NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS
May 27, 2015
Table of Contents
NEWSDAY .............................................................................................................................................................. 1
Jets complete overhaul of scouting department (Kimberley Martin) .......................................................................1
NJ ADVANCE MEDIA .............................................................................................................................................. 1
Jets make additional scouting department changes (Dom Cosentino) .....................................................................1
Jets' Erin Henderson says Miami Dolphins' Greg Jennings helped him fix his life after DUI arrests (Darryl Slater) ..2
Jets resume OTAs on Tuesday: What to expect ( Dom Cosentino) ...........................................................................4
Where does NFL.com rank the Jets on a list of the league's most talented rosters? (Darryl Slater) ........................5
ESPN NEW YORK .................................................................................................................................................... 6
New York Jets announce nine-man college scouting staff (Rich Cimini) ...................................................................6
Analysis of New York Jets' cap situation: 'Old' money at the top (Rich Cimini) ........................................................6
NEW YORK POST .................................................................................................................................................... 7
Jets GM Mike Maccagnan hires seven new scouts (Bart Hubbuch) ..........................................................................7
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Jets promote Matt Bazirgan to pro personnel director (Manish Mehta) ..................................................................8
TUESDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS ...................................................................................................................... 8
NEWSDAY
Jets complete overhaul of scouting department (Kimberley Martin)
Newsday
May 26, 2015
http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-complete-overhaul-of-scouting-department1.10476053
The Jets have put the finishing touches on their scouting department. On Tuesday, they announced the
hiring of seven new scouts: area scouts Xavier Adibi (Plains), Bill Dekraker (Northeast), Dom Green
(Southwest) and Brian Shields (West Coast), plus national scouts Lee Gissendaner (East Coast), Jim Jauch
(West Coast) and Zach Truty (Central). Area scouts Jay Mandolesi (Southeast) and Johnathon Stigall
(Midwest) return from last year's scouting staff.
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NJ ADVANCE MEDIA
Jets make additional scouting department changes (Dom Cosentino)
NJ Advance Media
May 26, 2015
http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/05/jets_make_additional_scouting_department_changes_p.ht
ml
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Daily Clips Cont.
Mike Maccagnan is moving forward with some hires for the Jets' scouting department.
Maccagnan had fired two scouting executives shortly after being hired in January. He then continued to
clean house just after the draft earlier this month by firing one more, along with five of the team's scouts.
Such moves are common for first-year GMs.
And now Maccagnan is lining up his own people, in addition to promoting someone from within.
On Tuesday, the Jets announced the addition of seven new scouts, all of whom will report to Rex Hogan,
their new senior director of college scouting:
• Longtime Packers scout Lee Gissendaner will be a national scout responsible for the East Coast.
Gissendaner, 43, began working for the Packers in 1998, and he had been an area scout for them since
2001. A native of Ohio, he played wide receiver at Northwestern and was the 1992 Big Ten MVP.
• Former Chargers scout Jim Jauch will be a national scout responsible for the West Coast.
• Former Bears scout Zach Truty will be a national scout responsible for the Central part of the country.
Before joining the Bears, Truty had been the director of public relations and player personnel for the
Arizona Rattlers of the Arena League. Before that, he was the recruiting coordinator at Eastern Michigan
University.
• Former Rams scout Brian Shields will be an area scout responsible for the West Coast. A 2007 Princeton
graduate, Shields spent six years with the Rams, the last two as an area scout responsible for the west
region. He began his career with the Rams as a scouting assistant before rising to become a player
personnel analyst and then area scout.
• Former Chiefs scout Xavier Adibi will be an area scout in the Plains.
• Former Cowboys scout Bill Dekraker will be an area scout in the Northeast.
• Former Chiefs and Bucs scout Dom Green will be an area scout in the Southwest.
The seven new scouts will join the two holdovers from last year's scouting staff, Jay Mandolesi and
Johnathon Stigall. Mandolesi, in his 12th year with the jets and seventh as an area scout, will handle the
Southeast. Stigall, entering his second season with the Jets after 15 seasons with the Bears, Dolphins,
Eagles, and Browns, will handle the Midwest.
