Speaker 1: Welcome to another installment of the Jet Pennyson Podcast. Erik
Speaker 1: Ellen here with CP. Well, Chad, I really thought when
Speaker 1: we spoke last week, when we were going to talk
Speaker 1: again this week, it was going to be a playoff preview,
Speaker 1: But unfortunately the Jets, who had a tremendous season with
Speaker 1: ten wins, just couldn't get it done in Buffalo in
Speaker 1: a win in their in scenario, What would you tell
Speaker 1: a Jet fan right now? Well, there's not much that
Speaker 1: I could say to Jeff Amicles. I know the response.
Speaker 1: It's going to be the same old Jets. I've been
Speaker 1: through this for my whole life, you know, a lot
Speaker 1: of years, Chad. Don't paint a pretty picture those types
Speaker 1: of things. I will say that, Um, you have to
Speaker 1: be proud of your team for bouncing back from my
Speaker 1: four and twelve season and come in out at ten
Speaker 1: and six. Um. I've seen teams do that and not
Speaker 1: make the playoffs. Typically ten and six get you in, UM,
Speaker 1: and it would have. If you were sitting there as
Speaker 1: a Pittsburgh deeler, you would be getting in the playoffs
Speaker 1: at ten and six. But you're not. And so the
Speaker 1: most frustrating part is that your team had a chance
Speaker 1: to control its own destiny, and it didn't. And when
Speaker 1: that happens, that can be most frustrating for fans, for coaches,
Speaker 1: for players. I think that's why you saw the emotion
Speaker 1: of the players after the game, and they truly took
Speaker 1: this loss to heart, and knowing that the game was
Speaker 1: in their hands, they did not have to rely upon
Speaker 1: anyone or any team to get them into the playoffs,
Speaker 1: and that's what's most frustrating, all right, before we go
Speaker 1: into a little analysis on that ball game and then
Speaker 1: we look ahead and talk about things on a whole
Speaker 1: love on a macro level. Two thousand and fifteen, you
Speaker 1: mentioned it here early on Same Old Jets. How disgusted
Speaker 1: did you hear that when you were a player, and
Speaker 1: even now as you're still connected with the organization, how
Speaker 1: much do you not like that line? Because I was
Speaker 1: I was actually battling a couple of folks on Twitter
Speaker 1: on Sunday night, and I think sometimes people get irrational
Speaker 1: and they forget about what has happened with this organization,
Speaker 1: especially since Woody Johnson took over. Well, as a player,
Speaker 1: it's frustrating because you have nothing to do with previous
Speaker 1: seasons or years where you weren't part of the organization.
Speaker 1: And so for the eight years that I was there,
Speaker 1: I was a part of four playoff team that and
Speaker 1: when you look at the grand scheme of things, that's
Speaker 1: not a bad average, knowing that there's a lot of
Speaker 1: players that I played with in this league that never
Speaker 1: even the playoffs and we had a chance to play
Speaker 1: for World championship four out of the eight years that
Speaker 1: I was there. And so as a player, you don't
Speaker 1: like to hear that. I don't like to hear that
Speaker 1: now and I don't even play for the jest because
Speaker 1: it it UH ties you too some of that history
Speaker 1: that you weren't responsible for UM, and so it can
Speaker 1: be frustrating. UM. But what you have to focus on
Speaker 1: is a player, is uh the good things that you
Speaker 1: did as a team as a player of what you
Speaker 1: need to improve on. Knowing that the nucleus is there,
Speaker 1: the corps is there, UM to make another run and
Speaker 1: to be competitive and have a chance to win a
Speaker 1: championship next year, obviously there has to be some pieces
Speaker 1: that have to be signed and added, and more than
Speaker 1: ever teams, it is a year to year thing with
Speaker 1: these teams UM, because of all of the turnover and
Speaker 1: transition by players throughout the league. So what you've done
Speaker 1: in the past doesn't really matter. They have to retool,
Speaker 1: look at what they need to do better and get
Speaker 1: ready for the two thason. Yeah, I think some people's
Speaker 1: narrative that this organization is cursed as at times laughable
Speaker 1: considering what has this organization done over the course of
Speaker 1: the past year. Todd Bowles, Mike mccagne came in, took
Speaker 1: over UH and in two thousand fifteen New York Jets
Speaker 1: where four win football team. Mike mccagnell made a number
Speaker 1: of moves in the off season and then Todd Bowles
Speaker 1: and a brand new coaching staff had to put all
Speaker 1: these pieces together and this team won ten games and
Speaker 1: nobody after that ballgame, as you know, Chad was celebrating
Speaker 1: and saying, hey, we want ten games this year. Brandon
Speaker 1: Marshall was stunned, sat there, looked at the media on
Speaker 1: Sunday night and said, no moral victories in this league.
