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Geno Smith

Poll: Will Rex Ryan Coach In The NFL Next Year?

October 18th, 2014 at 5:45pm CST by Rob DiRe

With the Jets’ season on the brink, a future that includes Rex Ryan as part of the organization seems more and more unlikely. General manager John Idzik will make a Ryan a scapegoat for the season, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The Percy Harvin trade will help Ryan incidentally, but Mehta believes that the true motivation for the trade will be to properly evaluate Geno Smith.

From Mehta’s article:

Rex Ryan will be the scapegoat after the season.

Idzik was never fully committed to helping Ryan make the playoffs in 2014, but he has plenty at stake with Smith, who is near or at the bottom of nearly every meaningful statistical category this season. The organization will make a definitive call on Smith in 10 weeks…

His decision to give up a conditional 2015 sixth-round pick (that could turn into a fourth rounder), according to a source, for a wildcard like Harvin was purely driven by his desire to find out what Smith can do with more offensive firepower in the huddle. If Smith thrives with Harvin, the Jets will steer clear of drafting a quarterback in the first round next spring. If Smith continues to fight inconsistency, Idzik will jump ship and go after a signal caller early in next year’s draft.

While the Jets have struggle this year, the schedule has been brutally tough aside for the week one matchup with the Raiders. The schedule also gets far easier from here on out, with the Steelers, Chiefs, Vikings, and Titans in the back nine to go with two games against the Bills and two against the Dolphins. This team may not be drafting so high as to find a no-brainer selection at quarterback.

I do not like assuming that Ryan or any other coach will be fired with so much season left to play, but since Gary Myers of the New York Daily News already did so, it opens up the idea. He sees the Falcons, Dolphins, and 49ers as good fits if those teams are in the market for a coach. Of course, if Ryan so chooses, or if he can’t get a job right away, he will be more than welcome on television as an on-air personality.

AFC East Notes: Bills, Williams, Jets, Ryan

October 13th, 2014 at 11:26am CST by Zachary Links

ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck told Dennis & Callahan of WEEI that he wasn’t at all surprised by the second half Tom Brady put together against the Bills yesterday. “[Brady is] too good at so many different things that all of those skills are not leaving him at once. Whether it’€™s some of the physical traits in terms of how he throws the football, his accuracy, his arm strength, that type of stuff. Whether it’€™s the knowledge that he’€™s able to get out of the pre-snap, whether it’€™s his ability process things quickly post-snap, all of the things he does well aren’t going to leave him all at once,” Hasselbeck said. Here’s more out of the division that will have to deal with Brady for the foreseeable future..

  • Bills GM Doug Whaley insists that there’s no problem between coach Doug Marrone and wide receiver Mike Williams, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WGR. “There’s no problem at all. He’s been an exemplary football player…He’s been a great addition to our program. We have not had one ounce of problems with him,” the GM said. Williams’ agent has asked for and received permission to seek a trade.
  • The Jets‘ latest offensive failure was a painful reminder of the major reconstruction the Jets will require in the offseason, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Geno Smith, who has taken a beating from New York media, is only a part of the problem. General Manager John Idzik attempted to round out the team’s receiving core with fourth- and sixth-round draft choices, leaving the sophomore QB with a dearth of weapons.
  • The Jets‘ fifth straight loss means that we’re likely at the end of the Rex Ryan era in New York, writes Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. Myers writes that Ryan is a good man and a good coach who has been betrayed by a GM sitting on upwards of $21MM in cap room. Idzik, he writes, is simply saving that money for his next head coach.
  • In today’s press conference with reporters, Ryan called Smith “a great [draft] pick” by Idzik, Mehta tweets.
  • The Jets need a cornerback to replace Dee Milliner, who is likely done for the year, and Aaron Berry would make sense for them, tweets Mehta. Gang Green auditioned the former Jet last week.

