Jets Should Forget About Green Bay QB

If your team had the opportunity to acquire a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who is also a nine-time Pro Bowler and sure first-ballot Hall of Famer, there wouldn’t be many scenarios where you would want to turn that offer down. Especially when heading into training camp, your quarterback situation is not settled, and the two battling it out for the job are not exactly headed to Canton unless they buy a ticket.

So what would make anyone say that Brett Favre to the Jets wouldn’t end in confetti being blown into the Tampa Bay night sky come February? Before we start booking the flight to Disneyland, it will make more sense once it is broken down. (more…)

The New York Jets have signed LB Vernon Gholston, the sixth overall selection in the 2008 NFL Draft. The announcement was made by Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.

Gholston (6-3/264/Ohio State/Detroit, MI), recorded 14 sacks in 2007 to set the Ohio State single-season record, while his 22.5 career sacks rank fifth in school history. He totaled 87 tackles, 30.5 tackles-for-loss, one interception and one fumble recovery in 34 games. Gholston was an All-American choice by The Associated Press and was named 2007 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year by the coaches.

The New York Jets signed free agents WR Rudy Burgess, LB Jerry Mackey and waived P Joe Smith. The announcements were made by Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.

Rudy Burgess, (5-10, 186/Arizona State/Edwards, CA), originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent on April 29, and was waived on July 28. A four-year performer who started 25-of-45 career games, he saw action at wide receiver, running back, defensive back, punt returner and kickoff returner. Burgess accumulated 4,379 career all-purpose yards with 19 total touchdowns on 446 total attempts. He totaled 229 carries for 1,093 yards and six touchdowns, 125 receptions for 1,536 yards and 12 touchdowns, 68 kickoff returns for 1,517 yards and one touchdown and 31 punt returns for 233 yards.

Jerry Mackey (6-1, 233/Syracuse/Freeport, NY) has served several stints with the Jets. Most recently, he was signed to a reserve/future contract on Dec. 31, and was waived April 25. He originally joined the Jets as a rookie free agent on Aug. 4, 2007. Mackey played four years with the Orangemen, recording 202 tackles (106 solo), three sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery. He earned All-Nassau County and All-Long Island honors as a high school senior and is a great nephew of NFL Hall of Famer John Mackey.

Joe Smith (6-2, 195/Central Washington/Enumclaw, WA), signed with the Jets on June 10, 2008. A Division II All-America, he finished his senior season (2003) with a 44.2-yard average and served as the national leader every week of the NCAA’s statistical report. Smith spent the last three years with the Yakima Mavericks of the Evergreen Football Semi-Pro League. He averaged 42.8 yards per punt and was named the league special teams MVP in 2007.

The New York Jets have signed free agent LB Brandon Renkart and free agent DB Ron Girault, released DB Andre Woolfolk, and waived DB Darnell Bing. The announcement was made by Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.

Renkart (6-2/236/Rutgers/Piscataway, NJ), recorded six sacks over the past two seasons, along with 18 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 10 pressures for Rutgers. In his junior season, first as a linebacker, he ranked sixth on the team with 54 tackles (25 solo), 3.5 sacks, 11.5 stops for losses and two pressures in 13 starts. Renkart also excelled in the classroom, where he was a finalist for the prestigious Draddy Trophy, the academic version of the Heisman Trophy.

Girault (5-10/204/Rutgers/Montvale, NJ)), was a four-year starter at Rutgers. In 45 games (40 starts), he recorded 271 tackles (160 solo), 1.5 sacks (for -11 yards), nine tackles for loss, 10 interceptions for 204 yards, seven passes defended, four forced fumbles, four fumbles recovered and two blocked kicks on special teams. Girault originally signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on May 3, but was waived on July 27.

Woolfolk (6-2, 197, Oklahoma), who was originally selected in the first round (28th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, joined the Jets after being out of football in 2007. In four seasons with Tennessee, Woolfolk played in 39 games and made 11 starts. He totaled 94 tackles, three interceptions, 18 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Bing (6-2, 230, USC) was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round (101st overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft and spent the entire 2006 season on Injured Reserve. He was waived by the Raiders on July 25 and claimed by the San Francisco 49ers July 26. He spent the entire 2007 season on the 49ers practice squad. In 37 career collegiate games (35 starts), he recorded 182 tackles (120 solos), one sack and eight interceptions. An All-American first-team selection by The Associated Press as a senior, he originally signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets on January 15.

The New York Jets have waived RB Danny Woodhead with a designation of injured. The announcement was made by Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.