Speaker 1: Todd Bowles said, we are he to compete for a
Speaker 1: Super Bowl, so we have to get to the playoffs.
Speaker 1: We grew this year, but ultimately we did not get
Speaker 1: to the playoffs. Well and they were just speaking truth
Speaker 1: and speaking from the heart, and I completely agree with them.
Speaker 1: And so when you when you look at that's why
Speaker 1: it is frustrating, UM, for fans, for players, for coaches,
Speaker 1: because you're so close, UM. But we know close doesn't
Speaker 1: count when you look at the bigger perspective, No one,
Speaker 1: including ourselves, probably expected this team to have a chance
Speaker 1: to win eleven games, UM. When it all boils down
Speaker 1: to it, not only ten wins, but really eleven games
Speaker 1: right there that they could have easily been eleven and five,
Speaker 1: and no one gave this team that chance or thought
Speaker 1: that that could happen. I think that most people were
Speaker 1: looking at seven and nine in the nine and seven
Speaker 1: would be a major, major improvement. And so I think
Speaker 1: you have to be proud of the fact that this
Speaker 1: team put itself in a position to get to the
Speaker 1: playoffs and controls destiny. And I think as a fan,
Speaker 1: I think we need to regroup as fans of of
Speaker 1: football teams and of sports teams and realize that, UM,
Speaker 1: as a fan, if your team is competing at a
Speaker 1: high level and putting itself in a position year in
Speaker 1: and year out to play for a championship and has
Speaker 1: the opportunity to do that. You need to feel good
Speaker 1: about that, you really do. Now, if you're if your
Speaker 1: team is at bottom and at the seller and not
Speaker 1: making any improvement, not doing those things, then you certainly
Speaker 1: have a reason to be frustrated. But if your team
Speaker 1: can start to create a consistent product, create a consistent
Speaker 1: product and compete for the playoffs and a championship year
Speaker 1: in and year out, you need to do You need
Speaker 1: to feel good about that, and you need to support
Speaker 1: the team in that because there's only one team that
Speaker 1: holds up that trophy and everybody else goes home losers,
Speaker 1: and so you have to realize how hard and how
Speaker 1: difficult it is to win that Lombardi Trophy. Yeah, you're right,
Speaker 1: thirty one and thirty two teams will not get it
Speaker 1: done this year. Even if you go to the Super
Speaker 1: Bowl and lose. Bottom line, you didn't get it done.
Speaker 1: So the Jets right now obviously not satisfied proud of
Speaker 1: their growth, and they should be. When you look back
Speaker 1: at the Buffalo game, what stands out to you why
Speaker 1: the Bills were able to overcome a Jets team who
Speaker 1: needed that victory to secure their spot in the postseason. Well,
Speaker 1: a couple of things stand out. First of all, I
Speaker 1: think watching the game live in the first quarter, I
Speaker 1: felt like the Bills came to the field and came
Speaker 1: to the ballpark with a little bit more energy, a
Speaker 1: little bit more tenacity, a little bit more effort. And
Speaker 1: I don't know if that was just because the Jets
Speaker 1: being a little bit nervous or a little bit um
Speaker 1: caught up in the moment maybe, Uh, you don't know. UM.
Speaker 1: Sometimes that can make you tight knowing that you you
Speaker 1: have something like the playoffs to play for, whereas the
Speaker 1: your opponent can just play loose, knowing that, hey, we
Speaker 1: don't have anything to lose. We're trying to get the
Speaker 1: five D and knock our arrival out of the playoffs.
Speaker 1: So I I saw that and felt that in the
Speaker 1: first quarter, um, and I just felt like that there
Speaker 1: were times where typically the Jets football team plays good,
Speaker 1: complimentary football and they didn't do that this time around.
Speaker 1: For instance, when the Jets caused the fumble uh, there
Speaker 1: were no points uh that the offense was able to
Speaker 1: get off of that turnover, or when the Jets actually
Speaker 1: had the turnover in the end zone with about ten
Speaker 1: minutes less and the fourth quarter the defense allowed the
Speaker 1: Bills to drive down and secure a field goal. So
Speaker 1: that's a type of complimentary football that doesn't necessarily show
Speaker 1: up in the statue, but it's so important to winning
Speaker 1: football games watching one side pick the other side up
Speaker 1: when something doesn't go its way. Really, thing about third down,
Speaker 1: the Bills nine and twenty on third down twenty times,
Speaker 1: you don't see that in the National Football League too often.
