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NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS
October 29, 2014
Table of Contents
NEWSDAY .............................................................................................................................................................. 1
Michael Vick can use Sunday's start as a proving ground (Kimberley Martin) .........................................................1
John Idzik: Still to be determined whether Geno Smith is a franchise quarterback (Kimberley Martin) ..................2
THE RECORD .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
J.P. Pelzman on the Jets beat: Team needs plan for quarterback (J.P. Pelzman) ......................................................3
A look ahead to Jets' matchup with Chiefs (J.P. Pelzman) ........................................................................................4
Sullivan: Jets must call QB audible to move on (Tara Sullivan) .................................................................................5
NJ ADVANCE MEDIA .............................................................................................................................................. 6
Jets defense midseason report card: red-zone, turnover issues negate success of line's stars (Darryl Slater) ........6
Jets cut backup linebacker A.J. Edds; add cornerback Marcus Williams from practice squad (Dom Cosentino) .....8
NEW YORK POST .................................................................................................................................................... 9
The Jets’ decades-old search to fill Joe Willie’s shoes (Brian Costello) .....................................................................9
The man Woody Johnson should hire to save the Jets (Steve Serby) .....................................................................10
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ...................................................................................................................................... 12
NY Jets midseason report card: What’s working and what isn't for Gang Green (Seth Walder) ............................12
NY Jets GM John Idzik may have talked his way out of town (Mike Lupica) ...........................................................15
Chiefs executive Chris Ballard or Scott Pioli could come clean up NY Jets' mess (Gary Myers) ..............................16
METRO NEW YORK .............................................................................................................................................. 18
Jets player: 'Sense of relief' with Michael Vick as starter (Kristian Dyer) ................................................................18
TUESDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS .................................................................................................................... 18
NEWSDAY
Michael Vick can use Sunday's start as a proving ground (Kimberley Martin)
Newsday
October 28, 2014
http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/michael-vick-can-use-sunday-s-start-as-a-provingground-1.9556852
Twice this season, Michael Vick has been called upon to clean up damage done, in large part, by Geno
Smith. It came as no surprise that Rex Ryan would name Vick to start this weekend in Kansas City.
But Vick's first start of 2014 will be about more than just helping the Jets (1-7) end a seven-game losing
streak.
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Daily Clips Cont.
Sunday will be an audition for the 34-year-old, who hasn't started a regular-season game in more than a
year. Not only will he have the chance to prove he should remain the starter for the rest of the season,
but his performance also could go a long way toward securing a job somewhere else next year.
"It is very important," Vick said Monday. His last start was Oct. 27, 2013, when a hamstring injury forced
him to leave during the second quarter of the Eagles' 15-7 loss to the Giants.
"I think any time you step on the field in professional sports, you are always auditioning, whether it is for
the next week or the next season. You have to take it all seriously."
Vick may not be the long-term answer for the Jets. Nor is the 12-year veteran a guaranteed fix for their
wayward season. But he's fast, he can sling it and teammates believe he gives their offense a spark.
So does Rex Ryan.
"I felt the energy on the sideline," Ryan said Monday, referring to his decision to insert Vick against the
Bills after Smith threw three interceptions in a six-snap span. "And I think given an opportunity that he
really hasn't been given, which is really run with the first team all week. We will see how it plays out."
Barring injury -- or a meltdown -- Vick will have four quarters against the Chiefs to prove he's still got it.
But he cautioned against putting too much emphasis on this one outing.
"I can't approach the game saying, 'OK . . . I am approaching it to show other teams that I can still play at
a high level,' because you get mind-boggled. You get caught up in trying to do too much," said the fourtime Pro Bowl selection, who has completed 26 of 56 passes for 200 yards and an interception.
"I think what I need to do is just play sound football, understand my position. I don't have to go out there
and do everything. And just pray that I play well. I am preparing myself so I can give myself the best
opportunity to play well and see what comes out of it."
Until now, he had taken only scout-team reps in practice. But starting Wednesday, Vick will work only
with the starters. He hopes to play better than he did in his two relief appearances.
"That's the plan," he said. "Take practice seriously, work on some things that I know I need to work on,
especially with my ballhandling and movement within the pocket. Things that I haven't been doing over
the last year against a starting football team.
"I did it in preseason a little bit, but it was short-lived. Now, just having a chance to work into some playing
time, and playing last week, has given me an opportunity to get a feel for the game again, and hopefully I
will continue to keep getting better. I do expect a lot out of myself and I expect to play well."
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John Idzik: Still to be determined whether Geno Smith is a franchise quarterback (Kimberley Martin)
Newsday
October 28, 2014
http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/john-idzik-still-to-be-determined-whether-geno-smithis-a-franchise-quarterback-1.9556910
In the wake of his demotion Monday, Geno Smith said he "without a doubt" can be a franchise
quarterback in the NFL.
But the Jets' front office doesn't seem to be as confident.
Asked during a sit-down with SNY on Monday if he believes he has a franchise QB on his roster, general
manager John Idzik said: "Don't know that. Don't know that. That's still to be determined.
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Daily Clips Cont.
"You don't want to try to answer that question too prematurely, especially when you're dealing with a
younger quarterback in Geno," Idzik said of Smith, whom the organization drafted 39th overall in 2013
and tabbed as its starter the past two seasons.
Smith, who threw three first-quarter interceptions in Sunday's 43-23 loss to Buffalo, has a 9-15 record as
a starter. On Monday, he was told by coach Rex Ryan that Michael Vick will be starting this week's game
in Kansas City.
Hours before Ryan announced the quarterback switch, Idzik met with the media in a lengthy midseason
news conference. In a 38-minute session that included a 19-minute opening soliloquy, Idzik provided few
concrete details about Smith's future with the organization.
In the SNY interview, which aired Tuesday night, Idzik said "there are going to be rough times" with young
quarterbacks. He added: "We will continue with the development curve and we will continue searching.
We'll continue to try to enhance that position in any way we can."
Jet streams
No big moves were made by the Jets at Tuesday's trade deadline. The team announced linebacker A.J.
Edds was released to make room for practice-squad cornerback Marcus Williams on the active roster.
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THE RECORD
J.P. Pelzman on the Jets beat: Team needs plan for quarterback (J.P. Pelzman)
The Record
October 29, 2014
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/jets/jets-need-plan-for-next-qb-1.1120643
Woody Johnson wore the look of a proud father as he watched Geno Smith zing spirals down the field
during a practice in late August 2013 at the Jets’ Florham Park training facility. The gleam in his eyes
indicated the Jets’ owner believed his team finally had found its long-awaited franchise quarterback.
