Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
The 2008 season might go down as one of the most bizarre campaigns in the history of the Oakland Raiders. Lane Kiffin and Al Davis clearly didn't get along, while Kiffin pulled off the impossible task of making Davis look like a sane, rational person.
A team spokesperson nearly decked a beat writer; the punter was, reportedly, punched out by a defensive lineman; and the team on the field finished with a losing season, failing to win more than five games for the sixth consecutive year. Just a disastrous season in every way imaginable.
Early on, it looked as if the New England Patriots were capable of scoring 100 points on the Raiders, but, then again, a 21-point deficit for Oakland might as well be a 100-point deficit. The Patriots used a dominant first quarter, and a strong performance from Matt Cassel to blast Oakland, 49-26.
Cassel, playing with a heavy heart, completed 18-of-30 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns. He threw a pair of scores in the first quarter -- one to Kevin Faulk, the other to Randy Moss -- while also connecting with Wes Welker in the second, and once again hitting Moss for a nine-yard strike in the third quarter.
Moss, by the way, making his return to Oakland after two less-than-stellar years there, hauled in five passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns. But, hey, Oakland has John Bowie to show for that draft-day trade. Oops.
The most exciting moment of the game was a 20-second stretch in the second quarter that saw both teams combine for three touchdowns, two of which came on kickoff returns.
The Jets decision to signTy Law yesterday was met with many a raised eyebrow. Was it a petty attempt to play with the heads of the Patriots? Does he have anything left after a lackluster 2007 season in Kansas City? Is he aware that Tom Brady's hurt?
There was no questioning the message that the team was sending by not only signing Law, but putting him in position to play this week, however. The defensive backs, particularly the reserves, weren't getting the job done. One of them lost that job today when the Jets released Justin Miller to create room for Law on the roster.
For those who last saw Miller as a dynamic kick returner in the 2006 season, this move may be something of a surprise. It shouldn't be, though. No one's really seen Miller since the second game of the 2007 season when he suffered a season-ending knee injury. He's played one game this year, solely on kick coverage, and his return duties have been handled with more than aplomb by Leon Washington.
Because he's played so little, it's hard to know how much speed Miller lost post-knee injury. Even before the injury, though, he struggled with man coverage, and losing time to the mediocre Drew Coleman and Ahmad Carroll suggests he'd lost quite a bit.
The only remaining bit of intrigue is if the Patriots sign Miller to give them some scoop before Thursday's game. In the business, that's the ol' what's good for the goose is good for the gander move.
There haven't been many constants with the Jets since 2001. They've gone to the playoffs four times and lost 10 games the other three seasons, been good on offense and defense (usually not all at once) and, generally, have been harder to predict than a roulette wheel. The only constant was the strong special teams play overseen by Mike Westhoff.
Westhoff was easy to spot on the sidelines. He was always using a cane and always animated while talking to his charges. He needed the cane because he was diagnosed with bone cancer in his left leg in 1998 and has undergone eight surgeries to deal with tumors and the resulting weakness in his bones. Now he needs to get a prosthetic rod inserted and rehab will make it impossible for him to return to the team in 2008.
"I have to address this and have it taken care of correctly or the problem will linger and become worse," Westhoff said. "In essence, I need some time to get my life back."
Since joining the Jets in 2001, Westhoff's kick return teams have scored 10 touchdowns, more than any other team in the league. Justin Miller made the Pro Bowl last year and Leon Washington scored three touchdowns this season, two Westhoff success stories among many honored in a video tribute during a pregame players meeting yesterday. I'd say we should raise our glasses to Westhoff and wish him all the best in his recovery but such things aren't allowed around the Jets.
I can't say it enough; Bill Belichick is an evil genius. Much of the talk heading into today's Pats-Jets game was what, exactly, Randy Moss might contribute in a newly defined role that would probably include fewer snaps. Yeah, forget all that noise
Moss, who didn't see the field for one play during the preseason because he was nursing a sore hammy, went bonkers when it actually counted. Tom Brady threw to Moss nine times today, and all the former Mountaineer Thundering Herd/Viking/Raider did was go for 183 yards. Yep, one-hundred eighty-three. Yards. Including a 51-yard touchdown grab in triple-coverage.