Speaker 1: Where a team has twenty attempts on third down, they
Speaker 1: converted nine of those. Conversely, the Jets just three of eleven,
Speaker 1: and that led to a thirty nine minute time of
Speaker 1: possession number for the Buffalo Bills. So the Jets weren't
Speaker 1: on the field a lot in this game. They weren't
Speaker 1: they didn't have very many opportunities, but the opportunities that
Speaker 1: they did have, they didn't capitalize. And so that's the
Speaker 1: type of complimentary football that we're talking about. I've played
Speaker 1: in the game before where our Dolphins team had forty
Speaker 1: five minute time of possession and we still lost. So
Speaker 1: sometimes time of possession can be overrated. Obviously, most of
Speaker 1: the time is a key to winning. But when you
Speaker 1: look at the keys of the game and look at
Speaker 1: the major plays that were made that it still have
Speaker 1: could have won that game even with the lack of
Speaker 1: time of possession, and so, um, you look at the game,
Speaker 1: you just feel like that Buffalo was quicker to the
Speaker 1: punch for a lot of the a lot of the game.
Speaker 1: They had that the extra effort plays, they had, the
Speaker 1: tenacity plays, they had the emotional plays, and they just
Speaker 1: had more of those than the Jets did. And at
Speaker 1: the end of the day, Um, it didn't come through
Speaker 1: for the Jets. What do you think about the fourth
Speaker 1: quarter there? The Jets got themselves in position, uh to
Speaker 1: come back again, and we've seen them late during that
Speaker 1: five game win streak. They found ways to win over
Speaker 1: the Giants, they found a way to win over the Cowboys,
Speaker 1: they found a way against the Patriots, and it looked
Speaker 1: like it was gonna happen one more time this regular
Speaker 1: season as the Jets are down nineteen to seventeen, facing
Speaker 1: a second and ten from the Bill's fourteen yard line,
Speaker 1: when Ryan Fitzpatrick looks for Eric Ducker and then at
Speaker 1: that point, uh, you know, take me through your thoughts
Speaker 1: on the fourth quarter. Well, I felt exactly the way
Speaker 1: you're talking about. I felt like, Hey, this even though
Speaker 1: things haven't gone the way the Jets had foreseen them
Speaker 1: in the first three quarters, and even though that Buffalo
Speaker 1: was playing extremely well, and and Buffalo was beating the
Speaker 1: Jets to the punch on most of those series. You
Speaker 1: get to the fourth quarter and you strip it all down.
Speaker 1: It's nineteen to seventeen. Jets have the ball and they're driving.
Speaker 1: What more could you ask for? You're in a hostile environment,
Speaker 1: it's a playoff style atmosphere, a hard place to play
Speaker 1: in the vision rival you have the ball and and
Speaker 1: and the possession in your hands and the opportunity to
Speaker 1: take control of the game and grab the lead. And
Speaker 1: so I felt really good for the Jets moving into
Speaker 1: the fourth quarter, knowing that there had been some missed
Speaker 1: opportunities and things weren't really going according to plan in
Speaker 1: the first three quarters, and so I felt good about
Speaker 1: the as chances moving into the fourth quarter, especially with
Speaker 1: their history for the past few weeks where they were
Speaker 1: putting teams away and finding ways to win in the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter. And then be I thought the two series,
Speaker 1: one with the interception with the throw to Decker in
Speaker 1: the end zone, and then following that with the long
Speaker 1: drive by the Bills for the field goals. I mean,
Speaker 1: those are the two series of the game right there.
Speaker 1: If one of those things don't happen, whether the Jets
Speaker 1: don't throw the interception or the defense stops the Bills
Speaker 1: from getting a field goals, the Jets probably win that game.
Speaker 1: And that's why it's so important to play complimentary football.
Speaker 1: It's also important to understand situations and sometimes in decision
Speaker 1: making his quarterbacks, Um, decisions that you would make in
Speaker 1: the first quarter, you don't make in the fourth quarter,
Speaker 1: or decisions you make in the fourth quarter. Uh down
Speaker 1: a certain number of points in a certain situation, you
Speaker 1: don't make that same decisions. So it's it's very situational.
Speaker 1: It's a feel, it's it's understanding, you know why the
Speaker 1: team needs to get the job done, and obviously Ryan
Speaker 1: would like to have that decision back. Yeah, Uh, Fitz
Speaker 1: tried to hit Eric Decker, Leotis mccalvin comes up with
Speaker 1: the interception, and you're right. At that point, it's nineteen seventeen,
Speaker 1: ten forty three left in the fourth quarter. The Jets
Speaker 1: did not get the ball back until three forty nine
Speaker 1: remained in the fourth quarter because the Bills, as they did.
