Larry Brown Sports

Joe Namath is one of very few Mark Sanchez supporters left in the country that are not related to the former USC star, which is surprising considering how critical the Hall of Famer has been of the New York Jets over the past several years. For whatever reason, Namath thinks Sanchez is capable of getting it done.

Geno Smith was expected by many — especially himself — to be the first quarterback selected in the 2013 draft. For that reason, the Jets thought he presented tremendous value at No. 39 overall. Not surprisingly, Namath thinks it was a wasted pick.

“No, I don’t think they needed a quarterback,” he said Tuesday according to the NY Daily News. “They needed the other positions filled. Possibly offensive line. They got some defensive line. The safeties are still questionable. The outside linebackers are still questionable.”

Namath is not the only one who feels that way, but at the same time there are not many people in Jets nation who feel comfortable with Sanchez as their quarterback. Broadway Joe praised Smith for being a “sensational athlete,” but he made it clear he is still high on Sanchez.

“I am pulling for (Sanchez),” he said. “I know that he can do better than he’s done. And we saw him lead a team to two AFC championship games, right? I also know what it’s like not to necessarily have the weapons you’d like to have, not to necessarily have the time you’d like to accomplish.

“I know it’s a team game and I know Sanchez is going to play better. I promise you you’ll see a different guy (this year). I believe you’ll see a different guy.”

Perhaps Namath knows something we don’t. Or maybe Sanchez’s new high-profile quarterback coach has done more for him than we could ever imagine. We know one Pro Bowl receiver isn’t buying it, and neither am I.

That being said, I’m not all that high on Smith at the moment either. Regardless of who the Jets starter is at the end of training camp, their defense will likely have to be closer to the caliber it was when they reached back-to-back AFC championship games if they want to contend.

Darrelle Revis was traded from the New York Jets to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday, and it does not sound like the All-Pro corner is leaving his old team on positive terms. It seemed fairly clear that the Jets were trying to trade Revis since the offseason began, but Revis says that intention was never relayed directly to him.

On Monday, Revis told reporters that the Jets consistently lied to him.

“Definitely I feel like I haven’t gotten the truth,” Revis said, via Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. “Anybody can sit here and tell you to your face, ‘Yeah, you’re going to be a Jet.’ But what’s the truth out of it. What’s really true?”

“You just want the truth of the situation. You don’t people to be dangling information or giving false information. Just tell the truth.”

Revis said the team had not been upfront with him since hiring general manager John Idzik. In fact, he recalled a recent conversation with Idzik when he was asked what he felt was a ridiculous question. According to Revis, Idzik asked him if he wants to remain a Jet.

“Why would you ask me that question?” Revis responded. “He gave me some other corporate answer about something else. I know it’s a lie. … I call it the corporate answer. The truth is the truth. Just tell the truth because people want to know what’s going on. I want to know what’s going on with my career whether you’re trading me or you’re not. But whatever you’re doing, just let me know.”

As we know, it is not always that simple. The Jets had to give off the impression that they were not desperate to trade Revis if they wanted to maintain any type of leverage. If Revis feels they should have told him they were looking to trade him and trusted him to keep quiet about it, that’s a different story.

Over the past couple of years, many people have accused Revis of only caring about money. Warren Sapp basically said it on Sunday when asked if he feels the Bucs made a good move. Of course, Revis disagrees with that notion.

“I never said I’m looking for the most money,” he explained. “Whatever I do out on that field, you should compensated for. That’s just not me. That’s any player in this league. I didn’t make this system up. I didn’t make this system of who’s supposed to get paid $25 million, $10 million… I put my body out there on the line and I play. I do it pretty well, so you should get compensated for what you want.”

Bottom line: none of it matters now. Revis is a Tampa Bay Buc. Like with any other ugly relationship that comes to an end in the world of professional sports, it’s time to move forward.

Photo credit: Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

If the New York Jets are unable to trade Darrelle Revis before the start of training camp, it won’t be due to a lack of effort on their part. New York is trying to move Revis and get some value in return rather than having to let him leave via free agency, but that doesn’t mean they are making him exempt from team rules.

According to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com, the Jets are forcing Revis to attend team workouts beginning on April 15 if he wants to collect his $3 million bonus. The 27-year-old corner has been working with his personal trainer in Arizona to rehab his surgically-repaired knee, and he would reportedly prefer to stay there. At the very least, Revis wants to wait until after the draft to see if the team is able to trade him.

But that is apparently not going to happen. There is language in Revis’ contract stating that he is required to attend voluntary workouts in order to collect his bonus money, and New York plans to hold him to it. If Revis doesn’t attend roughly 80% of the workouts, he will forfeit a $1 million workout bonus, a $1 million roster bonus and a $1 million reporting bonus at the start of mandatory workouts.

“We have a fine medical staff. We have a great training staff,” GM John Idzik said back in February. “We have tremendous facilities, so we feel that we have a lot to offer Darrelle and all of our players. We would hope that they would be there, but at the end of the day, it’s what’s best for Darrelle, how can we get him to clear medically and get back to the field to where he was before as quickly as possible.”

The belief is that having Revis attend voluntary workouts will prove that he is making progress and potentially strengthen the Jets’ position in trade talks. While we’re talking about the business side of the NFL, you can understand how Revis might feel uncomfortable being around teammates that will likely no longer be his teammates in about a month or so. However, I think he can manage if it means collecting an extra $3 million.