Nineteen touchdown passes, 31 interceptions, one expletive directed at a fan and one missed meeting
later, it appears the Jets must keep searching. That’s the obvious takeaway from Monday’s long-overdue
decision to bench the second-year pro in favor of veteran Michael Vick for Sunday’s game at Kansas City.
Granted, coach Rex Ryan refused to name Vick the permanent starter for the rest of the season. And Smith
expressed confidence that he could regain his job when he spoke to reporters after the decision was
announced.
But realistically, it appears as if the Geno Smith era has come and gone. Which means Johnson and the
Jets must continue their seemingly never-ending search during the off-season.
In what direction might they go? Let’s examine possibilities.
Unless the still-dynamic but mistake- and injury-prone Vick engineers a miracle turnaround in the second
half of the season, the Jets figure to be picking in the top 10 of the 2015 draft, perhaps even the top five.
If they finish really poorly, it’s possible they could be in line to take the first quarterback of the draft.
(That’s assuming that Oakland and Jacksonville believe in 2014 draftees Derek Carr and Blake Bortles,
respectively, and thus don’t feel the need to draft another signal-caller so quickly.)
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Daily Clips Cont.
Oregon star Marcus Mariota, though only a junior, appears to be at the head of the 2015 quarterback
draft class. But he runs a spread offense with the Ducks, so it’s not a guarantee that he will be able to
direct a pro-style attack as effortlessly and effectively as he does Oregon’s offense.
Redshirt sophomore Jameis Winston of Florida State could declare for the draft, but his litany of off-thefield incidents seemingly would make him a bad fit for this fishbowl of a market.
Michigan State junior Connor Cook directs a pro-style offense, so he might be equipped to make a
smoother transition to the NFL. The Spartans also have produced Brian Hoyer and Kirk Cousins.
Hoyer, who thus far has held off Johnny Manziel for the starting job in Cleveland, is the biggest name in
the 2015 free agent class. At this point, that group also includes Vick, former Jet Mark Sanchez
(Philadelphia), and the likes of San Francisco’s Blaine Gabbert and Tennessee’s Jake Locker. Gabbert, in
Jacksonville, and Locker failed to become franchise quarterbacks.
And of course, nobody knows who will be making those decisions for the Jets.
Although general manager John Idzik is in only his second year in that post, his draft classes have been
unimpressive so far. Smith was his pick, even though the former West Virginia standout fell out of the first
round and into the second. Idzik’s handling of Smith also has been questionable, given the fact he set up
a bogus competition between Smith and Vick in which the former never seemed to fear for his starting
job.
If the Jets’ season continues to spiral downward, it’s a realistic possibility that both Idzik and Ryan will be
shown the door. That would mean Johnson will have to look for someone who will be in charge of the
ongoing search for that next gleam in Johnson’s eyes.
Back_to_Top
A look ahead to Jets' matchup with Chiefs (J.P. Pelzman)
The Record
October 29, 2014
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/a-look-ahead-to-jets-matchup-with-chiefs-1.1120686
Jets (1-7) at Chiefs (4-3)
At Arrowhead Stadium
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: CBS
Radio: ESPN-FM 98.7
Early line: Chiefs by 9 1/2
For the first time since Dec. 30, 2012, the Jets will enter a game without Geno Smith as their starting QB
after he was benched Monday. Veteran Michael Vick takes over, although coach Rex Ryan made no
promises on how long his tenure will last. Kansas City has won four of its last five games. Former Jets LB
Josh Mauga leads the Chiefs in tackles with 47, and Teaneck’s Tamba Hali has four sacks. Two other former
Jets, DL Mike DeVito and RB Joe McKnight, are on injured reserve because of torn Achilles’ tendons.
In the spotlight
Jets QB Michael Vick. The 34-year-old will make his first start for the Jets against his former Eagles coach,
Andy Reid. Presumably, Reid will be able to give defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, a former Jets assistant,
plenty of insight on Vick’s strengths and weaknesses. Vick must do a better job of holding on to the
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Daily Clips Cont.
football. He had four fumbles, two of which were lost, and one interception in relief against Buffalo on
Sunday.
Game plan
The Jets should be able to run the ball against a Kansas City defense allowing a whopping 4.7 yards per
carry. WR Percy Harvin, who also lines up at RB, needs to make more of an impact offensively than he did
in his first game as a Jet three days ago. Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles has rushed for 340 yards in the last four
games, but could have problems against the Jets’ stout rushing defense, which held Buffalo to 67 yards
on Sunday.
Back_to_Top
Sullivan: Jets must call QB audible to move on (Tara Sullivan)
The Record
October 29, 2014
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/sullivan-jets-must-call-qb-audible-to-move-on-1.1118453
EAST RUTHERFORD — The ugly aftermath of the Jets 20-point drubbing by the Bills left Geno Smith on an
X-ray table for an injury to his right shoulder, and maybe that will end up being the official reason the
quarterback doesn’t start next Sunday’s game in Kansas City.
But the shoulder wasn’t the reason Smith was benched for the second time in four games — three
interceptions before the first quarter was even over took care of that — in a game so bad the second-year
QB described himself as “atrocious.” And the shoulder isn’t the reason he should give way to backup
Michael Vick against the Chiefs. Because whatever physical limitation Smith might be facing, that’s nothing
compared to the mental mess he has become, a shell-shocked shell of his former self who would benefit
from a personal timeout.
The Jets have little choice but to hand the ball to Vick and let him start the game against the Chiefs, let
him see if the small stretch of offensive efficiency and small spark of optimism he brought to the game
Sunday, pulling the Jets within a touchdown by halftime before falling apart with three turnovers of his
own (two fumbles and an interception), can translate across a full four quarters. That’s the smart football
move to make, the one that gives this beleaguered team the best chance to win its next game.
But at 1-7 — Sunday’s 43-23 loss was the team’s seventh in a row — the Jets are too far gone to focus on
the win-now equation, leaving them in an impossible spot of their own making. They could continue to
play Smith, adamant on determining if last year’s second-round pick can be the franchise quarterback
they envisioned, even if evidence so far is to the contrary. Or they could go with Vick, the veteran backup
with aging legs and a lot of mileage, hoping to salvage something out of this season, but doing nothing for
the club’s future.
“I have no idea,” coach Rex Ryan said when asked who would start next week. “We’ll look at that later.”