Speaker 1: Seemed like most of the afternoon. They found ways to
Speaker 1: convert on third down on the file on the ensuing drive,
Speaker 1: I should say they converted three third downs exactly. And
Speaker 1: you look at it, imagine if that if the Bills
Speaker 1: go three and out after that interception, the office is
Speaker 1: back on the field, they just had a drive, They're
Speaker 1: starting to get in the groove. They probably go down
Speaker 1: and score. And so that was a great job by
Speaker 1: the Bills. You have to give them credit. They were
Speaker 1: finding ways to convert on third down. They were being
Speaker 1: very create him in their formations, using Tyrod Taylor to
Speaker 1: run the ball. They were finding ways to get Sammy
Speaker 1: walking at the ball and bracket coverage. Um, they were
Speaker 1: just very opportunistic and uh, they found a way to
Speaker 1: keep the Jets offense off the field and to continue
Speaker 1: to They knew that the big play. I believe the
Speaker 1: Bills went into the game knowing that the big play
Speaker 1: was probably not going to be there a lot, and
Speaker 1: so they just kept chipping away at it, dink and
Speaker 1: dunk and keep moving the sticks, knowing that as long
Speaker 1: as that we're on the field, Jets can't score. And
Speaker 1: so that's exactly what they did. By holding the ball
Speaker 1: for forty minutes during the game. Yeah, and listen, Samon
Speaker 1: Watkins is a fantastic, fantastic talent and Jets is gonna
Speaker 1: be competing against him for a number of years, and
Speaker 1: we know he can get down the field. But that
Speaker 1: was really the first time, uh, you know that I
Speaker 1: could tell from a distance that the Bills said, hey,
Speaker 1: we're gonna get to him on some routes underneath. So
Speaker 1: they did change up something's game plan wise. And there's
Speaker 1: something I want to talk about here with you, plan wise,
Speaker 1: because people have continually asked me why Chris Ivory did
Speaker 1: not get the ball more against the Buffalo Bills. Well,
Speaker 1: here's the deal, Chad. Last week at practice, Ivory was
Speaker 1: limited with the knee injury Blaw. Paul did not suit
Speaker 1: up for the Jets either, So of course everybody's dealing
Speaker 1: with injuries. We know how critical Paul has been for
Speaker 1: this team down the stretch, so he wasn't active. But
Speaker 1: Ivory was limited at practice. So when the Jets were
Speaker 1: preparing for the Bills, Stephen Ridley was the guy they
Speaker 1: had to get ready for a number of packages. Now,
Speaker 1: the Jets weren't on the field a lot because they
Speaker 1: want three of twelve on third down. So when you
Speaker 1: look at the carriers, everybody at home shouting and saying,
Speaker 1: why not more Chris Ivory? While it's my belief, Chad,
Speaker 1: why not more Chris Ivory? Because number one, he was
Speaker 1: limited a practice, so in preparation for the Bill's defense,
Speaker 1: a lot of the packages the Jets were getting ready
Speaker 1: with work for Stephen Redley. And then secondly, the Jets
Speaker 1: didn't have the ball at toon and thirdly, Ivory did
Speaker 1: have more snaps than Ridley. Okay, so you know what's
Speaker 1: your thoughts on that? Well, I agree. I think your
Speaker 1: second reason is the most important reason. Let's say Chris
Speaker 1: Irey is completely healthy and he had a belief six
Speaker 1: carries um in this game with twenty minutes holding the ball,
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter if he's completely healthy, he what would
Speaker 1: he have? Ken carries? Twelve carries maybe? So you're still
Speaker 1: gonna say that he didn't get the ball enough. Well,
Speaker 1: there's a reason why. Because the Jets couldn't stay on
Speaker 1: the field on offense and they couldn't get off the
Speaker 1: field on defense. And so regardless of who your playmakers are,
Speaker 1: they don't have an opportunity to get the ball, and
Speaker 1: you don't have an opportunity as a play caller to
Speaker 1: get them the ball. And it's also gone down thirteen
Speaker 1: to zero. So then passing game had to come to
Speaker 1: the forefront a little bit to try to climb back
Speaker 1: in the game. And so the Jets were always behind
Speaker 1: the eight ball, and every facet of the game there
Speaker 1: behind the eight ball, whether it be behind the sticks
Speaker 1: on defense because the Bills weren't in and in a
Speaker 1: lot of third and long situations, uh, offensively, um, they
Speaker 1: were behind the eight ball because of the score, um.
Speaker 1: And so there are all kinds of things where the
Speaker 1: Jets just never could get over the hump to get
Speaker 1: into their normal game plan and then feel comfortable with
Speaker 1: handing the ball to Ivory doing doing the screen packages.
