Bart Hubbuch's NFL Blitz

Bart Hubbuch's NFL Blitz

4-Down Territory: Parcells, Tony Richardson, Pats' money woes, Shawn Andrews

September 08, 2010 , ι By BART HUBBUCH

1. Bill Parcells was back at practice with the Dolphins today, trying to act like nothing had really changed since the team’s sudden announcement yesterday that he was stepping down into a “daily... Read on

1.
	 Bill Parcellswas back at practice with the Dolphins today, trying to act like nothing had really changed since the team’s sudden announcement yesterday that he was stepping down into a “daily consultant” role while ceding full control of the football operations to his protégé, Jeff Ireland. But in reality, everything has changed – so much so that it will be a surprise to many in the league if Parcells still has anything to do with the Dolphins by the end of this season. Keep in mind that Parcells is working under a sweetheart deal in which he hasn’t been contractually obligated to the Dolphins since early 2009, when
	 Stephen Rossfinalized his purchase of 95 percent of the team and stadium. That means Parcells can walk away at any time between now and the end of the 2011 season, yet still collect all of the money owed to him from the contract he signed 2 ½ years ago. And Parcells obviously has never had a very long attention span when it comes to jobs. Industry observers say the increasing power wielded by one of Ross’ top aides, Dolphins CEO
	 Mike Dee, could be a factor in the decision, too, with Parcells not keen at all on Dee having a say in football operations. The even bigger question now is whether this is truly, finally it for Parcells, who turned 69 last month. Does he really want the aggravation of running a team in his 70s? It’s been done before, of course, and is happening now in Buffalo. But
	 George Youngand
	 Ernie Accorsiboth said “no mas” before reaching Parcells’ current age, and it’s increasingly a business for young men.

2.
	 Tony Richardson’s refusal to discuss the details and his jokes about calling the Miami Heat about a job after his bizarre release (and quick re-signing) by the Jets last week was very telling. Despite the Jets’ claims, this was no routine procedural move. And it certainly was no way to treat one of the classiest players in the league and a respected veteran beloved in the Jets’ locker room. The Jets tried to explain the move by saying it was done to protect cornerback depth in case
	 Darrelle Revisdidn’t sign in time for the Baltimore opener, because rookie corner
	 Brian Jacksonprobably would have been claimed by another team on waivers while Richardson – as a 16-year pro – would not have been subject to the waiver process at all. But if that’s the case (and the Jets re-signing Richardson at his previous salary and allowing it to become fully guaranteed indicates that it was), then
	 Mike Tannenbaumshould at least have told him that instead of leaving Richardson in the dark for 12 hours and, according to sources close to him, feeling stabbed in the back.
	 John Connerlooks like a terrific find, but he’s still just a rookie. The Jets should consider themselves lucky that Richardson didn’t try to hook on elsewhere during his brief stint on the open market.

3. Is it any surprise that
	 Randy Mosspicked almost the precise moment that reports leaked of an imminent
	 Tom Bradycontract extension to say he feels “unwanted” in New England without a contract beyond this season? Or that Moss was mysteriously absent for the first time all summer from the start of the Patriots’ practice session today? If the Patriots think they can put all their distraction worries aside just by re-signing Brady, then that’s great news for the Jets and everyone else in the AFC this year. Because it’s not going to happen. Moss has shown numerous times what a nightmarish distraction he can be, and not just in the locker room. Does “I play when I want to play” ring a bell? It’s a tightrope for the Patriots because few teams want to make much of a commitment to a soon-to-be-34 year old receiver, but Moss is still one of the most dangerous deep threats in the league and has been on his best behavior in New England. That certainly merits at least a one-year contract extension, don’t you think? And it’s not just Moss. Brady showering holdout lineman
	 Logan Mankinswith praise today only adds to the pressure on
	 Bob Kraftto get Mankins in, even though league sources say the Patriots are leaning towards parting company with him. Even with Brady out of the way, money figures to be as much of an issue in New England this fall as Xs and Os.

