Jets’ Ihedigbo Continues Parents’ Legacy in Nigeria

Unfortunately, the sports section for the paper was limited this week, but at least I am able to publish this article for the blog.

Last Friday night, I had the pleasure to attend this fundraiser. While there was business to tend to, it was a welcome distraction from the events of the day. Yes, the NFL lockout began as the NFLPA decertified, but on a far more grave note, the earthquake and tsunami that just hit Japan glued millions of us to the television with such dire images.

Many, many thanks to Greg Domond for the invite and the Jets' James Ihedigbo for taking some time to speak with me on a rather busy night.

Jets’ Ihedigbo Continues Parents’ Legacy in Nigeria
By Jason Clinkscales

Last Friday night at the World Bar in Trump Towers in East Midtown, New York Jets strong safety James Ihedigbo spoke at a fundraiser HOPE Africa Foundation as he, along with several NFL players, family members and volunteers prepared for the annual non-profit offseason trip to Nigeria. HOPE Africa joined forces with the Amobi Okoye Foundation (Okoye is a defensive tackle for the Houston Texans) in providing means to Nigerians for many important services from cancer screenings to scholarships for students hoping to study in the United States.

While nearly every famed pro athlete contributes to some cause, for the player known as ‘Digg’, HOPE Africa speaks to a personal mission. He created HOPE Africa to further enhance the extraordinary efforts of his parents. Born to Nigerian immigrants in Northampton, Massachusetts, Ihedigbo is using his standing as professional athlete to carry on their legacy.

Ihedigbo’ parents founded the Nigerian Agricultural Technical Community College in 1999. His father, Apollos, passed away during his senior year at UMass-Amherst, trying to support the same dreams he had for his family.

“So many people in Nigeria, just like my mother and my father, just worked their tails off to come to the United States, get an education… be prosperous and raise their families, ” said the former undrafted free agent. “I looked for a way that I can give people the same platform that I was given myself. What better way than to start helping people that my father started helping.”

Humanitarian efforts are second nature for Ihedigbo as last March, he led 20 other NFL players to Haiti as the island nation began its recovery from the devastating earthquake last January. It wasn’t lost on him considering that another natural disaster, an earthquake and tsunami, had rocked Japan less than a day before.

Of course, with the NFL lockout, which essentially began hours before the fundraiser, you can’t help but to wonder how players can fulfill commitments to their communities. “A lot of the funding for our foundation comes from ourselves,” quipped Ihedigbo. “In terms of resources, it does hinder things, but God willing, this does get resolved sooner than later.”

On the sports side, both foundations are hosting a football camp to get kids active and closer to the stars they admire half a world away. Said Ihedigbo, “Children in Nigeria have so much energy, so much positive energy, so much knowledge. They want to be the best, they want to be successful, and they just don’t have the resources.” He continued to discuss how both foundations will provide for health care and education in hopes to “give these kids the inspiration to be great.”

The trip as a whole provides an opportunity for the participating players and volunteers to connect in a far-reaching manner besides writing a check. Though born here, Ihedigbo believes that his football legacy in the States will always connect to his parents’ vision for their homeland.

Note: For more information, visit the HOPE Africa and Amobi Okoye Foundation websites to learn more about both organizations.

Random Nuggets

Having writer’s block is hell. Or maybe it’s the continued defragmentation of all that has been the last twelve months. Either way, there has been nothing new anywhere but Twitter and barely much substance there.

So, here it goes; several unfinished thoughts into one post. Maybe one of these bullet points will be fully earthed into a separate, significant post in the near future.

League Perceptions and Potential Lockouts: I’m probably the only person on the planet who thinks that the NBA will have its labor issues resolved before the NFL. Though I think neither loses any action, I think a major part of the reason why this belief that there’s a race to labor peace (and that the NFL will win out) is because of the perception of both leagues. The NFL… excuse me, I’m sorry… THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE is perceived as the can’t-do-wrong sports league. Its status as the country’s most popular entertainment company comes from having the premier television property that satiates America’s thirst for violent hits and amazing athleticism. The NFL is pop culture, period.

The Association, meanwhile, has been battling image issues seemingly since the dawn of time. Race, xenophobia, market sizes, the culture war between NBA fans and college basketball fans, etc. The NBA has a compelling product that is enjoyed globally and has more talent spread across the league now than at any point in its history. However, it seems as if the problems (real and perceived) the league had battled in the 1970s and in the first few years of the post-Michael Jordan era continue to define who its players and teams are, despite increased popularity across the board. And this was all before The Decision.

