Sanchez was voted one of the least liked players in the NFL, while Tebow was voted one of the most overrated.

Forbes Magazine recently partnered with Nielsen and compiled a list of the Most and Least Liked Players in the NFL, and according to their survey, wide receiver Santonio Holmes and quarterback Mark Sanchez are among some of the most disliked players in the league.

The survey aimed to find out which NFL players resonated with fans as appealing, and which did not. According to Forbes, players’ appeal numbers are based on the percentage of those whose response was to “like” the player or “like him a lot.”

Holmes earned a 28% appeal rating and quarterback Mark Sanchez earned a 31% appeal rating.

Steelers safety Troy Polumalu was voted the most liked, while Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was voted the least liked.

Sports Illustrated also conducted a study polling 180 NFL players on the most overrated players in the league. Tim Tebow was voted most the overrated, coming in at 34 percent. Starting quarterback Mark Sanchez was tied for second with Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo at 8 percent.

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick received 4 percent of the vote and Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis received 3 percent.

The exact same survey was conducted last season, and Tebow also came in first, with 22 percent of the vote.

So, it’s a really good day to be a New York Jets, guys. Congrats. You are well liked and your peers feel you are worth the hype.

Scene.//

Photo Credit: The Star-Ledger

As was first reported by Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, wide receiver Santonio Holmes has been diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury and is “99% likely out for the season.”

After an initial x-ray came out negative, the team reported Monday that Holmes had suffered an undisclosed injury that would keep him out for “weeks.” Holmes’ MRI results were then evaluated by to Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, per Cole, who diagnosed the WR with the dreaded ‘L’ word.

A Lisfranc injury is one of the more painful and difficult injuries for an athlete, and usually occurs when bones in the midfoot are broken or ligaments that support the midfoot are torn. Recovery time varies depending on the specifics of the injury and whether surgery is required. (You may recall Texans QB Matt Schaub missed the majority of last season with the injury).

Update: The team has confirmed that Holmes has suffered a Lisfranc injury that will require surgery and end his season. He will be placed on IR.

**The Jets have signed former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jason Hill. Hill spent some time with the Broncos this preseason (here’s a little piece on him from the DenverPost) and was later released.

If you’re wondering who the heck Jason Hill is, you’re not alone. THIS might refresh your memory.

Is the Jason Hill singing the kind of high-impact addition that is going to save the Jets season? No. (In fact, Rotoworld said this of Hill: ”He’s solidified himself as one of the worst wide receivers in football.”) BUT there are not many talented free agent wide receivers available to sign at this point, outside of the “Big Three”  – Ocho, T.O. and Plax. I know a lot of people are clamoring for the Jets to sign one of these guys, but I think we have to assume that is not in the team’s plans and move on from this notion.

Also, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported yesterday that the Jets do not have interest in re-signing Plaxico Burress and Chad Johnson is “not on their radar.” So..there is that.

Bottom line? Maybe if the team didn’t wait until 5 weeks into the season to sign a veteran free agent wide receiver, we wouldn’t be in this position right now.

Kyle Wilson will start at cornerback in place of Darrelle Revis. (Photo credit: Star Ledger).

Sunday’ game will be a classic battle of ground and pound teams-except that the Jets have still not found their identity on either side of the ball. Here are my 3 key things to look out for in Sundays showdown.

1. The Jets secondary has to elevate their game and make sure they respond with a strong performance.  It is going to be really important that Kyle Wilson finally steps up and makes the most of his chance as a starting CB, but it will also mean that Cromartie needs to step up as well.  Of course there wont be anything close to a Revis Island and the safeties will have to help out more often. One you lose your supremely talented player, there is an adjustment period.

2. The Jets running game will need to be more physical and agressive.  It will be really important for the Jets to give Powell more touches so that they can establish that run game early on.  Also, Greene needs to follow his blocks better and he needs to go after those openings with the help of the offensive line.  I am really looking to have the Jets running game come out strong on Sunday if they really let Powell or Tebow get more touches.

3. I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t wait to see McKnight come out and play as a DB.  He is a freakish athlete with amazing speed and is very talented.  I feel like with time he will ease into the role and I have a feeling he will make a play or two for the Jets in Sunday’s game.

4. Mark Sanchez is due for a big game and I know he is playing against a great defensive team, but hear me now and believe me later, Mark will play one of his best games this Sunday.  I am saying this because after the first game he will finally have all his 3 main pass catchers on the field at the same time.  The addition of Keller cannot be over looked as he was the leading pass catcher last year and shares an amazing chemistry with Sanchez.

