Hi, I'll Take a Green Number Four Please

A few weeks ago Jason Commack of Fourth Down fame asked me what I would think if the Jets went after Brett Favre. My initial reaction was that getting Favre was a traditional big name trap. Fans and poorly run organizations fall for this all the time. Big time, future hall-of-famer veteran becomes available late in his career and, like any sexy name, teams and their fans swoon over him. Not three weeks into the season, it becomes apparent that the player is done and the team is rocketed down to almost laughing stock status. Here you are, stuck with an aging star in the twilight of his career and locked into a ridiculous contract. In the end, the only thing the player helped you achieve was a higher spot on the "best selling jerseys" list. Many teams can tell you that this is hardly a Super Bowl victory. At first thought, I saw a Jets/Favre situation being similar to the one described above. I said that if you could get him cheep, you get him here in a heartbeat. But, being that the chances of getting Brett Favre for a new tackling dummy were slim, I thought it be best that the Jets stay out of the sweepstakes.

Upon reflection, I have changed my tune. I've thought about it, I've mulled it over, and I have concluded that the Jets need to do whatever it takes to get Brett Favre in green and white. It makes perfect sense to bring the hall of famer to Hempstead and heres why: Contrary to what many may think, the Jets are built to win now. The Green Resurrection was not about 2010 or 2011. It was about 2008 and 2009. Gang Green is built to win now. The Jets have a much improved offensive line, something that will make Thomas Jones a top rusher in the NFL once again. Alan Fanaca is one of the better o-linemen in the entire league. Nick Mangold is healthy again and has always been a force when on the field. D'Brickashaw Fergason is not a rookie anymore and did not have an awful year last year anyway. Damion Woody is finally back in a system where he's had success. I had Newsday's Erik Boland on The Edge around draft time and he told me that Woody feels he didn't do well in Detroit because the Lions do not have a system that focused on discipline. Needless to say, discipline is a large part of Eric Mangini's "Belicheck-like" system. Woody credits that type of stability with his success in New England. I'd have to expect that to return with the Jets. Receiving wise, the Jets may not be all that deep, but they are underrated. Both Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery had down year's last year. A lack of a steady quarterback, injuries and a poor offensive line that provided paper thin pass blocking all contributed to a down year for the entire Jet receiving core. The one glaring weakness the offense has is at the quarterback position. Who better to fill that role then gun slinger Brett Favre. You wouldn't have to lock him up long term because he's not going to play more then two or three years (at the absolute most) You can laugh and say that that is what we all said three years ago, but the reality is that Favre can't play forever. He has to retire sometime...right? Furthermore, I think Favre is leaps and bounds better then any quarterback currently on the Jets roster. The argument that he is old and washed up is one that has little merit. Is this not the same guy that led the Packers to the NFC championship game last year? Is this not the guy who came back after getting hurt in Dallas and led his team on a pretty impressive run to lock up the number two seed in the NFC playoffs? Is this not the same guy who quarterbacked a team that probaly should have won that NCF championship game last year? (yep, I said it) Farve finished with over 4,000 yards passing and 28 touchdowns last year. Ok, he had a down year in 2006. But he came back and had a great year in 2007 with essentially the same team. To me, the 2006 argument is one that carries no weight at all. How can I look at '06 with any worry after last year. No one has explained to me how that makes any sense. The worry with age (which, by the way, is overrated if the production is still there-which it is) is that a player becomes fragile, and thus gets hurt a lot. No one can even attempt to make this argument about Favre without sounding dumb. He is still one of the most durable guys in the league today, if not league history. One has to look no further then the Dallas game I referenced earlier. Any other player at "Favre's age" would have definitely sat out at least one week. Favre did not. He came back and threw two touchdowns in a big win over Oakland. So the "fragile" argument is one that most definitely cannot be made.

I don't think Favre is a guy who can help a team that doesn't have a win now mentality. He isn't going to take a team from nothing and make them into a Super Bowl winner. But the Jets aren't nothing. The Jets are a team with some solid offensive pieces that can be greatly helped by a field general with a track record as good as Favre's. Remember, Green Bay had no running game for the first half of last season and Favre kept them in the thick of the race. He doesn't need to do that with the Jets. He is the perfect fit. This may not be the case with a lot of teams, but Favre can be the difference between making and missing the playoffs for the Jets. They already have at least 8-8 talent. Favre gets you two more wins at least. 10-6 most likly makes the playoffs in the AFC. If you're the Jets, you sign him to a two year deal and try to move Chad Pennington and/or Kellen Clemens. Favre stays for a short stint, makes the Jets immediate Super Bowl contenders and tutors Eric Ainge to take over in 2010. This can't make more sense.