We can read the CBAs of both leagues and find different interpretations to make our points. The problem with all of that is that we are still looking through preconceived notions set long ago. The NFL has become like the car and financial companies the government bailed out during this recession; it’s become too big to fail because of all the connected parties that have invested pretty much all their eggs in this one basket. Even though the economic impact is quite strong as detailed here, the NBA is treated by some as somewhat disposable, especially by those fans and media personalities who assail on the league at every opportunity.

Though one opinion is stressed here, let’s do ourselves a favor and let this all play out. Truth be told, there won’t be peace between the camps in the League or Association unless they a) stop negotiating through the public and b) go through EVERY SINGLE LINE ITEM in their agreements.


Get Teeth: Speaking of line items, I would hope that the NFL spends a significant amount of time going through the Personal Conduct Policy with a fine-toothed comb. The premise was noble, but seems more like a public relations ploy that placated the masses after a deluge of embarrassing player arrests in 2007. Some feel that it’s uneven in regards to treatment of players and coaches while others – like myself – look for more teeth in how it handles certain matters such as sexual harassment and any version of driving while impaired (DUI, DWI, whatever, it’s all driving while pretty damn stupid). While it was a tremendous coup for Commissioner Roger Goodell to place his stamp early in his stewardship, there’s little reason for him to remain the one-man judge, jury and executioner.

Unlike other businesses and organizations that create committees, the NFL has committees that actually do things. Look to the Competition Committee that shifts rules every season as an example. A committee or some form of panel that metes out discipline would make the policy stronger. It could be a three or five person board where members are elected by the league, coaches, team executives and the players’ association. All sides would have to come to a consensus for how to handle disciplinary matters. Since the policy was enacted in public view, each group would be subject to the same scrutiny as the League is now in punishing players, coaches and other league personnel.


Hardwood Goodness for Your Coffee Table: On the trip to Orlando, I had been reading Free Darko’s The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History. Anyone who considers themselves as sports fan should really pick up this absolute gem of a book, especially those who consider Bill Simmons to have the foremost mind on the NBA in the media. It’s a book that strips the bias, bring the gods to earth and elevates the plebes we all forgotten. Go cop it, as the kids (me) used to say.


In the Spirit of Kelis: When the Divisional Round came up last weekend, her first single, "Caught Out There" immediately came to mind. Why? It was the fantasticly simple chorus, 'I hate... you so much right now! 'I hate... you so much right now! AAAAAAAAAAAAH! 'I hate... you so much right now!"

It popped to mind because over the last two years, it seems as if the Dallas Cowboys were quickly surpassed as THE most despised team in NFL fandom. It also seems that the New England Patriots have competition as well. With the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers playing in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, I think it’s far to consider how much fans around the nation truly hate hearing about them, watching them and watching them succeed. Where do they rank among the most despised teams in the league (because they’re in the top four in my opinion)?

Labor Day: Plugs and Pictures

First of all, those who truly hustle for a better life and those working to get work, a wishfully Happy Labor Day to you. Even in this Great Recession, there are people who are out in the world trying to not only make a dollar, but make each day better than the day before. No matter how tough the grind can be, I hope all of us can be involved with something in our lives that bring in more than just the paychecks.

Secondly, a quick plug for my third co-hosting effort on Sports at the Half on WHCR today at 5PM eastern. As always, respect due to ChiChi Anunkor (follow her insanity on Twitter) for having me on. Obviously, we'll talk about the Jets finally giving cornerback Darrelle Revis his much-desired payday, but hopefully, we can move beyond the hype and talk about the substance of this upcoming NFL season.

Third, for tomorrow, when you're crying in your breakfast about the unofficial end of summer, there will be some photos from the Ballpark at St. George, home of the Single-A Staten Island Yankees. For the first time, I'm happy to report that the long-awaited New York City Baseball Park Tour is complete. A proper post will be dedicated for that, but here are a few pictures of the decade-old venue.

Finally, if you haven't, please check the latest from another edition of Norman Einstein's Magazine and The Perpetual Post (including a sportish response about the State of TV).

Giant Start to the Week

Transparency. Space.

Those are two words that came to mind in the first visit to New Meadowlands Stadium.