Also Tuesday, the New York Daily News reported that the Jets had promoted assistant director of pro
personnel Matt Bazirgan to director of pro personnel. Bazirgan has been with the Jets since 2004. He was
an area scout for eight years before being named assistant director of pro personnel two years ago. He
had played quarterback at Division III Bates College in Maine. Bazirgan replaces Brendan Prophett, the
director of pro personnel the Jets had fired after the draft.
In January, Maccagnan fired longtime scouting executives Terry Bradway and Jeff Bauer. Soon afterward,
he hired Hogan, who had been with the Bears, to be senior director of college scouting, and Brian
Heimerdinger of the Rams as director of player personnel.
There had been a report that there was a "good chance" the Jets might hire former longtime Bears scout
Marty Barrett, but Barrett reportedly accepted a position with the Eagles in recent days.
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Jets' Erin Henderson says Miami Dolphins' Greg Jennings helped him fix his life after DUI arrests (Darryl
Slater)
NJ Advance Media
May 26, 2015
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Daily Clips Cont.
http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/05/jets_erin_henderson_greg_jennings_turning_life_aro.html
When the Jets and Dolphins play Oct. 4 in London, the usual cordial pregame chatter between opposing
players will happen on the field.
For Jets backup inside linebacker Erin Henderson and Dolphins wide receiver Greg Jennings, the moment
could be especially special, because of their bond.
Presuming Henderson makes the Jets' 53-man roster, that Week 4 game in London will be his first NFL
contest since December of 2013, when he and Jennings were teammates with the Vikings. (Jennings is
now entering his first season with Miami.)
Henderson was out of the NFL last season, after being arrested twice for drunk driving in a six-week span,
between November of 2013 and January of 2014. He was also popped for marijuana possession during
the second arrest.
A month later, the Vikings cut him. The Jets gave Henderson, 28, another chance this offseason — a oneyear, veteran-minimum contract with no guaranteed money — after he took steps to turn his life around.
Along with checking into a rehab facility, and deciding he needed to lean more on his family's support,
Henderson also credits Jennings will helping him embrace a productive, sober life.
Jennings wasn't the only positive influence in Henderson's life during this transformative past year-plus,
but Henderson clearly values Jennings' role in the process. The two men overlapped for just one season,
2013, in Minnesota.
"I think it would be hard for me to just say that one person really made a difference," Henderson said. "I
think it was definitely a group effort. Like they say, it takes a village to raise a child. It takes a village to
help people when they're in certain places, too. One person that does come to my mind, outside of my
immediate family and my wife, would be probably Greg Jennings. He came and visited me. He was there
for me, supported me. Any time I called, he picked up the phone. Greg is a really good guy. He's introduced
me to his spiritual counselor, which has kind of helped me along my path."
Barring injury, Henderson won't be a starter for the Jets this season, like he was for the Vikings from 201113, after Minnesota signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2008. But Henderson is just happy to have
another opportunity in the NFL. Despite his troubles, he never really doubted that he'd get a second
chance with a team.
"You have your moments [of doubts]," Henderson said last week, as the Jets began their three-week
voluntary organized team activities practices. "But for the most part, I felt pretty confident about my
opportunity to get back in. I knew my body of work kind of speaks for itself. It was just a matter of
somebody having a need at linebacker, and taking a chance and giving me an opportunity to come in here
and perform. ... I've got a good opportunity here, to be a part of what they have going. Being around the
guys again, and having my family in a good spot, and getting back to doing what I love to do, it's an
awesome feeling."
Henderson has spoken candidly about his substance abuse issues. Last year, in an interview with USA
Today, he referred to himself as "a recovering alcoholic," and admitted to showing up to practices hung
over. (Last May, Henderson received two years of probation after pleading guilty to one misdemeanor
charge related to his arrests.)
Last week in the Jets' locker room, Henderson said he now better understands the root of his drinking
problem.
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Daily Clips Cont.