In other words, the franchise that leads the league in worst-case scenarios has done it again, fulfilling the
precise doomsday prophecy they insisted would not happen with the Smith-Vick combo. By the time they
appear ready to hand the ball to Vick (and between Smith’s X-ray/poor play and Vick’s reference to getting
a full week of first-team practice reps, it sure seems headed that way), it’s too late for him to do any good.
Just like Tim Tebow wasn’t going to disrupt the locker room, just like locker room leaders like Jerricho
Cotchery and Tony Richardson weren’t going to be missed, just like Mark Sanchez was once the Sanchize,
the Jets were wrong again.
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Daily Clips Cont.
If Vick was really brought here to help this team get to the playoffs this year, why didn’t he get the call to
take over before now, say three weeks ago against the Chargers, when Smith’s immaturity surfaced in
two troubling ways, in cursing out a fan on the way off the MetLife field the previous week and missing a
team meeting in San Diego? Ryan (perhaps hampered by puppet master general manager John Idzik)
never had the guts to do what Doug Marrone did in Buffalo, where E.J. Manuel, the first quarterback taken
in Smith’s draft class, was replaced by veteran Kyle Orton. The Bills are 3-1 since.
Yet Ryan steadfastly refuses to surrender to what every other football eye seems to see, that Smith is not
yet ready for NFL prime time.
“He was zipping the ball all week [in practice],” Ryan said. “I was really impressed by him, encouraged by
him. [In the game] it seems like he was misfiring. It was disappointing.”
Ryan is not ready to accept what might be the harsh truth in the Smith experiment: This is what he is, an
occasionally good quarterback defined most by his inconsistency.
“I don’t think that way,” Ryan said. “I think this young man eventually is going to be a really good
quarterback in this league.”
After Sunday’s game, it sounded like even Smith has his doubts. “We didn’t execute, and when I say we,
I’m talking about myself because I was atrocious, the way I started out,” Smith said. “I never expected to
start a game out like that.”
Neither Smith nor Vick was told who would start next game, but the defiance Smith has flashed in the
past about the benefit of seeing a game from the sideline, of watching the elder Vick work through
adversity, was gone.
“I wouldn’t like to repeat that [getting benched] but if it does happen I have to use it to my best interest,”
he said. “I have to make it beneficial. Like I said, I never envisioned that happening because I do see myself
as the starting quarterback and I honestly believe that I can turn things around myself and get this team
going.”
Smith took all of 11 offensive snaps Sunday, gaining a total of seven yards. It was his three interceptions,
all of them a result of bad throws on good reads, that doomed him. Vick, much to the delight of the home
crowd, took over with 4:32 to go in the first. A trademark Vick scramble on third-and-6 earned the Jets
their first first down, and 10 plays later, he handed off to Chris Ivory for a 2-yard score.
“I made the move to go to Mike and I think that we responded,” Ryan said. “There was a lot of good things
that we did with Mike in there and that he did personally. We’ve got to take care of the football better.”
They’ve got to take care of the position better. For now or for the future, the Jets still don’t have an answer
at quarterback. No matter who they start Sunday.
Back_to_Top
NJ ADVANCE MEDIA
Jets defense midseason report card: red-zone, turnover issues negate success of line's stars (Darryl
Slater)
NJ Advance Media
October 28, 2014
http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/10/jets_midseason_report_cards_on_defense_two_big_bright_
spots_but_lots_of_problems.html
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Daily Clips Cont.
The Jets are an unmitigated disaster at the midpoint of their season – 1-7, with a seven-game losing streak
entering Sunday’s game at Kansas City.
They haven’t lost eight straight since starting 0-8 in 1996. They have never lost nine straight in a single
season – in their entire, star-crossed franchise history.
So what went wrong for a team that finished 8-8 last season, won its last two games to save coach Rex
Ryan’s job, and had playoff aspirations in 2014?
This week, we will dissect four areas of the Jets – defense, offense, special teams and coaching – and break
down what happened to each in the first half of this season.
These are our midseason report cards. The Jets won’t want to hang them on their refrigerator.
First up is the defense.
Pros: It really begins and ends with two players – defensive linemen Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon
Richardson. They are rated second and third among 3-4 defensive ends by Pro Football Focus, behind only
J.J. Watt. In pass-rushing ratings, they are fifth and sixth. Against the run, they are first and fourth.
The Jets are fifth in the NFL in rushing yards per game allowed, and fourth in yards per carry allowed. So
their rushing defense is tough again. Last season, the Jets led the NFL in yards-per-carry rushing defense.
While it is true that you can build a defensive winner from the inside out, with strong line play, the Jets
don’t have enough other good players on defense. But that isn’t Wilkerson and Richardson’s fault. The
Jets are tied for fifth in the NFL with 24 sacks. Wilkerson has 4½, Richardson 3½.
Strong-side linebacker Calvin Pace has four, but PFF rates him 42nd out of 46 outside linebackers across
the league who play in 3-4 defenses. As a pass rusher, he is 44th.
Wilkerson is in his fourth season, Richardson his second. Nose tackle Damon Harrison, a third-year
undrafted player, continues to be a pleasant surprise. PFF rates him 16th among nose/defensive tackles,
including tied for first in run defense.
This trio could be the foundation of the Jets’ defense for years to come. But they need better players
around them, particularly in the secondary.
Cons: Let’s start with the big picture. The Jets can’t get off the field on third down, which basically negates
the fact that they rank sixth in the NFL in yards per game allowed. They are 23rd in the NFL in third-down
conversion defense. They can't keep opponents out of the end zone. The Jets rank 30th in red-zone
defense.
They also can’t force turnovers. This was an issue last year, and an even bigger problem now. The Jets
have a minus-15 turnover margin (the largest in the NFL, by five) largely because they are tied for the
league lead with 18 turnovers lost. But they have gained three, including one interception. No other team
this year has fewer than five turnovers gained and three picks.
Yes, part of gaining turnovers is luck. But at some point, the Jets’ inability to hang onto the ball, and take
it from opponents, falls on head coach Rex Ryan, who calls the defensive plays.
According to the folks over at Gang Green Nation, the Jets are on pace to gain by far the fewest turnovers
in NFL history. They are on pace for six. The all-time low is 11. The Jets are on pace for two picks. The alltime low in league history is four.
The Jets are also heading toward allowing the highest passer rating in league history, according to Gang
Green Nation. They are currently at 113.5, though part of that owes to the six-game gauntlet of prominent
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Daily Clips Cont.
quarterbacks who sliced up their undermanned secondary. Then again, the Bills’ Kyle Orton just hung a
142.8 rating on them last week.