The design has been criticized for being ‘cold’ and devoid of personality. Yet, the design is about functionality and adaptability than anything else. What would you do if you had to come up with a design for a stadium with two distinctly different full-time tenants, multiple concerts, grand scale soccer matches, college football, state expositions and other potential events like the World Cup and the Super Bowl? You’re going to come up with something more… neutral.

This is certainly the most transparent venue this Scribe has ever visited. Though the aluminum louvers could impede some of the views in the luxury suites that dominate the structure, this is made up for by having unimpeded views of the field and stadium bowl itself. All the attention is directed to either the field or one of the four middle-deck corner screens above; making it easier for all of the 82,000+ fans to keep up with the action.

If this place reminded me of something, there was a slight resemblance (again, slight) to Nationals Park in Washington DC. To visually explain; the cream-colored, monument look to the non-aluminum portions of the façade reminded me of the ballpark on the Anacostia River.

For the media-obsessed, you probably heard about ‘the fishbowl’. The conference room used for post-game press conferences is now a main attraction for anyone lucky enough – connected or loaded – to watch the game in the Coaches Club. The room is no longer shielded by concrete walls and out of the purview of the fans. Instead, it’s incorporated into this field-level deck with three sides of glass decorated with play diagrams. If fans stick around for the extra 15-20 minutes after the end of the game, they can actually watch the post-game conferences live. Some media members unsurprisingly grumbled about this; no longer can they ask stupid questions semi-anonymously as fans can watch the repartee between the media and the team. “Can’t throw stones at a glass house anymore”, one radio reporter perfectly quipped.

Compared to Giants Stadium, NMS is ginormous. As people have come to expect, there’s more of everything: more space, more transport (elevators, escalators), more concessions, more suites, more bathrooms… and more money. If there’s one gripe about the place, it’s there wasn’t enough time to walk throughout the building. In a new venue, however, everyone is still trying to figure out where everything is and it takes time for security and stadium operations personnel to nail every nook & cranny. This may frustrate the hell out of fans and media alike, but as we say this time of year in football media, it’s preseason for everybody (and for NMS, everything).

Pictures of the interior and a comprehensive video will greet you after the second preseason game versus New England on September 2nd. By then, you may have already seen plenty views of NMS, but there’s a reason why you look through these eyes, right?

In the meantime, in other football-related news, yours truly will be a guest host on Sports @ the Half on WHCR. You can listen live at 5PM Eastern thought the website or on 90.3 FM if you're in the Boroughs. Also, for those who care to find it, look for words on the Giants for the Beacon later this week. If you’re in the city and happen to find it at newsstands, put the Snickers down and buy the paper instead.

Meanwhile, enjoy the slideshow.

Slow Down on Marketing Mark Sanchez

Courtesy of Jessica Bader at The Perpetual Post, this article from The Atlantic hit the inbox yesterday.

Though it’s a quick article, here’s the synopsis:

Tony Lee likens New York Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez to President Barack Obama. Yes, you read that correctly. Actually, he brings up the revelation in the recently-released “Game Change” how despite publicly showing support for now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, fellow Democrats in Senators Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer were secretly rooting for Obama during the 2008 Presidential primaries. He ponders if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell may be secretly cheering for Sanchez and the Jets over the establishment that is the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts.

When Sanchez was drafted last April, quite a few business experts lined up at the door to espouse on how he can become a major boon to the NFL’s efforts in marketing the game to Latino communities across the country. Lee is just the latest person to add to this overall perspective.

Further, Lee said:

His marketing potential and reach dwarfs Manning's. And while commentators such as Rush Limbaugh have gotten in trouble for saying what I am about to suggest, that the NFL wants--needs--Sanchez to succeed even more because he's a Mexican-American who embraces his heritage. The NFL has had trouble attracting fans from America's fastest growing minority group, so NFL executives were probably joyous beyond belief at the future when the Jets drafted Sanchez. Surely, the Jets have often won in spite of Sanchez's rookie mistakes.

Now, as you expect to see from articles on the Internet, commenters ripped Lee’s assessment apart, so read them at your peril. Yet, in a less haughty rage, here’s are three issues with the article;

Potential versus reach: At this time, I give you that Sanchez's marketing potential dwarfs Peyton's, but disagree with the idea that the reach does. Potential is something unrealized and yet to be proven. If Sanchez has all this potential, then where's the reach when he just arrived on the scene and done little so far to suggest that he has earned the reach of Peyton other than being of part of a desired ethnic market?

