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Well, this is my 17th and -- Faneca willing -- final blog post of the day. In fact, it's the 17th in just about 11 and a half hours. Whew.
I know it's not in the realm of Glauber and Best who try to out-do each other by hitting 30 or so posts in a day, but I think 17 is pretty good. Not to mention, they have the entire world to write about. I went 17 posts all about the Jets, without once posting a picture of a urinal.
Here are a few nuggets from the Tannenbaum conference call that may slip through assorted cracks but are worth knowing.
1. It sounds as if the Jets could be content to keep Dewayne Robertson on the team, though that would undoubtedly mean rejiggering that cap-heavy contract. Tannenbaum said "Depth on the defensive line is a critical thing and we’re glad to have Kris and Dewayne here." The Jets were hoping to strike it rich with a first or second rounder in exchange for D-Rob, but now that they have a big NT they may wind up keeping him.
2. Tannenbaum said there is no deal in place with Faneca and would nout respond to reports that there are. In fact, here's a funny little annecdote. During the Kris Jenkins conference call, one of the reports asked Jenkins about Faneca. Jenkins got all excited, thinking he'd learned that it was a done deal. PR guy Bruce Speight (who doesn't like the word "honcho") had to jump in and settle the crowd, telling us all that nothing is official.
3. Randy Moss? Intriguing? Tannenbaum said the Jets are sticking to their plan and moving forward with their plan. What he didn't say was whether or not that plan involved Randy Moss. Who'd throw him the ball? asked an anonymous commenter earlier on the subject of Moss with the Jets. The answer: Anyone but Tom Brady.
4. Tannenbaum insisted that moving Vilma had more to do with his contract status -- becoming a FA after this season -- and the depth at ILB (Harris, Barton, Kassell) then the knee injury or Vilma's clearly diminished production in the 3-4.
(((Thanks to Dave. T for cleaning up my spelling!)))
Maybe because it's been such a long day, my mind came up with this:
The Jets received a fourth-rounder in 2008 for Vilma. If Vilma doesn't sign an extension with the Saints during or after the 2008 season, he becomes a free agent. The Jets could, conceivably, sign him back at no draft-pick cost.
Whew, it's getting late. And, to paraphrase Neil Best, I still have to go write a story for the actual newspaper on all of this. You remember the actual newspaper, right?
Ok, here's the deal on the Vilma trade. Stay with me because this gets a little twisty.
The Jets received a fourth-round pick in the upcoming 2008 draft. That's theirs and they will use it or trade it or whatever they want to do with it in two months. If Darren McFadden is around in the fourth round, he'll be a Jet.
Now, if Vilma reaches certain playing time levels AND he winds up signing an extension with the Saints (remember, Vilma didn't renegotiate so he's a free agent after the 08 season), then the Jets will get either a second or a third rounder in 2009 but they would have to sort of pay back the original value of the deal by giving the Saints a fourth-round pick.
Follow?
So the best case for the Jets is that they wind up with a fourth this year, a second next year, but have to give up a fourth in 2009.
It's been a long day.
Just got off the phone with Mike Tannenbaum on a conference call. He said that the Jets aren't getting a conditional pick in 2009 from the Saints for Vilma. He said the deal is for a solid pick THIS YEAR in 2008 and, based on Vilma's production, possibly another pick in 2009. And it sounds like that second one could be a third-rounder.
Well, that changes things a bit.
Moss?
Just called Faneca's agent about the report on ESPN that the Pro Bowl guard has "tentatively agreed" to a deal with the Jets. Here's how the conversation went.
Me: "Hi Rick. Tom Rock from Newsday."
Rick Smith: "False report. It's a false report."
Didn't even get to ask my question. How did he know I wasn't calling to ask if he'd seen that crazy Michigan women's hoops coach.
Anyway, Smith says we're still on the same timeline as we were earlier today with a decision porbably coming Saturday evening. That doesn't mean the report won't turn out to be true. It just means that it's not totally true yet.
Who said that? Alan Faneca? Calvin Pace? No (well, not yet, at least). It was Jonathan Vilma when we spoke on the phone earlier this evening.