Now the question becomes, what to give up for Favre. It was reported today that the Pack may be looking for a first round pick for Favre. As intriguing and form fitting as Favre may be, I don't think I would give up a first rounder out right. However, I would give up a conditional first round pick. If the Jets made the playoffs with Favre getting at least 80-85% of the snaps, Green Bay can have my late first round draft pick. I don't think it will come to this because no team is going to give up a first rounder for Brett Favre. First round picks are like gold in the NFL. Teams do not part with them unless the prize is too good to be true. Favre is not quite at that level. More likely, he may command something like a second, fourth, and seventh or a player and a second and seventh. I would do that before Favre could even spell JETS. The price will go down simply because the Packers cannot afford to keep Favre around. That would kill both the season and the confidence of Aaron Rodgers. That is way too much to loose. But getting Brett Favre makes the Jets automatic legit Super Bowl contenders in the AFC.

And that is way too much to loose. Here is my humble command as self appointed leader of the WCWP Jet army- Get Farve in Green and White. It's the last logical piece in the Green Resurrection. It's a move oozing with sense.

Jordan Lauterbach

Hate to Say I Told You So

At the risk of sounding self serving and pompous- I told you so. I wrote yesterday afternoon that people (Newsday, especially) were overreacting over what happened during Tuesday night's Met game. If you've already forgotten about it (just like I said you would) let me remind you- the Mets let the Phillies score six in the ninth after entering the inning ahead by three. But after the last two games of the Phillies series, does anyone even care anymore? Sure it was an issue at the time and it bothered me up until the start of last night's game, but two out of three is all you can really expect. It's hard enough to sweep a bad team, much less one like the Phillies. What is both funny and encouraging is that in the last two Met/Phillies series', the Mets probably should have swept them. If you remember, the bullpen blew a Johan Santana gem on July 4th and the Mets went on to win the next three games. In this series, the bullpen blows the first game of the series for Santana and the Mets go on to win the next two. The Mets have beaten the Phils in five of the last seven games and have out-played Philadelphia in all seven. That is exactly what you want if you're a Mets fan. Dominating teams that you need to beat is a great way to find yourself playing baseball in October. The Mets have now beaten the Phillies is nine of thirteen contests. Certainly a far cry from last season.
With each passing game, I seam to notice more and more differences between this years Met team and last years Met team. This series is no different. Last year, what happened on Tuesday night would have had residual effects. There was a ton of negative momentum on the 07 squad. The Tuesday night collapse would have definitely led to dropping two of three, if not a sweep. Not the case this year. The Mets were even more focused last night and this afternoon, clawing out two victories. John Maine did not have his best stuff last night, but fought through it and got his ninth win of the year. Today, Oliver Perez was utterly dominant. He didn't get the win, but he did go 7 and 2/3's, yielded only one run (a homer, no less) on six hits and struck out 12 (If you need further proof that wins and losses for a pitcher is an overrated stat, look no further then today's game). Ever since Rick Peterson left, Perez has been a better pitcher. He can finally do what he wants and its paid off. When at his best, Ollie is the ace of the staff. He has been since Peterson left.
Great job by Aaron Heilman today to get the final out of the eighth with the basses loaded and two outs. I was ready to jump on the decision when Manuel brought him in. I still don't like having Heilman come in with runners on base. To me, he's much better starting off an inning. But since Manuel took over, Heilman has his confidence back and he's turned into one of the Mets more reliable relievers. Even as I write that I cringe a little, but the numbers don't lie. Since Manuel took over the job on June 16th, Heilman has allowed six earned runs. That's not great for a reliever, but when you consider that five of those run came in two appearances, it puts a far different spin on the stat.
A column about today's game could not be completed without mentioning Carlos Delgado. I'm not quite sure what's happened to him, but he has been fantastic in the last month. He has finally stopped constantly hitting into the shift. Take today's game winner as a perfect example. He took a pitch to left field, something that was a foreign concept to Carlos since the middle of 2006. Delgado is hitting only .261, but is banging the ball at a .406 clip since July 1st. Even his July on -base percentage is very good (.500). In the last seven days alone, Delgado is hitting .500 with a .607 on base percentage. That's more then decent for a power hitter. The key for the Mets has become very apparent. When Delgado hits, they win. When he doesn't, they loose. For a game that is more complicated then a lot of people realize, that is a surprisingly simple realization. But it seams to be true.
From a Phillies perspective, today was an awful loss. After the comeback on Tuesday, you need to win at least one more game. I've said from the beginning that this was a far more important series for the Phillies. They failed the test. It was two out of three or bust for the Phills. To win a game like that on Tuesday and come home with nothing else to show for it is downright unacceptable. The roles this year look to be switched. The Philles now look like the team that assumes victory and The Mets look like the fiery team that they can't beat. You would think that the Phillies, of all teams, would have learned from what happened to the 2007 Mets. That does not appear to be the case. They looked dead in the first seven innings on Tuesday and in the next two games. One thing that did peak my attention in the mysterious game time scratch of Jimmy Rollins. It looks as if it was a disciplinary move by Charlie Manuel. This begs an interesting question: If your Charlie Manuel. is this the type of game to make a statement like that to your second best player? I know he's not having a good year, but Rollins is still a major player on that team and is a notorious Met killer. In a game that the Phills desperately need, is it prudent to sit a player like that? I don't think so. If I was a Phillies fan, I would be upset about that.