Not only is Peyton the most omnipresent American sports figure as pitchman during the season, but his greatest impact has come in the offseason (that Sony has him alongside Justin Timberlake is a little strange. Might as well pair a player with Janet Jackson, right?) There isn’t another NFL player that appears in the number of national advertisements that he does nor has the league or Madison Avenue exactly picked out another one just yet.

Putting the cart before the horse, again: Too many stars have burnt out before they truly shined. Why we collectively continue to repeat this doomed history is simple; we spend more time immediately reacting to snapshots of people’s careers and lives than analyzing the body of work as time progresses.

In the duration of his career, not just a few games, Sanchez has to not only win, but play his butt off while doing so. He can't be marketable (at least outside of the NYC/NJ metro area) if he doesn't throw for 250, 300+ yards a game on a consistent basis.

Sanchez, if you haven’t heard, had a pretty rocky rookie campaign, something that other than those seasons for Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, Atlanta’s Matt Ryan and Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, is expected. Now, if he builds upon this by reversing that touchdown-to-interception ratio and making strides year after year, then Sanchez can capture some of this potential both on and off the field.

Yes, the Jets have to win. Nothing sells like a winner, right? Yet, these Jets are looked upon as one of those run-heavy, QB-don’t-screw-up, tough defensive teams that have won Super Bowls in the past. The 1985 Chicago Bears, 2000 Baltimore Ravens, 2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and to an extent, the 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers and 2007 New York Giants fit those moulds (the latter teams had better aerial attacks, but they were better rushing offenses).

To appeal to a broader market, there has to be something exceptional for a marginal quarterback to become a sponsor’s dream. For starters, Sanchez can't be Rex Grossman (that's mandatory). Secondly, Pittsburgh’s Roethlisberger and the Giants’ Eli Manning are certainly two of the top ten QBs in the league, yet they have the advantages of being on two of the more popular teams in the league and for Eli, being Peyton’s brother helps.

If all Sanchez has to offer is his heritage, then, as Jessica Bader reminded her fellow Perpetual Post colleagues, why did the world forget that he wasn’t the only quarterback of Mexican decent playing last week? Leading to point #3;

Wait, the NFL doesn’t appeal to everybody?: Actually, the answer is a resounding no, but that’s stating the obvious. Yet, while Sanchez plays in a larger metropolitan area, it’s Tony Romo who plays for the league’s most beloved and reviled team. Yes, there’s a Mexican-American who plays the so-called most prestigious position in the National Football League; quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

Apparently, the league has used Romo in promotional efforts towards Hispanic markets. However, though, we walked though this path before, the only other reason why Romo is known nationwide is because of the tabloid coverage of his relationships with Jessica Simpson and Carrie Underwood.

That doesn’t sound like marketability at all.

Considering that only the federal government seems to have more of a presence in American media than the NFL, the fact that they need such a promotional push to the Hispanic community is admittedly surprising.

So I ask anyone who comes across Scribe to provide some insight because making assumptions about this topic would be foolish. In terms of that community, would it be logical to think that the league’s greatest pull is at least in the West Coast? Maybe broadcasting on unique Spanish-language channels would have helped the cause as opposed to hitting the SAP button? What’s your take?

Say What?!?!: NFL fans, enjoy today to the fullest extent. These are the games that are for us before the non-fans show up to ruin the Super Bowl.

Photo credits to the Newark Star-Ledger, Obsessed with Sports and ESPN.

Swamplands (V)

Another quick update on the new Meadowlands stadium project. This came after Sunday's tough loss for the Giants to the San Diego Chargers, one in which is going to be on the minds of Big Blue's players throughout the upcoming bye week.

Again, this is a quick update, but I'd be foolish to not include the team websites for both future tenants. When the last video was published, these sites only included the artist renderings of the facility; showing what they will look like when either squad is at home. Now as 2010 draws near and there are those personal seat licenses to sell, both the Giants and Jets have added more photo galleries, news and the very cool construction cams.

Why would I forward you to those sites as opposed to my videos alone?

Perspective, my friends. Perspective.

You can get all the information from the team sites, including a true comparision between the venue being left behind and the venue featured here. Plus, it's great to get an idea of what the place is supposed to look like.

However, from the videos you've seen on Scribe in the last two years, you can at least tell what the new building actually looks like as close to in the flesh as possible (other than attending an event in the sports complex).

