QB Geno Smith was a disaster with 12 turnovers and was replaced by Michael Vick, but it may be too late. The Jets are 32nd in the league in passing. WR Eric Decker leads the team with just 43 catches. The line has been inconsistent and the tight ends largely have been a non-factor. RB Chris Ivory has been a bright spot, rushing for 548 yards and five touchdowns. Grade: D Defense Statistically, the Jets defense does not look that bad. They are No. 8 in total defense and No. 3 in rushing. But, if you actually have watched them play, you know this unit has its deficiencies. The Jets have allowed 6 P a g e

7 25 passing touchdowns, the most in the NFL. They have created seven turnovers, the fewest in the league. They are 24th in red-zone defense and have struggled to get off the field on third down. The defensive line has played well, particularly Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson. Coach Rex Ryan still is trying to figure out who his cornerbacks are. Grade: C Special Teams If not for Wilkerson, kicker Nick Folk would be the MVP of the Jets. Folk has been one of the few consistent players on this team. He has made 17 of 19 field goal tries this year. Punter Ryan Quigley is not as consistent as Folk, but he has been pretty good. He is fifth in the NFL with an average of 47.4 yards per punt. Percy Harvin has helped the kickoff return team tremendously. They rank fourth in kickoff returns. The coverage teams have also been strong. The only criticism is a lack of big plays from special teams. They have yet to score a touchdown this year or block a punt. Grade: B- Coaching Ryan deserves as much criticism this year as he did praise last year. This team has underachieved. They are not the most talented team in the NFL, but they are not a two-win team either. Too often, the Jets look undisciplined and sloppy from penalties to wasting timeouts. That s on Ryan. He does have the team still playing hard for him, but it is not enough. On defense, he and Dennis Thurman have come up with some creative game plans against some tough quarterbacks. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has to take a hit for not developing Smith this year. Grade: D NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Sunday Morning Quarterback: NY Giants coach Tom Coughlin fights for job vs. rival San Francisco 49ers (Gary Myers) New York Daily News 49ers-article There s something about the 49ers that has always brought out the best in the Giants at the biggest moments going back to the glory days when it was Bill Parcells vs. Bill Walsh and Phil Simms vs. Joe Montana. It s another big moment for the Giants on Sunday against the 49ers. This time, the season is not on the line, but the jobs of the coaches and players are certainly are at stake. If the Giants, who have lost four in a row by a combined 74 points to the Eagles, Cowboys, Colts and Seahawks, don t show some life and get blown out again, then get swept by the Cowboys next week for the second year in a row, then it s very hard to envision how Tom Coughlin is going to get another shot at this next year after he will have missed the playoffs five of the last six seasons. If this is it for Coughlin, then two Super Bowls in 11 seasons is why Wellington Mara insisted in his last major decision that the Giants hire him in But the NFL is a now-league. Coughlin did amazing work 7 P a g e

8 in January and February of 2008 and 2012, but other than those two Super Bowl runs, he was one-anddone in his three other playoff appearances, and this would be the sixth time he s missed the playoffs. Just before Sunday s 1 p.m. kickoff, Coughlin should gather his players and show them highlights of when the Giants kicked the Niners butts: -- In the 1986 divisional round on the way to their first Super Bowl title, the Giants beat San Francisco 49-3 and Jim Burt knocked Montana out of the game with a vicious hit. It was the second straight year the Giants held Walsh and Montana to just three points in a playoff game at Giants Stadium. -- In the 1990 NFC Championship Game, with the 49ers having won back-to-back Super Bowls and going for an unprecedented three-peat, the Giants ended the 49ers dynasty on Matt Bahr s 42-yard field goal on the final play. The Giants won and advanced to the Super Bowl even though they didn t score a touchdown. Leonard Marshall knocked Montana out of the game in the fourth quarter. Roger Craig s fumble Erik Howard forced it out, LT recovered it in the air as the 49ers were trying to run out the clock set up Bahr s game-winner. -- In the 2011 NFC Championship Game, Eli Manning took a tremendous beating from the 49ers defense he was sacked six times and hit at least another six times. The Giants survived, 20-17, winning on Lawrence Tynes 31-yard overtime field goal after they had recovered a fumbled punt at the San Francisco 24. The Giants then went back to Candlestick during the 2012 regular season and dominated Coughlin shouldn t bother showing his players the Giants 44-3 playoff loss to the 49ers in 1993 that would remind them too much of how they are playing now. ON YOUR MARK Geno Smith proved he s not the answer and Michael Vick is just a Band-Aid. The Jets obviously need to find a quarterback. The job requirements: Good mobility. Ability to sidestep the rush. Strong arm to put the ball in tight windows and sling it deep. Quick-decision maker at the line of scrimmage. In other words, Mark Sanchez. Well, at least the Sanchez who showed up wearing the No. 3 Eagles jersey Monday night in Philadelphia, the one who looked nothing like the train wreck he had become in his final two years with the Jets. Now let s keep Sanchize 2.0 in perspective. He looked great against the Panthers, but this is not the same Carolina team that was a No. 2 seed last season. Now the fun starts for Sanchez. The Eagles are in Green Bay on Sunday and the Packers right now are playing the best football in the NFC. Then after an easy home game against the Titans, the Eagles play in Dallas on Thanksgiving in what figures to be a showdown for first place in the NFC East. It will be the biggest game Sanchez has played since the 2010 playoffs. His most recent Thanksgiving appearance two years ago against the Patriots was The Butt Fumble Game. After the Thanksgiving game, the Eagles get the Seahawks and Cowboys at home before finishing up on the road against Washington and the Giants. This is a crucial time in Sanchez s career. He can take Nick Foles job while Foles is out with a broken collarbone just as Foles took Vick s job last season when he was out with an ankle injury. 8 P a g e

