New York Sports Fan Blog

With the recent addition of quarterback Tim Tebow to the New York Jets, some may wonder what current number one quarterback Mark Sanchez had to say. Sanchez downplayed the addition of Tebow to the team and says that he is not worried. Others wondered if the Jets front office contacted Sanchez to let him know about Tebow coming to the team. Recently, Jets head coach Rex Ryan stated, “Mark Sanchez is a QB, not a GM. So he wasn’t consulted about the Tim Tebow deal.” With strong words like that, one must wonder what is really going through the head of Mark Sanchez. If he is suppose to be the leader of the offense, why would u bring in another young gun to back him up that has a potential to be a starter. Are the Jets using this as a plan to light a fire under Sanchez, or are they having second thoughts about their starter. I can only assume and speculate but I wish I were a fly in the room the day the coaches and GM talked about picking up Tim Tebow. Those of us locked outside of the meeting have no idea what was said and what is the future plans going forward with the Jets until training camp and pre-season. Are they going to run a two-quarterback system, or are they going to one as the regular offense and one as a wildcat. How wit that help the offensive chemistry flow throughout the season. The biggest concern with switching out the quarterbacks for certain plays are what about the offensive lineman. The interior defense dines under the sabotage. Having and left handed and right handed quarterback can mess with the lineman chemistry as to who is the back side protector at certain points of the game. All these questions will be answered this upcoming season and we will get a good look at what will happen to the Jets offensively.

With Antonio Pierce gone from the Giants and newly acquired Keith Bulluck to take a chance at becoming the starting middle linebacker, only a psychic can predict the future for the starting linebacking core. Last season the Giants had a mix n match time with their linebackers and it seems like its starting over again during the pre-season. Its been said that the coaches have a new set of three linebackers every practice to see which they feel most comfortable with. The Giants are looking for their best three-man lineup at linebacker, which could mean moving Bulluck to outside linebacker as opposed to backing up Goff. The experiment could be an indication of the coaching staff’s confidence that Goff will be the starting middle linebacker. All I have to say is that the season is starting in a few weeks and they need to get situated so players can get accustom to playing with each other. Everyone has their own playing style and tendencies and flipping players screws up the team’s chemistry. The Giants need to settle on their starters and get their defense going.

As the season gets closer, all I think about is what is Darrelle Revis doing? I understand that he wants to get paid as a big time player that he has proven to be but at the same time one season does not mean anything. Yes he did do work on the field but he has to prove himself once again to be worth all the money that he is asking for. I agree with him that he should be paid more but not the amount that he is asking for.

I believe that he just needs to get to practice, do his work and prove his wealth. Once he proves himself in practice he can use it as leverage to get the amount that he needs. At the end of all this I think he needs to prove himself this season because one season does not mean anything. He needs to go show that he is a valuable asset and his skills are not a one time deal.

Last year the New York Giants went 8-8 in a tough NFC east division. The main problem with the New York Giants was their defense. The Giants defense let up the most points in the NFC East at 427 points against. The Giants stepped up their defensive secondary by signing Antrel Rolle. Rolle has been a great player for the Arizona Cardinals helping them make it to a Super Bowl. He is definitely a key player that the New York Giants need for their secondary. Another area of their defense that needs to be looked at our adjusted before the beginning of the season is the linebacker positions. Once they get healthy, continuous starters, they will have a decent core to play with. The offensive line has been very steady and it seems that they will be good once again come this season. The Giants look poised to do well this season and I can see them finishing 2nd in their division with a playoff spot.

The Giants offense its a very good offensive team and will look to up their game next season. Brandon Jacobs played hurt throughout the ‘09 season and was effective at times. After his knee surgery, he will look to return to old form when he first arrived and create havoc on the field.

First, Thomas Jones, then Alan Faneca. Will Shaun Ellis be the next over-30 veteran dumped by the Jets? He wonders.