4. The jury is still out on
	 Shawn Andrewsbecause the regular season hasn’t started yet, but just being on the Giants’ Week 1 roster is a remarkable accomplishment by the veteran offensive lineman. Few scouts in the league thought that was even remotely possible when Andrews signed in August, thanks in part to his chronic back issues and battle with depression while with the Eagles. But Andrews was dominant at times in preseason action, allowing Giants GM
	 Jerry Reeseto look very smart with what was – let’s be honest here – a desperation move at the time because of injuries along Big Blue’s offensive line. If Andrews can keep it up, the Giants will have one of the early favorites for the NFL’s “Comeback of the Year” story.

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4-Down Territory: Revis, Dolphins in flux, Jacobs, under-the-radar Giants

September 07, 2010 , ι By BART HUBBUCH

1. Now that the details of Darrelle Revis ’ four-year, $46 million contract have trickled out, it’s even more clear that the Jets were the ones who blinked. Of course, that was already obvious from... Read on

1. Now that the details of
	 Darrelle Revis’ four-year, $46 million contract have trickled out, it’s even more clear that the Jets were the ones who blinked. Of course, that was already obvious from Sunday’s desperation flight to Miami by
	 Rex Ryanand
	 Woody Johnson– an astounding development that I can’t remember being repeated by any other NFL head coach who wasn’t also a GM. You can’t fly more than 1,000 miles begging your employee to come back to work and then turn around a claim that the employee blinked first when a deal finally gets done. While it’s now clear that Revis also compromised, he didn’t compromise nearly as much as the Jets. He still ended up with $32 million fully guaranteed in the first two years of the four-year extension, he’s still guaranteed to have $25.5 million in the bank by next March and he gets the chance to hit free agency at the still-prime age of 28 – when Revis can potentially make an even bigger score if he continues to play at his All-Pro level. Neither
	 Nick Mangoldnor
	 D’Brickashaw Fergusongot nearly that many guarantees, despite not holding out as Revis did. That’s a clear win for the player, even if it meant sacrificing an immediate signing bonus. And all that “sacrifice” amounts to is waiting six months to get his $18 million option bonus after already receiving $7 million in salary this season.
	 
2. The Jets also have to be happy with the sudden turmoil enveloping their AFC East rivals in Miami. Today’s out-of-nowhere announcement by the Dolphins – just five days before the opener -- that
	 Bill Parcellsis reducing his role to that of very vague “daily consultant” sent some shock waves around the league. GM
	 Jeff Ireland, a Parcells protégé who hasn’t made many right moves when it comes to the draft, is now in charge of “all aspects” of football operations and support staff, according to the extremely short news release from the Dolphins. League sources describe this as Parcells’ first step in leaving the organization entirely, and the terseness of the announcement and its odd timing makes clear there is some drama going on with the Fish. It probably isn't good to
	 Tony Sparano's job security, either. Parcells turned 69 late last month, and the grind might finally be getting to him. What’s looking like his latest retirement is probably going to be Parcell’s last.
	 
3.
	 Tom Coughlinhas calmed the waters for now, but the Giants’ backfield chemistry bears close scrutiny. That’s because league sources close to
	 Brandon Jacobstell NFL Blitz that the opinionated running back still isn’t happy about
	 Ahmad Bradshawgetting the starting job ahead of him in the rotation. The simmering frustration was evident last Thursday, when Jacobs described the NFL as a “cutthroat, backstabbing business” after not getting a single carry in the Giants’ preseason finale. Jacobs backpedaled furiously after talking with Coughlin, saying he was merely upset about his inactivity against the Patriots and is now “happy” with his lesser role. That’s laughable, because no veteran is going to be happy with a demotion, nor is he going to complain about sitting out the fourth exhibition game. Most teams didn’t even suit up their starters last Thursday. No, this is all about the slight that the very proud (and opinionated) Jacobs feels he’s taken from becoming the Giants’ second option. Coughlin has quite a juggling act now with his backfield – trying to rely on the unreliable Bradshaw (already benched once in the preseason for tardy meeting attendance) and a disgruntled Jacobs.
	 
4. Revis’ signing allowed the Jets to continue hogging the local headlines, which NFL Blitz hears is producing a mixed reaction with the Giants. While Giants ownership and the front office is stewing at Big Blue’s sudden afterthought status (just check out team spokesman
	 Pat Hanlon’s thinly veiled arrows at the Jets on Twitter sometime), several players told me recently that they thoroughly enjoy flying under the radar while Rex keeps expanding the enormous bullseye on the Jets’ backs with his constant Super Bowl predictions. It’s much easier to bounce back from a hugely disappointing 8-8 season when both the national and local media acts almost like they forgot you were there. “We’re getting to lay low because of them [the Jets], and I love it,” a Giants veteran told me after the preseason matchup with the Steelers last month. “They can have ‘Hard Knocks’ and all of that stuff. That doesn’t help you win football games.”
	 