9 Head coach Chip Kelly clearly doesn t believe a player can t lose his job due to injury. Kelly has never been sold on Foles and he seems to love Sanchez, who lit up Oregon in 2008 when Kelly was the offensive coordinator there, throwing for 332 yards and three TDs in a USC victory. Sanchez is a free agent after the season and if he continues to play great, he will get a big contract with the Eagles or elsewhere. Or if he reverts to how he played in 2011 and 2012, he will be eating cheesesteaks all alone fans met him at 1 a.m. for a postgame cheesesteak snack last week on his way out of town. IDZIK LOVE Pete Carroll worked with John Idzik for three years with the Seahawks and came to the defense of the beleaguered Jets GM, saying it was gallant when he took responsibility for the team s failures at his Oct. 27 news conference. I don t know how a guy can be stronger, Carroll told me on WFAN last week. He did it to protect his team, the club and the fans. I thought it was awesome. You got a great GM. You got a guy who is strong and tough and will obviously stand up and tell you exactly what is going on and take the heat and deal with it in an upfront manner. Just exactly what New Yorkers, I would think, would love. I don t think he s the one to blame. It takes time to get this thing done. When I mentioned to Carroll that the biggest complaint about Idzik is his lack of experience in personnel, he said Idzik was involved in everything the Seahawks did. He was part of the responsibility doing what we did to put this team together, Carroll said. We thought the world of him and he will do a great job. CAM CAN T DO Cam Newton had offseason ankle surgery and suffered cracked ribs in the preseason, but with the Panthers (3-6-1 with a four-game losing streak) still alive in the woeful NFC South, he will keep playing even though he looks totally immobile. The Eagles sacked him nine times. Hurt is hurt, Newton said. If you re asking me am I hurt right now? Yeah, I m hurt. I haven t felt 100% in a long time But can I play? Yes, I can play. And I will be playing. So it s mind over matter. You can t give it energy and I m not. There s a clear distinction in the NFL between being hurt (Newton says he is) and being injured (Panthers coach Ron Rivera says Newton is not). But he sure looked both against the Eagles Legal briefs from the Ray Rice hearing are due to arbitrator Barbara S. Jones on Monday, so it seems it will still be a little while before she rules on his grievance to have his suspension terminated The hearing on Adrian Peterson s bid to get back on the field is Monday. A decision will come by the end of the week, if not earlier. BAD NEWS, BEARS Da Bears (3-6) are Da-Readful. They have lost three in a row, their last two to the Patriots and Packers by a combined score of , giving up more than 50 points in each game. They ve been outscored 80-7 in the first half of those games If Coughlin remains as the Giants coach, will John Mara declare the defense is broken, as he did with the offense last year and order changes? If defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is fired, Coughlin should bring back Steve Spagnuolo. I thought he should have done that after the 2013 season. Spags is a senior defensive assistant with the Ravens Just as I figured before the season, the Lions (7-2) at Cardinals (8-1) is a huge game this weekend. DEZ SEZ: DON'T TEST ME Dez Bryant is in the last year of his five-year $11.8 million rookie contract. The Cowboys reportedly offered him a 10-year deal averaging less than $12 million a year with $20 million guaranteed. He just switched agents from Eugene Parker to Jay Z s Roc Nation with Tom Condon of CAA to negotiate the deal. Unless the Cowboys use their franchise tag on Bryant (it was $12.3 million for WRs in 2014), he will 9 P a g e