But then again, if I was a Phillies fan today, I'd be upset about a lot of things. And I don't think anyone could blame me.

Jordan Lauterbach

Lets All Calm Down

You will have to excuse me for the "lateness" of this column. It probably should have been written last night, but I was busy indulging myself is a big bowl of my own words. Last night at approximately 9:10, I proclaimed that the Phillies were dead men walking and that if the Mets could ever sweep this midweek series, the N.L East race would be all but done. I said that the Phills were a team in free fall and it looked like there short reign as class of the division was coming to an abrupt end.

Ok, so maybe I spoke too soon.

Last night was bad for the Mets. To enter the ninth inning with a three run lead and end the inning down by the same number is inexcusable. Wasting yet another Johan Santana start in a game that he desperately needed to come out with the win is inexcusable. It most definitely is the worst loss of the year. Given the opponent, the situation, and the starting pitcher's performance , I can't think of a loss this season that hurt more. The fact that I've thought about it all day today is proof enough. I don't take every loss this hard. Normally, I'll be upset until the end of the night. Bad losses are the ones you go to bed thinking about, horrible losses are the ones you wake up thinking about. This was no doubt a horrible loss.

That being said, it is in no way the end of the world. It's not September '07 again. It's not 7 up with 17 to go. Its not another epic choke job. Newsday's headline this morning got me thinking. It read "First to Worst". I think that's way too much. Sure it was a bad loss, sure I'll be thinking of it until 7:10 tonight, but when you come right down to it, its only one game in July. In no way does this drop the Mets to the bottom of the N.L East. Their one game back. If the Amazins' win tonight, its right back where it was at 9:45 last night. Tied for first place, looking to begin a long stay in that top spot.

Another reason why I don't think you can go bonkers over last night's loss- Billy Wagner didn't pitch. To me, this is a far worse loss if Wagner comes in and blows the save and the game. Sure, the game highlights a boatload of concerns if Wagner is out for a significant period of time. But all indications are that he won't be. Wagner wanted to pitch last night but was told by the medical poombahs that he should take the day. Doesn't sound to me like something to be all too concerned about. The offense still hit the ball well- even getting a run in the ninth. Santana pitched well again. It has to be getting frustrating for the big ticket item. He should have at least thirteen wins at this point. He only has eight. That's a crime (and exactly why wins for a pitcher is one of the most overrated stats in sports). You can't expect him to go nine innings every time. I can't stand the constant second guess, should Santana have gone nine innings? When do pitchers ever go nine anymore? Furthermore, when do high priced aces ever go nine with over 100 pitches. Not many.

If the Mets loose two out of three. It's bad. If they get swept, its bad. But if the Mets take the next two, something that is more then conceivable considering the way they have played against the Phils this year, is last nights loss awful. Is it even that bad? no. Lets not overreact yet. That being said, tonight's a huge game for John Maine.

Jordan Lauterbach

There Goes Your Ace Set- Giants Trade Shockey

This just in, The Giants have traded tight end Jeremy Shockey to the Saints for a second and fifth round pick in the 2009 draft.

We have beaten this story to death on Fourth Down throughout the last few weeks and finally we have closure. Jeremy Shockey's Giant career is done. The value is perfect. The Saints weren't going to give up a first rounder for the tight end. I don't think anyone would. I have been critical of Shockey for most of his career. The guy is tremendously overrated. He was a guy who wanted to be a first option pass catching tight end, but never had the hands to do so. I know that my Fourth Down buddy and resident Giant expert Anthony DeFranco will argue that he was more of a complete tight end in recent years and that has increased his overall value. While I don't disagree, I still like my tight end to be a competent extension of my passing game. This was my frustration with Anthony Becht in Jet land all those years ago. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way comparing Shockey with Anthony Becht. Shockey was a much better player but not one I saw as someone who could be responsible for overall team sucess.