"I wasn't as knowledgeable as I am now," he said. "There were a lot of things that I internalized and kept
to myself. That stuff can eat away at you, if you let it. As you get older, and you learn things, you learn
that it's not all bad to talk to people. People are probably going through some of the [same] things that
you're going through, but nobody ever takes the time to talk about it, so we don't know.
"Now, when I start to feel a certain way or I have certain things going on, I don't have a problem reaching
out to people. I have a good circle of people that I deal with, and that I interact with on a regular basis.
We hold each other accountable, and we're there for each other if we need it. I think that's the biggest
difference between this person that I am right now and the person that I was before."
Henderson said the problems he internalized included "work-related stuff, or just issues with my wife or
my son, or issues with my immediate family. Just different things that everybody deals with on a daily
basis. But a lot of people don't really want to talk about it, don't care to talk about it, maybe feel like
people don't really want to hear you talk about it. So you kind of keep those [things] to yourself.
"But things slowly but surely can eat away at you. You figure out ways to numb it, and to not think about
it, and to not make that your main concern and your main worry. But once you address those issues, and
you address those problems, and you take a look at yourself in the mirror, and realize that they are
manageable, and they can be handled, if you just take the time to do it."
Henderson didn't want to get into whether he has sought extensive help from a therapist for his problems,
but he did make it clear that he's not going it alone this time around — thanks to his wife, his "small circle"
of friends from his youth in Aberdeen, Md., and some former Vikings teammates, including Jennings.
"There were various outlets for me that are still there for me and still available for me, that I still use," he
said. "I'm very thankful to have those in my life right now. They were probably always available to me,
always there, but when you're in certain places in your life, and you're in a certain space, you don't always
want to take the time to reach out to those people, and talk to those people.
"Sometimes, you don't really want to hear what information they might have for you, what they want to
tell you. I have some people that I met along the way, that experienced similar things to what I've been
through and what I've dealt with, and kind of know what it's like. We kind of lean on each other at times."
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Jets resume OTAs on Tuesday: What to expect (Dom Cosentino)
NJ Advance Media
May 26, 2015
http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/05/jets_resume_otas_on_tuesday_what_to_expect.html
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, and the Jets are back at work.
On Tuesday, the Jets begin the second of their three-week period of organized team activities (OTAs) in
Florham Park. The OTAs are voluntary, which is worth mentioning in light of defensive end Sheldon
Richardson's absence for part of last week, which shouldn't have become A Thing, but did.
We went over some storylines to keep an eye on last week; after last week's three practices, most of those
should remain unchanged. And here's a quick wrap-up of how things went during the first week of OTAs.
Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, who seeks a contract extension, is not expected to be on-hand as
he continues to work out on his own. But, again, OTAs are voluntary. And the Brandon Marshall vs. The
Secondary matchup should be amped up a bit now that Marshall, a wideout acquired via trade from the
Bears, has thrown down the gauntlet with a challenge.
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Daily Clips Cont.
This week's OTA practices will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with media access on Wednesday
only. There is no contact, and players can do 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 team drills. Next week's last
four OTAs run from Tuesday through Friday, with media access permitted on Wednesday only.
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Where does NFL.com rank the Jets on a list of the league's most talented rosters? (Darryl Slater)
NJ Advance Media
May 27, 2015
http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/05/where_does_nflcom_rank_the_jets_on_its_list_of_the.html
Now that free agency and the NFL Draft are long since complete, and teams are midway through their
voluntary spring workout programs, you're going to begin seeing a lot of lists about how the league stacks
up.
These don't mean a whole lot, but they're fun to peruse during the quiet days leading up to training camp
in late July.
NFL Media's Bucky Brooks just published one such list. It's his take on the NFL's most talented rosters. But
he did a modified top 10. The "modified" factor in Brooks' list: He took the quarterback position out of the
equation when rating each team's talent level.
Wait, what?
Let's first mention that Brooks knows his stuff. He was a return specialist in the NFL from 1994-98, and
later became a scout for the Panthers.