10 probably wind up with a five-year deal for about $65 million with $25 million-$30 million guaranteed. It s all about respect. It s all about respect, Bryant said. I m a very loyal person, but just don t test my loyalty.... It s the battle of the former Tom Brady backups in Cleveland with the Texans switching to Ryan Mallett to go against Brian Hoyer of the Browns. Cleveland (6-3) leads the AFC North and will be helped with suspended receiver Josh Gordon eligible to return Monday. ESPN NEW YORK Sunday notes: Wrong to blame Jets for giving up on Mark Sanchez (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York 1. Revisionist history: The Jets can be criticized for many things, but the decision to release Mark Sanchez last March isn't one of them. He played very well in his starting debut for the Philadelphia Eagles, but this notion the Jets are missing out on something is shameless second-guessing. Sanchez played poorly in 2012, missed 2013 because of shoulder surgery and was due a $2 million roster bonus before his throwing shoulder was healed. It was a no-brainer for the Jets, who already had Michael Vick lined up. At the time, no one was screaming about how they were pushing the wrong quarterback out of the building. When the Jets parted ways with QB Mark Sanchez, he had played poorly in 2012, missed 2013 because of shoulder surgery, and was due a $2 million roster bonus before his throwing shoulder was healed.yes, Sanchez would have been the opening-day starter if Rex Ryan hadn't sent him back into that preseason game, leading to the shoulder injury, but it's not like he lit it up in Marty Mornhinweg's system. There were plenty of hiccups in the 2013 preseason, including a pick-six and a costly clock-management blunder. Sanchez was a broken player; he had no chance to rejuvinate his career in New York. Every player deserves a second chance, and what you are seeing now is a re-energized Sanchez thriving in a different system and in a different culture. Those factors can't be overstated; system and culture mean everything for a quarterback. At the same time, it was only one game against a bad opponent, the Carolina Panthers. Let's see if he can keep it going before we make him Comeback Player of the Year. 2. The Replacements: Sanchez isn't the only former Jets quarterback leading a first-place team. With Carson Palmer out for the season, Drew Stanton takes over for the Arizona Cardinals. Stanton, you might recall, was a member of the Jets for only five days in He signed a free-agent contract, pocketed a $500,000 signing bonus and was promptly traded when the Jets got the bright idea to acquire Tim Tebow. Sanchez and Stanton can share their Jets' experiences with the media during the run-up to the NFC Championship Game. Wouldn't that be a trip? 3. Escape from New York: Contrary to popular belief, the Jets aren't a graveyard for starting quarterbacks. If Sanchez thrives with the Eagles, he would be the third straight former Jets starter to succeed the following year in another uniform. In 2009, Brett Favre, at the age of 40, delivered an MVP-caliber season for the Minnesota Vikings touchdowns, seven interceptions. In 2008, Chad Pennington won Comeback Player of the Year, leading the Miami Dolphins to the AFC East title. 10 P a g e

11 4. Still a believer: Echoing what Vinny Testaverde told me a couple of weeks ago, Pennington believes it's too soon to eliminate Geno Smith from the team's plans. "I'm still not giving up on Geno," Pennington said on "The Colin Cowherd Show" on ESPN radio. "I think they have something good there. If Michael Vick can continue to play well and Geno can continue to learn, you may have something there. I know people don't want to hear that, they're ready to move on, but you don't just find quarterbacks. You don't just go to the street and find a quarterback who is going to lead an organization. If you drafted a guy and believe in him, you have to make sure you give him the proper time to develop." The question is whether the organization still believes in him. 5. Personal mission: Quarterbacks coach David Lee doesn't talk to the media that often, which is too bad because he always provides good insight and opinion -- and we reporters like that kind of stuff. The other day, Lee described how Smith's struggles have affected him. Sometimes we forget the coaches have emotions, too. When Smith throws an interception, he's not the only one who hurts. "I take it all personal, which is why it isn t easy physically, emotionally or mentally, because I am the quarterback coach and we want to see him progress and become consistent, use his legs, become more accurate, make better decisions," Lee said. "When he doesn t, it bothers me because you feel like you've done as good of a job with him as you could or you missed something. I do take it personal." 6. Setting a low bar: I have to laugh at people, including some players, saying the Jets would have more wins if Vick had been the quarterback from Day 1. Last time I checked, Vick was 1-7 as the starter, only one more victory than me. So, no, this wasn't Johnny Unitas getting replaced by Earl Morrall. 7. Money matters: We haven't updated the salary-cap situation in a while, so here goes: The Jets have $12.9 million in cap space, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Philadelphia Eagles ($16.2 million), Cleveland Browns ($20 million) and Jacksonville Jaguars ($23.7 million) are the only teams with more room. Teams can carry the room into next year. Best value on the Jets: Muhammad Wilkerson ($2.2 million cap). Worst value: Percy Harvin ($7.1 million). SATURDAY S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS Associated Press FOOTBALL National Football League NEW YORK GIANTS Placed RB Peyton Hillis on injured reserve. Signed LB Justin Anderson from the practice squad. PITTSBURGH STEELERS Placed LB Jeremy Grable on the injured-practice squad list. Signed DT Ethan Hemer to the practice squad. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS Signed P Jacob Schum to the practice squad. HOCKEY National Hockey League 11 P a g e

12 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS Reassigned F Peter Regin to Rockford (AHL). American Hockey League SPRINGFIELD FALCONS Assigned G Scott Munroe to Kalamazoo (ECHL). 12 P a g e