AFC East Notes: Smith, Ryan, Pats, Pegula

October 12th, 2014 at 8:51am CST by Rory Parks

The Jets have opened the 2014 season with a 1-4 record, a disaster at the quarterback position, and a dearth of optimism for an imminent reversal of fortunes. The two starring figures in the team’s disappointment, of course, are head coach Rex Ryan and second-year quarterback Geno Smith. However, as Conor Orr of NFL.com writes, the ultimate fate of those two men could be quite different if and when their respective tenures with the Jets are over.

Citing NFL Media’s Michael Robinson, Orr writes that “a defensively starved team would absolutely pay Ryan handsomely to return to his former role as a coordinator,” but teams would be much more hesitant to give Smith another shot. Orr adds that, unless Smith shows more comfort against top-tier defenses, it is difficult to imagine any sort of market developing for him, even among coaches with strong backgrounds in quarterback development.

Now for some more notes from around the AFC East:

  • Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that, despite the Jets‘ woes, a midseason firing of Rex Ryan or GM John Idzik is highly unlikely and that owner Woody Johnson will reevaluate his personnel after the season. Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that there is no “litmus test” for Ryan to keep his job, as the team could finish the 2014 season strong and opt to bring Ryan back. After all, the Jets worried after the 2013 season that he would be immediately rehired as a head coach elsewhere and make them pay, and that fear still exists among the team’s front office.
  • With the Broncos coming to town this week, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com takes a look back at the Jets-Broncos trade that brought Tim Tebow to the Meadowlands. Although the fourth-round pick that New York shipped to Denver turned out to be center Phillip Blake, who is now out of the league, the Broncos used the sixth-rounder on Danny Trevathan, their starting weakside linebacker: Advantage: Denver.
  • Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes that, although the proliferation of doomsday articles concerning the Patriots‘ dynasty–which quickly disappeared after the team’s performance against the Bengals last week–contemplated a premature end to Tom Brady‘s days in New England, Brady’s contract suggests that he will remain under center for at least the 2015 season.
  • Despite the Patriots‘ throwback blowout of the Bengals last Sunday, Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News is unimpressed by the team’s long-term prospects and believes the dynasty is indeed fading.
  • Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News discusses the “eerie” coincidences surrounding new Bills‘ owner Terry Pegula‘s purchase of the team, and Sullivan wonders if the symbolism will continue with a Buffalo upset of New England later today.

AFC Links: Irsay, Webb, Jets, Browns

October 11th, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Rob DiRe

Colts‘ owner Jim Irsay has rejoined the team as of yesterday, after serving a six week suspension that kept him out of the spotlight following his misdemeanor count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Head coach Chuck Pagano was happy to have the owner back with the team, according to the Baltimore Sun.

“It’s huge. We talked about it in the locker room (after win at Houston). A lot of great things have happened with this football team with the win and first place and all that stuff. You know we have 10 days to heal up and the best thing is that we get our boss back, we get our owner back,” said Pagano. ”We get the guy that is leading this whole thing, so it is going to be huge. He has been with us in spirit so to speak for the past six games, but I can’t wait to have him in that locker room with us again and have him back in the building and grinding away with him.“

  • Ravens‘ cornerback Lardarius Webb has struggled this season, and with the emergence of 2011 first-round pick Jimmy Smith, he is not guaranteed a roster spot in 2015, writes Jamison Hensley of ESPN. He is owed $8MM in 2015, and the team can save $5MM by cutting him. Hensley also notes that the team could approach Webb about taking a pay cut to stay with the team.
  • The Jets already got their own post earlier today, where it was noted that they are in place to be big spenders in free agency this offseason. Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes that while he expects them to spend, he would be surprised if they handed out a huge contract to one player. For any Jets’ fans dreaming of signing Dez Bryant, Cimini tells them to “keep dreaming.”
  • Geno Smith may appear confident, but through his first 21 games with the Jets, some may say it is a “false bravado” writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. He notes that Smith’s off the field antics and on the field performance only give credence to the pre-draft reports that Smith would struggle with work ethic and fail to emerge as a leader at the NFL level.
  • As the Browns prepare to face the Steelers this weekend, a team that has owned them since drafting Ben Roethlisberger in 2004. Pat McManamon of ESPN put together a list of stats and notes to watch as the team prepare to ruin Roethlisberger’s 18-1 record against the Browns.

