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There is one word that would best describe the transactions involving defensive linemen Marcus Dixon and Isaako Aaitui . . . . . . . . . . . bizarre.
Yesterday, Rex Ryan made a very salient point on why Dixon was out, and Aaitui is in.
“(Aaitui is) more of a big-body type, where I think he’s 320-some pounds, where Marcus is like 280, 285,” Ryan said. “So maybe body-type wise. This is a good football player, you guys will see. I’m sure when you talk to the people down at Miami they can tell you the same thing. We’ll see what he does. But with us, we had a chance we thought, to add a really good football player and that’s what we did.”
As I mentioned on Monday, Dixon is undersized for 3-4 end at 280. So when the Jets claimed they wanted to get bigger at the spot with Aaitui, I kind of understood.
That quote above from Rex, did you think that in a million years Aaitui would be gone after one day?
No way. Rex was very convincing.
So what happened?
My take is that Woody Johnson didn’t like all the bad press he was getting for trying to save money at the end of the roster, so he allowed Rex and Mike to bring Dixon back.
Woody hates bad press.
The Jets have never forgiven Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post for a rip-job he did on the owner last year.
The Jets have a lot of tickets available, and the last thing they need now are fans seeing them pulling in the purse strings at the end of the roster.
Do you know how many writers, including myself, wrote about the $150,000 saving the Jets amassed by moving from Dixon to Aaitui? It was a conga line.
Also, Rich Cimini reported there was a “contentious” personnel meeting about the possibility of cutting John Connor, because he is making $540,000.
Woody is a billionaire. It didn’t make him look very good to be tightening his belt at the end of the roster, over salaries of Dixon and Connor, both at $540,000.
This about face reminds me of what the Jets did two years ago, after the final cut down, with Tony Richardson.
The Jets cut the popular fullback, and were trashed by the media, and brought him back later that week . . .
The release of T.J. Conley shouldn’t come as a surprise.
He has a strong leg, but is just too inconsistent. The Jets gave him more than enough time to get his punting act together.
But maybe we should hedge our bets here, and leave open the possibility that Conley could return. You never know with Tannenbaum.
The new punter, Robert Malone, has a powerful leg. There was now way he was going to beat out Mike Scifres in San Diego, so don’t view his release by that team as a negative.
I don’t think his punting will be the issue here. The bigger concern the Jets should have is holding.
Nick Folk was comfortable with Conley, and to change a holder right before the opener, could prey on the mind of the kicker. No two holders are exactly the same. . . .
September 4, 2012
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