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Let’s be honest, it’s not always what it should be . . .
Jets released quarterback Joel Stave recently, and Cleveland just signed him.
I happen to think that Stave is better than Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg.
But we know how political personnel moves can be.
Do you think Mike Maccagnan was going to release either Petty or Hackenberg before Stave?
How would that look?
Look, I understand that it really doesn’t matter, because Josh McCown is going to be the quarterback, and Teddy Bridgewater the likely #2, and Sam Darnold the QB of the future (near future).
But the fact that that Browns signed Stave shows you there is something there, and they think he can emerge as a backup.
Speaking of politics, the Jets just released wide receivers Jalin Marshall and Damore’ea Stringfellow, who were on their practice squad last year.
Both guys are very talented. Marshall had a terrific training camp last summer. Most Jets cornerbacks couldn’t cover him. His short-area quickness is a amazing and he was cutting away from people with regularity.
But he missed the first four games of last year due to a suspension (for taking the stimulant Adderall). When he came back he was moved to the practice squad.
And now he’s gone.
Stringfellow, a former Ole Miss star, had a good camp with the Miami Dolphins last summer, and was claimed on waivers by the Jets on the final cutdown, but never got a chance to play in a regular season game for the Jets. He’s a big receiver who does a nice job of climbing the ladder to get the rock.
Marshall and Stringfellow were cut to create roster spots for undrafted free agents. Their release isn’t a reflection of their talent. Nothing has changed with their talent from the end of last season until now, especially since the Jets haven’t had any minicamps or training camps this year, so nobody beat them out on the field.
Here is the deal – Marshall and Stringfellow could be Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, but Mike Maccagnan isn’t going to allow either of them to leapfrog 2017 draft picks ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen. No way. It wasn’t going to happen last season, and it’s not going to happen now.
Look, this goes on with most teams, I’m not just going after the Jets on this one.
But the reality is this stuff is so incredibly political.
You gotta realize that.
A lot of NFL personnel guys are seemingly just as concerned with their draft record as their won-loss record.
This blows my minds, but it’s the reality, outside of a few places like New England.
Last summer, a Jets cornerback, who was a draft pick, had a terrible training cap, but not only did he make the team, his role in the defense didn’t change from the summer to the season.
I really don’t get this thinking.
If I owned an NFL team, I’d tell my GM and coach, “I don’t care about your draft record, I only care about your won-loss record, if you want to cut draft picks, go for it, I won’t hold it against you. Just win, baby.”
May 1, 2018
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