Photo credit: Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

It’s been a foregone conclusion since the end of the regular season that Tim Tebow would not be back with the New York Jets. Not only was Tebow hardly used by the team throughout the season, but he was upset with the coaches for burying him on the depth chart and even reportedly asked out of the Wildcat offense.

Back in December, nearly every New York media outlet said it was a certainty that Tebow and the Jets would be parting ways. But the team has a new general manager, John Idzik, and he might not be as determined to release Tebow.

“Tim, as you know, he’s currently on our roster,” Idzik told season ticket holders on a conference call Monday, per the New York Daily News. “What we’re doing is we’re trying to increase competition at that position and positions across the board. So we’re going to let the competition play out. We’re going to see who we’re able to bring on board and let it play out this offseason and into training camp. So I think that’ll be healthy for all concerned, including Tim.”

Was Idzik being truthful? Is he really planning to keep Tebow? I suppose it’s a possibility, though I think something else was going on.

Last month, it was reported that the Jets would try to trade Tebow before releasing him. No team would surrender anything in a trade if they know Tebow will be available as a free agent, so it’s likely the Jets are trying to make it seem like they’re going to keep him in order to create some trade leverage.

We’re not buying Idzik’s comments, though I suppose there’s a slight chance they could always bring him back.

Helmet smack to Eye on Football

Another day, another sign that the marriage between Darrelle Revis and the New York Jets could be ending in a divorce sooner rather than later. At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, tram executives and agents typically spend a good amount of time discussing player contracts and exploring new options prior to the official start of free agency. This did not happen with Revis’ agents and the Jets.

The NY Daily News reports that the Jets brass, including owner Woody Johnson, head coach Rex Ryan and GM John Idzik, avoided the Revis camp and did not attempt to make any type of contact with the star cornerback’s agents during the Combine. The two groups were reportedly staying at hotels that are a six-minute walk apart.

Revis’ agent, Neil Schwartz, said that he was in Indianapolis with his partner for five days before they left on Monday. Neither he nor the Jets would confirm whether or not the two camps met. The NY Daily News noted that Idzik and company met with representatives for Santonio Holmes, Dustin Keller, Jeff Cumberland, Austin Howard, Shonn Greene and LaRon Landry during the week but chose not to meet with Revis’ reps.

A source reportedly told The News that Idzik has not made an attempt to communicate with Revis’ agents since he took over as GM a month ago. An executive also said that it is widely believed that Johnson is not interested in signing Revis to any type of long-term deal, given the current state of the franchise.

One way or another, Revis is going to get top dollar. There have already been rumors that the Jets are exploring the possibility of trading him, and Revis clearly is starting to doubt that the Jets want to keep him around. It seems inevitable that they will part ways at this point, but we know better than to say never when it comes to the NFL.

Photo credit: Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Jets may have already explored the possibility of trading Darrelle Revis this offseason, but only the team knows whether they intend to hang onto their franchise corner or turn him into draft picks. Revis said he would like to remain in New York, but he has acknowledged that whether or not he stays is ultimately not his decision.

During an interview with Andrea Kremer of the NFL Network Monday night, the four-time Pro Bowler said he has spoken to head coach Rex Ryan since the rumors surfaced. Basically, Revis feels that Rex wants to keep him and that team owner Woody Johnson is the driving force behind the speculation.

“It starts from the top, it starts with Woody Johnson,” Revis said when asked about his relationship with Ryan, via ESPNNewYork.com.

Kremer then asked Revis if he feels as though Johnson does not want to pay him what it will take to keep him with the Jets long term.

“That might be a situation,” he said. “That might be something. That might be an option. If I do get traded, I’m not going to sit here and pout and cry, but I told them numerous times that I want to be there so it’s up to them and management of what they want to do.

“I don’t know if they’re doing that because they think I’m not going to get back to 100 percent. I’m a Jet until they tell me I’m not a Jet.”

The NFL is a business, and Johnson is the one controlling the funds for this particular company. If he decides to trade Revis this offseason to help better prepare the team for the future, that’s his prerogative. However, Revis has been the anchor of New York’s defense since Ryan took over. If Johnson trades the star corner, he may also be signaling the end of the Rex Ryan era.

Photo credit: Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

From the time it became obvious that Tim Tebow was not going to be a fit with the New York Jets, the media and fans have been looking for someone to blame. It seems fairly obvious that trading for Tebow wasn’t Rex Ryan’s idea, otherwise you would assume he would have given him a shot at some point during the course of the season. Last week, a report indicated the trade was “forced” on Woody Johnson, which makes little sense considering he’s the team’s owner.

On Tuesday, former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum admitted that trading for Tebow was his decision.

“So just going on the Tim decision, we felt like after the 2011 season we lost something with Brad Smith not being there, so we felt like bringing Tim in, he was going to be a guy who could replace Brad’s production,” Tannenbaum explained, via the NY Post. “Obviously, it didn’t work out the way we thought it was going to, and ultimately that was my call. But we did have discussions about it, and ultimately that was my decision to make the trade.

“It’s one of those decisions where it didn’t work out the way we thought.”

Tannenbaum also said he believes the Jets offense would have been fine in 2012 if not for injuries, which is a stretch. Healthy or not, New York simply didn’t have the personell to put points on the board. That’s probably why Ryan would reportedly prefer to be fired if the Jets don’t make significant changes on the offensive side of the ball.

The Tebow experiment was a failure, and failures happen in the NFL all the time. But when you fail with one of the most popular players in the league in one of the most ruthless cities in the country, everything is magnified. At least with Tannenbaum taking the fall, the Jets can attempt to move on from the Tebow era that never was.