http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/3024 Recent articles about Calvin Pace en-us Well after a two week vacation, I am back at the reins of blogging here at Lombardi Ave. Let me tell you, a missed a hell of a few weeks while I was out. I really don't know where to start, but I'll do my best. Brett Favre is gone. To the New York Jets. With the way ESPN was sucking the teet of this story, I just wanted Brett to get traded to end the madness. I remember pushing the Packers to trade Favre to the Jets in July. And I was right. With Favre in New York, Aaron Rodgers is officially the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. I'm still going to wish Favre the best in New York and I'll probably try to catch a few more Jets games than I would have. That being said, I am NOT becoming a Jets fan. I am NOT buying a Favre Jets jersey. Why not? Because I am a Packers fan. This whole controversy has divided the fans into Packers fans and Favre fans. The Favre fans wanted Brett in Green Bay and wanted him to start over Rodgers. Granted, some Packers fans wanted him to start. But these few did not use the "But he's Brett Favre!" excuse to have him start. I think Rodgers can lead the team to a ten-win season. I can hear the Favre fans jumping on the Jets bandwagon. This was an ugly affair, but nothing really comes that easy in the NFL. We all knew he would have somewhat of an "itch" to come back. I can safely say that I am glad he is gone and that the organization can move on. Now that Favre is in New York, the Jets have all of a sudden gone from pretenders to contenders. But are they really going to be able to make the playoffs in the AFC? I'm going to say no. First off, the AFC is crowded with teams with playoff potential. In the AFC East with the Jets, there are the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are one of my sleeper teams for the 2008. They could definitely sneak into the playoffs in the wild-card. In the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns will duel for the division title and the AFC South has four teams that finished at or above .500 in 2007 and two wild-card teams in the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. As usual the Indianapolis Colts are in the driver's seat for that division while I could definitely see the Houston Texans overtaking the Titans in the division. As for the AFC West, the San Diego Chargers seem to have it under wraps, but never count out the Denver Broncos. There are eleven teams (including the Jets) that I just counted that have the potential to make the playoffs. It's crowded. The supporting cast around Favre in New York is remarkably different from the cast in Green Bay.  The offensive line has young building blocks in D'Brickashaw Ferguson at left tackle and Nick Mangold at center.  Alan Faneca and Damien Woody could fall under the classification of old and overpaid, but it is safe to say that Favre is playing behind a solid offensive line.  In the backfield, Thomas Jones has not lived up to his potential in New York.  He has hit the 1,000-yard mark multiple times, but he has split a lot of time with Leon Washington.  Together they form a good combination, but neither of them have been able to match the support Favre got from Ryan Grant down the stretch last year.  The wide receivers in New York are average as well.  Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery are solid, but are totally different from the wide receivers Favre had in Green Bay.  Favre had speed in Green Bay.  Now he has to adjust to possession.  With the speed receivers, Favre did not need as much protection from the offensive line as Donald Driver and Greg Jennings could get off of the line fast.  Against a good bump-n-run defense that's putting pressure on him, Favre could have some trouble.  Brad Smith does provide some speed, but fact is he is taking forever to develop into a wide receiver.  Favre also has long-time Packers teammate Bubba Franks in New York, but there is a reason that the Packers let Bubba go.  He's aging and his production has declined.  He may be able to rejuvenate in New York along with Favre, but it is hard to tell. On the defensive side of the ball, the it is quite possible that the Jets could like total fools this year.  The secondary is solid with Justin Miller, Darrelle Revis, and star safety Kerry Rhodes, while Eric Smith made four starts in 2007.  The linebacking corps could have some questions.  The Jets shipped Jonathan Vilma to the New Orleans Saints in the offseason, clearing the way for David Harris to take over in the middle.  Eric Barton is aging somewhat in the middle with Harris while Vernon Gholston will push Bryan Thomas on the outside.  The riskiest linebacker signing in the offseason was Calvin Pace, whom the Jets threw a lot of money at and who has had only one good season which happened to be 2007.  In the defensive line, the Jets acquired Kris Jenkins from the Carolina Panthers.  With this, the Jets put a 4-3 DT in the nose tackle position of a 3-4 defense.  Hmm.  Eric Mangini could know something.  The defensive ends are nothing stellar as well.  Fact is, it's hard to tell if these signings are going to pay off for the Jets. Everyone seems to have guaranteed the Jets a playoff spot.  They seem to forget, however, that they could be stuck with the 2005 and 2006 version of Brett Favre, which was absolutely awful.  Was 2007 a fluke? I really want to wish the best of luck to Favre.  So there. Good luck, Brett.  You'll always be a Packer. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:05:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/304929 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/304929 Brett Favre is in. Chad Pennington is out. And now the Jets are instant playoff contenders, right? Well, maybe. The Jets may have lost 12 games last year, but of those 12 games they lost nine by 10 or less points (signifying they were at least competitive). A couple of key factors played into the Jets' struggles last year, including being limited at the quarterback position, an offensive line that underachieved, and the inability to stop the run on defense. After acquiring him via trade with the Bears in the offseason, NY expected more out of running back Thomas Jones (1 rushing TD), too. (Read rest after the jump) Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:36:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302671 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302671 In the end it was the New York Jets…not the Tampa Bay Bucs, not the Chicago Bears and not the Minnesota Vikings. For a conditional 4th round draft pick, The Other New York team will have the privilege of lining up with Brett Favre behind center. Why are the Jets doing it? They're clearly feeling pressure to win, what with the rival Patriots dominating their division, and the Giants dominating the New York headlines (and winning the Super Bowl in case you hadn't heard). So the Jets have gone on a spending spree. They beefed up their offensive line with Alan Faneca, snagged a linebacker in Calvin Pace, and helped their running game by grabbing former Viking FB Tony Richardson. They also signed a tight end Mr. Favre is familiar with - Bubba Franks. The Favre trade guarantees the Jets parity in the headline wars with the Giants (especially now that news-maker Jeremy Shockey is gone to New Orleans). It gives them offensive credibility. It makes for a great story two times a year when Favre faces off against Tom Brady and Randy Moss (Favre never got Moss in Green Bay like he wanted but now he's at least in the same division with the Freak again). And what did they give up? A 4th that becomes a higher pick only if the team and Favre reach certain benchmarks. It can become a 1st if the Jets make the Super Bowl with Favre taking 80% of the snaps.  Not a serious sacrifice. As for the Packers…they at last got rid of whiny, waffley Brett Favre, the human headache. They never have to deal with another second of retirement speculation. They've spared themselves the pain of a declining Favre trying desperately to hang on. Packer fans should be grateful - they get to remember Brett as he was. We never had to watch Marilyn Monroe get old and saggy, and Packer fans won't have to see Favre end up on his knees, shellshocked, like Y.A. Tittle. Granted, it's sad that Favre's last pass as a Packer had to be a season-ending interception…but in a way it's fitting too. Yes it was failure, but it was magnificent failure…he went down shooting his load like a gunfighter at noon. So what if he's still playing football somewhere else? The Jets won't play in Green Bay again until 2012. Packer fans have been spared the sight of Favre walking onto Lambeau's turf in an opposing uniform. The organization took good care of their tender cheesehead sensibilities. And more importantly, the Packers will never have to see Favre in purple. How desperate were they to keep that from happening? They put a poison pill in their trade agreement with the Jets - if New York turns around and trades Favre to the Vikings they'll have to surrender 3 first-round picks. The pill specifies the Vikings. Still think there was ever a realistic chance of him going to Minnesota? It would never have happened. The PR nightmare was bad enough as it was - for Favre to end up in purple would've been Apocalyptic. The resolution was far from perfect but the Packers and their fans should be able to live with it. And the Jets should enjoy Brett Favre - at least until he starts acting like a bastard again. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:20:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302381 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302381 For those in IDP leagues, we have the Top 83 Linebackers in the game to help you for your Fantasy Football Championship run. A must read for all Fantasy Football lovers Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:14:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301136 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301136 With less than three weeks left before the 2008 NFL Draft, the drums are beginning to beat louder for teams to make certain picks. The Oakland Raiders fans may be beating the loudest drums, just not the same ones. The sounds emanating from Raider Nation sound a lot like Chris Long, Darren McFadden, Vernon Gholston, or trade down amongst others. It seems like we hear this every year, but whatever the Raiders decide to do will have a deep impact on the first round and the rest of the draft. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:06:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/234334 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/234334 Trades LB â€" Jonathan Vilma to Saints â€" This is the worst move by the Jets since drafting Kyle Brady over Warren Sapp. They are trading away one of the best Linebackers in the game for a 4th round pick and a possible 3rd and 4th next year. Why trade this young, fast and extremely talented LB? He didn't fit the system? When you have a player as talented as Vilma you make the system fit him. Imagine having David Harris and Vilma playing together for the next ten years. Mark my words, unless NY picks up a top rate superstar LB this trade will haunt the Jets in the years to come DT â€" Kris Jenkins from Panthers â€" Great job by Tannenbaum picking up one of the best defensive tackles in the game. Finally the Jets are picking up players that "fit the system." Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:40:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/201653 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/201653 john clayton really did a good job on this article. its broke down well an has some really good points. (personally i think that DJ Hackett is also a conciderable risk. due to the point that he has not played all than much. he is a big body to throw at but still only has 9 td's in his carrer.) Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:16:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/196097 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/196097 While much ado has been made of Eagles veterans Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Jon Runyan and others practically begging Eagles brass to improve their team with the addition of high profile players, the Jets have actually gone out and done so, having one of the most productive off-seasons of any team. They have added the likes of linebacker Calvin Pace, perennial Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca and defensive lineman Kris Jenkins. According to the NY Post, "some of the team's returning veterans are looking at the bundles of cash and wondering, "When do I get mine?" Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:48:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/181501 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/181501 Another day, another flurry of activity for the Green and White. Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:52:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/179823 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/179823 Unlike the Cleveland Browns who keep signing talent, the New York Jets are just throwing money away this off-season. To start the Jets signed Kris Jenkins to a $30 million 5 year deal with $9.5 million guaranteed. Then today they made a few signings. Now let me tell you why what they are doing is literally throwing away money. Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:29:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/179756 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/179756 Gang Green's offseason spending spree continues as ESPN's Len Pasquarelli is reporting that the Jets have agreed to terms with DE/LB Calvin Pace on a six-year, $42 million contract. Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:34:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/179328 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/179328 In 2007, the Patriots were a force during free agency signing linebacker Adalius Thomas, tight end Kyle Brady and running back Sammy Morris. The Patriots quickly followed that up by signing receivers Wes Welker, Donte' Stallworth and Kelley Washington. So far in 2008, the Patriots have not brought in any new faces to join the team and are having a hard time closing the deal with Moss. The bigger concern may be who the Patriots released Rosevelt Colvin and Eugene Wilson and have lost Donte' Stallworth to the Browns and Asante Samuel to the Eagles. The Patriots also stand to lose Randall Gay. Whereas so far in 2008, Patriots have re-signed a few old boys in linebacker and speciel teams captain Larry Izzo, Tedy Bruschi and long snapper Lonie Paxton as well as Kelley Washington, their competition in the AFC EAST has improved dramatically. Bill Parcells has wasted no time during free agency, as the Dolphins have signed QB Josh McCown, WR Ernest Wilford, LB Reggie Torbor and TE Sean Ryan. The Dolphins also spoke with Arizona's defensive end (OLB in 3-4) Calvin Pace. Pace was given a contract, but will first meet with the Jets. Patriots fans knew there was interest from the Patriots, but it looks like we may miss the opportunity to talk to him. The Buffalo Bills also made a splash on defense by signing former Giants linebacker Kawika Mitchell, defensive tackle Marcus Stroud from Jacksonville (trade for 3rd and 5th round picks) and also former Minnesota defensive tackle Spencer Johnson. Even the Jets have been busy during free agency as they traded linebacker Jonathan Vilma to the New Orleans Saints for a 2008 4th-round draft pick (an optional 2nd-round 2009 pick if Vilma re-signs in 2009). The Jets also traded 3rd and 5th-round picks to the Carolina Panthers for defensive tackle Kris Jenkins. The Jets also signed offensive guard Alan Faneca to a record 5-year, $40 million contract, with $21 million in guaranteed money. But the interesting signing may still be to come with Calvin Pace, Randall Gay and Damien Woody expecting to visit the club. Soon we will take a look at the free agents still available and who may be a good fit with the Patriots. But I still think the Patriots will make a trade or offer up draft picks. Ty Law has basically admitted he wants out of Kansas City and would like to return to the Pats… And with the signing of Zach Thomas in Dallas there were rumors that the Cowboys were selling Thomas jerseys with the number 54 - but that is worn by Bobby Carpenter. I checked the website and Thomas is advertised as #55. Any one heard from Cinnci's Chad Johnson yet? Or Lito Shepard? Sun, 02 Mar 2008 08:58:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/177671 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/177671 In a cap clearing move the Patriots release Roosevelt Colvin, clearing $7.6 million of room, probably enough to take a run at the Cardinals Calvin Pace. In this story the Cardinals Report on MVN shows why the Cardinals never learn and are always playing catch up while winners like the Patriots take their lunch money. Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:19:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/169881 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/169881 My write-up on the Arizona Cardinals. They are one of the chic picks in the NFL, but see what you can really expect from them. Wed, 30 Aug 2006 23:19:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/1846 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/1846