The problems in the Jets’ secondary are multifold. Yes, they had a starting cornerback go AWOL and get
cut (Dimitri Patterson). Yes, their other starter (Dee Milliner) was lost for the year with a torn Achilles
tendon. Yes, a top backup (rookie Dexter McDougle) never got a chance to play in any games because of
a season-ending knee injury.
Still, Jets general manager John Idzik failed this team by misreading the cornerback market in free agency.
Patterson never showed any signs of being a suitable replacement for Antonio Cromartie. Darrin Walls,
converted safety Antonio Allen and Phillip Adams are not legitimate, season-long cornerback options for
Ryan’s defense, which requires sharp, man-to-man coverage from its corners.
The mess at cornerback has resulted in the Jets needing to play rookie safety Calvin Pryor, their first-round
draft pick, farther back in the secondary, to prevent deep completions. This has limited his effectiveness
as an in-the-box hitter. And the Jets have still been beat deep plenty. They rank 25th in the NFL in yards
allowed per pass attempt. Their 22 touchdown passes allowed are five more than any other team.
Key stat: 67.86 percent.
That is how often opponents score touchdowns in the red zone against the Jets’ defense. As we
mentioned, the Jets are 30th in the NFL in this category. Yes, the offense has put the defense in tough
spots, because of turnovers. But this also happened last year, when the Jets ranked fourth in red-zone
defense (44.9 percent). A defense’s primary objective is to keep the opponent out of the end zone. The
Jets have too often failed at this, despite encouraging developments on their defensive front.
Grade: D+
At 1-7, it is easy to forget that two of the Jets’ 11 defensive starters are among the best at their positions
in the NFL – Wilkerson and Richardson. So we can’t give this unit an F. But the problems in the secondary,
the inability to force turnovers and the porous red-zone defense are too numerous to consider this unit
anything close to successful.
Back_to_Top
Jets cut backup linebacker A.J. Edds; add cornerback Marcus Williams from practice squad (Dom
Cosentino)
NJ Advance Media
October 28, 2014
http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/10/jets_cut_linebacker_aj_edds.html
The Jets on Tuesday released linebacker A.J. Edds, who had only played sparingly on special teams this
season. He will be replaced on the 53-man roster by cornerback Marcus Williams, who had been on the
practice squad.
The addition of Williams to the 53-man roster dashes the hopes of those dead-enders who were hoping
to see Matt Simms as Michael Vick's backup quarterback this weekend at the Chiefs. Alas.
Edds had only been active for four games this season, and he battled a hamstring injury earlier in the year.
He recorded one special teams tackle and played zero defensive snaps.
The Jets had signed Edds in May after a tryout. He was cut at the end of training camp but brought back
a day later to provide depth. But now that Antwan Barnes has come off the PUP list and Trevor Reilly is
likely back soon from his knee injury, the Jets would have had nine linebackers on their 53-man roster.
Edds was the odd man out.
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Daily Clips Cont.
The Dolphins drafted Edds in the fourth round in 2010, and he later bounced around with the Patriots and
Colts.
The Jets had signed Williams to their practice squad last month, after he had been cut from the Texans'
practice squad.
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NEW YORK POST
The Jets’ decades-old search to fill Joe Willie’s shoes (Brian Costello)
New York Post
October 28, 2014
http://nypost.com/2014/10/28/the-jets-decades-old-search-to-fill-joe-willies-shoes/
It was a chilly day at Shea Stadium on Dec. 12, 1976, when 31,067 poor souls watched the Jets lose 42-3
to the Bengals. At the end of the game, a young fan reached down and pulled the wool hat off Joe
Namath’s head as he ran off the field for the final time as a Jet.
The Jets have been searching for his replacement ever since.
The benching of Geno Smith this week means the franchise is in an all too familiar place. The Jets don’t
have a franchise quarterback … again. It is 38 years and counting.
The Jets have come close a few times. For a few years Richard Todd, Ken O’Brien, Vinny Testaverde, Chad
Pennington and even Mark Sanchez looked like they might be the guy to fill Namath’s white shoes. But
Mud Bowls, torn Achilles, shoulder surgeries and butt-fumbles always ended up dashing Jets fans hopes.
More than anything that has plagued this team, the absolute failure to find a long-term solution at
quarterback has bogged it down and made it a team that has not seen a Super Bowl since 1969.
On Sunday in Kansas City, Michael Vick will become the 27th man to start at quarterback for the Jets since
1977. Some lasted just one game — Kyle Mackey and Greg McElroy. Some were just a tease — Browning
Nagle throwing for 366 yards in his first start. There were has-beens — Neil O’Donnell — and never weres
— Rick Mirer.
The quarterback problem is not from a lack of trying. The Jets have drafted 19 quarterbacks since 1977.
From Matt Robinson to Tajh Boyd, most have been forgettable. Jeff Blake became a decent starter for
another team. Brad Smith became a good kick returner. They took them high — Sanchez with the No. 5
overall pick in 2009 — and low — Bill Randsell with the 327th pick of the 1987 draft.
The Jets have tried the high-priced free agent, giving O’Donnell $25 million in 1996. They have traded for
a future Hall of Famer, bringing Brett Favre here in 2008. They resurrected the career of a former No. 1
pick, with Testaverde bringing them to the brink of a Super Bowl in 1998.
How do you even explain the Tim Tebow chapter?
The mistakes at the position have been too tough to overcome. Drafting O’Brien in 1983 three picks ahead
of Dan Marino is unforgivable. Missing on Sanchez and now Smith has led to the latest downturn in Jets
history that is going on four years of playoff-free football.
This is the challenge now facing Woody Johnson above all others. As he stares at a 1-7 team that looks
like it needs a complete overhaul, the focus should be on finding that quarterback that has eluded the
Jets. Quarterbacks don’t solve all the problems, but they make most of the other problems more bearable.
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Daily Clips Cont.
It starts for Johnson with finding a general manager who can find talent. John Idzik has proven he’s better
at reading budget lines than 40-yard dash times. Johnson needs to start talking to people around the NFL
about who the best young talent evaluators are. The next GM must be able to recognize talent, particularly
at quarterback.
Then, Johnson must turn to finding a coach who can develop that quarterback. Rex Ryan has proven he
can’t. The Jets have been run by defensive minds for too long from Herm Edwards to Ryan. Johnson needs
an offensively minded coach whom a quarterback can thrive under. Again, he needs to comb the NFL for
opinions on who the best offensive minds in the NFL and college football are.