He references this scouting experience, in his top 10 list, while writing that you don't necessarily need a
franchise quarterback to win. (See: former Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, who played in a Super
Bowl.)
The purpose of Brooks' list is to evaluate the non-quarterback talent level of each team's roster, since, as
he notes, there are so few elite quarterbacks in today's NFL.
The Jets — who obviously don't have an elite quarterback — checked in at No. 4 on this list, behind the
Seahawks, Bills and Broncos.
Here's what Brooks wrote about the Jets, and their blue-chip players, based on his evaluation:
Blue chips (6): CB Antonio Cromartie, C Nick Mangold, WR Brandon Marshall, CB Darrelle Revis, DT
Sheldon Richardson, DE Muhammad Wilkerson.
On the rise: LB Demario Davis.
Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan have engineered quite a roster makeover since taking over the Jets at
the beginning of the year. Despite inheriting a star-studded defense, the Jets' brain trust added a pair of
shutdown corners in Revis and Cromartie to suffocate opposing passing games. Given the dominant play
of Wilkerson and Richardson at the point of attack, Gang Green's defense could single-handedly lead the
team into the playoffs. Marshall was acquired in a trade with Chicago, giving the Jets a legitimate WR1 on
the perimeter. Eric Decker isn't regarded as a blue-chip player based solely on his talents, but he is capable
of playing at an all-star level when flanked by a big-time threat (see: Decker's production in Denver).
Mangold's a rock at the pivot, having made six of the last seven Pro Bowls. With a solid supporting cast
capable of enhancing the play of the quarterback, the Jets could be a bigger threat to win the AFC East
than anyone anticipates at this point.
The rest of Brooks' top 10 is Dallas, Kansas City, Miami, Green Bay, Philadelphia and Minnesota.
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Daily Clips Cont.
So what do you think about the Jets' ranking in this modified list of talented teams? Agree? Disagree? Are
there any blue-chip Jets players he neglected to include? Leave your thoughts in the comments section
down below.
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ESPN NEW YORK
New York Jets announce nine-man college scouting staff (Rich Cimini)
ESPN New York
May 26, 2015
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/51514/new-york-jets-announce-nine-man-collegescouting-staff
New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan, continuing his offseason makeover, announced his nineman college scouting staff on Tuesday -- and it included only two holdovers from the previous regime.
You won't recognize any of the names, but college scouts are the anonymous stars in every great
organization. Maccagnan wanted to surround himself with his people, so he blew up the previous scouting
staff even though it contributed to what was widely heralded as a successful draft.
The holdovers are Jay Mandolesi, who will scout the Southeast region, and Johnathon Stigall, who will
handle the Midwest. Here's a listing of the new scouts, followed by their area and past employers:
National scouts:
Lee Gissendaner (East Coast) -- Green Bay Packers
Jim Jauch (West Coast) -- San Diego Chargers
Zach Truty (Central) -- Chicago Bears
Area scouts:
Xavier Adibi (Plains) -- Kansas City Chiefs
Bill Dekraker (Northeast) -- Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers and Arizona
Cardinals.
Dom Green (Southwest) -- Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Brian Shields (West Coast) -- St. Louis Rams
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Analysis of New York Jets' cap situation: 'Old' money at the top (Rich Cimini)
ESPN New York
May 26, 2015
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/51509/analysis-of-new-york-jets-cap-situation-oldmoney-at-the-top
Just win now, baby.
Even though new general manager Mike Maccagnan says he wants to achieve long-term success by
building through the draft, a sound philosophy, it behooves the New York Jets to win immediately, based
on their salary structure.
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Daily Clips Cont.
Check it out: The six highest salary-cap charges for 2015 belong to players in the 30-and-over age category.
(Darrelle Revis turns 30 in July.) This means close to 40 percent of this year's cap is devoted to players
near the end of their prime years or beginning the downside of their careers. It's not alarming because,
as you will notice in the list below, no player is older than 31, so we're not talking about the Jurassic Jets.
Nevertheless, the list illustrates this team is ripe ... now.