Speaker 1: And I fought actually missing blal Pile. That was a
Speaker 1: little bit of it too. I mean, think about the
Speaker 1: explosiveness of blal Pile over the last few weeks in
Speaker 1: the type of energetic spark type plays chunk plays that
Speaker 1: he created. UM in the passing game and then the
Speaker 1: running game. They missed that, There's no doubt about it. Now,
Speaker 1: that's not the reason why they lost the game, but
Speaker 1: it's certainly hurt just a little. Yeah, Chan Gailey had
Speaker 1: a fantastic season. So did the entire coaching staff, Tod
Speaker 1: Bowls and Casey Rogers. I think about what this team
Speaker 1: did from a takeaway perspective. Defensively, last year, this team
Speaker 1: at thirteen takeaways tied for last in the National Football League.
Speaker 1: They came up with thirty this year, tying for third.
Speaker 1: I believe also one of the better run stuff in
Speaker 1: units in the National Football League. So I thought they
Speaker 1: took some steps defensively, especially in the takeaway department. How
Speaker 1: difficult do you think this is for a player? If
Speaker 1: you're a b. Marshall, if you're Ryan Fitzpatrick. How long
Speaker 1: will this sting? And is it a little when you
Speaker 1: look at it and say dawning to say, oh man,
Speaker 1: we gotta start this all over again in the spring.
Speaker 1: And because like you said, everything changes. You can have
Speaker 1: the core intact and the Jets are really happy with
Speaker 1: that core. But with that being said, is gonna be
Speaker 1: a lot of roster tinkering and you've butt around it.
Speaker 1: You've butt in that locker room. When the season ends,
Speaker 1: no locker room is the same. Well, it's extremely difficult
Speaker 1: and more difficult for a veteran player, because as as
Speaker 1: a young player, you don't realize the competitive nature of
Speaker 1: this league. You have come from mostly come from colleges
Speaker 1: where you have been successful. You come from high school
Speaker 1: teams where you've been successful, you've won championships. You're used
Speaker 1: to being in postseason play and playing for championships, and
Speaker 1: then you get to the league as a young player
Speaker 1: and you don't realize how precious these playoff opportunities actually are.
Speaker 1: And as you become an older player and a veteran
Speaker 1: in this league, it really comes to the forefront. And
Speaker 1: that's why you see a lot of players at the
Speaker 1: end of their careers choose teams and situations over money
Speaker 1: because they want a chance to compete for a title.
Speaker 1: And so for players like Brandon Marshall, for players like
Speaker 1: Ryan Fitzpatrick, they see the end coming, they see a
Speaker 1: finality coming, and not having that sweet taste of playoffs
Speaker 1: football really bothers them. And so there's a huge sense
Speaker 1: of urgency for those type of players, and you hope
Speaker 1: that they carry that into the off season and try
Speaker 1: to convey that to the young players the best that
Speaker 1: they can to try to bring those young players up
Speaker 1: to speed and realizing that these opportunities don't come Ask
Speaker 1: Dan Marino made the Super Bowl is second year, never
Speaker 1: sniffed it again, and so, uh, you know, it's a
Speaker 1: it's a it's a unique dynamic in the NFL that
Speaker 1: you don't experience in college or high school. Tie balls
Speaker 1: are very direct about it. This week at a season
Speaker 1: and the news conference, he was asked, Hey, do you
Speaker 1: think your roster has to get younger because you have
Speaker 1: a number of guys, of course, who played very well
Speaker 1: this year. Where are there who are in their thirties?
Speaker 1: And he said, I don't know about younger. I think
Speaker 1: I know we have to get faster. What's your take
Speaker 1: on the jack team speed and where they possibly could
Speaker 1: use a little jolt. Yeah. I I don't always agree
Speaker 1: with younger either. And the reason I don't is because
Speaker 1: sometimes veteran savvy knowledge and experience can trump speed through
Speaker 1: anticipation and preparation, and so whereas speed without control without
Speaker 1: knowledge is nothing but chaos, and so is youth. And
Speaker 1: so sometimes you can get younger, but you're not any
Speaker 1: more efficient, You're not any more productive. You have to
Speaker 1: look at the production of the player and so that's
Speaker 1: that's starting to become a huge key in in the
Speaker 1: league and in the NFL, because teams are getting younger.
Speaker 1: That's a fact. When I was a rookie, half our
Speaker 1: team was over thirty. By the time I went to
Speaker 1: the Dolphins, we had six guys thirty or over. So
Speaker 1: that's the fact that the teams are getting younger. But
Speaker 1: what teams really have to start looking at is who
Speaker 1: are the players that are productives and and where is
Speaker 1: the production coming from. And just because they can run
Speaker 1: fast doesn't mean they can be a productive football player.