Follow Post NFL writer
	 Bart Hubbuchon Twitter at
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Bart can also be reached at
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Rewind of NFL Blitz's weekly live chat

September 07, 2010 , ι By BART HUBBUCH

Here is a rewind of Bart Hubbuch's NFL Blitz weekly live chat for Sept. 7, when he took your questions on the Giants, Jets and news from all around the NFL:... Read on

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4-Down Territory: Revis, Revis, Revis and more Darrelle Revis

September 06, 2010 , ι By BART HUBBUCH

A special Labor Day edition of 4-Down Territory, courtesy of Darrelle Revis : 1. While it might look like both sides gave some to get a deal done, a seven-year contract that almost certainly will... Read on

A special Labor Day edition of 4-Down Territory, courtesy of
	 Darrelle Revis:
	 
1. While it might look like both sides gave some to get a deal done, a seven-year contract that almost certainly will void after the 2013 season is a clear win for Camp Revis. That’s because the cornerback got $32 million to sign, which is in the ballpark of the truly guaranteed bonus money he was seeking, and Revis also gets a chance to hit free agency – and potentially another huge payday -- at the still-prime age of 28. Revis’ camp might look as if it came off its demand to top
	 Nnamdi Asomugha’s $15.1 million average in total dollars, but that’s hardly a major concession. In fact, it’s not really a concession at all. Here’s why: Total dollars in NFL free-agent contracts or long-term extensions are largely bogus because that figure includes heavily backloaded “funny money” that most of the players will never see. They’re either cut or forced to renegotiate long before they get to that point. The huge numbers ($90 million! $110 million!) are then used by the agent for recruiting purposes with other players and by the team to make it look to the fans that it is willing to spend big to keep its core players. So Revis settling for an $11.5 million average over the first four years doesn’t represent a huge sacrifice on his part.
	 Woody Johnsonbeing forced to come up with $32 million on the spot? Now that’s a different story.
	 
REVIS AGREES TO $46M DEAL ENDING HOLDOUT
	 

	 
2. The Jets definitely blinked first in the negotiations. As if coming up about $5 million in extra guaranteed money wasn’t a big enough sign of that, then
	 Rex Ryanand
	 Woody Johnsonbeing forced to steal away on a covert mission to Miami to get a deal done just days before the opener against the Ravens while Revis was relaxing on South Beach makes it crystal clear that the Jets were in panic mode. It’s not difficult to understand, either. A very shaky (to be kind) preseason on the field combined with a brutal five-game stretch to open the season combined with still faltering ticket sales (as
	 this story by yours trulyin today’s Post shows) and Woody’s $700-plus million in stadium debt definitely had the Jets sweating. It remains to be seen whether adding one player, especially a cornerback, will dramatically impact ticket sales, but Revis certainly improves the Jets’ chances of surviving the Ravens, Patriots, Dolphins and Vikings in the first five weeks of the season with their self-proclaimed Super Bowl candidacy intact.
	 

	 
3. Even though Johnson got Revis signed, that still shouldn’t excuse his blatant penny-pinching in other parts of the Jets’ roster construction. Thanks to Revis’ deal, the Jets’ money-fueled decision to cut fullback
	 Tony Richardsonlate Sunday ended up getting overlooked. That’s unfortunate, because the Jets’ shabby treatment of the classy veteran – widely respected in a locker room that Ryan admits is woefully lacking in leadership – needs to be exposed. The Jets keep trying to portray all their cash-related roster decisions (Richardson,
	 Laveranues Coles,
	 Kellen Clemensand
	 Adalius Thomas, just to name a recent few) as the result of needing to set aside money to pay Revis, but that’s being disingenuous. It’s an uncapped year in the NFL! And for the Jets to cite caution because the salary cap likely will return next year or in 2012 is bogus, too. First off, all the moves the past week or so involved one-year contracts that wouldn’t be impacted by future caps. And secondly, the cap could be much higher when it comes back. Luckily for Johnson, he was able to convince
	 Nick Mangoldand
	 D’Brickashaw Fergusonto accept very little (if any) upfront money when signing their recent extensions while convincing poor
	 David Harris– who is deserving of a new deal – to stand by the wayside with no security against a career-ending injury this season. That was quite a sales job by Johnson, and it makes us wonder how Harris and his agent are feeling this morning. Bottom line: There’s no excuse for an owner from a billionaire family who has an NFL franchise worth $1.1 billion in the country’s largest market to be scrounging for pennies this year.
	 