Jets fans have suffered too long through bad quarterback play. Go back to that day in 1976 when Namath’s
time with the Jets ended. Namath threw four interceptions in the first half and was benched as the Shea
crowd booed him. It was the end of a 3-11 season for the Jets. And if you think the Jets are in a bad spot
now, head coach Lou Holtz had walked off the job four days before the rout by the Bengals.
“The people up in the stands never had much to cheer about this year,” Namath said. “They could have
gotten down on us a lot more. They deserve a better team.”
It is a sentiment that is shared by Jets fans now. They deserve a better team.
The Jets named Walt Michaels head coach a few weeks after Namath left and the search for Namath’s
successor began with Todd getting the first crack that year.
A month after he became head coach, Michaels hired an offensive coordinator he thought could help the
young quarterbacks along — John Idzik Sr.
It’s been a bizarre road to nowhere for the Jets on their quarterback search. For Jets fans, it feels like a
road with no end in sight.
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The man Woody Johnson should hire to save the Jets (Steve Serby)
New York Post
October 28, 2014
http://nypost.com/2014/10/28/the-man-woody-johnson-should-hire-to-save-the-jets/
Long before Woody Johnson bought into the NFL fraternity, Leon Hess put all his front office eggs in the
basket of Steve Gutman, a money man entrusted with the Jets’ major football decisions.
Finally, at the end of Joe Walton’s endless seven-year reign as coach, Hess was convinced that if it’s broke,
maybe he ought to fix it, and hired Dick Steinberg, a universally-respected football personnel man who
had toiled for … you guessed it, the Patriots.
Unfortunately for Hess and the Jets, Steinberg seemed to have lost something off his fastball. His first
choice to replace Walton was Michigan State coach George Perles, who declined because he didn’t want
to move his family east. Bruce Coslet accepted.
With the second pick of the 1990 draft, Steinberg selected Blair Thomas, rated higher in most circles than
Emmitt Smith. Oh well.
In the second round of the 1991 draft, Steinberg had his eyes on a gunslinger quarterback out of Southern
Mississippi. Unfortunately for him and the Jets, so did the Falcons, who plucked Brett Favre one spot
ahead of the Jets at the top of the second round. And never mind that the reckless young Favre, who
would be traded to ex-Jets personnel exec Ron Wolf’s Packers, might have imploded in New York.
Steinberg settled for Browning Nagle.
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After Coslet was fired after four years without a playoff win, after defensive coordinator Pete Carroll was
tabbed as his rookie head coach in 1994, Steinberg tragically succumbed to stomach cancer.
He won’t be remembered as an elite executive in Jets annals, but at least he provided stability in the front
office and someone other GMs could respect.
Hess, forever smitten with Rich Kotite, swiftly acted as GM, judge and jury and whacked Carroll following
a December collapse and 6-10 season in 1994.
What Woody Johnson needs now is what Hess needed then, what Johnson had fleetingly with Bill Parcells
in 2000 — a wise, seasoned, football man with team-building and presidential leadership skills who
commands respect around the NFL.
It is why Johnson should dial up Bill Polian, easy to find at ESPN, and make him an offer he can’t refuse, to
be his Phil Jackson beginning at the end of the season.
Jackson, 69, didn’t want to endure the rigors of coaching, so James Dolan wisely lured him to the Garden
as Knicks president: J.D. and the Straight Shooter.
Polian, 71, doesn’t want to burn the midnight oil as required in the paranoid, win-now NFL, so show him
the money and let him call the shots and his own hours and pick his Derek Fisher. (Even if he insists on
installing a triangle offense, which would be an improvement on what we have witnessed this 1-7 season).
Although the Rex Ryan Jets have absolutely not been on a Suck For the Duck campaign, who better than
Polian — and the trusted young personnel whiz he would hire — to determine whether Oregon’s Marcus
Mariota is Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf?
This is another crossroads juncture in the Jets’ star-crossed, tortured history, and Johnson needs to get it
right this time.
John Idzik? He can stay, just like Terry Bradway stayed after relinquishing his GM title, to run the
business/cap side.
It was one fateful decision that prevented Johnson from being Robert Kraft.
When Johnson was in his infancy as Jets owner, you may recall, his football consigliere was Parcells, who
decided to leave the Jets sidelines after three seasons to assume the major domo role in the front office.
And Tuna tabbed his longtime right hand man to succeed him as — dare we say it? — HC of the NYJ.
And so Tuna turned to Al Groh as Bill Belichick scurried off to Kraft’s warm New England embrace.
Parcells begat Bradway (rookie GM) who begat Mike Tannenbaum (rookie GM) who begat Idzik (rookie
GM).
Groh (rookie head coach) begat Herm Edwards (rookie head coach) who begat Eric Mangini (rookie head
coach) who begat Ryan (rookie head coach).
No rings for Belichick to kiss.
There are, of course, no guarantees with these football emperors. With the Dolphins, Parcells hired Tony
Sparano, who won the division his first year with Chad Pennington (of course) and then floundered. Tuna’s
choice of Jeff Ireland as GM was uninspiring. In Cleveland, Mike Holmgren drafted Colt McCoy and Trent
Richardson and Brandon Weeden and hired Pat Shurmur to replace Mangini and didn’t get the job done.
No one’s perfect. What does Johnson have to lose?
Polian is a six-time NFL Executive of the Year. Let’s go.
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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
NY Jets midseason report card: What’s working and what isn't for Gang Green (Seth Walder)
New York Daily News
October 28, 2014
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-midseason-report-card-wrong-lot-gang-greenarticle-1.1990704
The Jets had everyone fooled.
No, they weren’t expected to be a Super Bowl contender, but they were supposed to at least be OK. I’ll
cop to it: I picked the Jets to go 8-8.
Like many people, I figured Rex Ryan would manage the lack of talent in the secondary and Geno Smith
would take a step forward in year two. Not so.
“You are what your record says you are,” John Idzik said on Monday, stealing a line often heard from Ryan
that originated from Bill Parcells.
There’s no one debating then, at 1-7, that the Jets are downright awful.
Where exactly have they been the worst? That’s what we’re digging into today in our midseason report
card on the Jets. There’s no Harvard-type grade inflation going on here, so avert your eyes if you are a
particularly sensitive member of Gang Green Nation.
QUARTERBACKS: F
What other grade could be here? This has been a complete and utter failure at one of the most important
position in sports. Geno Smith ranks dead last in quarterback rating among qualified passers, behind the
likes of EJ Manuel and Blake Bortles. He’s been that bad.
He even forced Ryan -- who is slow to hit the trigger on replacing a quarterback -- to bench him twice ingame and now as the starter with Mike Vick taking over.