Speaker 1: So when I look at it, you always want to
Speaker 1: make sure that you are keeping up to speed, no
Speaker 1: pun intended. In your linebacking corps, that's always important that
Speaker 1: your linebackers can run side to side and and and
Speaker 1: have good lateral quickness and speed. That's important. I want
Speaker 1: to make sure that that you've got decent speed in
Speaker 1: the secondary, not only from a cover standpoint, but from
Speaker 1: a safety standpoint to where you can come downhill and
Speaker 1: turn those keep those five yard games five yard games
Speaker 1: and not allow those to become ten and fifteen yard games.
Speaker 1: I think they have good speed inside of quickness. Obviously
Speaker 1: in the defensive line. So defensively, that would be the
Speaker 1: two areas. Offensively, I think the speed would come from, uh,
Speaker 1: the young receivers, and I think are doing they're They're
Speaker 1: right where they need to be with those guys. I
Speaker 1: think the receiving corps. I think the three headed running
Speaker 1: back system that they've got is very good. Uh. If
Speaker 1: there's one area I would look at for more production
Speaker 1: would be tight end. I think there has to be
Speaker 1: a little bit more of tight end production. Not not
Speaker 1: a huge turnaround, but enough to make a difference. This
Speaker 1: very similar to how we thought that the young receivers
Speaker 1: needed to make a difference in the game with two
Speaker 1: or three catches the game to create some explosion. The
Speaker 1: tight end position you need that as well. And so
Speaker 1: that would be an area to look at. Yeah, and
Speaker 1: we'll circle back with you before free agency and to
Speaker 1: get your view on the Jets in March. But um
Speaker 1: Todd Bowles was asked about fits this week. He said, yeah,
Speaker 1: we definitely want him to be back, and Ryan Fitzpatrick
Speaker 1: said I want to be back and and if he
Speaker 1: does resign, both said, this guy's are starting quarter back.
Speaker 1: Do you think this is a good situation for the
Speaker 1: Jets if they can land a deal here with Fits
Speaker 1: because they do have a young quarterback. Do you have
Speaker 1: a couple of young quarterbacks here? Uh? Do you know
Speaker 1: Smith still under contract? You got Bryce Patty who just started,
Speaker 1: you know it, had his rookie season and learned under him.
Speaker 1: So if the Jets wanted to address the quarterback position
Speaker 1: in the draft, they could if he's the best guy available.
Speaker 1: But you're not in a situation if you bring Fits back,
Speaker 1: where oh man, we gotta get a quarterback. Yeah. I
Speaker 1: think the Jets are in a perfect situation with the
Speaker 1: three quarterbacks they have. Uh, you don't just talk started
Speaker 1: talking about quarterbacks just because it's cool to talk about quarterbacks. Um,
Speaker 1: you you look at your situation. When you look at
Speaker 1: the Jets situation, there in a perfect scenario. I think
Speaker 1: that the organization needs to understand what they have in
Speaker 1: Ryan Fitzpatrick, the stability that he brought to the organization
Speaker 1: in a time during training camp that the situation could
Speaker 1: have went completely south. But also think Ryan has to
Speaker 1: understand the situation that he's in and so to go
Speaker 1: out and test the market. You know, he can go
Speaker 1: find more money, probably somewhere else. But I think he
Speaker 1: really wants to look at and if I were him,
Speaker 1: I would look at the situation I'm in to be successful.
Speaker 1: It would be very similar to when I went to
Speaker 1: Miami and Bill Parcels was very upfront with me and said, look,
Speaker 1: we have a young quarterback that we believe can be
Speaker 1: our future. We want you to come in and hold
Speaker 1: down a ford, teach him, do what you do as
Speaker 1: a veteran, and let's see what happens. Very upfront with
Speaker 1: me about that, and I trusted that and it worked out.
Speaker 1: And so I think that's the situation that fits his in.
Speaker 1: Is he gonna require the true starter money like a
Speaker 1: man and R Brady, No, but he certainly needs to
Speaker 1: be compensated for his production and what he's done. And
Speaker 1: then the other two guys, you know, Smith and Bryce Petty.
Speaker 1: I think that the Jets are in a good situation.
Speaker 1: There's no reason to get rid of either one of
Speaker 1: them right now. There's still a little bit unknown about Geno.
Speaker 1: There's certainly more unknown about Bryce. But I think you're
Speaker 1: in a good situation where you have two young quarterbacks
Speaker 1: that you can continue to take another year to get
Speaker 1: a fill for and then be able to move on
Speaker 1: and while you still have a Ryan Fitzpatrick there. I mean,
Speaker 1: let's be honest. I mean, you look at Ryan, He'll
Speaker 1: be moving into his twelfth year and let's say a
Speaker 1: two to two year to four year window for him.
