NY Newsday Jets

NFL suspends Jets' Pace four games

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:03 GMT

Jets linebacker Calvin Pace has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2009 season after violating the NFL's policy regarding performance-enhancing substances, the league announced Thursday.

Calvin Pace suspended

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:47 GMT

Linebacker Calvin Pace has been suspended without pay for the Jets' first four regular-season games for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancing substances.

Pace, in a statement released through the team, said the suspension is a result of dietary supplement he took, though he declined to cite what the banned substance was.

"This is a situation that resulted from an over-the-counter dietary supplement that contained a substance that I did not know violated the League’s policy," Pace said. "I am responsible for what I put into my body and I should have paid closer attention to the League’s guidelines. I regret that this has happened and apologize to my teammates, the entire Jets organization as well as the fans. Hopefully, this does not distract from our ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl."

The suspension for Pace, who will be allowed to practice and play in the preseason, begins Sept. 5. He's eligible to return to the Jets’ active roster Oct. 5, the day after the Jets play the Saints in New Orleans and the beginning of the week leading up to the Oct. 12 Monday night game with the Dolphins in Miami.

Thomas Jones speaks and a Jenn Sterger sighting

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:30 GMT

Looks like Thomas Jones still has a thing for granting interviews to radio stations.

Jones, who didn't speak with the media after ending his boycott of the OTAs nor did he make himself available during minicamp, was on Houston radio station KILT last week while he was in town preparing to pick up an award. It wasn't a very in depth interview (these things rarely ever are) so there's nothing earth shattering.

But it's the first thing we've heard out of him in a while. He addressed the comments he made about the guy who's name has been banned from this blog and here's what he had to say:

“Well the situation with me is I was asked a couple of questions [last year] and I answered them," Jones said. "First of all, I have the utmost respect for Brett Favre - he’s one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play. It was an honor for me to get a chance to play with him. I played against him in Chicago for three years in my division. But it was an honor to play with him. He brought a lot of fun to our team; he brought a lot of energy and excitement to the huddle last year so I was definitely happy I had an opportunity to play with him.

"The deal with the interceptions and all that - it was kind of blown out of proportion, it’s just part of the game. You make one comment or a couple comments and they’re turned in to something else. But I guess he’s not ready to give it up - and when you’ve played as long as he’s played, that’s pretty much all you know. I’m not saying he can’t do anything else but football’s his life. So you know, I wish him the best of luck, I hope he don’t have mixed feelings about what he’s doing. But hey, at the end of the day, if you can still play and a team wants you, then why not play?”

Click underneath the, ahem, picture below for the rest of the transcript and if you want to check out the audio for yourself, you can do that right here. Scroll down to the end of his comments to click on the audio link.

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As for Sterger, the apple of many a Jets' fans eyes, she'll be performing at the sports-comedy show 12 Angry Mascots later today. Sterger will be there long with Green Bay Packer running back Ryan Grant, who hails from Rockland County.

So if you're longing for another glimpse at Sterger, here's your chance. The show begins at 8 p.m. at Comix. The club is located in Manhattan at 353 West 14th Street, just east of 9th Avenue.

Better make those last-minute plans now.

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The Jets claimed G Mike Fladell off waivers today. Fladell, a 6-7, 334-pound Rutgers product and Howard Beach native, was a member of the Giants practice squad and was waived last Wednesday.

On the excellent stint he’s had in New York thus far after a number of frustrating and not all that productive years in Chicago:

“Yeah, I’ve been blessed. At first, when I was traded from Chicago, it was just a tough situation. I didn’t really want to leave the Bears and the family I made there coming off the Super Bowl year, but I’ve been blessed here in New York. I’ve got some great teammates, I’ve met a lot of great people here in New York. Like you said, they’ve embraced me. I’ve embraced the community - for Thanksgiving and Christmas I do a lot of things up here. Last year was a good year for me and we’re looking forward to having a good year this year.”

On he and his teammates busting the chops of Mark Sanchez for his spread in GQ magazine after being drafted so high in this year’s NFL Draft:

“That’s just locker room talk. But the thing is, when you’re a young guy, you’re going to get it the worst. That’s just part of the game. When you come in as a rookie, you’ve got all the veterans who’ve been in the league, you’re going to have to pay for a lot of meals, you’re going to have to carry a lot of helmets, but it’s all part of paying your dues. This is my 10th year in the league so I’ve seen a lot on four different teams and it’s been the same way on every team. It’s not any different and if you’re a high draft pick you’re going to get it the worst. So you know, that’s not the end of it for Mark Sanchez but he’ll live, he’ll make it through, he’ll be ok.”

