First a few updates:
1. Feeling pretty good about the Yankees right now, up 6-2 in the 7th inning with CC rolling. How about the captain with that 2 run home run to tie the game up before? The Yanks are making my time between Jets game go much quicker.
2. Mark Sanchez was fined $5,000 for his hit on Jonathan Vilma. He called to apologize about the hit and VIlma made amends with him. I am sure the rookie learned his lesson and won’t be getting called for a personal foul anytime soon.
3. The Dolphins have been carrying on with the endless amounts of trash talk this week. Today something came out about Channing Crowder hating Leon Washington and saying he is going to curse out Mark Sanchez, which of course begs the question…who is Channing Crowder and does anybody care about what he has to say? The Dolphins are 1-3…1-3. They need to worry about winning some games instead of talking like they are some type of contender this season.
4. Site updates…I have updated the depth chart, reflecting the trade. Tomorrow I will write my normal Wednesday article about the key individual match-ups for the Jets/Dolphins game…Friday I will write my excessively comprehensive game breakdown AND post episode V of TOJ TV, which I know everybody is waiting on. Saturday, I will be grading out the Jets/projecting their stats through the first quarter of the season. Sunday, I will be watching football and tracking my horrible fantasy team. Monday, I will be writing on the Jets recent domination of their rivalrywith Miami, including some great video footage. Set your schedules accordingly
More on Braylon & New York Jets: Hi Hater
Wrapping up the Deal: The terms of the deal have been confirmed as Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik, a conditional third round pick and a fifth round pick. Only if Edwards has an inordinate amount of catches this season, could the third rounder be bumped up to a second rounder. It appears that the Jets will likely be without their 3rd, 4th (Lito Sheppard trade), and 5th round pick in the 2010 draft. Mike Tannenbaum said there are no immediate plans to restructure Edwards’ contract. It will depend on the Collective Bargaining Agreement whether Edwards is a restricted or unrestricted free agent (similar to Leon Washington) after the season. Obviously his on field production and off the field behavior the rest of the season will determine how the Jets handle his contract this off-season, though an eventual long term deal makes sense since they sacrificed two draft picks for him.Minor League: Final condolences to Chansi Stuckey and Jason Trusnik who are now joining the Jets AAA affiliate in Cleveland. I heard a rumor the Browns will soon be trading Joe Thomas, Shaun Rogers, and Josh Cribbs for Wayne Hunter, Mike DeVito, Wallace Wright, and Drew Coleman. How about nine former Jets currently on the Browns active roster? I always liked Stuckey but the guy is built to be a #3 receiver, while Edwards is built to be a legit #1. Trusnik is a very good special teams player with a history of injuries.
Press Conferences: Ryan sounded confident in his ability to handle Edwards, who he believes will fit right in with the rest of the team. He said Edwards “better be ready to go” as a starter this Monday night because that is what the Jets brought him in for. He also talked about his firsthand knowledge of the difficulty to cover Edwards and how he is confident the acquisition will open up the Jets offense. He didn’t offer any tantalizing soundbites on the Jets/Dolphins game but joked that Channing Crowder could find him Monday night in a white #77 jersey. Ryan also confirmed what Mike Tannenbaum said about the Jets doing a thorough background check and being confident that Edwards will stay out of legal trouble the rest of the year. I would imagine that any legal problems involving Edwards and LeBron’s entourage would result in a suspension in 2010, not this season.
Edwards press conference didn’t offer anything too noteworthy. He repeatedly expressed how excited he was to be in New York (obviously) and how the constant losing in Cleveland was beginning to wear on him. Edwards said he is comfortable with the guys in the Jets locker room, who welcomed him with some jokes about the suit he was wearing. He also discussed his excitement about working with Mark Sanchez and his belief that Jerricho Cotchery and himself could compliment each other. Interestingly enough, he even mentioned looking forward to contributing to the running game by adding some down field blocking for Thomas Jones. Edwards didn’t discuss his off the field troubles but instead talked about his desire to change the perception of himself, and the positive off the field work he has done in his career.
Hi Hater: You have to love the hate from president of the New England Patriots fan club aka Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who will find anyway to demean the Jets for this move, where if it was another team they would be praised for making a bold decision. I love how PFT writes a story about Derek Anderson being thrilled with Edwards leaving, like it is supposed to concern Jets fans. Derek Anderson? The guy has been straight awful since his 2007 season, does anybody care about his opinion? He started out the year backing up Brady Quinn, which should show how talented he is. Also, I loved reading the Patriots and especially the Dolphins fans criticizing the moves on the ESPN message boards for the Jets. You want to hear something funny? Ted Ginn Jr has 4 career touchdown receptions…that means Braylon Edwards had 4 times as many touchdown receptions in his 2007 season than Ginn does for his whole career. You can hear the insecurity and nervousness from the Pats and Dolphins fans as the Jets clearly established themselves as the team to beat in the AFC East with this move. Yes, I just said as of right now the Jets are the team to beat in the AFC East. Not Miami, who will promptly be put in their place (TOJ TV spoiler alert) as a 4-12 team by the Jets this Monday Night and not New England, who already lost to the Jets and only has three wins because of Leodis McKlevin’s charity and insanely terrible officiating/Mark Clayton’s dropped pass in the Ravens game.
Jets/Dolphins Week: Get Fired Up