My prediction for the game: Jets 17 – 49ers 14

Shahmeer is a regular contributor for The Green Room.

Revis expects to play Sunday vs. Miami. (Credit: William Perlman, Star-Ledger)

Santonio Holmes has not had a 100-yard game since Nov. 21 of 2010 – 27 consecutive games – but the wide receiver expects the Jets passing attack to have a big game against the ‘Phins, telling ESPN New York, ”With our skills and our speed, we should really take advantage of those guys.”

Lost in the babbling, finger-pointing and attempted psychoanalysis of Holmes’ over-the-top-and-perhaps-unwarranted-confidence, is the fact that Holmes is correct. The Jets should take advantage of the Dolphins young and inexperienced secondary.

According to Football Outsiders, the Dolphins pass defense is ranked 26th out of 32 (the rush D is ranked 4th), giving up an average of 313.5 yards through the air in their two games (30th in the league). It would be wise for the Jets to cater their offensive game plan to take advantage of the area where the ‘Phins are weakest. So much for Ground and Pound….

Here are a few other nuggets on this match-up:

• The Dolphins lead the league in yards-per-carry against with 2.2. What’s more impressive? They have done it against Arian Foster and Darren McFadden, arguably two of the best backs in the league. (The next best YPC against is 2.6).
• To make matters worse, in his past 5 meetings with Miami, Shonn Greene has 61 carries for 200 yards (3.3 yards per carry) and zero touchdowns. Greene has 117 yards of 38 carries in 2012 (3.0 ypc).
• The Dolphins front seven is very good, and Austin Howard will face another difficult test in his match-up with Cameron Wake. Howard found a lot of success against Mario Williams, but his performance against Lamarr Woodley was less successful, surrendering four hurries, one hit, and a sack, per Pro Football Focus.
• Reggie Bush has gained at least 100 yards from scrimmage in six straight games — the longest active streak in the NFL. There is a lot of concern about the Jets ability to contain Bush, and the concern is not unwarranted. The Jets run defense is currently ranked 15th (per Football Outsiders) and while the Jets had a lot of success against north-south runners (like FJax and Redman), they have struggled mightly vs. speedy, shifty backs like Spiller and Bush. (Worth noting that Muhammed Wilkerson has been an important part of the Jets’ success vs. the run — he missed the portion of practice open to today for unknown reasons).
• Now that Darrelle Revis has been cleared for contact and is likely to play on Sunday, the Jets secondary can return to their successful formula. According to Pro Football Focus, “Through two games, New York has only allowed 3-of-9 passes to be completed to Tannehill’s “sweet spot,” so the Tannehill-to-Hartline connection may have some difficulty duplicating last week’s game of pitch and catch.” Middle of the field has always been the area the Jets have struggled most to cover – watch for tight end Anthony Fasano, who has 4 career touchdowns vs. the Jets.
• Don’t take Ryan Tannehill, his inexperience and propensity to throw interceptions for granted. According to Bleacher Reports’ AFC East blogger Erik Frenz, “Rookie quarterbacks have earned a 71.9 passer rating in six games. Since 2009, Rex Ryan’s Jets defense averages a passer rating of 67.8 overall against other quarterbacks. The Jets are also 3-3 overall in those games.”

TheDolphins are 5-2 in their last 7 meetings vs. the Jets, including the meltdown in Miami last season (or whatever you want to call it). The Jets need a win here to not only gain a lead in the AFC East  (they would be 2-0 in division), but to give themselves a boost as they approach a difficult stretch of games (vs. Niners, @ Houston).

Prediction: Jets 20- Dolphins 17

*Stay tuned for a more complete preview of Jets-Dolphins from contributor Eric Gonzalez.

With SO much going on in the past few days in Jets-land, it’s been difficult to sort out what is actually important, relevant football news, and what is sensationalist nonsense.  Here’s your one stop shop for the top headlines:

• The team released the first preseason depth chart on Tuesday night. You can view the initial offensive, defensive and special teams depth charts on NewYorkJets.com.

• The Jets waived RB John Griffin and claimed RB Jeremy Stewart (Stanford) off waivers from Philadelphia. Griffin performed very well in minicamp, but an injury kept him from getting the reps to stay on the team.

• The team added three WRs after waiving Scotty McKnight and DaMarcus Ganaway Monday night, signing Wes Kemp (Missouri), Stanley Arukewe (Troy) and Joseph Collins (Weber State). Think it’s safe to say these guys are just more camp bodies. (Kemp was signed last Thursday, and I either missed it or it was reported well after the fact. Apologies for missing this detail).