Anyhow, enjoy this (and if possible, enjoy it in HD) and for any questions and comments, feel free to leave them here.

Swamplands (IV)

It's preseason for everybody as we get closer to the 2009 regular season in the NFL. Yet, this is also the last season of football at the Meadowlands as Giants and Jets fans have come to know it.

For those who watched the game on Monday night, ESPN gave fans a glimpse of the future for the new stadium in the NJ swamps. Though the personality of the building has yet to be shown, there has been great progress from previous updates done here on Scribe last fall. Take a peek and enjoy yourselves.

Rush

Mark Sanchez is going to be an absolute star in New York.

Mark Sanchez is going to take over this town.

Mark Sanchez is going to… have to play a game first.

The NFL Draft is an event like no other, for sure. Having covered it two years back – the infamous Ted Ginn, Jr. and Brady Quinn draft – was a thrill in itself as it’s a mini-reunion for the football-loving nation after just a mere eleven weeks without a game. Yet, it’s a maddening event because while us fans and media types should know better than to throw labels and make projections based on quick and visceral reactions, it’s what we tend to do best.

So because he’s a good ol’ SoCal boy with good looks and charisma, he’s suddenly going to become the next Joe Namath.

Can the guy get a copy of the playbook before we anoint him as the next anything?

The first impression is a lasting one; even it’s unflattering and may not be reflective of an athlete’s career and/or persona from then on (see, Eli Manning). Yet, while on one end, Sanchez is already a Pro Football Hall of Famer based on joining the Jets, any player who has ever admitted to smoking a little weed or didn’t exactly ‘wow’ folks during press and scouting interviews has a questionable character.

What we’ve heard about Percy Harvin (Minnesota Vikings by way of Florida), B.J. Raji (Green Bay via Boston College), Michael Crabtree (SF 49ers from Texas Tech) and others should signify that these red flags just might define their careers. Right?

The beauty about sports is that no matter how much we try to fit athletes in certain molds, they have an opportunity to break them though their performances. More often than not because there are so few people who are capable of joining the professional ranks, there are a lot of ‘high character guys’ and All-American Boys that fall though the cracks because of a lack of talent, focus, desire or willingness to deal with the politics of sports. Yet, not every jerk gets rewarded on sheer skill alone.

No matter what background stories follow these kids – let us remember that while they are the world’s newest and most visible millionaires (or hundred thousandaires), these are still young men figuring how life really works – we can’t stick to these rushed judgments for as long as they are on a NFL roster.

Say What?!?!: It's been too nice of a weekend to stay shackled indoors, yet, being that this is was the lone weekend in the calendar in which every major sport had it shine, it was hard to not want to discuss the happenings throughout the sports world. However, what has been sitting on a Word document since late last night is a hopeful review of the just-released documentary, Tyson. If you have seen the ads (the few there have been) and read the reviews on various outlets, you may have heard that there is a tremendous positive buzz around the film.
As crazy as it may seem, Tyson is absolutely worth the (insert amount) price of admission. More tomorrow.

Swamplands (III)

While watching the Giants struggle in the first half against the Carolina Panthers in the frozen swamplands, I've decided to upload this video made prior to this critical battle for the NFC's top seed and homefield advantage throughout January. It's an update to the previous videos and photos from the new Meadowlands stadium.

Swamplands (II)

A quick video and photo update on the New Meadowlands Stadium. Compare, contrast and go crazy. It would be great to get closer to the grounds and capture a few more angles at some point, but it's the same angle as early September... unless you feel like being an assistant for a few hours.

 

In the meantime, here's a recent article about the new digs from Joe Lapointe of the New York Times.

Greenish

If you caught any sort of television over the past week, you may have seen the new Wrangler commercial with one of their leading spokesmen, Brett Favre. It seems as if the Green Bay Packers and their fans moved on from that ugly divorce, but the rugged jeans brand has not.



Now, Wrangler deserves the benefit of the doubt here. This ad must have been made prior to the start of the season and unless they were completely out of the loop, they didn't think that Favre would be wearing Jets colors, let alone change his mind about retirement. Maybe they were in denial. Nice colors there.

Sticking with commercials, can anyone here define drinkability?

No, seriously, please define drinkability.

Swamplands

For those of you reading and viewing this who are not from the New York City metropolitan area, there's a reason why it seems that there's a ton of hoopla around sports beyond wins and losses.