Click here and you can read the whole story on newsday.com. They even have pictures over there. I don't have any here. It's a long, legal story. We're working on changing that. Until then, just use your imagination.
Apparently the Saints don't share the Jets' philosophy when it comes to discussing injuries.
Here are the quotes from the Jets about trading Vilma, another deal just made officially official a few minutes ago:
“Jonathan has been a diligent, productive performer throughout his tenure with the Jets,” said GM Mike Tannenbaum. “I appreciate all of his contributions to the organization, both on and off the field, and am confident that he will be an asset to the Saints.”
“Jonathan is a student of the game who is always prepared and more than willing to help his teammates,” said Head Coach Eric Mangini. “I am grateful for his efforts and wish him well as he continues his career in New Orleans.”
No doubt they truly do "wish him well" and are confident he will be "an asset to the Saints" since they have a conditional pick coming to them in 2009 based on his performance. Vilma will also be playing for his own benefit in 2008 since the Saints haven't given him a new contract and he's scheduled to be a free agent after this season.
They gave up the third- and fith-rounders for Kris Jenkins and signed the big man to a big contract: five years for $35 million with about $20 million in guarantees.
But there was an unexpected addendum to the press release, which is copied and pasted below. Go ahead and click to find out what the Jets have to say about, oh, 700 or so pounds of their defensive line ...
Everyone knows this will be the final training camp for the Jets at Hofstra before they move to their new facility in Florham Park, but they do have a chance to take a little bit more of the region with them. Shane Olivea, a product of Lawrence High School (and before that, Long Beach) who went to Ohio State, was recently released by the Chargers and would probably be a nice fit for the Jets at right tackle. It would also give the team a Sunrise Highway Connection at their bookends on the line with Freeport's D'Brickashaw Fergon on one side and Olivea on the other. The could talk about mawls and the Sudden State Parkway and driving past Joey Buttafuoco's house with a car full of friends. (Maybe they're too young for that last one, but it was something I certainly enjoyed doing in high school!)
So far, though, that's not in the Jets' thinking. I spoke with Shane's agent, Ken Zuckerman, who said he hasn't heard from the Jets about the former Martone Award winner who was recently named to as a "Best of the Rest" in Newsday's Elite 11 list of the top high school football players on Long Island (Ferguson, by the way, was among the 11). Don't the Jets have any respect for the Martone Award???
Anyway, the Jets have their hands a little full right now with all these trades and offers. It's a good thing there's an extra day this year because I don't think the Jets could have fit all of this into a regular old 365-er. Maybe they'll reach out to Olivea when the dust settles. Zuckerman said Olivea would definitely be interested in hearing from the Jets. Of course they're his home team, but being unemployed right now, I'm sure he'd be interested in hearing from anybody.
Here's where the Jets stand. They've made their offer (reportedly 4 years for $32 million with about $20 in guarantees) and now they will wait. According to Faneca's agent, Rick Smith, he's currently compiling the offers from several organizations (the Rams and 49ers highest among them) and will present the information to Faneca on Saturday. Either Saturday afternoon, but no later than Sunday, Smith said, Faneca will make his decision. On Sunday he is expected to board a plane for one of the destinations and sign the contract tat will likely make him the best-paid offensive lineman in the sport.
"One plane, one visit," Smith said of the weekend's no-nonsense decision-making.
As for the Jets offer, Smith said everybody's is in the same neighborhood but that Faneca's decision won't be all about the bucks. The city, the team, the coaching staff, that will all play into it.
So basically, don't stay up tonight waiting for Alan Faneca news because according to his agent, it ain't coming until at least Saturday afternoon or evening.
Tight end Sean Ryan arrived at the Jets behind the urging of Bill Parcells, so it's only fair, I suppose, that Tuna get to have him back. Reports are that the seldom-used Jet has signed with the Dolphins as an UFA. The Jets won't shed many tears over the departure and Ryan stays in the division, which is good for him since he still gets to visit his childhood home in Buffalo at least once a year.