Ellis, a defensive end, told the Associated Press Thursday his request for a contract extension was rejected by the Jets, leading him to believe he might not be with the team for the upcoming season. Ellis, 32, may have been dangled in trade talks before last month’s draft but is now not in danger of being jettisoned, according to a person familiar with the team’s thinking.

“I don’t know,” Ellis said. “I think so. Well, I hope so. You never know what they’re thinking up there. You’ve just got to roll with it. We try to control our own fate, but we really can’t.”

The Jets’ longest-tenured player, Ellis is due to make $3.35 million in the final year of his contract. He recorded 6½ sacks last season, bringing his career total to 68 and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Ellis has a troublesome knee, but the Jets are hoping to squeeze one more season out of him, especially with depth concerns at defensive end.

Click here to read the full article – By Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com

In making a bid to host the 2014 Super Bowl at New Meadowlands Stadium, the Jets and Giants are embracing the weather. It will be cold in New Jersey in February, but the teams contend that’s not a reason to reject the bid.

Team owners and notable players were at the site on a cold and rainy Wednesday to formally announce the bid. With half of the dismantled Giants Stadium looming next door, Lamping touted the indoor spaces for those who have the good seats in the 82,500-seat arena. The facility would have heated concourses and fans would be given handwarmers.

“One thing we know how to do in New York and New Jersey is deal with snow,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said.

Mark Sanchez, Curtis Martin and Nick Mangold joined Johnson for the Jets, with Eli Manning and Ottis Anderson standing by Giants owners Steve Tisch and John Mara.

Click here to read the full article – By Jane McManus of ESPNNewYork.com

Linebacker Jason Taylor is leaving the Dolphins to play for the Jets, his agent, Gary Wichard, told the Miami Herald.

League sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that Taylor — the NFL’s active sacks leader with 127½ — agreed to a two-year deal that could be worth as much as $3.75 million in the first year.

The Miami Herald reported that Taylor is tentatively scheduled to travel to the New York area on Wednesday to sign the contract.

Because of the Final Eight rules that restrict the Jets from signing Taylor for more in the first year than what Jay Feely received from leaving the Jets to join the Cardinals, Taylor will be on the Jets’ books for $1.75 million in 2010, but he could earn another $1.25 million to $2 million depending upon his performance.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPNNewyork.com

Alarmingly, the number of athletes dying from heat-related illnesses is rising. Kelci Stringer, the widow of Minnesota Vikings tackle Korey Stringer, who died from heat stroke nine years ago, hopes to do something about it.

So do the NFL and the University of Connecticut, who have partnered with Stringer to open the Korey Stringer Institute at UConn’s Neag School of Education. The creation of the institute will be announced Friday at the NFL draft.

If the past 35 years are broken into blocks of five years, the worst segment for such deaths has been the most recent. According to Doug Casa, professor of kinesiology at UConn and the lead researcher for the institute, there have been twice as many deaths in that span than was the average for previous five-year blocks.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

The obscene gesture for which Jets coach Rex Ryan was fined $50,000 came in reaction to a fan’s heckling that included spitting, according to FoxSports.com’s Jay Glazer.

Ryan, who this season led the Jets to the AFC Championship Game in his first year as an NFL head coach, “showed the greatest restraint,” Glazer said Thursday on New York radio station WFAN.

Glazer said he saw the incident that occurred Saturday night at a mixed martial arts event in South Florida.

Ryan was caught in a widely circulated cell-phone photograph extending his middle finger, presumably at the heckling fan.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez had his right knee examined by Dr. James Andrews, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

Sanchez visited Andrews on Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala., but it was not immediately certain if the quarterback will need surgery. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not commented publicly on Sanchez’s visit.

Sanchez missed one game after suffering a mild sprain of the posterior cruciate ligament against Buffalo on Dec. 3 in Toronto. He had no apparent signs of injury during the last several weeks of the season, as he helped lead the Jets to the AFC championship game.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com