	 
4. By giving into Revis with three years left on his contract (something many other teams refuse to do), the Jets are setting a dangerous precedent for themselves in future negotiations – and not just with Revis. There surely will be future stars the Jets draft who will use the Revis saga to justify a holdout very early in their current contract. But in the end, Woody and the Jets didn’t have much choice – this is a win-now league, and there’s too much riding on this season for the Jets to have let the dispute drag on much longer. That’s why you ultimately saw the Jets give in much more than Revis did. And some Jets fans already are worried that an emboldened Revis will do this all over again in two or three years. That should be a hope rather than a concern, though, because it will mean Revis has outplayed his second contract, as well. And the best cornerback in football outplaying his contract can only mean good things on the field for the Jets.
	 

	 
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Bart can also be reached at
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A closer look at details of Goodell's Roethlisberger decision

September 03, 2010 , ι By BART HUBBUCH

Ben Roethlisberger got game time added for good behavior from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell today.
Impressed by the change in attitude and apparent change in ways by the Steelers quarterback, Goodell reduced Roethlisberger’s suspension to four games after a morning meeting at the league’s Park Avenue headquarters.
The reduction from six games for Roethlisberger’s sex-related violations of the league’s conduct policy had been expected since the player complied with all stipulations and counseling mandated by Goodell when the original ban was handed down in April.
Goodell’s decision came despite several public calls for him to keep the six-game suspension intact, most notably from former Steelers great Terry Bradshaw.
"You have told me and the Steelers that you committed to making better decisions,” Goodell said in a letter to Roethlisberger released to the media. “Your actions over the past several months have been consistent with that promise, and you must continue to honor that commitment."
The reduction is potentially pivotal for the Steelers, who lost projected fill-in starter Byron Leftwich to a serious knee injury Thursday and will have to make do instead with Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch while Roethlisberger sits.
Pittsburgh’s schedule also fits well with Roethlisberger’s targeted return date, because the Steelers have a bye between Week 4 and Week 5. That gives him and the team nearly two weeks to reacclimate while preparing for an Oct. 17 matchup with the rival Browns.
Roethlisberger, who reportedly wept while addressing teammates in the locker room immediately after last night’s preseason finale, threw himself at Goodell’s mercy yesterday morning.
League sources had said the Steelers headed into the meeting with Goodell planning to seek a reduction all the way to three games. That was in part because of Roethlisberger’s model behavior recently and because his alleged assault of a coed in Georgia in March did not result in an arrest.
But the player and team instead left the decision entirely up to Goodell, and he rewarded them for it.
"I have learned a lot over the past several months about myself as a person," Roethlisberger said in a statement after the ban was reduced. "I am committed to continuing on this path of being the type of person my family raised me to be, and exceeding what is expected of me as the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers."
	 
Follow Post NFL writer
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4-Down Territory: McKnight, Giants' RBs, Jets' leader void, Big Ben

September 03, 2010 , ι By BART HUBBUCH

1. Rex Ryan is perplexing more than a few talent evaluators around the league with his whole approach with Joe McKnight . The Jets’ coach was fuming after last night’s preseason win over the Eagles... Read on

1.
	 Rex Ryanis perplexing more than a few talent evaluators around the league with his whole approach with
	 Joe McKnight. The Jets’ coach was fuming after last night’s preseason win over the Eagles after McKnight fumbled for the third consecutive game, with Ryan vowing to keep the fourth-round pick from USC because of his talent but threatening to make McKnight inactive for every game after a truly horrible training camp. While McKnight’s poor work ethic and all the fumbles are inexcusable, Ryan and the Jets aren’t helping matters by trying to make the rookie something he isn’t. McKnight was a scatback in college, running almost exclusively to the outside and catching passes out of the backfield. Scouts think he can eventually be very dangerous doing the same thing in the NFL. So why is Ryan trying to make the 5-11, 200-pound McKnight a between-the-tackles runner? Square peg, round hole. McKnight just doesn’t appear to have the mental or physical makeup to turn himself into a pounder. It makes even less sense when you consider the Jets already have a young, formidable runner in
	 Shonn Greeneto handle the inside work. Why the Jets would rather let McKnight sit on the bench in street clothes – which Ryan is threatening to do -- instead of having him split some of the third-down load with
	 LaDainian Tomlinsonis a mystery only Ryan can solve.