• WR Santonio Holmes, who is recovering from a rib injury, WILL Sit Out of the oreseason opener vs. Cincinnati, per Rich Cimini. WR Jeremey Kerley will also sit out of the game.

• NT Sione Pouha and RT Wanye Hunter also will not play on Friday night. They will be replaced by Kenrick Ellis and Austin Howard.

• In his press conference on Wednesday, Rex Ryan revealed that Matt Slauson will retain the left guard job over Vlad Ducasse. As for what will become of Vlad? It remains to be seen exactly where he will play – and how much – but Rex assured the media “he will play.”

• Yes, it’s true. Tim Tebow had his best day of practice today, going 7-for-11, 1 TD, 1 sack.  The “big” headline is that Tebow took 2 snaps for the first team offense, and one of them was for a touchdown, (60 yard bomb to Turner). It also so happened to be against the same defensive package Tebow saw in the Thursday night game in Denver game last season. Yes, all very interesting and stuff, but let’s not forget that EVERY back-up quarterback gets a few snaps for the first team in camp.  (BTW, Sanchez went 6-for-11, 1 INT).

• C Nick Mangold returned to practice today, and boy what a difference a Pro Bowl center makes. With Mangold back, the line, and consequently, the offense, played MUCH better (OBVI). The Jets spent the 1st team period in practice to third-and-long/blitz, and Rex later called it the “best blitz pickup performance in his three-plus seasons as the coach.”

• In his presser today, Rex revelaed that his starters will play at least 1 quarter on Friday, with defensive starters limited to about 15 snaps. (More on the Jets “game plan” for Cincy tomorrow). Because the offense is installing a new system, he will play them more than they normally would in the first preseason game. Rex added that he “doubts” Tebow will get any first team reps in Friday’s game but that he could play 2 quarters against the Bengals on Friday night.

• Darrelle Revis missed some practice time on Tuesday with back stiffness. He practiced fully on Wednesday.

• OH, BTW — Things are fine between Dustin Keller and Antonio Cromartie after yesterday’s incident. Time to move on from Monday and Tuesday’s drama, the gassers and the subsequent team movie date.

A brief preview for the preseason opener vs. the Cincinnati Bengals will be posted tomorrow.

Let’s all take solace in the fact that it could have been much worse.

Jets fans got the scare of their life Saturday during the team’s Green and White Scrimmage after star wide receiver Santonio Holmes left early with an apparent rib injury.

After the scrimmage, Rex Ryan told the media  the rib “might” be broken, saying, “I don’t know if Santonio did break a rib or not, but the fact it was sticking out… is probably an indicator.” For a team already struggling with injuries at the wide receiver position, the news could not have come at a worse time.

Thankfully Holmes’ x-rays did not show any broken bones, but let’s be clear — this is not exactly “good” news. According to CBSSports.com, Holmes suffered, “damaged cartilage around the rib, aggravating an injury from 2011.” Holmes is officially listed as day to day, but I would not expect him back on the field anytime soon.

Also should be noted Holmes was dealing with and missed the last two practices with “general” soreness/soft tissue prior to this injury. (His participation in the Saturday scrimmage was a surprise to many).

Rookie Stephen Hill is now the Jets best option at receiver with Holmes, Chaz Schilens (groin) and Jeremy Kerley (hamstring) all sidelined with injuries. Patrick Turner has performed well in camp, but it might time to start making phone calls (No, not T.O., so don’t even say it). I suspect they will play their first preseason game with the group they currently have, and proceed from there.

Oh, btw, it was clean hit from Cromartie that injured Holmes, but much will be made of the fact that it was the outspoken cornerback that was involved in the play. Cromartie is not really know for his super physical style of play, and his controversial comments about him being the second best receiver on the team are raising eyebrows. I’m quite sure it’s just a coincidence.

“Hey. You holding?” said the team GM to another team GM. That’s what many Jets fans are envisioning and hoping for with news that of the 12 (yes, that is a dozen) wide receivers on the current Jets Training Camp roster, four were healthy as of practice yesterday and only five took to the field for today’s journey. (Note: The Jets have since added two more WRs to the depth chart.)

Notably absent and constantly scrutinized Santonio Holmes sat out everything but warm ups and quarterback Mark Sanchez made the quip, “can’t make the club from the tub”, referencing the cold tub so many athletes love and so many of us observers wonder how they can withstand. Witty–and sadly–accurate statement aside, I’m not really all that concerned over the WR corps and haven’t been even before this epidemic of soft-tissue injuries began to spread just as quickly as the news of it spread on my twitter timeline. But many people don’t like the sound of it, and many have wondered even before this issue arose, why we’re relying on one veteran receiver (who still hasn’t repaired the burned bridge he created with a lot of fans in the ’11 season and the months after) and a bunch of new guys and rookies.

