The New York Jets have had a busy off-season so far. They’re already signed on to be featured in the HBO original series Hard Knocks, so the new faces that will be joining them in training camp will serve as more than simple additions to their football team. With the questionable characters they have added so far this off-season, New York might not have even needed to pair up with HBO to give their preparation period a reality show feel. The Jets traded a fifth round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in exchange for Super Bowl 43 MVP Santonio Holmes. Holmes’ services won’t be available immediately, however, as he has been suspended four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy
Holmes joins Antonio Cromartie, who has in the past admitted that having seven kids in five different states can be distracting to his NFL career, as the second player with off-the-field issues to join the Jets in the last two months. While it’d be tough to argue that New York is not a more talented team with these two on its roster, I can’t help but think that Rex Ryan is quickly creating a recipe for disaster heading into the 2010 season. Ryan has enough problems keeping his own name out of the headlines and behaving like a big boy, as he proved to us at an MMA event back in January where a fan caught him on camera giving Dolphins fans the bird. The mix of characters on this team is going to be worth watching in itself for non-Jets fans. For the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets faithful, its going to be a complete hit or miss.
Sources:
Steelers ship Santonio to the Jets [Pro Football Talk]
NFL to Announce 4-Game Suspension of Holmes [USA Today]