While the rest of the world, particularly the United States, had new stadiums and arenas built for their sports teams over the past two decades, northeastern depots like Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and New York were slow to replace their facilities. For various reasons - be political, economic or based on an area's physical infrastructure and space - these cities that were long known for higher-income white-collar jobs, large populations and even larger sports appetites were suddenly trying to out-do smaller cities such as Phoenix, San Jose, Cleveland and Denver in having the most modern amenities for their teams.

Then three of those northeast cities (Boston, Philadelphia and Washington) opened new arenas for their NBA and NHL franchises (TD Banknorth Garden in 1995, Wachovia Center in 1996, Verizon Center in 1997). They followed with new baseball and football stadiums later in the decade and into the 2000s (though Fenway Park has being undergoing selective renovations to add capacity). It seemed as if New York was not just falling behind the rest of the country, but their regional rivals.

And so, it leads us to an unprecedented time in the area's history as three outdoor facilities are being erected at once. Not since Shea Stadium was built forty years ago has there been a new major league outdoor stadium in the area (Arthur Ashe Stadium across the street from Shea is a tennis facility completed in 1997 and it appears that the MLS' Red Bulls have their version of the 'Bridge to Nowhere'). Earlier this summer, you got a look at the new Yankee Stadium and CitiField; both baseball stadiums being constructed for a 2009 opening. Now, here's a brief glimpse at the new home for the Giants and Jets, which is slated to open for the 2010 season.

Welcome to the new and potentially improved swamplands.

New Meadowlands Stadium

Grounded

The question has been asked in every direction. As much as the Olympics – for better or worse – deserve more attention on this space, keeping up with familiar sports and learning some rarely viewed ones is a daunting task that many others have valiantly taken on (some rather well). And so despite what the caption below the new photo asks (and a general reluctance to discuss too much from the New York area), here’s the answer to the Question of the Year of the Moment.

Brett Favre’s arrival to the Meadowlands has given excitement to the New York Jets’ fan base, the metro area media (what a shock) and anyone who has a major financial investment in the franchise. The future Hall of Famer forced himself back into the game and away from the organization that he shared a once-glorious, now-acrimonious relationship. Where the future of the Green Bay Packers in Aaron Rodgers becomes the present, its past moves on to a team that for various reasons has never grabbed the attention of the country’s biggest market.

In the business of cynics and critics, many have asked if Favre knew what he was getting into. Favre actually admitted that much in his introductory press conference last week:

"I haven't faced anything like this. I don't know anyone in this locker room. To a certain degree, I really don't know what I'm getting into."

While he referred mostly to his new teammates, anyone with a sports pulse in this city may have been thinking about the hornet’s nest that this place can be when a player slips up. Considering that no one has ever batted 1.000, had the 158.3 passer rating, shot 100% from the field or scored a goal in every period of a hockey game in a season, Mr. Favre will be booed for an errant pass at some point this year. However, in the face of the doom-and-gloom predictions for Favre himself, he’ll be fine.

If you haven’t heard, he’s pretty deft with dealing with the media and as it has been known for years, he has a few die hard fans in the press box and broadcasting booth. He also knows what it means to be the signal-caller for a high-profile team. Despite playing in a town whose population is almost one-fourth of that of Staten Island (no joke), Green Bay is home to one of the few franchises in American sports that enjoys a national following. So in terms of playing in the NYC metro area, Favre has a unique perspective compared to other major stars that have come here. The bright lights are nothing new to him, even if those who shine them here are far quicker to highlight something wrong than elsewhere.

As for him knowing the playbook and getting to know his new teammates, this is also something that while it will take some time, he will be in sync with them sooner than later. He’s an unknown to some of these players already because they have gone through the trenches with Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens for a couple of years now. He’s a complete unknown to the team’s biggest free agent acquisitions, offensive linemen Damien Woody and Alan Faneca. Woody split his first seven seasons with New England and Detroit, having protected Tom Brady for four and a rotation of QBs in the Motor City. Faneca left Pittsburgh after ten seasons blocking for Kordell Stewart, Charlie Batch, Tommy Maddox and Ben Roethlisberger, but giving Jerome Bettis, Deuce Staley and Willie Parker major holes to run through. With the emergence of D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, the improved line will give Favre and running back Thomas Jones the time they need to execute on offense. He’ll develop chemistry with Lavernues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery over the coming weeks. The vastly underrated fullback Tony Richardson has laid down major hits for various runners and gunslingers in his thirteen-year career. Whoever would have been the quarterback of this team before Favre’s arrival would have found success, albeit with shorter passes and trying to win the time of possession battle. With Favre, the team will be able to test secondaries with deep routes, though the counter on his 288 interceptions will keep clicking for sure. Favre will be fine under center for New York. The light may not come on until late September considering how much time he has missed since the unretirement saga began. Offense is not so much of a concern as defense should be.