Speaker 1: If he can stay healthy. Well, if in those two
Speaker 1: to four years you can truly find out what Gino
Speaker 1: Smiths all about and try and find out what Bryce
Speaker 1: Petty's all about, You're in a really really good situation,
Speaker 1: I think when it comes to the quarterback position. Yeah.
Speaker 1: And then also Mohammed Wokerson unfortunately, uh broke his leg there,
Speaker 1: the fibula against the Bills in the second half. He
Speaker 1: had a tremendus season twelve sacks and run stuff for
Speaker 1: Damon Snacks Harrison. I thought, Uh, it really showed himself
Speaker 1: in two thousand and fifteen to be one of the
Speaker 1: most dominant run stuffers in the national football He played
Speaker 1: a tremendous football Chris Ivory rush rush just for over
Speaker 1: a thousand yards. We talked about Paul again today. So, uh,
Speaker 1: the Jets have a number of free agents, um you
Speaker 1: guys who could hit free agency in March, and ultimately
Speaker 1: they have decisions to make. But every team in the
Speaker 1: National Football League under a cap system, UH is forced
Speaker 1: to make some tough decisions and the Jets will have
Speaker 1: to do some tinkering and type Bowl said it, Hey,
Speaker 1: money talks, and also, hey, can you find a landing
Speaker 1: spot for some of these guys in a perfect world,
Speaker 1: Bowl said, you'd love to have everybody back, but that's
Speaker 1: just not gonna happen. It's not gonna happen. And that's
Speaker 1: where the business of the NFL gets in the way
Speaker 1: of true, truly building a program. UH. It's great for
Speaker 1: the players to be able to maximize the earning potential,
Speaker 1: it makes it very difficult for the organization to continue
Speaker 1: to build. So as players, I think my advice to
Speaker 1: players would be to look at the complete big perspective.
Speaker 1: Don't allow your agent just to talk about dollars. Look
Speaker 1: at a complete big perspective on where you think you
Speaker 1: will be most productive as a pro, um where you
Speaker 1: will be supported as a pro other than just the
Speaker 1: bottom line the dollar figure. Go after Marco Murray, how
Speaker 1: that worked out for it, And so you have to
Speaker 1: look at that and and and hopefully you know the
Speaker 1: Jets play and how they're doing things and how Tod
Speaker 1: Bowlers come in and create a stability and in the
Speaker 1: season as they had. Hopefully that affects some of the
Speaker 1: free agent um decision making as far as players can go.
Speaker 1: But you're probably gonna lose some of those guys and
Speaker 1: you can't get emotional about it as an organization. You
Speaker 1: certainly can't get emotional about it as a player. You've
Speaker 1: got to make the best decision for the entity. Well,
Speaker 1: you made the best decision, uh decisions last week with
Speaker 1: your college picks. I really thought Oklahoma was gonna be Clemson,
Speaker 1: but no, you were right about two Shawn Watson and
Speaker 1: unstoppable force. The Clemson Tigers took down the Sooners and
Speaker 1: then Ischigan State really at a tough night against Alabama.
Speaker 1: And while that defense looks tremendous, how do you see
Speaker 1: the national championship shaping up? Who is your pick? Can
Speaker 1: Deshaun wats And do enough against the Crimson Tide or
Speaker 1: is Nick Saban going to get another national title? Well?
Speaker 1: I think the key lines um in the trenches. I
Speaker 1: think it lies in the offenses, the offensive and defensive
Speaker 1: lines of both teams. Shack Lawson was not available for Clempson.
Speaker 1: I would really give a huge, huge edge to Alabama
Speaker 1: with their offensive line and being able to bulldoze Clemson
Speaker 1: defense with him in the mix. I think that even
Speaker 1: the scale just a little bit. Also think that the
Speaker 1: type of system that Clemson runs, with the spread system
Speaker 1: and the type of quarterback they have, that is the
Speaker 1: type of system that has always given Alabama the most problems.
Speaker 1: It's not your typical pro style systems at all. It's
Speaker 1: it's your fast paced, spread, no huddle quarterback that can
Speaker 1: run and throw. That's huge, and so I believe that. Um.
Speaker 1: Right now, I'm leaning toward Alabama, but by very slim
Speaker 1: margin because I think they are just up front, they
Speaker 1: are superior. If they're able to use only four linemen
Speaker 1: to control that line of scrimmage and keep de Shaun
Speaker 1: Watson in the pocket and and to and to limit
Speaker 1: his runs, um, then it certainly bodes well for Alabama.