2. So it appears there was a method to
	 Tom Coughlin’s seeming preseason madness with the Giants’ backfield rotation. By making
	 Ahmad Bradshawthe apparent starter from the earliest days of training camp this summer, Coughlin wanted to keep
	 Brandon Jacobshealthy as well as light a fire under him after last year’s disappointing effort. While the plan worked from a health standpoint (Coughlin claims Jacobs is healthier going into this year’s Week 1 than he has been for any previous season opener), it might have backfired from a motivational standpoint. Jacobs’ extremely bitter comments immediately after the Giants’ preseason matchup with the Patriots last night showed Jacobs isn’t happy at all about being the No. 2, even if it’s in a rotation. Industry sources still have serious doubts -- both from a physical standpoint and due to his maturity and durability issues -- about Bradshaw’s ability to be a starting back. So Jacobs could regain his starting job sooner rather than later. But based on the angry words coming from Jacobs yesterday, Coughlin had better hope he doesn’t lose Jacobs mentally in the meantime.

3. The incessant complaints from Ryan and too many of the Jets’ brass during the preseason about a lack of veteran leadership ring extremely hollow. Why? Because it’s
	 Woody Johnson’s own fault that the Jets are preciously low on veteran players capable of providing leadership in the locker room. When an owner is almost manically trying to save money by insisting on so many young (read: inexpensive) players at so many backup positions, it’s silly for his coach to then turn around and wonder where the veteran leadership is. A lot of it went out the door with
	 Thomas Jonesand
	 Alan Faneca, and even more will be lost if the Jets follow through with their talk of cutting
	 Tony Richardson. Unless Rex is trying to send a coded message to Woody through “Hard Knocks” that Ryan doesn’t agree with what the penny-pinching is doing to his team, then the coach needs to change the subject with the media and when the cameras are around.

4. There was an outcry from the Steelers and their fans when it was revealed that
	 Ben Roethlisbergercan’t be at the team’s facility or have any contact with his coaches during his newly shortened four-game suspension. The frustration stemmed from the seeming double standard with Jets wideout
	 Santonio Holmes, who is allowed to work out at their facility and attend meetings during his four-game drug ban. The NFL quietly changed the rule four years ago, and rightly so – players who test positive for drugs are thought to have a higher chance of relapsing if they’re completely cut off from the positive, structured environment that a team can provide. Some would argue Roethlisberger could benefit from the same thing, but we aren’t aware of any studies that groping women and just being an overall jerk are addictions. At least not yet …

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4-Down Territory: Jets expose money woes, 18 games, Big Ben, HD TV

September 02, 2010 , ι By BART HUBBUCH

1. I’ve long been a very loud advocate for more openness from NFL teams with the media, mainly because when you get right down to it, we’re just a conduit to the fans – the team’s customer. Having said that, I’m still shaking my head in amazement at how openly the Jets revealed owner
	 Woody Johnson’s cash-flow issues in this week’s episode of “Hard Knocks.” Amazement might not even be a strong enough term – “shock” might be more appropriate. NFL Blitz has been talking about this literally for months, noting all the team’s moves that were so obviously money-related – the
	 Darrelle Revisholdout over guaranteed upfront money, the release of
	 Alan Fanecaand
	 Thomas Jonesand the jettisoning of
	 James Dearthwhen a quality long-snapper can decide games, just to name a few. It doesn’t take a CPA to make the connection, either, when you take into account the Jets’ massive struggle to sell PSLs and the nearly $750 million in stadium debt draped around Johnson’s neck. To put that astounding figure in perspective, a huge controversy erupted in L.A. this week when the court case involving ownership of the Dodgers this week showed that the team’s owner,
	 Frank McCourt, is struggling financially after loading up the team with $430 million in debt. The Jets’ debt is almost twice that amount. No matter how rich Johnson is, that is an issue. But the Jets kept insisting to me and to other reporters – some of them extremely gullible – that money was no problem and that the team and the stadium were “two different budgets.” NFL Blitz knew that claim was ridiculous then, and it’s even more ridiculous now thanks to last night’s “Hard Knocks” that had at least a half-dozen scenes of
	 Mike Tannenbaumand
	 Rex Ryanadmitting the team’s wallet is tight. The scene in which the Jets tell
	 Laveranues Colesthat they have to cut him in order to have money to pay Revis could not have been more telling. What was inexcusably left unsaid by NFL Films about all the financial issues portrayed is that
	 there is no salary cap this year, so money should basically be no object. So the Jets’ talk of concern about future salary caps and the CBA is just a smokescreen. It boils down to this: The Jets need to come out and be honest with their fans that finances are an issue right now because of the stadium debt, and that the inability to pay out a lot of money upfront is the holdup in the Revis talks. Anything else is just wrong.
	 