Team management traded LB Jonathan Vilma to New Orleans and Dewayne Robinson to Denver in order to bring in players the felt would suit their 3-4 scheme (three down linemen, four linebackers) better. Nose tackle Kris Jenkins and linebacker Calvin Pace were signed in return, and with Shaun Ellis and Kerry Rhodes being the team’s best defenders, the Jets hope that they can emulate the New England Patriots with a defense that relies more on confusing the opponent than physically overwhelming them. That said, they may have been the ninth-best defense against the pass, but they were horrendous against the run (29th of all 32 teams). Much of this can be traced to being on the field too long because the Jets’ offense sputtered so much. However, this coming season finds them facing upper-echelon backs (San Diego’s LaDanian Tomlinson, Cincinnati’s Rudi Johnson, St. Louis’ Steven Jackson and San Francisco’s Frank Gore), teams with two very good backs (Miami, Oakland), a New England team that runs when they need to with Laurence Maroney and a Denver team with an offensive line that always leads the way for out-of-nowhere 1,000-yard runners. Teams know that to beat the Jets, they have to put pressure on their offense and constantly run on their defense.

What should also prevent fans from printing Super Bowl t-shirts for these Jets is that in they will have to fight at least four other teams for what could be just one playoff spot. Besides the Jets, there are eleven legitimate playoff contenders (only Oakland, Kansas City, Baltimore and Miami seem to be in complete rebuilding mode). Contrary to popular belief, Favre cannot be the sole reason why the Jets can eclipse last year’s Wild Card team’s (Tennessee and Jacksonville) or teams that just missed the postseason (Cleveland and Buffalo).

You can argue that the Packers were the most complete team in the NFL last season with a great offensive line, solid wide receivers, unexpected fortunes with Ryan Grant as the running back and a talented defense that had the desired mix of speed and power. Favre may have made a drastic turnaround from two seasons of sub-par football (29 picks in 2005 and 18 in 2006) and heard a few calls to hang up the cleats, yet he got within a game of the Super Bowl because of an elite defense and a very timely discovery of a running game.

Those will be the same factors that determine if he’ll get closer to another one or if he’ll break out the hunting rifle back home after the December 28th finale against Miami.

Nuggets

Moments ago, an Facebook ad just promoted a sale on new Jets jerseys promoting their newest acquisition.

Before lightning stopped the preseason game between the Jets and the Cleveland Browns, CBS showed a shot of this new guy running out in Jets apparel.

Whether you're a sports fan or not, a Cheesehead or member of Gang Green, there is a consensus on this:

It's bizarre to see this picture.

On that note, here are a few articles that will tickle your fancy. As you are aware by now, Scribe doesn't just give commentary and quick-witted remarks on sports, but it points you to the various aspects of the business that finances them and the culture that consumes it. Enjoy.

• From Wired Magazine's How-to-Wiki: How and where to watch the Olympics beyond the NBC umbrella's broadcasts. Expect some of these sites to be shut down or overloaded by the time Feres twins dip in the pool for syncronized swimming [Warning: hypersexed, Krazy-Glued-to-the keyboard males (and some females, probably) run amok]
• Also from Wired, but slightly older: Could these become the future of head protection for American football players?
• From Advertising Age: This is a noble idea (even if there may be something behind it) from these college coaches who want to curb alcohol advertisements in TV broadcast, it's going to be awfully tough to get the NCAA to listen. There's a joke that was to follow this, but it's far too easy.
• From the New York Times: If you're rocking Under Armour, this guy thanks you.
• Yahoo! Sports Dan Wetzel wonders will they or won't they.
• Also from Yahoo!: Jeff Passan discusses the future of television blackouts in baseball.
• Found somewhat randomly on Google: an interesting question posed by a writer from Botswana (yes, Botswana).

Boo!

Though the New York Jets made headlines this offseason and it has been a few years since their fans have had reasons to scream at the NFL Draft, you can't help but to look forward to Gang Green's faithful having some reason to boo this Saturday.