An argument could be made that drafting players is the most difficult thing an NFL organization has to do. College and professional football are completely different games. In some senses, it is almost impossible to predict which players will be able to turn their collegiate success into NFL effectiveness.
Some would say the Jets have done well in the draft over the past few years. Depending on your view of Mark Sanchez at this point, you could consider trading up to get him a success. Darrelle Revis and David Harris were great defensive selections while D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold have anchored New York’s offensive line for almost five seasons. However, it sounds like Joe Namath would give them a D at best.
“I’m not sure what’s going on there,” Namath told ESPN 1050 via the NY Post. “We picked some poor players and we’re not owning up to it. That’s what it amounts to. You’ve got guys on the roster who have been picked and you keep trying to say, ‘OK, they’re going to work out.’ Well, guess what? We tried that with [Vernon] Gholston and it didn’t work out. You have to [say], ‘Hey, I made a bad pick, a bad selection,’ and move on. The Jets didn’t do that and it’s a little late for the season to get it righted.”
Broadway Joe then set his sights on Santonio Holmes. Holmes told reporters after the game that the offensive line needs to do a better job of protecting Sanchez, and Namath does not think that’s something Holmes should be talking about.
“That was a mistake, it surely was,” Namath said. “For Holmes, as a captain, to go outside, to the media, and start pointing fingers. . . . I mean, he’s right about the ball getting out late to him [on Sanchez’s third-quarter interception], and he’s right about the offensive line, but that can create a problem in the locker room. . . . That divisiveness can bury a team. They’ve got to correct that right away.”
Namath has certainly earned the right to share his opinion and criticize the team he had so much success with, but I would imagine the Jets players are tired of hearing from him. You don’t want to come out and insult a legend, but someone should tell Joe he’s no longer a part of the team. He may be a part of the Jets community, but he doesn’t know what goes on inside the locker room. Something tells me he doesn’t care.