	 
2. NFL Blitz isn’t as opposed to an 18-game regular season as so many of my media counterparts seem to be. It’s replacing unwatchable dreck with two more weeks of meaningful, higher-quality football. Why should anyone be opposed to that? And to argue that the owners should just eliminate two preseason games instead is particularly ridiculous, because there is absolutely, positively no way that’s going to happen. What businessman is going to eliminate two potentially lucrative revenue streams? Plus, these owners have expensive stadiums to pay off. You could argue that increasing the supply could end up dampening demand, but the NFL’s TV ratings keep showing that demand for pro football has gotten almost unquenchable. The NFLPA deserves credit for arguing against 18 games from a safety standpoint, noting that more than 400 players have gone on injured reserve each of the past three years. Even so, that’s hardly a surprise. This just in: It’s a dangerous game. And the union’s argument isn’t going to hold up because rosters will be expanded, training camps will be more limited, a second bye week will be added and the offseason program will be shortened. There’s no question the regular seasons in other sports need to be scaled back (we’re talking about you, baseball), but I’ve always felt football’s season was too short. Thankfully, that won’t be the case much longer.
	 

	 
3. League sources tell me that
	 Ben Roethlisbergerand the Steelers shouldn’t expect too lenient of treatment from
	 Roger Goodellhere in Manhattan tomorrow when Big Ben makes his case for scaling back his six-game suspension. Roethlisberger is especially tempting fate with his reported request to cut it all the way to three games. League insiders still expect Goodell to make it a four-game ban, but it’s still no guarantee that will happen. While Roethlisberger has done everything Goodell asked him to do as far as treatment, Goodell still isn’t the lenient type. Observers say Goodell also might be tempted to keep it at six games even though there was no arrest or conviction because of the perception by some players that there’s an imbalance between league punishment for white players and African-American players.
	 

	 
4. According to USA Today, the NFL itself is predicting that leaguewide attendance will decline this year – all the way, perhaps, to 1998 levels. That’s not really a huge surprise, though, considering we’re in the midst of a terrible recession and NFL ticket prices continue to reach nosebleed levels. But the real culprit for the drop might be amazing advancement in TV technology and the networks, which have made sitting home and watching games on your sofa a dramatically better experience than trekking out to a stadium and enduring all the headaches that come with that. The league is trying to fight back by piping in its hugely popular RedZone Channel to every stadium before, during and after games, and the flood of stadiums with huge new HD videoboards will help matters, too. But you have to wonder if this is ultimately a losing battle for the NFL. Are games with 70,000 or even 60,000 fans in the stands soon to be a thing of the past?
	 