Speaker 1: If they're not and he's able to escape and make
Speaker 1: plays and extend plays and throw the ball down the field, Uh,
Speaker 1: Crimson could have a big night. Right now, I'm leaning
Speaker 1: toward Alabama by three. Okay, Yeah, it's it's gonna be
Speaker 1: an interesting game. And then let's get your thoughts on
Speaker 1: the playoffs real quickly. Uh, if you had to make
Speaker 1: a prediction today, who do you think is gonna represent
Speaker 1: the FC in the NFC when they face off in
Speaker 1: San Francisco. Oh goodness. You know. The first game that
Speaker 1: I'm really interested in, um in the wild Card is
Speaker 1: the Kansas City Houston game. I want to see if
Speaker 1: Kansas City can continue that momentum into the playoffs with
Speaker 1: their teen game winning streak. That's gonna be interesting to
Speaker 1: see having to go on the road and and play. Um.
Speaker 1: I look at I think that Peyton Manning. This whole
Speaker 1: thing about Peyton Manning and Broncos while I don't even
Speaker 1: think it's the discussion that Peyton Manning is healthy. You
Speaker 1: just saw the type of energy and spark that he
Speaker 1: brought um to the team, and and the type of
Speaker 1: just efficiency that he brought to the team. And it
Speaker 1: wasn't even with his arm he was only five for nine,
Speaker 1: but it was just with in conducting and running the offense.
Speaker 1: And so if he's healthy, um, I think the Broncos
Speaker 1: have have a great shot to get back to the
Speaker 1: Super Bowls he's not healthy, I don't see the Broncos
Speaker 1: going to the Super Bowl, So, uh, so right now,
Speaker 1: it's a healthy Payton Manny, and that's I see the
Speaker 1: Broncos certainly at the front of the pack um in
Speaker 1: the NFC. You know, Carolina has just just played lights out.
Speaker 1: I mean you just look at what they've been able
Speaker 1: to do. They've got a defense that is really really good,
Speaker 1: slides around to the football, and they've got a dynamic
Speaker 1: quarterback that has now become a quarterback and not just
Speaker 1: a good football player. And there's a difference. You can
Speaker 1: have quarterbacks that are just give football players, but they're
Speaker 1: not really good quarterbacks. And Cam Newton has come to
Speaker 1: the forefront as a good quarterback by making good throws,
Speaker 1: good decisions, making plays with his arms, and we've always
Speaker 1: known what he uh can do with his legs. I
Speaker 1: think if if you can have Arizona Carolina and that
Speaker 1: NFC championship game, you're going to have a wale of
Speaker 1: a game. Because Carson Palmer has been outstanding, Bruce Arians
Speaker 1: and that Cardinals team has been outstanding as well. That
Speaker 1: would be a really great matchup to watch. What do
Speaker 1: you give the nod to Carre Arolina at home? And
Speaker 1: how about Seattle? This that's a team with a lot
Speaker 1: of championship medal, you know that, and they seem to
Speaker 1: be rounding into form. I know Arizona didn't have a
Speaker 1: ton to play for, but anytime you go on the
Speaker 1: road and smack a team around like the Seahawks did
Speaker 1: last Sunday, you know that's got to catch your eye. Yeah,
Speaker 1: any of the underdogs in the NFC, I think you're
Speaker 1: gonna go Seattle. I think they go to Minnesota and
Speaker 1: beating Minsota, uh, and then they'll be answesting to see
Speaker 1: the matchup between them and Carolina. Carolina did go to
Speaker 1: Seattle and beat Seattle in Seattle this year, and so
Speaker 1: that would be a rematch, but it would be in
Speaker 1: Carolina because with Seattle being the six seed, they would
Speaker 1: have to go play Carolina into the Arizona So they
Speaker 1: would be the quiet underdog if there is such a thing,
Speaker 1: knowing how good they've been over the years, but as
Speaker 1: a six seed, they would be the underdog team to
Speaker 1: make it to the super Bowl. All right, So we're
Speaker 1: gonna pencil you in right now, Chad Pennington's super Bowl
Speaker 1: favorite Denver in a slight leaning to Carolina slide. But
Speaker 1: you know what I'm gonna I'm you know. I'm I've
Speaker 1: been a fan of Bruce Aaron's ever since. Uh, he's
Speaker 1: taking that job and just talking with players that have
Speaker 1: played for him, and and looking at what he did
Speaker 1: in Indianapolis with that tough situation with Chuck Pogano, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna go with my heart and I'm gonna say Arizona
Speaker 1: in the super Bowl against Denver. Okay, Well, we're gonna
Speaker 1: circle back within a couple of weeks with heart overhead,
Speaker 1: heard overhead. A lot of times it doesn't work out. Well.
Speaker 1: We've enjoyed the two thousand and fifteen season with you, buddy,
Speaker 1: and uh we are going to circle back here in
Speaker 1: a couple of weeks. Absolutely. Thanks Eric, Thanks