Woodhead (5-9, 200/Chadron State/North Platte, NE) was originally signed as a rookie free agent on May 2. He rushed for an NCAA-record 7,962 yards in four seasons as a two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winner for Division II Chadron State in Nebraska.

Final Training Camp on Long Island Before Facility Moves to New Jersey

At least for one more summer, the Jets will appear to be a New York – and more specifically – a Long Island team. Although they moved out of Shea Stadium for the swamp lands of New Jersey nearly a quarter of a century ago, holding training camp and the organization’s home office on the campus of Hofstra University made things seem almost normal.

Once this training camp concludes, Gang Green will pack up on September 1 and move to their brand new facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, cementing their roots in the Garden State. Come 2010, both they and the Giants will open their new stadium adjacent to the existing Meadowlands.

On Thursday, head coach Eric Mangini and the rest of the staff stepped on the field for the first day of training camp, and anticipated another ‘nose to the grindstone’ month of two-a-days, sweltering temperatures and job battles. (more…)

he New York Jets have signed free agent DB Ahmad Carroll and waived DB Nate Lyles. The announcement was made by Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.

Carroll (5-10, 190/Arkansas/Atlanta, GA), spent the 2007 season with the Arena Football League’s Orlando Predators, starting 15 of 16 games with 68 total tackles (60 solo), three fumble recoveries for 53 yards and two touchdowns, one forced fumble and an interception. Originally selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft, he totaled 102 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, a fumble recovery and one touchdown in 34 games with 28 starts. In 2006, Carroll was waived by the Packers and signed as a free agent with Jacksonville, where he played in one game. He was waived by the Jaguars on May 7, 2007.

Lyles (6-0, 203/Virginia/Chicago, IL), was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 2. A three-year starter at cornerback for Virginia, he finished his career with 160 total tackles and four interceptions, including 68 tackles as a senior.

Trade to Redskins Dolphins DE’s Escape from the Tuna

Bill Parcells may be mellowing as he grows older. When he had issues with wide receiver Terry Glenn while both were in New England, the Tuna referred to his player as “she.” As Jason Taylor defied his new boss by staying away from offseason team workouts to continue his quest on “Dancing with the Stars,” Parcells could have had a field day with the Pro Bowl defensive end, but chose to take the high road.

Although it took a little longer than expected, Taylor will be taking the road out of Miami after being dealt to the Washington Redskins for a pair of draft picks. Anything but a total commitment will not go over well with Parcells, who took over the team after last season’s 1-15 disaster. Missing ample time with questionable injuries, as Glenn did, is one thing. Staying away to go dancing while a new coaching staff puts their plan into place is not acceptable at any level of organized sports, something that an 11-year veteran such as Taylor should have known. It was blatantly obvious that the 33 year-old wanted out of town and let his teammates down by leaving off his cleats for dancing shoes. (more…)

Giants Radio Man a Vast Improvement Over Newsman

If the NFL Network had to do it all over again, they probably would have named Bob Papa as their play-by-play man from Day One. The radio voice of the New York Giants is a valid choice and will handle the job with dignity while bringing something to the table. Unfortunately, this comes a year too late and after football fans had to deal with Bryant Gumbel calling games, who’s style was reminiscent of the lead character in “Weekend at Bernie’s.”

While he may have been a decent studio host many years ago on NBC, Gumbel was an odd choice to be in the booth during the fledging network’s first season exclusively covering Thursday night games. His years as a ‘Today’ show host seemed to have taken a lot of his being considered a ’sports’ person away. No matter what color analyst Cris Collinsworth did to attempt to salvage what was being said over the microphones, Gumbel’s inability to even have a deep knowledge of the game reared its ugly head on more than one occasion. If that wasn’t bad enough, his style was so laid back that even his calls of critical touchdowns had the same intensity as when he called for a commercial break. (more…)

The New York Jets have signed first-round choice TE Dustin Keller and waived CB Jonathan Zenon. The announcement was made by Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.

Dustin Keller (6-2/248/Purdue/Lafayette, IN), the 30th overall selection, played in 46 games at tight end, catching 142 passes for 1,882 yards (13.3 avg) and 16 touchdowns. Keller added 54 yards on four kickoff returns, posted four solo tackles and recovered a fumbled rushing attempt in the end zone for a score. In 2007 he was named team MVP, second team All-Big Ten and honorable mention all-american by Pro Football Weekly.

Jonathan Zenon (6-0, 193/LSU/Breaux Bridge, LA), was originally signed on May 20 as an undrafted free agent. He played in 41 games, including 30 starts, and finished with 91 tackles and nine interceptions.