Oh, and Jets cornerback Justin Miller might want to temper the NFL's fastest man talk. Because the 30-year-old Moss smoked him on a 33-yard gain late in the second quarter, four plays before Brady found Benjamin Watson for a touchdown that gave the Pats a 14-7 lead.
The Jets lose the opener, sure, but the good news is that it looks like Eric Mangini dropped a few pounds. So there's that, I guess.
Could Brady's shoulder really be barking, or is that just another one of Bill Belichick's mind games? You'd think the media would be all over that story if it was anything significant, but the buzz around Brady's shoulder has been quiet.
Although he's listed as questionable, Thomas Jones is expected to start against New England today. That's great news for the Jets, who will need a solid rushing attack this afternoon. Unfortunately, the news in the secondary isn't as promising. Even if Dyson, Miller and Smith play, they will not be 100%.
Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.
Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.
If you notice anyone missing on this injury report, I encourage you to let me know. Leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail and I will promptly update the report. Again, this is strictly for the fans (see: yours truly) who want to know what players will be on the field tonight.
It's become headline news across all sports outlets, primarily because Hoffman is the first to do it. You know what? Justin Miller became the first known pitcher to get the words "Billy Koch" tattooed on his bum, but that doesn't mean it should be splashing headlines across the nets. Randy Johnson passing Roger Clemens for second on the all-time strikeouts list is much more significant, but that only warranted a few sentences, eight paragraphs down in the game recap on Tuesday night. Why should the news of Hoffman reaching 500 saves be as important as it's been made out to be? Was someone else going to beat him to the punch? I thought the big deal was last year when Hoffman passed up Lee Smith. Did I miss something?
The simple truth is that saves are an overrated statistic -- one of the most overrated stats in baseball. Here's all you need to know about saves: Armando Benitez has 289 of them, Danny Graves 182, some guy named Jose Jimenez grabbed 41 in a year, and it made an All-Star out of Danny Kolb and Mike MacDougal. I can name five pitchers in the Padres bullpen who have all been more effective than Hoffman this year -- Kevin Cameron, Heath Bell, Justin Hampson, Doug Brocail, and Scott Linebrink. But none of them get any recognition because you don't stamp an "S" next to their name in the boxscore. Moreover, any pitcher who can't get three outs before they allow three runs (which is all it takes to earn a save) doesn't belong in the big leagues. You follow me?
The fact that Trevor Hoffman has 500 of them tells me two things -- he's been closing for a long time, and done a very good job of it. And the fact that nobody else has done it reminds me that closers only became a serious part of the game around 25 years ago. That's it. I can still name you another reliever I would've preferred in my bullpen for every year he was in the majors. When you break it all down, Trevor Hoffman is a very good player whose only measuring stick is a vastly overrated, and highly insignificant statistic. I am impressed that Hoffman has been able to perform at such a high level for such a long period of time, especially when other relievers are blowing out arms or losing mental stability left and right. But it still doesn't change the fact that saves are an overrated statistic.
The New York Jets have finally begun to hand out fines for the incident that occurred on May 20th which resulted in cornerback Justin Miller being arrested. The first person to receive a fine? No, it wasn't Justin Miller; it was seventh-round draft pick Chansi Stuckey.
Stuckey, who really didn't appear to have any involvement other then just being there, was fined an undisclosed amount by the Jets. No further disciplinary action is expected to be taken against the former Clemson Tiger wide receiver.
Miller's punishment has yet to be decided.
"Character is extremely important to us and personal conduct is extremely important to us," Mangini said. "I've expressed that to the team and Justin. He understands exactly how I feel. ... There's a legal process in place, we'll let that process go full course (before disciplining Miller)."
On the bright side, the league isn't expected to take any drastic action because Miller is a first time offender.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
Early on, it looked as if the New England Patriots were capable of scoring 100 points on the Raiders, but, then again, a 21-point deficit for Oakland might as well be a 100-point deficit. The Patriots used a dominant first quarter, and a strong performance from 
The Jets 
There haven't been many constants with the Jets since 2001. They've gone to the playoffs four times and lost 10 games the other three seasons, been good on offense and defense (usually not all at once) and, generally, have been harder to predict than a roulette wheel. The only constant was the strong special teams play overseen by 
I can't say it enough; 
New England Patriots:
Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.
Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.
It's become 
The New York Jets have 