Jets Owner Talks Smith, CBs, Ryan, Idzik

October 2nd, 2014 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Jets owner Woody Johnson spoke to reporters today, and while he didn’t have any significant updates to provide, the session acted as a sort of state of the union session, with Johnson addressing a number of Jets-related topics and issues. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Brian Costello of the New York Post, and Newsday’s Kimberly Martin were among the scribes providing updates, so we’ve rounded up the highlights from the Jets owner below (all links go to Twitter). Let’s dive in….

  • Asked about the team’s lack of a splash in free agency, Johnson said that the Jets would prefer to build through the draft. “We’ll do an occasional free agent, but the free agent market isn’t a panacea,” the owner added.
  • Despite Geno Smith‘s erratic player, Johnson still has plenty of confidence in the young signal-caller, suggesting that he continues to believe Smith can be a “franchise quarterback.”
  • According to Johnson, he doesn’t regret not signing free agent cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and thinks the Jets adequately addressed the CB position in the offseason. The owner cited injuries as one reason the secondary may have underperformed so far, and said he expects the team to be fine now that Dee Milliner is returning.
  • Johnson on the Dimitri Patterson debacle, which resulted in the cornerback being suspended and then cut by the team prior to the regular season, after he signed as a free agent in the spring: “Just like any portfolio, we have a portfolio of players. Some are going to be good, some aren’t.”
  • Asked if Rex Ryan has to lead the Jets to the playoffs this season in order to keep his job, Idzik replied, “We don’t look at it that way,” and indicated that a decision on Ryan will be made at the end of the year.
  • The Jets still have about $20MM in cap space, but Johnson said he doesn’t put any constraints whatsoever on the club’s spending, and that GM John Idzik has full autonomy to use that cap room. Johnson also said that he believes GM John Idzik is fully invested in winning this year.
  • According to Johnson, Idzik’s deliberate approach to decision-making is one of the reasons he was hired.
  • Johnson was noncommittal when one reporter asked if he’s cut or keep a player who was found guilty of domestic violence.

Sunday Roundup: Suh, Jets, Steve Smith

September 28th, 2014 at 12:32pm CST by Rory Parks

It has been fairly obvious for some time that Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh would be leaving Detroit at the end of the year, and ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter confirms that the Lions are preparing to move on without him. However, Schefter adds another wrinkle, writing that Suh would love to play in New York, either for the Jets or Giants.

However, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that the Jets have too much money tied up in their defensive line to be a serious suitor, and Mike Florio of Pro Football talk adds that there is no indication that the Giants would want Suh. Citing Schefter, Florio does add that the Bears and Cowboys will definitely be interested.

Now for some more links from around the league:

  • In a full-length piece, Cimini writes that the Jets‘ most pressing contract concern might center around linebacker David Harris, the “glue” to head coach Rex Ryan‘s defensive unit. Although Muhammad Wilkerson‘s contract situation has received more attention, Harris will be a free agent at year’s end, whereas Wilkerson will still be under club control.
  • Steve Serby of the New York Post writes that the Jets‘ worst-case scenario–that Geno Smith would continue to struggle with his turnover problem, triggering calls for Michael Vick to take over–has come true. Given that Ryan is coaching for his job, another poor showing from Smith this week could lead to Vick’s promotion. Like Serby, Cimini believes that Smith’s job could be on the line today.
  • Not only are the Jets inconsistent on the field, they are also facing internal struggles. In a separate piece, Schefter writes that some members of the Jets front office are disenchanted with the way GM John Idzik has built his roster. Not only do they believe Idzik was not aggressive enough in pursuing upgrades at cornerback, an issue that has received a lot of publicity, but they also feel that Idzik should have used his ample salary cap space to further address the wide receiver, pass rusher, and return specialist positions.
  • Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that the Ryan Tannehill/Joe Philbin dilemma is not the only player/coach rift on the Dolphins.
  • Rich Tandler of ESPNWashington.com says to look for the Redskins to promote safety Philip Thomas from the practice squad to the active roster–assuming they do not go outside the organization for help–and that one of the tight ends currently on the practice squad, Ted Bolser and Je’Ron Hamm, could also be on the way up, depending on the status of Jordan Reed and Niles Paul.
  • Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune tweets that the Buccaneers have only two players remaining from their 2010 club: Gerald McCoy and Demar Dotson.
  • In a series of tweets, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes that the Panthers did not cut Steve Smith because they thought he could no longer perform at a high level. Instead, they worried that Smith would be “divisive” in the team’s young locker room. Smith refused to take a pay cut and ultimately asked for his release.

Rex Ryan Non-Committal On Quarterbacks

September 24th, 2014 at 9:30pm CST by Rob DiRe

Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan is sticking with Geno Smith for the time being, but has left the door open for Michael Vick to take over as the team’s starter, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

“I feel like (Smith) will start the rest of the games,” Ryan said. “But again, things happen. And we’ll see.”

Still, if the time comes, backup Vick will be ready to step in and try to help the team win.

“They’ve seen what I can do,” Vick said. “They know what I can do and I know what I can do. And if I get an opportunity, I’m going to do it and make sure I’m good at it.”

Vick is supportive of Smith, and has been since the moment he arrived in East Rutherford. However, he acknowledges that whether it is himself or Smith, the team needs better play from the quarterback position.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that I can help this football team win games,” Vick said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that (Smith) can help this football team win games. So, whether it’s him or whether it’s me at some point, we’re going to get it done. We got to get it done. There’s no other option.”

While Smith was supposed to take a huge step forward this year, he has struggled the past two games against the Packers and the Bears. The Jets are almost halfway through the toughest six game stretch of their season, and a win over the Lions could alleviate many of the questions surrounding the team’s quarterback situation. A bad loss could bring Ryan one step closer to inserting Vick into the starting lineup.

Friday Night Game Notes: East Edition

August 23rd, 2014 at 9:38am CST by Matt Feminis

Patriots third-year pass rusher Chandler Jones, who is being used as a stand-up rusher this season, had six tackles and two sacks in a win over Carolina last night, earning praise from Bill Belichick: “Chandler’s worked really hard at whatever we’ve asked him to do since he’s been here. Last year, he also played some inside over the guard. He’s played outside over the tackle or the tight end, up, down. He’s a versatile player and he’s very conscientious to try to do whatever we ask him to do and playing in all those different spots. He’s a very athletic player with good length, good playing strength so he has a lot of versatility athletically, he has a lot of versatility mentally.” CSNNE’s Greg Bedard believes Jones is poised to become an elite defender.

Here’s some more news and notes produced after Friday night’s batch of preseason games:

Jets Notes: Secondary, Smith, Coples

August 17th, 2014 at 9:35am CST by Rory Parks

After the terrible performance put on by the Jets’ secondary in last night’s preseason game against the Bengals, the Internet has seen a veritable explosion from the team’s beat writers as they attempt to describe Saturday’s debacle. Let’s have a look at some of those articles and a couple of other Jets’ links:

  • Bob Glauber of Newsday describes the struggles of Antonio Allen and Kyle Wilson on Saturday and wonders if GM John Idzik will try to sign or trade for a corner. Glauber notes that Idzik prefers to promote from within, but given that Ras-I Dowling suffered a groin injury against the Bengals–thereby joining Dimitri Patterson, Dee Milliner, and Dexter McDougle on the club’s rapidly expanding list of injured corners–he might not have a choice.
  • Despite head coach Rex Ryan‘s attempts to publicly brush aside his secondary’s performance with characteristic humor and machismo, Steve Serby of the New York Post writes that the Jets are facing disaster if they do not make a roster move.
  • Gary Myers of the New York Daily News goes into more detail regarding the play of Antonio Allen, a safety who lined up at corner against A.J. Green on Saturday, a highly daunting task. Allen predictably struggled, but Myers believes he has the potential to be a solid corner and that the Jets may have to be patient with his transition, as the market for free agent corners is pretty bare.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com describes how the Jets’ young and out-of-position unit made Andy Dalton look like a superstar and notes that the team’s failure to adequately address the secondary in the offseason has evolved from a troublesome issue to a glaring one. Cimini adds that, when Ryan was asked if the team would try to acquire a veteran corner, Ryan replied, “I don’t think [73-year-old Hall of Fame corner] Willie Brown is out there.”
  • Cimini has been pretty busy last night and this morning. In a separate piece, he writes that Geno Smith was not great against the Bengals, but he was at least adequate, and it is now just a matter of time before Ryan officially declares him the starting quarterback.
  • Cimini wonders (via Twitter) if the team is trying to send a message to Quinton Coples. Coples played only 15 snaps last night, while Jason Babin played 31 snaps.

AFC East Notes: Decker, Easley, Odrick, Bills

August 3rd, 2014 at 8:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Jets wideout Eric Decker is focused on contributing to his new team and is hoping to establish himself as a bona fide number-one receiver. That may be tough without Peyton Manning throwing to him, but the 27-year-old wants to prove that his success shouldn’t be completely attributed to the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

“From Year One to Year Five now, I’ve gotten better at my craft,” Decker told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “I’ve become a better receiver. I’m not going to make assumptions because assuming doesn’t really do anything. In this league, you’re only as good as your last play. That’s what people remember. Numbers and statistics come and go away. And then you start over.”

Teammate Sheldon Richardson certainly envisions Decker as a premier wide receiver.

“People want to knock him for the Super Bowl or hate on him a little bit,” Richardson said, “but truth be told, that whole offense disappeared, even Peyton Manning.

But I see a No. 1 receiver in him.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the AFC East…

  • ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini confirms that Jets linebacker Jermaine Cunningham has torn his ACL and is expected to miss the regular season.
  • Cimini also explores whether the Jets would benefit from playing both Geno Smith and Michael Vick at quarterback. He acknowledges that having the players platoon could throw Smith off of his rhythm, but he also notes that a weapon like Vick shouldn’t be warming the bench.
  • Patriots first-round pick Dominique Easley still hasn’t been cleared to practice and will not travel with the team to Richmond, sources tell The Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe. The defensive tackle, who is rehabbing from a torn ACL, is at least a week away from returning to practice.
  • Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan will be suspended for the first four games of the upcoming season, but that hasn’t prevented the player from making an impact. In fact, ESPN.com’s James Walker says the former first-rounder has been one of the team’s best defensive players in training camp. “He’s anxious to continue to develop,” defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle said. “He knows he’s got a lot of work. He’s been getting a lot of work here. We’ll continue to try to get a lot of players in the preseason games knowing that we’re going to miss him for a bit, but we envision his role is going to be extensive when he comes back and we know he’s going to be a great player for us.”
  • Entering the final year of his contract, Dolphins defensive end Jared Odrick admitted that a future deal is certainly on his mind. However, he’s trying his best to focus on just football. “There’s no time where it’s (a season) not a big deal,” Odrick said (via David J. Neal of the Miami Herald). “But in terms of my situation with me being five years in, it would be a mistake if I didn’t stay focused on my duties as a football player and what I have to do physically and mentally every day. I try to focus on that more than anything else.”
  • The Bills are crowded at wide receiver, but NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal tweets that Marcus Easley “should be a lock” considering his contributions on special teams.
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