Not that Vick has been much of an improvement when he played: he put the ball on the ground four times
in Sunday’s loss to the Bills, which ought to be completely unacceptable.
Idzik was asked by SNY in a segment that aired Tuesday if he has a franchise quarterback on his team.
“Don’t know that,” Idzik said.
Here’s a hint: There’s no franchise QB on this roster.
RUNNING BACKS: B
There are very few things that have gone right for the Jets this season, but Chris Ivory is one of them.
Averaging 4.7 yards per carry for a total of 475 yards, Ivory has been a nightmare for opposing defenders
to bring down and is a good part of the reason the Jets rank fourth in rushing offense. He’s tied for fourth
in the league in yards after contact per attempt, according to ProFootballFocus.com.
On the other hand, free agent acquisition Chris Johnson has been a dud and has lost playing time as a
result. Johnson had just three carries and two receptions against the Bills Sunday.
WIDE RECEIVERS: C-
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Eric Decker has been a solid contributor, but that’s only been when he’s able to get on the field. An onagain, off-again hamstring injury limited him through much of the first half, though he did make 31 catches
for 363 yards and three touchdowns in seven games.
No one else has been reliable. The normally consistent Jeremy Kerley has fallen off and David Nelson
brought virtually nothing to the table before he was released. There’s obvious room for upside since the
acquisition of Percy Harvin, but a lot of that depends on how well Marty Mornhinweg is able to use him.
TIGHT ENDS: BJace Amaro has paid the largest dividends from the rookie draft class so far, as he leads the team with 32
receptions despite the fact that Jeff Cumberland is still the starter. That ought to change soon, though
Amaro has had some difficulty with drops.
Cumberland has been mediocre, nabbing 15 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown.
OFFENSIVE LINE: C
Anchored by Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson, this was supposed to be one of the strengths of
the offense. It hasn’t been. There was no saving Smith from his own terrible performance but he wasn’t
helped by the offensive line in many games. Willie Colon is tied for the league lead amongst guards in
penalties, according to ProFootballFocus.com, and Brian Winters did not show improvement before
tearing his ACL.
DEFENSIVE LINE: A
The only really good part of the Jets is still very solid: Muhammad Wilkerson (4.5 sacks) and Sheldon
Richardson (3.5 sacks) are still excellent defenders against both the pass and the run, wreaking havoc for
opposing offenses. Assuming the Jets work out a deal with Wilkerson, those two should be around a long
time as staples of the green and white. Nose tackle Damon Harrison has followed up his breakout 2013
season with another solid campaign.
LINEBACKERS: B
In some ways it’s hard to judge the linebackers because they are aided by the talent of the men in front
of them, but the second level of Rex Ryan’s defense certainly plays a large role in the fact that the Jets are
ranked fifth against the run.
However, there are still some concerns: Quinton Coples has struggled most of the season and has
therefore lost playing time to Jason Babin. In addition, ILB’s Demario Davis and David Harris still have
difficulty in coverage.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: D+
Aside from quarterback, there is no position group in greater disarray than this one. The starting
cornerbacks heading into training camp are both out of the picture after Dimitri Patterson went AWOL
and was released and Dee Milliner was knocked out for the season. Dexter McDougle was also lost for the
year, and so the Jets had to move Antonio Allen back and forth between safety and cornerback while
Darrin Walls and Phillip Adams played across from them. Rookie safety Calvin Pryor has made as much of
an impact as expected, which even Ryan admitted. This unit has problems, and they don’t have the players
to fix them.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C
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Special teams has been a largely mediocre unit for the Jets, though there have been some costly errors in
this area as well: Jalen Saunders and Walt Powell each lost possession on a muffed punt, and a potential
winning field goal against the Patriots was blocked.
The saving grace has been Nick Folk’s consistency and the punt coverage, which has the seventh-best net
yardage in the league.
Obviously, Percy Harvin could and should have a positive impact going forward.
COACHES: D+
Ryan claims that the Jets have enough talent to win. Even though that probably isn’t true, it doesn’t come
close to absolving him of blame for the team’s horrific 1-7 start. The Jets have been blown out twice now
and that reflects poorly on Ryan, who has enough tools at his disposal to at least avoid complete
embarrassment.
Smith’s inability to develop also falls somewhat on the coaching staff.
FRONT OFFICE: D
The list of Idzik’s mistakes was already long before the GM decided to open Monday’s press conference
with an ill-advised 19-minute monologue. In the offseason he left holes at cornerback and receiver despite
having greater than $20 million in cap room and has not been particularly successful in his first two drafts.
***
3 Reasons to Hope
1. The defensive line is stalwart and should continue to be so for years (assuming Wilkerson and Harrison
are re-signed) because they are so young.
2. Smith’s struggles mean the team can commit to moving on and drafting a new QB.
3. Harvin brings baggage with him, but he does have a high upside.
3 Reasons to Worry
1. No matter what, the Jets will go into next season with a question mark at quarterback.
2. As bad as the Jets have been, the players like Ryan. Some will be unhappy if/when he goes.
3. The Jets enter another offseason looking for solutions at cornerback.
***
Offensive MVP: C Nick Mangold
Defensive MVP: DE Muhammad Wilkerson
Special Teams MVP: K Nick Folk
Biggest Surprise: RB Chris Ivory
Biggest Disappointment: QB Geno Smith
Best Rookie: TE Jace Amaro
Best Acquisition: WR Eric Decker
Worst Acquisition: RB Chris Johnson
Best-Kept Secret: NT Damon Harrison
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Best Coaching Move: Playing coverage against Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. It almost worked.
Worst Coaching Move: Not benching Geno Smith after Week 4.
Best Moment: Beating the Raiders? Not much else has gone right in eight weeks.
Worst Moment: The blowout against Buffalo. More specifically, the botched attempt at a terrible fake
kickoff with T.J. Graham lying down in the end zone.
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NY Jets GM John Idzik may have talked his way out of town (Mike Lupica)
New York Daily News
October 29, 2014
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/lupica-jets-gm-john-idzik-talked-town-article1.1990976
John Idzik may have done something rather amazing on Monday with his midseason report on himself
and the mess that has become the New York Jets season: He may have begun talking his way right out of
town. He started around 1:30 in the afternoon before taking any questions. By the time he walked out of
the media room he seemed to have turned himself into a lame-duck general manager.
For weeks the conversation has been about who the next coach of the Jets will be. Idzik single-handedly
changed that conversation on Monday. He is the one who put his own job status into question if the Jets
don’t dramatically turn things around, and right now. The media didn’t do that. It never does. Idzik did it
to himself.
