Diner Morning News

FROM MICHAEL LOMBARDI:

12 February 2009

QUOTE:   “To be able to discern that what is true is true, and that what is false is false — this is the mark and character of intelligence.”  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

FROM RICH CIMINI OF THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS... The Jets are convinced that Favre is done for good, but the future Hall of Famer is famous for changing his mind. (GM Mike) Tannenbaum wouldn't shut the door on taking him back, although the team is proceeding under the assumption that he's finished. "We would address that situation if that day ever came," Tannenbaum said. "But I don't want to address specific hypotheticals ... We're planning our roster that Brett's no longer going to be on the team. That's based on the conversation we had with him." Favre didn't request his release, Tannenbaum said, but it's believed that Favre's agent, Bus Cook, did broach the subject with the Jets, who declined. If the Jets released Favre, he'd be free to talk to any team. If they don't release him, he will remain their property. Some believe Favre is interested in playing for the Vikings. "We feel good about the players we have at the quarterback position," Tannenbaum said. "If an opportunity presents itself, we'll measure it carefully. But going into the league year (which starts Feb. 27), we feel good about the players we have."

If the Jets feel so confident about their quarterbacks today, why did they even make the Favre trade?  What have Brett Ratliff and Kellen Clemens done the past six months that would make the Jets feel so positively confident and secure that either can handle the job?  Have they looked great in practice or looked good in seven-on-seven drills?  Did the 42 passes Ratliff threw last preseason show the Jets enough?  Is it his 122.0 preseason quarterback rating? 

The Jets have invested a great deal in Clemens and must hope their investment and evaluation of him are correct.  They are stuck in the worst place imaginable.  New coach, high expectations, no quarterback and no cap room equal tough spot.  The Jets have such cap problems that they need Favre to make this decision as soon as possible, and placing him on the reserve retired list saves them $13 million of room.  Nevertheless, they still have a ways to go to make sure they’re compliant. 

The good news for the Jets: With the exception of finding a kicker, they have their entire team coming back.  They do not need to find any players, nor are there players they need to make sure are under contract. So they need to hope that last season’s team can improve under new head coach Rex Ryan.  But as we’ve seen in the NFL, unless your quarterback can play at a high level, you’re not going to win many games.  Good teams with bad quarterbacks don’t win consistently  in the NFL. 

I’m sure the Jets feel that Ratliff is their new Matt Cassel.  Ratliff, kind of an obscure player like Cassel before last season, played well in the preseason and showed flashes.  They’re hoping what they see each day in practice is something they can build on and develop.  Hope is a big part, and what will happen in the NFL is that many teams will believe they can do the same thing the Patriots did with Cassel -- develop an unproved and untested player into a franchise player. So for all the Jets fans out there, you need to hope your team can develop a quarterback. 

There is talk the Jets might pursue Derek Anderson when he’s waived by the Browns.  But they will need him to take their deal and cannot be overly aggressive in their pursuit.  My hunch, though, is that the Jets will look to the draft to find their QB of the future.  Rex Ryan witnessed firsthand in Baltimore what a rookie like Joe Flacco can do for a team, and he’ll look to find a similar talent in this draft.  The Jets will be at every top quarterback workout this spring.  For them, the road to improvement goes through the draft. 

FROM KENT SOMMERS OF THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC... Anquan Boldin: A playoff run and Super Bowl appearance haven't tempered his anger at the club for allegedly reneging on a commitment to upgrade his contract. Boldin kept quiet about his contract for most of the season but said at the Pro Bowl that he still wants out. Maybe the Cardinals can change his mind with a lucrative offer in the new Fitzgerald Grove neighborhood: about $10 million a year. That, plus playing in one of the league's most potent offenses, might entice Boldin. But he seems committed to leaving, and the rhetoric is only going to increase during the off-season. The Cardinals also have to ask themselves if it's smart to put so much money into one position. By April, the club likely will need to seriously consider trading Boldin. The problem is determining his worth.  Any deals will be compared to the Cowboys sending first-, third- and sixth-round picks to the Lions for receiver Roy Williams.  Boldin has two years left on his contract, so the team holds most of the leverage. It shouldn't settle for anything less than the Lions received.

All this talk about Boldin being traded is just talk. Boldin signed a deal two years ago that he was happy with, and the Cards will expect him to honor his deal.  When looking at a player, there are two ways to view him – talent and contract.  With Boldin, he is good in both areas.  All this talk is the same thing that happened last year with Chad Johnson -- getting his agent to create a buzz, to create a negative situation so the club will react.  Does it work?  I don’t think so.  Same agent, same tack, same result as Chad. It doesn’t work.  

Why would the Cards give up a great contract that keeps a great player on their team?  That would be stupid.  In addition, part of the reason a team would trade for him is the contract.  So don’t believe what you hear. 

I do love when I read about all the trade proposals.  There’s never anything about the Cards getting equal value for Boldin’s contract or talent. Fans who try to help their own team but don’t care about the other team are the ones making these trades.  It’s like me saying that, as a 76ers fan, the Sixers should trade Lou Williams and Donyell Marshall for Dwayne Wade.  Looks great for the Sixers, bad for the Heat.  The player’s contract and talent go hand in hand. 

FROM BOB LEGERE OF THE DAILY HERALD... Kiper said he also would consider a defensive end for the Bears, especially if Harvin is taken. "Their defense did not get it done in a lot of games, (so that) has to be looked at," Kiper said. "Tyson Jackson from LSU is a defensive end who would seem to fit the mold of the versatile defensive end they like." Most fans would agree that wide receiver is the greater need for the Bears. If Harvin is gone, or if the Bears decide they need someone bigger to complement Devin Hester, there still are interesting options. "The guys you would have to think about would be Hakeem Nicks, and you would have to look at Darrius Heyward-Bey, (especially) if he is there in the second round."

For me, the Bears have many needs, and wide receiver is low on the list right now.  They are not very good on defense, and until they get the defensive line back to a championship level, it won’t matter who’s playing wideout.  Now, I’m all for them drafting a Greg Jennings type of wideout in the second round, but for the Bears to get good, they need to fix both lines and find a way to dominate the game up front.  Bears football is about the lines, and right now, the Bears could not slow down anyone on defense. They could not stop any offense.  They allowed 350 points last season and only recorded 28 sacks, fewer than two a game.  To run their style of defense, the front must dominate, and last year, their front was far from dominating. 

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