More then anything though, I think this was a locker room move. There is no doubt that Shockey has value on the field with this team, but is the headache he causes off the field worth what he brings on Sundays? The answer to that question was a resounding yes until this season. We saw the Giants gel into a different and more cohessive team when Shockey went down mid year. His absence seamed to do nothing but benefit the team. When something of that natture happens, I don't think you have any choice then to deal the guy. It was also widely rumored that Shockey was upset that the Giants won the Super Bowl without him. Their is a large and distinct difference between being upset that you weren't on the field for the Super Bowl run and being upset that there was a Super Bowl run. The first is an obvious competitive instinct and is understandable, even admirable. But the second is a thought process that is based in pure greed and selfishness. That is not the mark of a winning player. The Giants finally realized this and got rid of a problem before it started. This is a move that organizations who know what there doing make.

It will be fascinating to me to see how Shockey transitions from the bright lights he seemed to love so much in New York to the cozy comfort of the Louisiana Bayou. This could go one of two ways. The move could set him straight. It could make him come back to earth. Here he was, in a potentially great situation playing tight end in what I think would have been a tremendously effective ace set for the defending Super Bowl Champs. But because of a bad attitude towards a team that so obviously didn't need him, he's a Saint. This could turn him around . Maybe he'll look at his mistake and work on becoming a more complete tight end who is a good locker room guy and, eventfully, a winner. But somehow I doubt it. I have a sneaky feeling that Shockey is going to be even more ornery and disgruntled than he was in New York. This certainly won't bode well for the Saint. The one thing going for New Orleans in this regard is the reltionship Shockey has with head coach Sean Peyton. Payton was the Giants offensive coordinator during Shockey's rookie season. Shockey had 74 catches for 894 yards that year. He was a breath of fresh air for the Giant organization. Boy, how times have changed. Maybe he can return to being that kind of spark plug for the Saints. New Orleans certainly tried hard enough. They tried for months to get him with the hope that things would turn around for him once he got a change of scenery. The talent doesn't need turning around. The attitude does. The Saints need Shockey to be one. Somehow, I just don't see it. Apparently, neither do the Super Bowl champs.

And again I am sitting here being forced to praise the Giants...when does it end......

There will be plenty more of this tonight on The Edge. Show starts at 9pm on mywcwp.com and youcastr.com

Jordan Lauterbach

Early Prediction for The Open

The British Open is about a week away and just about every analyst has a different view of how the event will play out. Usually, Tiger Woods would be the popular choice, but he is out for the season following his heroic performance at the US Open; beating out Rocco Mediate over 91 holes with a broken leg.

With the top golfer in the world out of commission, the door is wide open for the field.

I'll have to go with KJ Choi. He's a good ball striker and hits 64% of fairways; which are valuable attributes to have while playing at the lengthy Royal Birkdale. Choi is always a solid player and can rise to the top against the field.

My Dad went out on a limb and predicted that Andres Romero would take the crown. Romero finished in 3rd place at last year's British Open.

Other players to watch: Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim and Boo Weekly

Players to forget: Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen

But who knows? There could be another super-sleeper like Padraig Harrington.

-Max Caster

The Sportswire
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Knicks Refuse to Trade Randolph... Wait, what!?

League sources are reporting that the Knicks rejected an offer that would send ballhog Zach Raandolph to the Clippers. With Elton Brand gone, L.A. has enough cap room to make the trade without having to give the Knicks a bunch of contracts that equal Randolph's large contract.

Here's my first question: What the hell is Donnie Walsh thinking!!??

How can you pass up a perfect offer. This trade would send Z-Bo, an above average player, to the Western Conference, get him off of the books, get him away from Curry in the low post, and get rid of a cancer.

Zach did not play within the team structure for the majority of last season. Many times, Randolph would break up the flow of a play by getting a pass down low only to walk out to the corner for a 20 foot jumper.

Z-Bo also caused Curry's production to drop off. Two seasons ago, Curry played way above expectations and should have been voted to the All-Star team. He was able to score because he was the main option in the paint. Zach's presence hindered Curry's development into an even more dominant center. With Curry having to split touches with Zach, Curry became uninspired and seemed more lazy than he already was perceived to be.