Go back and read everything that Idzik said, starting with his own evaluation of his own job performance.
Read back over an endorsement of Rex Ryan that really wasn’t an endorsement at all. Read his assessment
of all the fight he says this Jets team has in it, fight only the general manager is apparently seeing. And
then ask the same question Woody Johnson has to be asking himself:
How do the Jets go forward with this man picking the players and, most likely, picking the new coach?
Think about it: What offensive or defensive coordinator looking to make a big move into a big job — and
coaching a team with “New York” in its name will always be a big job — wants to throw in or throw down
with a general manager who might be on his way out the door in a year?
It is unclear whether Idzik was in real trouble with his owner before he faced the media in Florham Park.
No one is suggesting his fate is sealed. Give Idzik every benefit of the doubt, talk about how a season-anda-half isn’t a proper referendum on whether or not Idzik has the chops to do this kind of job in the National
Football League. You can say, one more time, and with feeling, that any general manager has the right to
pick his own coach, something Idzik will surely get to do if he lasts.
But once and for all: What has Idzik done so far to make Woody or any Jets fan — and especially any Jets
fan paying PSL prices — think that you can hand over another season to him, or two, or three? Another
question Woody Johnson has to ask himself, watching his team’s performance and his general manager’s
on Monday, is this:
Do you turn over as many years to your general manager as you did to a failed quarterback such as Mark
Sanchez?
We talk all the time about how if you give the ball to the wrong young quarterback the way the Jets did
with Sanchez, and are doing with Geno Smith, you are setting your program back years. It is as much of a
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football disaster to be wrong about a general manager. And what makes Woody Johnson think he’s right
about Idzik?
Certainly this could all change if the Jets show some life, and Geno Smith shows some game, over the
second half of the season. Maybe Eric Decker does something and Calvin Pryor does something and Percy
Harvin lights up November and December. Maybe Rex’s defense, even without cornerbacks, shows you
the ability to get a big stop, and to let the other team stop scoring touchdowns on third down. Raise a
hand if you think all that is going to happen.
And even if the Jets somehow have enough rope to get back to 6-10 or 7-9, where are they, really, if they
are starting all over again next season with a new coach and a new quarterback?
When it was all over on Monday, the feeling about Idzik was that he couldn’t decide whether he wanted
Jets fans to like him or feel sorry for him. What he certainly did not do was inspire any confidence in his
fan base, give that fan base any sense that there is some kind of plan here, a real vision for the future;
that the general manager Woody Johnson hired has it in him to build a real contender, or even the first
Super Bowl the team has had in nearly half-a-century.
Jets fans know the deal by now: Soon they will be hearing about January of 1969 the way New York
Rangers fans used to obsess about 1940 before Mark Messier came to town.
Woody Johnson is the one who helped create this situation by making Idzik keep Rex Ryan rather than
allow him to pick his own coach when he got the job. So the owner is the one who has to own this. But in
fairness, Johnson has not been a terrible owner here. The Jets have not been the New York Jaguars. He
was right about Rex Ryan, at least in the short run. Now he has to take a longer view of what is happening
to the Jets, ask himself whether he really believes he picked the right general manager to replace Mike
Tannenbaum.
The Jets’ season is lost already. What Johnson has to worry about at this point is losing fans, the ones Idzik
tried to reference on Monday, the ones he’s met between the ages of 5 and 75. He tried to tell all of them
he shares their pain. They weren’t buying. You wonder who buys PSLs going forward.
Ask yourself one last question about the Jets and the man in charge of fixing a mess he has helped create:
What bothered you more if you’re a Jets fan, the game against the Bills on Sunday, or that press
conference on Monday?
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Chiefs executive Chris Ballard or Scott Pioli could come clean up NY Jets' mess (Gary Myers)
New York Daily News
October 29, 2014
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/myers-chiefs-executive-scott-pioli-jet-clean-messarticle-1.1990957
When Woody Johnson was interviewing general manager candidates 20 months ago, he was interested
in hearing their plans for Darrelle Revis.
It was pretty clear how Johnson felt.
“Revis has got to go,” is what Johnson was saying, one source told the Daily News on Tuesday.
If a candidate disagreed and made a point that it might be in the Jets’ best interest to keep their best
player, even if he was coming off ACL surgery with contract issues ahead, “Woody didn’t want to hear it,”
the source said.
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Where did John Idzik stand on the Revis issue? Ninety-three days after Johnson hired him, Idzik traded
Revis to Tampa. “John told Woody everything he wanted to hear,” the source said. “John said he would
get rid of Revis. I’m 100% sure of it.”
Just 24 games into the job, Idzik is 9-15 with a seven-game losing streak. He is a salary-cap expert in over
his head making personnel decisions, made worse by not having a quarterback after whiffing on Geno
Smith. His awful press conference Monday didn’t help.
It’s a given Rex Ryan will be fired after the season, but Idzik deserves to go, too. Johnson needs to start
over with a general manager whose expertise is personnel, let the GM hire his own head coach, then let
the GM and coach find a quarterback.
If Johnson admits he made a mistake with Idzik, will anybody want this job? It’s a massive rebuild under
the intense scrutiny and pressure of New York and disgusted Jets fans. “It will be desirable,” one source
said. “Somebody will raise their hand for it. There’s only 32 of them. But to me, it’s a bad job. Idzik was
foolish to take it, but nobody else wanted him as a general manager and he wanted to be a GM. It wasn’t
a good situation. He wasn’t the right guy for the job.”
Another source said, “Being one of only 32 makes it attractive — and the money.”
Two sources predicted Tuesday that Chris Ballard, the Chiefs director of player personnel, will be the
hottest GM candidate after the season. He was the leading contender for the Bucs job after last season,
but declined to be interviewed because he would not have final say. That belonged to new head coach
Lovie Smith. Ballard and Smith had worked together in Chicago.
Ballard was a scout for the Bears from 2000-2011 and was their director of pro scouting in 2012. He has
extensive experience in personnel. That’s what Johnson needs. Coaches make a huge difference in the
NFL, but it’s still all about the players, specifically the quarterback.
Chiefs general manager John Dorsey called Ballard “a tremendous talent evaluator.” Eric DeCosta, the
Ravens assistant GM, has been in demand, but he is the heir apparent to GM Ozzie Newsome and it will
be hard to get him out of Baltimore.
