Jets: We don't really want to win this season ...

... or protect their quarterback.

I guess they showed ol' Pete Kendall who's boss, though. Now they'll have rookie Jacob Bender, who played tackle in an offense that didn't pass the ball at Division I-AA Nicholls State, playing starting left guard in the NFL. This sends a great message to the rest of the team. And watch your blindside there, Chad Pennington.

 

But it's Mangenius...

 

It was genius when he got a Division II caliber linemen to play at Division III Wesleyan, I suppose. The NFL, not so much.

I'm just a casual fan when it comes to football, though. Do you think this move is Mangini's doing or that it comes from higher up? I read that it stems from a squabble over $1 million.

 

mangini and tannenbaum run the show without interference. methinks they're straining to be like belichick/pioli.

 

shockey, you're a football guy, right? Starting left guard is kind of a tough place to be setting an example, don't you think?

I suppose the kid's probably a great pulling guard if they decide to switch to a single-wing, though.

 

The Jets really made this ugly, too. If I understand correctly, they did everything possible to screw with Kendall. They had him taking snaps at center. They stuck him in the rookie dorm at training camp.

Then they cave?

Hell, do what the Steelers are doing with Alan Faneca (a much better player than Kendall and a younger one). Ignore him and let him play. He wants money? Make him earn it and get it next offseason.

 

Oh, I agree that both sides created the problem. But pulling childish crap like sticking him in the rookie dorm? That's just ridiculous.

Alan Faneca has been every bit as pissed off at the Steelers as Kendall was with the Jets. But it hasn't been nearly the problem and he is exactly where he belongs -- playing out his contract in Pittsburgh.

 

1

This is something often said as a Jet fan.

**sigh** I guess the young genius is beginning to show his youth pulling that childish move of sticking Kendall in the rookie dorm. Leave the subtle messages back in college and HS.

I won't stress the move too much (being hopeful). Quality offensive lineman can often be found in the later rounds or lower divisions, much like DBs. But these are the Jets we're talking about here.

**sigh**

Clemens better keep his arm warm on the sidelines this season.

 

Yeah, he was a big distraction to the team. This from Newsday:

Kendall left a legacy on the offensive linemen who remain here.

"He came to this team when I was just becoming a starter and I took a lot from him," said starting right guard Brandon Moore, now the elder statesman of the line. "Just watching him go about his business and being a pro and learning how to approach every week, that's what I'll take from Pete."

"One of the greatest things about Pete is that he is a teacher and he helped with a whole bunch of guys," said center Nick Mangold, one of Kendall's star students as a rookie last year. "It'll be tough not having that kind of teacher around."

Even Bender, who appears to be Kendall's successor and will likely start on Saturday against the Giants, said he learned from Kendall.

"I would come to the sideline and Pete would say 'You took this step wrong' or 'You did this,'" Bender said. "I was thankful to spend some time with Pete. Pete helped me a lot in transitioning to guard and I'm still learning."

 

Oh boy!!! I have to wonder if anyone within the organization took into account how much he meant to the other linemen on the team. The Jets had enough problems with having an up front push for their running game. This trade doesn't help matters.