The Jets aren't confirming either of their trades yet -- these things usually have lots of i's and t's in them -- but besides the Vilma swap we reported last night the team has apparently sealed a deal to get big ol' Kris Jenkins from the Panthers. Reports on ESPN.com and FOXsports.com (both of whom have an obvious affinity for CAPital LETters) have the Jets giving up a third and a fifth rounder for the player they hope will be the anchor in the middle of their 3-4 scheme.
So does this make Dewayne Robertson even more expendable? Hardly, methinks. In fact, it mat make him more valuable to the Jets since I've said here that he would probably be more effective at a DE position rather than at NT. That doesn't mean the Jets won't ship him out, but it means they don't have him locked in at the nose so all of a sudden his dynamic on the roster changes.
As for the conditional pick the Jets will get in the Vilma deal with the Saints, a source told me that the ceiling on it is a third-rounder in 2009 based on production and playing time. I heard some chatter last night that fans were hoping to squeeze a second-rounder out of the deal, but that ain't gonna happen.
On the good new front, Alan Faneca seems to have whittled his choices down to three suitors: The Jets, Rams and 49ers. The Cardinals are apparently out of the picture.
The Jets' young, softspoken inside linebacker is still young but he's learned to show some verbal grit. Check out this profile on the Jets web site in which, among other things, David Harris vows not to let another embarrassing 4-12 season come his way.
"It’s going to change next year — I promise you that,” he said of the ribbing he received due o the disappointing season upon returning to his alma mater at Michigan.
Jonathan Vilma will likely be a Saint. According to two sources, the Jets are close to dealing the one-time future and soul of their defense to New Orleans. It's not clear right now what the Jets will get in exchange, but it'll probably be something close to a third-round draft pick. According to the people to whom I've spoken, the fineprint on the deal is being hammered out and it could be announced either later tonight or early Friday.
UPDATE: According to a league source, the Jets will receive a conditional draft pick from the Saints based on Vilma's production, likely for the 2009 draft.
Apparently Adam Shefter of NFL Network just reported that the Jets and Panthers are in hot talks about DT Kris Jenkins. I don't have the NFL Network and therefore didn't see the report first-hand (talk to Best about that situation). But it's clear that if the Jets pursue Jenkins it will be at the behest of former Panthers PR man and current Jets PR honcho Bruce Speight.
Why else would the Jets be interested in a 6-4, 335-pound, 28-year-old, three-time Pro Bowler who would fit nicely in the middle of their 3-4 defense?
Oh yeah. Probably because he's a 6-4, 335-pound, 28-year-old, three-time Pro Bowler who would fit nicely in the middle of their 3-4 defense.
It's going to be a late night here in Jets land, and there's a pretty good chance that most of the fun stuff won't happen until after the newspaper deadlines have passed (free agency and trade period open at midnight), so check here and at newsday.com to stay updated.
The Raiders seem intent on not allowing the Jets to improve. What's with those guys are trying to make their own team better?
First they didn't fire Rob Ryan, preventing him from coming here as a defensive coordinator. Then, today, they signed free agent-to-be defensive lineman Tommy Kelly to a seven-year, $50.5 million contract. What will the Black and Silver do next to thwart the Jets? We'll just have to wait and see how they use that fourth pick in April's draft to find out, but the words "Darren" and "McFadden" may have something to do with it.
What trade trigger would you pull for the Jets?
This is starting to be like fantasy fooball with all the trade possibilities. Vilma going here, Robertson going there, Rogers or Kris Jenkins coming to the Jets. Crazy stuff. And that doesn't even account for the free agency period that opens in a few hours.
For almost a week there have been rumors of a three-way deal between the Jets, Broncos and Lions in which the Jets get Rogers, the Broncos get Robertson and the Lions get Domonique Foxworth (plus a few draft picks sprinkled in to grout the gaps). But the Lions' interest in Jon Vilma may kill that plan. If the Jets can get their guy Rogers for Vilma, then they can move Robertson to a defensive end position as we proposed here last night. They'd still have to rework his contract, of course, but I think he'd be happy to stay and play at a more productive position. And if the Panthers are interested in Vilma and send Jenkins to the Jets, the same thinking may apply. Suddenly Robertson, who was being shopped in trades but unlike Vilma wasn't given permission to shop his own trade and therefore hadn't been essentially given up on, becomes a valuable commodity for the Jets.