On the battle between rookie Mark Sanchez and Kellen Clemons for the starting quarterback position:

“You know, I’m not sure at this point. Kellen Clemons is the starter, he looked really good in mini-camp. You know, he hasn’t really had much of an opportunity to show what he can do. He was here with Chad for a couple of years, and then he was here with Brett last year. He’s got all the tools to be a great quarterback - he’s smart, he’s big, he can run, he’s got a strong arm and he’s a leader.

Mark Sanchez did a great job in college and getting drafted where he was drafted. So you know, we embrace him as a player on the team, but you know, he’s got a lot to learn in terms of the offense in terms of timing and things like that. But naturally, he looks like a natural leader. He’s got great athletic ability and he’s very smart - he’s got great instincts.So you know, I think both guys are going to go in to training camp and they’re going to go as hard as they can every day and whoever ends up being the starter, we’ll support him, get behind him and I’m sure the other guy will get behind the starter.”

Jets claim 6-6 receiver from Bengals

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:56 GMT

Ok, so he's no Plaxico Burress, but the Jets figure they've got nothing to lose in going after wideout Mario Urrutia. They have put a waiver claim in on the former Bengals receiver, a seventh-round pick (246th overall) in 2008.

Urrutia, 6-6, 232, was released by Cincy last Aug. 30 and signed to the team's practice squad the next day. He spent the entire season on the practice squad and was subsequently released.

During his college career at Louisville, Urrutia had 130 catches for 2,271 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The waiver claim comes a day after the Jets were awarded cornerback Rod Barksdale off waivers from the Giants. The move is in keeping with GM Mike Tannenbaum's "look-under-ever-rock" theory in acquiring personnel.

Former Eagle/Chief/Giant Rod Barksdale now a Jet

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:32 GMT

Glauber here filling in while Hot Rod enjoys some R & R. Just a note that the Jets have been awarded cornerback Rod Barksdale off waivers, adding depth to a position that the Jets have concentrated on through much of the off-season.

Barksdale - 6-0, 208 pounds - was originally a sixth-round pick (201 overall of the Eagles in 2007 after starring at upstate Albany. He didn't make the Eagles' roster, but joined the Chiefs and played in six games, recording nine tackles.

Barksdale signed with the Giants practice squad last Sept. 1, but was released on Saturday, shortly after the team concluded its mini-camp.

Jets, Giants will wear patch ads in practice

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:13 GMT

The Jets will join the Giants and several other teams in wearing sponsored patches on their sleeves this summer.

Unhooking the dinghy from the Dock

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:37 GMT

There's some unwritten code among football scribes that we spend most of late June and July on vacation recharging and freshening our batteries. Now that I'm officially a part of the fraternity, I'm no different. I'm actually writing this from the comforts of another climate where there's no rain in sight on the radar and the heat index is somewhere in the neighborhood of 110 today. Rain? What rain?

So I'll be continuously pulling my head out of the sand like an ostrich as we rest up before the season-long grind. (Sorry I'm not as cool as the beloved E-Bo and didn't post a picture of ... well, you get the point). But if there's any news, we'll still be all over it. Training camp is six weeks away and I'll have plenty of stuff to keep you guys entertained as we get closer to the opening of camp in Cortland on July 31. I'll do my best to provide you with more than enough morsels to whet your appetite until then.

In the meantime, here's something I wrote on Rex and Buddy Ryan as part of our Father's Day Sunday Special. Buddy is a character (he kept me laughing throughout the entire time we talked) and we've learned that Rex is following right in his footsteps. It was great to chat with both of them about their relationship with each other.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Kick back and relax and enjoy your day tomorrow. Even though my father isn't alive to smell the flowers and I can't physically tell him, I'll say it anyway: Happy Father's Day, pop.

You guys had some good convo going on whether you wanted Plaxico Burress on board. Brandon Marshall became another possibility when his trade demands went public. It's an interesting debate: Which of those two wide receivers would you want? Are you guys convinced the current collection of wide receivers can get it done or do you believe they still have to go out and get a No. 1 wide receiver?

All right, the pool is calling my name, so it's time to open up the forum for you guys again. As my man the King Fixer likes to say, tossing the keys ...

Buddy Ryan always took his best shot

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:53 GMT

Even though he's known as the architect of the aggressive 46 defense, Buddy Ryan probably is remembered mostly for one thing: socking offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride after they had words on the sideline when the two were with the Oilers.

Jets coach Ryan learned a lot from father, Buddy

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:33 GMT

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Their relationship doesn't differ from those of many fathers and sons.

Jets should stay away from Burress

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:33 GMT

There is no question Plaxico Burress is an elite football player, that his combination of size, speed and hands present a unique challenge to any defense.