In two or three years, many of these players will be gone. That's why it's imperative for Maccagnan to
draft well and to secure his top young players (Muhammad Wilkerson, Damon Harrison and Sheldon
Richardson) with second contracts. If he fails to build a strong foundation, the Jets will be in big trouble in
2017, when some of the current big-money guys (the ones still around) no longer will be worth their
contracts.
Here's a look at the top 10 cap charges (opening-day age included):
1. Darrelle Revis (30) -- $16 million
2. D'Brickashaw Ferguson (31) -- $11.7 million
3. Nick Mangold (31) -- $10.4 million
4. Brandon Marshall (31) -- $7.7 million
5. David Harris (31) -- $7.5 million
6. Antonio Cromartie (31) -- $7 million
7. Muhammad Wilkerson (25) -- $7 million
8. Eric Decker (28) -- $6.5 million
9. Breno Giacomini (29) -- $5.1 million
10. Dee Milliner (23) -- $3.5 million
Note: In case you're wondering about Leonard Williams, the sixth pick in this year's draft, he's 11th at $3.1
million.
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NEW YORK POST
Jets GM Mike Maccagnan hires seven new scouts (Bart Hubbuch)
New York Post
May 26, 2015
http://nypost.com/2015/05/26/jets-gm-mike-maccagnan-hires-seven-new-scouts/
New Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan completed his overhaul of the team’s scouting department
Tuesday, hiring seven scouts to replace the five he fired earlier this month.
Maccagnan also promoted Matt Bazirgan to pro personnel director to replace Brendan Prophett, who had
been the most high-profile victim of Maccagnan’s post-draft housecleaning of predecessor John Idzik’s
scouting department.
Among the seven scouts hired Tuesday: former Northwestern wide receiver Lee Gissendaner, who was
lured away from the Packers to be the Jets’ East Coast national scout; Jim Jauch, who leaves the Chargers
to fill the same role as West Coast national scout for Gang Green; and former Bears area scout Zach Truty,
who will be the Jets’ Central national scout.
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Daily Clips Cont.
Maccagnan retained just two scouts from the previous regimes of Idzik and Mike Tannenbaum, keeping
Jay Mandolesi as Southeast area scout and Johnathon Stigall as Midwest area scout.
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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Jets promote Matt Bazirgan to pro personnel director (Manish Mehta)
New York Daily News
May 26, 2015
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-promote-matt-bazirgan-pro-personnel-directorarticle-1.2235862
The Jets promoted from within to fill a need in the front office.
The Daily News has learned that the team promoted Matt Bazirgan to become the new pro personnel
director.
Bazirgan will replace Brendan Prophett, who spent nine seasons as the head of the organization’s pro
personnel department. General manager Mike Maccagnan fired Prophett and five scouts earlier this
month as part of an expected post-draft makeover of the Jets’ evaluation team.
Bazirgan, who has been with Jets since 2004, was an area scout for eight years before being promoted to
assistant pro personnel director in 2013.
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TUESDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS
BASEBALL
American League
BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Recalled C Steve Clevenger from Norfolk (IL). Designated C Ryan Lavarnway for
assignment.
American Association
WICHITA WINGNUTS — Sold the contract of LHP Jarret Leverett to the San Francisco (NL).
Can-Am League
ROCKLAND BOULDERS — Released RHP Min Hur.
SUSSEX COUNTY MINERS — Released RHP Tyler Wilson.
FOOTBALL
National Football League
DALLAS COWBOYS — Waived-injured WR Chris Boyd. Signed WR A.J. Jenkins.
Arena Football League
LA KISS — Announced DB Rayshaun Kizer was assigned to the team.
HOCKEY
National Hockey League
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Daily Clips Cont.
ST. LOUIS BLUES — Signed coach Ken Hitchcock to a one-year contract.
COLLEGE
NORTHWESTERN — Agreed to terms with men's basketball coach Chris Collins a contract extension.
TENNESSEE — Announced the resignation of associate head baseball coach Greg Bergeron.
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