Also, the D'Antoni offense doesn't call for a slow, sluggish, and selfish power forward.

This is a big miss for Walsh, D'Antoni and the Knicks. The Clippers pretty much gave the Knicks the ideal move to get rid of a big problem.

I'm so disappointed. I'm not even angry. This is a terrible way to end the night.

Max Caster

The Sportswire
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Over the Ropes
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RIP Bobby Murcer

Bobby Murcer, one of the voices I grew up listening to, has passed away from brain cancer at the age of 62.

Being a Yankee fan, I feel like I had the privilege to listen to Bobby Murcer and Phil Rizzuto do Yankee games. Their way of broadcasting made you feel like they were talking directly to you. It made the games more enjoyable and definately entertaining.

Murcer was battling brain cancer since early 2007, and I thought he was doing well, and was looking forward to hearing him again on the YES Network doing games.

With Rizzuto passing away towards the end of last season, and with Murcer gone now too, I cant help but feel like a piece of my childhood has left with them.

All the condolences and prayers to Bobbys family.

RIP Bobby, you made Yankee games entertaining and were a part of my life that I will always remember.

- Mike Tramontozzi

BIG EDGE TONIGHT

LIKE YOU WOULD EXPECT ANY LESS FROM YOUR BUDDIES AT THE EDGE....

TONIGHT-

BRANDON ADAMS FROM "The Brandon and Wolvey Show" on 790- The Zone- Atlanta joins us to talk about the Atlanta Braves.

B.D Galloff from hockeybuzz.com talks about the Islanders off-season, or lack thereof.

Kat Obrien From Newsday previews a huge Yankees/Rays series.

Does Steve still think the Yanks are A.L East crown bound?

Is Jordan as excited as ever about the last Met Road trip?

Click here at 9pm (eastern) to find out.

Call the show and get your voice heard- 516-299-2030

The Edge 9-11pm TONIGHT only on mywcwp.com

A Steping Stone to an 09 BSC Return

I could not agree with this any more....

From Rivals.com:

It won't be much of a surprise if Notre Dame emerges from the wreckage of its 2007 season and regains some respectability by going 6-6 or 7-5, but a look at the Irish's schedule shows it isn't so far-fetched to think they could do even better than that.
Instead of beginning the season with a "Big Six" program the way they usually do, the Irish open the 2008 slate with a near-certain victory against San Diego State. Then, they play host to a Michigan team retooling its offense under a first-year coach. If the Irish pull off a victory in those first two games, they should have plenty of confidence as they face the meat of a schedule that includes only one program (USC) ranked among the top 24 teams in Rivals.com's preseason countdown.
Notre Dame returns just about everyone on offense other than center John Sullivan and tight end John Carlson. Assuming Jimmy Clausen lives up to expectations in his sophomore season – and that the line gives him enough time to throw after allowing an NCAA-leading 58 sacks last season – the Irish should at least be average, which would represent a major upgrade.
The defensive line is a major question mark, but the pass defense could be solid with David Bruton and Darrin Walls in the secondary. There are plenty of potential losses on this schedule, and you have to think the Irish will slip up at least four times while facing the likes of Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Boston College.
But when you study that schedule, the only near-certain loss is the season finale against USC. So maybe that 6-6 or 7-5 finish everyone's forecasting might be more like 8-4 or 9-3.

I showed this to my buddy Brad and he said to me: "What, you're excited about a 6-6 record?"

But that's not the point. The point is that this year is what I refur to as a "stepping stone year". There not going to win 10 or 11 games this year, but 7 or 8 is certainly not out of the question. This year is all about the progression of Jimmy Clausen. To me, you have to throw last year out. I'll be the first one to say it- the blame for last season goes squarely on the boulder-like shoulders of Charlie Weis. We all knew that it was going to be a transition year. There was no doubt about it. When you loose one of the best quarterbacks in your modern history, the next year is bound to take a hit. But it didn't have to be that bad. It didn't have to be loose to Navy and Air Force bad. But Weis did as worse a job with the quarterback situation as he could have. Demitrius Jones never should have started the season. Despite this, he never should have been pulled during the Georgia Tech loss. In retrospect, last year should have been Evan Sharply's year. It should have been Clausen's year to learn from the bench, not from the battle lines. A Sharply year would not have made a gigantic difference but it would have at least gotten them a bowl birth.

There is not a logical reason why this Irish team can't win at least 7 games. After last year, I'll take that in a second.

Exactly two months from today, I'll be writing my first game recap column...and I think it will be a happy one.

-Jordan Lauterbach