It was the smart move.
The Jets matched the Cleveland Browns' one-year, $1.5 million offer for safety
Abram Elam. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Eric Mangini!
I was hopeful that the Jets would make the move to bring Elam back. He's still a bit raw, but I think he could flourish in Rex Ryan's new defensive scheme. Elam is a hard hitter and a playmaker. His 92-yard interception return for a touchdown helped the Jets down the Bills in Buffalo in November and his strip-sack of J.P. Losman led to Shaun Ellis' 11-yard touchdown return that shocked the Bills at the Meadowlands in December.
Good times.
The re-signing of Elam may mean that safety Eric Smith no longer fits into the team's plans. The old coaching regime was high on Smith, but he never really fulfilled his potential as Gang Green's third-round draft choice in 2006. Smith also battled through multiple concussions last season following his hit on Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin in September. With newly signed Jim Leonhard penciled in as the starter and talk of switching cornerback Dwight Lowery to safety next season, Smith could be the odd man out.
In other news, running back
Thomas Jones was absent from the team's "non-mandatory" offseason conditioning program for the second straight day. It looks like TJ is angling to renegotate his contract. Jones will enter the third year of his four-year, $20 million deal this season, but his base pay will be $900,000.
I have no problem (in theory) with football players wanting more cash. Teams can cut guys loose at the drop of a hat without handing over a dime, but this situation is a bit tricky. The Jets are going to go with inexperience at the quarterback position in 2009 (for now) and will need to rely on a solid running attack to move the football. Right now, TJ and Leon Washington are the only two guys at their disposal.
The Jets allowed disgruntled wide receiver Laveranues Coles to walk after they refused to renegotate his contract. Ryan supposedly has a policy against renegotiating veteran contracts, which is strange since he has yet to coach an NFL game, but that may be what Jones is after. This could turn into a dangerous game of chicken.
Not exactly what I had in mind this early in the offseason.
Leave a comment
Do I detect a little resentment towards Mangini?