Of course the Jets already have Shaun Ellis at DE, so moving Robertson there would force the Big Cat to an outside LB position. So maybe they unload Robertson for a bunch of picks anyway and keep Ellis and Kenyon Coleman at the ends.
Either way, if the Jets can get a prototype defensive tackle for the 3-4 scheme for either Vilma or Robertson, two players who were miscast in the system, they should do it.
The only guy who'd be upset by it would probably be Nick Mangold, who'd have to push around 340 pounds or so of defensive lineman in every practice. But I'm sure he wouldn't mind it come Sundays.
(UPDATE: I get a D in spelling because Shaun Rogers doesn't have a D in his name. My apologies and thanks to Jeff W. for the head's up!)
Jonathan Vilma recently said on his blog that he's jogging but is unable to run. Yet the linebacker with the surgically-repaired knee seems to be darting around the league pretty effortlessly in his quest to put the Jets in his rear view mirror.
The Detroit Free Press reported that Vilma was in the Detroit area today for a physical, though how extensive a physical can be on a guy who is admittedly a month away from running at full speed is up for debate. This after Vilma was apparently in New Orleans on Monday discussing his possible future with that team.
There is no deal in place as of now, and the Jets and (insert team here) wouldn't be able to make a swap until the trading window opens on Friday. But the visit to Motown brings up the idea of Shaun Rodgers, Detroit's mountain of a DT. The Lions have been trying to unload Rodgers, all 6-4, 345 pounds of him, so the possibility exists that Rodgers could wind up with the Jets in one of those rare player-for-player deals. He's certainly more of a prototypical 3-4 nose tackle than Dewayne Robertson, the undersized player who tried valiantly to gobble up double-teams for two years. Imagine Rodgers keeping blockers off David Harris.
How would hat change the Jets defensive front? Well, the Jets could either trade Dewayne Robertson -- he's being shopped -- or move him to a defensive end position where he seemed to have more success than while playing over the center in the 3-4 scheme. And Shaun Ellis, a defensive end, played more than a few snaps at outside linebacker last season. With Victor Hobson a free agent and unlikely to return, Ellis may find the move permanent.
Adrien Clarke, the player the Jets thought would be able to replace Pete Kendall at left guard, has been waived along with veteran WR Justin McCareins and CB Andre Dyson.
Clarke was thrust into a bad spot with the Jets, forced to play under a microscope of scrutiny before and after Kendall's acrimonious departure. He started 14 games for the Jets, but never saw the field after the game in New England in December when he let Richard Seymour through to flatten Kellen Clemens. Will Montgomery, who played in an odd offensive-line platoon with Clarke, is probably at the top of the Jets' deph chart as of now, but the Jets are undoubtedly very interested in acquiring the services of Steelers free agent Alan Faneca to fill the spot.
The Clarke dismissal wasn't a surprise, nor were the others. McCareins spent most of 2006 in Mangini's doghouse but earned back some trust for 2007. Then he dropped two passes in Week 2 against the Ravens and never quite recovered. As for Dyson, he was the Jets' lone consistent starter at CB in 2006 but last year lost his job with the arrival of Darrelle Revis and the play of David Barrett and Hank Poteat.
Remember this time last year when the Jets were bragging about returning 21 of 22 starters? Well, after a miserable 4-12 season, it seems they’re going in the opposite direction this time.
The list of key Jets who may not return is pretty long and impressive. Vilma, Coles, Robertson, Pennington, they’ve been the faces of the franchise. In fact, consider who the team captains have been in the last two seasons under Mangini.
2006: Kendall, Pennington, Ellis, Vilma, Chatham, Graham
2007: Coles, Pennington, Ellis, Vilma, Nugent, Kassell
By the time the team votes on the 2008 captains this summer, five of the nine players with experience in the role could be gone.
Mangini and Tannenbaum are slashing and burning their way to a new team. Same Old Jets? In some ways, if you consider that the franchise seems to be in a constant state of starting over. But as they head into their third season at the helm – in what could very well be a best two-out-of-three scenario for their tenure here – the front office is finally putting its stamp on the team.