Well here’s what I ask. Why not? Now, don’t get me wrong. I put full faith in nobody, so it’s not as if I’m saying I’m putting all my chips on the table for these guys, but why wouldn’t a fan feel energized about the possibilities here? Schilens’ career has been plagued with injuries. Got it. Holmes was a problem last season and he’s a Me guy. Got that, too. Rookies? Check. Patrick Turner who is at a make it or break it point with the team? Check to that, too.

But the thing that appeals to me is that you’re getting fresh guys and they all, in some way, have something to prove. What we’re not getting (and I include Holmes more in the previous group than in this one I’m about to mention), are entitled diva vets at the position who may not only be ME guys but they will be ME ONLY guys. There have been options out there throughout the offseason. Options that, for one reason or ten, Tannenbaum and the guys who make the calls have passed on.

» Continue reading “Soft Tissue For Your Issue? Why WR Panic Should Be Put On Pause”

Jeremy Kerley had a breakout rookie season last year for the Jets, stepping up and surprising after Derrick Mason’s dramatic exit left. Kerley demonstrated nice chemistry with Mark Sanchez and came up with several big plays in key moments, leaving expectations high for the receiver heading into his second year.

But Kerley has been struggling to learn Tony Sparano’s new offense, and Rex Ryan told the media today he is a little disappointed.

Jeremy needs to step it up because, quite honestly, I was a little disappointed in Jeremy in the offseason. He’s got to pick up the system, this new system. You got to put the time in. 

Of little help to Kerley is the fact that he will be now sidelined for the next or so with a hamstring injury. Unfortunately, he also missed the majority of OTAs for the same reason, which might explain, in part, why he is so behind.

The question is, is Kerley struggling to pick up the offense only because his nagging hamstring problems have kept him off the field? Ryan told the media that Kerley has previously demonstrated an excellent work ethic, and I would venture to guess the injury is the biggest factor here.

But hamstring injuries are very tricky, and the team needs to handle Kerley’s injury delicately. They also need to move ahead and make plans in the event Kerley is not healthy enough to play regularly and/or he is unable to pick up the offense. Rex assured the media that a plan is already in motion, presenting the idea of Santonio Holmes playing in the slot should Kerley not be ready to suit up.

Holmes and Hill. Photo c/o of @JetSerious, writer for The Jet Press.com.

Holmes was extremely effective in the slot in Pittsburgh, and regardless of how Kerley progresses, this is worth consideration. Keeping Holmes happy and getting the most out of him is also a high priority, and I think he could potentially do the most damage playing here.

Furthermore, Rex and the coaches seem highly impressed with both Schilens and Hill (then again, it’s rare they don’t offer glowing reviews), and provided they are ready to take on the roles on the outside, this  would maximize everyone’s abilities.

Either way, sounds like Sparano plans to roll out some very unique unique offensive packages that may or may not include CB Antonio Cromartie playing wide receiver (Wait, what?). Should be interesting.

Here are a few other highlight’s from today’s practice, which was open to the public.

• S LaRon Landry got his first day of practice in with the team. He worked with the second team: Eric Smith and Yeremiah Bell played with the ones.
• The Slauson/Ducasse LG competition is on. So there is that.
• OLB Aaron Maybin was impressive today, with two sacks.  Apparently Maybin also spent time playing on Special Teams
• CB Ellis Lankster also had a very impressive showing according to The Jets Blog’s Jake Steinberg and several other sources I spoke to in attendance.
• Per Jake Steinberg, “Joe McKnight was very impressive. John Griffin has great hands out of the backfield. And Bilal Powell looked amazing.”
• Sanchez went 6-for-8 with a sack, Tebow went 3-for-8, also with a sack.

The team will practice in pads on Sunday.

And what would this practice report be without a Tebow story or two? The big headline from today is that Tim Tebow was supposedly “heckled” by Jets fans. Apparently it was all of 5 people, which is hardly a fair representation of the 2,588 that attended.

Sounds like the “heckling” didn’t upset Tebow much; he felt comfortable enough to remove his shirt and run around in the rain. And I’ve got proof, thanks to this video.

Move in day is over. Media has been addressed by many and the first practice helmets are currently being stored away as players file into dorm rooms, showers, lecture halls or conference rooms to take part in what is likely the first set of classes for the day. After they eat, of course.