	 

	 
Follow Post NFL writer
	 Bart Hubbuchon Twitter at
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Bart can also be reached at
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4-Down Territory: Local debt vs. lockout, Leinart, Brandon Graham, Jaworski

September 01, 2010 , ι By BART HUBBUCH

1. If an actual lockout comes to pass next year, conventional wisdom has the owners standing firm as the players crumble – largely because the players simply don’t have the huge financial cushion to weather a stoppage that so many of the incredibly rich owners do. The owners also wisely negotiated to have the TV networks continue paying huge rights fees to the league during a lockout, although that isn’t “free money” and will have to be paid back eventually. But don’t be surprised if the Giants and, in particular, the Jets prove to be chinks in the league’s armor as the lockout approaches. The Maras, Tisches and
	 Woody Johnsonmight put on a tough face publicly with their fellow owners in 2011, but behind the scenes, it could be a much different story. The simple reason: debt. Both New York teams have stadium debt coming out of their ears thanks to $1.7 billion New Meadowlands Stadium, which will help them financially in the long run but has made them the league’s two most highly leveraged teams in the short run. The Jets alone have an estimated $726 million in debt, according to Forbes magazine, and experts NFL Blitz consulted said they highly doubt there are covenants in the loans that allow either team to stop paying in the event of a work stoppage. If the Giants’ owners and Woody aren’t already whispering in the ear of
	 Roger Goodelland the league’s negotiating committee to get a new CBA done, then rest assured they will do so before crunch time next March. Neither team can afford – literally – to stay quiet.

2. As much as the Giants can obviously use a backup quarterback with
	 Jim Sorginow on injured reserve, industry sources downplayed to me today the possibility of Big Blue making a trade for
	 Matt Leinart. If Leinart were to be cut by the Cardinals this weekend after losing his starting job to
	 Derek Anderson, the Giants will surely take a look. But Leinart is scheduled to make more than $2 million this year and more than $7 million next season, and neither the Giants nor anyone else for that matter is likely to assume that type of obligation for an underachiever with an attitude problem, a career 70.8 passer rating and more interceptions (20) than touchdown passes (14). If the Giants weren’t interested in
	 Kellen Clemensat $1.1 million (and they weren't), they’re definitely not going to be interested in a player with pretty much similar skills (and that’s not a compliment) making twice that much. Not only that, but Leinart still expects to be a starter and could make waves if he is not. Having said that, league personnel execs remain dubious that the Giants will go into the season with
	 Rhett Bomaras
	 Eli Manning’s primary backup. Manning is incredibly durable, but the Giants’ offensive line is a mess.
	 Tom Coughlin’s job security is seemingly thin enough that he won’t trust Bomar to get the Giants to the playoffs if Manning goes down.

3. Aside from a flurry of injuries early in camp, the Eagles have been flying under the radar. And while almost all of the focus has been on
	 Donovan McNabb’s departure and the quarterback takeover by
	 Kevin Kolb, scouts say Philadelphia landed a serious Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate in Michigan defensive end
	 Brandon Graham. It took Graham all of two preseason games to win a starting job, and he had two tackles for a loss, a sack and a hurry two weeks ago against the Bengals. That prompted teammate
	 Trent Coleto say “I see greatness” when asked about Graham, whose long arms, speed and mature-beyond-his-years rush skills made him the 13th overall pick. Graham probably won’t play much tomorrow night against the Jets in the preseason finale, but the Giants should consider themselves warned.

4. NFL Blitz listened in to the annual “Monday Night Football” conference call with
	 Jon Grudenand
	 Ron Jaworskithis morning. I don’t know which prediction had me shaking my head more – Jaworski pushing Ravens game-manager
	 Joe Flaccoas an NFL MVP candidate or Gruden predicting the bruised-and-bloodied Giants to bounce back and win the NFC East despite having one of the league’s toughest schedules. Stranger things have happened, of course, but that just sounded like Jaworski and Gruden were repaying favors. Jaworski did, however, smartly make clear that the anti-Jets feeling around the league isn’t on the upswing, thanks in part to
	 Rex Ryan’s incessant Super Bowl boasts. Jaworski listed the Jets as his most overrated AFC team while saying Ryan has put a huge bull’s eye on his team’s back. It won’t be the last time we hear that this season.

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4-Down Territory: Rex gets caught, Jets' zinger, umps, Sinorice Moss

August 31, 2010 , ι By BART HUBBUCH

1. In his zeal to prove some reporters wrong (mostly myself, it seemed) who had written for weeks that the Jets would cut Kellen Clemens , Rex Ryan was disingenuous – and that’s being kind – during... Read on