All the pieces that never fit are being shopped. Mangini will focus on what he does best – defense – while bringing Bill Callahan in as an assistant head coach to oversee the offense. It’s taken him just over two years, but Mangini is finally getting to put his stamp on the team.
If those changes work, it could mean prosperity for the Jets. If not, it could mean a lot of the Same Old problems for the next guy.
Doesn't sound like it. According to an article in the Boston Globe, the Jets have given their surgically-repaired linebacker permission to seek a trade with any team in the NFL ... except for one. Think you can guess which one that might be?
If the Pats ever did land Vilma, it would likely put Matt Estrella out of a job. Vilma was the signal-caller for the Jets defense, so getting him would be like finding the Rosetta Stone. The Pats wouldn't need to videotape signals anymore, they could just turn to Jon for a quick translation!
No, he's not here yet. But I just spoke with Samuel's agent who (predictably) said that interest is mutual and high from both the Jets and Samuel. How high? "The interest level is where it needs to be for them to either a) make a run at him or b) get him."
Samuel will probably want to be one of the first FAs to sign and set the market. That said, his relationship with Mangini from New England will certainly help the Jets since introductions and those first-date jitters won't be necessary. But if Samuel is a little too pricey for the Jets, they could go for Patriot Option No. 2: Randall Gay. Remember, when Gay was a restritced free agent last season, the Jets brought him in for a chat. They never signed him to an offer sheet, but there's obviously a connection there as well.
... now.
After a little time off to recharge, it's back to work on the Jets beat (Thanks to Glauber for filling in some cracks while simultaneously sending Marquette on a winning streak!). 
While most of the Jets higher-ups are filtering back from Indy's combine, we'll leave the draft for another month or so. Because free agency starts this week -- Feb. 29 -- and the Jets have a few bucks to spread around if they so choose.
It's the "if they so choose" part that will undoubtedly rankle some Jets fans if the team tries to maintain its composure during this period. Remember, the front office is committed to building the team through the draft.
"I know we're prepared," Mike Tannenbaum said on a Sirius interview from the combine last week. "We're going to work on what we can control. We can sign seven guys or not sign any. You just never know the vagaries of free agency, but we're prepared and we'll see what happens. We're working hard to put ourselves in position to react to the market."
Reacting to the market may be code for "most of these guys stink." There are a few gems -- Asante Samuel comes to mind as a quick target -- but for the most part this is one of the least appealing free agency classes in years. The Jets have shown that they won't be bullied into making bad decisions; remember last year's relatively weak draft class when they packed their picks together and essentially came out with two of the gems they were looking for in Revis and Harris?
And by the way, has anyone else noticed that the Jets haven't cut anyone yet? The last two guys to get whacked were Eric Hicks and Adrian Jones back in mid-December. Yet another sign pointing to a relatively quiet free agency period for the Jets.
By Tom Rock
Invoices for season tickets will be mailed to subscribers next week and are due May 1, but today the Jets announced the prices for their 2008 home games.
In the lower tier, seats in sections 109 through 113 and 129 through 133 will cost $105 per game. The reaminder of the lower tier seats will cost $80 per game.
All mezzanine seats will cost $115 per game.
In the upper deck, sections 309 through 313 and 329 through 333 will go for $80 per game. The rest of the upper tier will cost $75.
For the "premium seats," which are those in the 109-113 and 129-133 sections as well as the entire mezzanine, it's an average increase of $10 per ticket. All of the other seats increased by an average of $5.
It'll also cost $20 per game for the pre-paid parking that gets you into the stadium parking lot. Last year it cost $15 per game.
Imagine what the prices would be if the Jets had won five games.
Here's a statement from Jets owner Woody Johnson:
"On behalf of the New York Jets organization I would like to congratulate the Mara and Tisch families, Coach Coughlin and the entire New York Giants organization. They played with tremendous heart and determination, earning a hard-fought and well-deserved victory in Super Bowl XLII. I also want to congratulate the Kraft family, Coach Belichick and the New England Patriots. Tonight's loss in no way diminishes the remarkable success they achieved in this historic season."