It’s Training Camp time! Finally the Jets have returned to Cortland, a place that starting quarterback Mark Sanchez has referred to as magical and many of his fellow Jets have basically agreed, stating that getting to be at the campus and focus on football and forming team bonds was something greatly missed last season after the lockout debacle ended.

To us football fans, training camp is the tip of the season’s iceberg. It’s the dawn of the season because it’s when throngs of hungry fanatics start to get fed. Information. Real information and not just speculation. And there’s been enough speculation in this offseason to feed a country.

-Which Santonio Holmes will we see?
-Will Revis show up?
-How will Tebow really get used and what impact will he have?
-Can Sanchez be the leader everyone needs him to be?

Santonio will be the guy the team needs him to be if the team is who he needs them to be. Plain and simple. He wants to win, he wants to be part of the wins. He may have a slightly unorthodox and less than team unity approach to his method of madness but guys suit up to play football and if he comes to do that and is given things to do, that’s all that matters.

Revis arrived in Cortland and a collective sigh of relief was heard ’round the Gang Green world. What will happen with his contract is not what should be focused on right now and from the moment I heard the media kicking at the wind of this attempted controversy I knew this is what would happen. Look for Revis to be as great, if not greater than always. He will be focused on the season while the media attempts to focus on everything else. » Continue reading “Is it Christmas? No, but it’s just as good. Training Camp is here!”

I’ve you’ve been following Twitter at all today, then you already know that the first day of mandatory minicamp kicked off this morning. You’ll probably be happy to hear that I am not going to provide a play-by-play of what happened today. (But you can find that on Jetstwit.com, from the amazing Erik Manassy). Instead, I have extracted  a lot of important and newsworthy information and provided some commentary on it.

I can tell you that the general consensus on today is that the defense once again outplayed the offense.

Note: I have relied heavily on Jenny Vrentas and the two beat writers from Jets insider, Chris Nimbley and Wesley Skyes for the insight on practices this off-season. I find it to be the most informative and perhaps more importantly, the least obnoxious.

Rex Changes His Approach with Media. (Sort of).

Today we saw Rex Ryan attempt to take charge of situation with the media that has quickly gotten out of control. The team informed the media that Rex would be conducting his chats with the media prior to the start of camp, rather than after practice had concluded. According to the Post, the official reason is related to film study and meetings, but I suspect that it’s not the only reason.

Ryan is changing the plan to have more time to study film and attend meetings in the afternoon. Under this plan, he takes care of his media obligations in the morning, goes to practice and then has the rest of the afternoon to meet with coaches, players and watch film.

Of course, when he did speak with the media he engaged in his regular hyperbole, using words like “tremendous” to describe quarterback Mark Sanchez. I usually take his off-season trips to the podium with a grain of salt, and I believe you should do the same. He’s not going to say anyone looks bad, and you won’t see him pretend to be someone he is not. Get used to it.

Defense

• Darrelle Revis was in attendance for camp this morning. As Cimini tweeted, Revis will not comment on his status for training camp, but he did add he hopes that he and Mr. T can sit down “soon.”
• Safety LaRon Landry did not and will not participate in team drills in camp, but he was present at the facility, attended meetings and was working off to the side with trainers. Rex said he never expected Landry to participate in this camp anyway, for what it’s worth.
• Rex praised the work of rookie safety Josh Bush saying, “He has really looked good. He’s been impressive,”  but he wants to see how physical he can be in camp. (Per Manish Mehta). I’m very curious to see what kind of a role Bush can play this year and what effect it could potentially have on the re-singing of Jim Leonhard.
• Rex told the media that outside of Cromartie and Revis, Bart Scott and Muhammed Wilkerson have impressed him the most this offseason. Par for the course with Revis and Cromartie, as they have performed as expected.
• Between Rookie minicamp, OTAs and the first day of mandatory minicamp, it sounds as though Quinton Coples is making an impression. From someone who was somewhat critical of the Coples selection on draft day, I am thrilled to hear how he is playing. I am also looking forward to seeing what this defensive line will look like this year, particularly given the presence of Karl Dunbar and the new schemes the unti has been running in practice.
• The defensive unit got the better of the offensive line and quarterbacks today, racking up 5 total sacks. I don’t mean to minimize or overemphasize sack totals from minicamp, but I do think this is a sign that this defense can get a little more pressure on the QB than we’d seen in the past. It also means the offensive line has some work to do.

» Continue reading “Day One of Jets Minicamp (CliffNotes Style)”