Bill Polian, the former GM of the Bills, Panthers and Colts, was not interested in the Jets job before Idzik
was hired, and there’s no reason to believe he’d be interested now. Polian, a candidate for the 2015 Hall
of Fame, is currently working for ESPN.
If Johnson goes for a candidate with experience, I think Scott Pioli, the assistant GM in Atlanta, is the best
choice. He will have learned from his four years (2009-12) as the Chiefs GM.
Pioli, who is Bill Parcells’ son-in-law, worked for the Jets from 1997-1999. He will be better the second
time around as a GM.
He was just 23-41 in K.C. and his coaching hires — Todd Haley and Romeo Crennel — didn’t work out. He
did win the AFC West in 2010, but was fired after a 2-14 season in 2012.
Andy Reid immediately turned that around to 11-5 last year. The core of his team was Pioli’s players plus
Reid’s trade for quarterback Alex Smith. Pioli drafted four players who made the Pro Bowl last season for
the Chiefs: safety Eric Berry, defensive tackle Dontari Poe, linebacker Justin Houston and kick returnerrunning back Dexter McCluster.
He was Bill Belichick’s right-hand man with the Patriots from 2000-08 and was responsible for many of
New England’s draft picks that helped the Pats win three Super Bowls.
Idzik drafted Sheldon Richardson, who was voted defensive rookie of the year last year, but he’s the only
impact player among the 19 players he’s drafted in two years. He hasn’t signed an impact free agent. He
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has revamped the Jets roster in less than two seasons — he’s brought in 33 of the 53 players on the active
roster and all five players now on injured reserve. That’s 65.55%, a huge turnover in such a short period.
“Woody just wants for the Jets to stop being a laughingstock in the city,” one source said. “He’s tired of
it.”
Then hire a football man to make football decisions.
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METRO NEW YORK
Jets player: 'Sense of relief' with Michael Vick as starter (Kristian Dyer)
Metro New York
October 28, 2014
http://www.metro.us/new-york/jets-player-sense-of-relief-with-michael-vick-as-starter/zsJnjC--foN5TIgeRoU/
The sense among the offense when Michael Vick entered during the first quarter of Sunday's loss to the
Bills was one of relief, said one member of the offense.
Vick replaced the struggling Geno Smith, who threw three interceptions on the team's opening four drives,
earning his second benching of the season. The Jets announced Monday Vick would start this weekend in
Kansas City.
"When Michael came in, he steadied things. There was sort of this sense that 'I got this' and I think we fed
off of that," one player told Metro. "He's been [there], done that in this league and he has our respect. It
wasn't that we don't feel that with Geno, but [Vick] has done it all and when he came in, we got that from
him in the huddle. I think there was a relief when he came in to be honest with you. "
The player spoke on the condition of anonymity because he didn't want to be seen as bashing Smith.
"Guys still believe in Geno, but he has to sit like any other player who doesn't perform," the player said.
"You could tell the difference when Michael came in. The body language was better, the communication
was better from him [over Smith]. Those things are important. His head wasn't spinning."
When asked if Smith exhibited those opposite traits of "body language" and "communication" and if his
head was spinning, the player offered "no comment, but Geno needs to get better at a lot of things."
On his first series with the Jets, Vick marched the team down the field in 13 plays, covering 76 yards for a
touchdown that made the score 14-7. It wasn't a flawless debut. He fumbled four times — two were lost
—and he also threw an interception. With time and first-team reps this week, he should be better.
"He sees the field so well and his instincts are really good," the player said. "I'm not saying that Geno
doesn't, but he's still young. He's got to get there. Michael hasn't gotten many reps with the 'ones' since
[training] camp. Once he does, it will improve for sure."
The player wouldn't respond to a question of if there is a consensus in the locker room behind either Vick
or Smith, only saying "it's clear that the right call was made for this week."
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TUESDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS
Associated Press
October 28, 2014
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http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Sunday-s-Sports-Transactions-4892835.php
BASEBALL
American League
TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Claimed IB Justin Smoak off waivers from Seattle.
Can-Am League
QUEBEC CAPITALES — Exercised the 2015 contract option on LHP Ari Ronick.
FOOTBALL
National Football League
ARIZONA CARDINALS — Signed RB Zach Bauman to the practice squad. Released CB Anthony Gaitor
from the practice squad.
BUFFALO BILLS — Placed S Kenny Ladler on the injured reserve list.
CAROLINA PANTHERS — Signed S Robert Lester from the practice squad and OT Mike Remmers from the
St. Louis practice squad. Placed LB Chase Blackburn on injured reserve. Waived RB Darrin Reaves.
Canadian Football League
EDMONTON ESKIMOS — Signed DE Leon Mackey to the practice roster.
Arena Football League
ORLANDO PREDATORS — Agreed to terms with WR Brandon Thompkins.
HOCKEY
National Hockey League
CALGARY FLAMES — Announced D Corey Potter cleared waivers and was assigned to Adirondack (AHL).
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS — Placed G Sergei Bobrovsky on injured reserve. Recalled G Anton Forsberg
from Springfield (AHL).
DETROIT RED WINGS — Assigned C Stephen Weiss to Grand Rapids (AHL) for conditioning.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS — Placed F Rich Clune on waivers. Assigned F Viktor Stalberg to Milwaukee on a
conditioning assignment.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS — Recalled RW Tom Wilson from Hershey (AHL). Reassigned RW Chris Brown
to Hershey.
American Hockey League
AHL — Suspended Binghamton F Brad Mills has 20 games for violating the terms of the AHL/PHPA
Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
SPRINGFIELD FALCONS — Recalled G Scott Munroe from Kalamazoo (ECHL).
ECHL
ECHL — Suspended Elmira's Andrew Conboy two additional games for his actions in an Oct. 24 game
against Reading. Suspended Quad City's Todd Fiddler one game and fined him an undisclosed amount
for his actions in an Oct. 25 game against Rapid City. Suspended Brampton's Andrew Darrigo two games
and fined him an undisclosed amount for his actions in an Oct. 26 game against Toledo.
SOCCER
Major League Soccer
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC — Signed F Obafemi Martins to a multiyear contract extension.
National Women's Soccer League
SKY BLUE FC — Signed MF Shawna Gordon.
COLLEGE
CULVER-STOCKTON — Named Pat Atwell athletics director.
FORDHAM — Promoted Mary Cunneen to associate director of athletics for facilities/event
management and Joe Webber assistant director of athletics for equipment operations and purchasing.
IOWA — Announced freshman WR Derrick Willies is leaving the football program.
OHIO STATE — Announced senior TB Rod Smith has left the football team for personal reasons.
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