1. In his zeal to prove some reporters wrong (mostly myself, it seemed) who had written for weeks that the Jets would cut
	 Kellen Clemens,
	 Rex Ryanwas disingenuous – and that’s being kind – during his press conference today. Ryan claimed, with no mention at all of Clemens’ significant pay cut, that the only way Clemens was not going to remain a Jet "was if someone was going to give him a chance to be a starting quarterback, and I would have traded him.” The Jets’ coach conveniently left out that Ryan himself and GM
	 Mike Tannenbaumhad met with Clemens less than 24 hours earlier and gave Clemans an ultimatum – take a major pay cut from your scheduled $1.176 million salary or be released practically on the spot. So, very much contrary to what Ryan said, there really WAS a way Clemens would have been let go other than a getting a starting offer from another team -- refusing the pay cut. When this was pointed out to Ryan moments later, he awkwardly backtracked and stammered before finally admitting the agreed-to pay reduction was the deciding factor with Clemens. Tsk-tsk, coach. While NFL Blitz greatly enjoys Ryan’s candor and openness with the media, especially in contrast to far too many other coaches in the league, Ryan made himself look bad today instead of his intended targets.
	 

	 
2. In keeping with a recent run of some very funny trash talk between the Giants' and Jets' front offices, NFL Blitz could only laugh at the thinly veiled shot at the Giants today by Jets marketing VP
	 Matt Higgins. As part of the announcement that the Jets were putting on sale around 2,000 non-PSL seats in the upper bowl on a single-game basis, Higgins told The Associated Press: “We made a commitment early on that we would not sell any tickets that could be sold as a PSL on an individual-game basis, so we wouldn’t have the scenario of somebody sitting in a PSL seat who paid $10,000 next to somebody who paid $150 for that game.” Hmmmm. Which team might Higgins have been referring to? Maybe the crosstown NFC outfit that very quietly did exactly what Higgins described two weeks ago, after insisting for months that the only way fans would get in was through the purchase of a PSL? Good stuff.
	 

	 
3. The NFL might have backtracked slightly today by sending a memo to teams and referees on the new placement of the umpires, but there’s still no going back by the league in the big picture – no matter how much
	 Peyton Manninggripes. Granted, the league looks a bit silly by moving the umpire behind the quarterback as a safety precaution, then moving the ump back near the linebackers in the final two minutes of the first half and, now, the final five minutes of a game. And teams having to wait until the umpire is clear of the quarterback to snap the ball is a knotty problem for the NFL, too. But as NFL Blitz noted yesterday, there isn’t going to be a full-scale repeal of the change simply from a liability standpoint. By making this change in the first place, the league is admitting having umpires in the middle of the defense is a safety issue. Attorneys would have a field day if the change was abandoned, and then an umpire was seriously injured. And even after today’s memo, the league might still be on shaky ground because the umpire is going to be near the linebackers for roughly seven minutes of game clock.
	 

	 
4.
	 Sinorice Moss’ sports-hernia surgery this week allowed the Giants to save themselves some embarrassment today by placing the oft-injured wide receiver on season-ending injured reserve. Otherwise, they probably would have been forced to admit
	 Ernie Accorsi’s mistake and release the 44th overall pick in the 2006 draft. Accorsi is long gone, of course, but
	 Tom Coughlinand Accorsi's successor,
	 Jerry Reese, share some blame, too, for sticking this long with an obvious underachiever who has all of 39 catches and three touchdowns in four absence-plagued seasons. It’s time for the Giants to move on, and the combination of Moss’ surgery and the emergence of
	 Victor Cruzgives them good cover to at long last do so.
	 

	 
Follow Post NFL writer
	 Bart Hubbuchon Twitter at
	 http://twitter.com/NYPost_Hubbuch
	 
Bart can also be reached at
	 bhubbuch@nypost.com

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Rewind of NFL Blitz's weekly live chat

August 30, 2010 , ι By BART HUBBUCH

Here is a rewind of Bart Hubbuch's NFL Blitz weekly live chat, where he took your questions on the Giants, Jets and news from all around the NFL:... Read on

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About the Author

BART HUBBUCH Bart Hubbuch joined the Post in 2007 and covered the Mets through the 2009 season. The University of Kansas grad previously was Washington Bullets beat writer for the Washington Times; Cleveland Cavaliers beat writer for the Akron Beacon Journal; Cleveland Browns beat writer for the Akron Beacon Journal; national college football writer, Dallas Cowboys beat writer and NBA columnist for the Dallas Morning News; and Jacksonville Jaguars beat writer for the Florida Times-Union.

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