Mark Sanchez Sidesteps The 'Elite' Question

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Eric LeGrand Visited New York Jets Football Practice On Thursday

Eric LeGrand visited the New York Jets football practice on Thursday, less than a year after sustaining an injury while playing for Rutgers that was originally expected to immobilize the 20-year-old for the rest of his life. LeGrand has been recovering slowly but surely, however, and the latest update on his road to recovery happened Thursday when he accepted an invitation from former teammate Jamaal Westerman to attend Jets' practice.

Westerman, a linebacker who recorded seven tackles for the Jets last season, told reporters after practice that LeGrand has been an inspiration to him and several of his New York teammates.

"More than a good player, he was just a good guy," Westerman told ESPN's Jane McManus. "His mom's nice, everybody's nice, we're a family out at Rutgers. So it was hurtful what happened to him, but just to see his recovery and how he's taken it, and how he's taken it with a smile."

LeGrand also has ties to Bart Scott as the linebacker is donating all of the proceeds of his "Can't Wait" t-shirts to a foundation set up to help LeGrand in his recovery efforts called the LeGrand Believe Fund.

Plaxico Burress Says First Practice 'Really Felt Great'

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Aaron Maybin Wants To Look Forward, Not Back

Aaron Maybin, newly-acquired by the New York Jets just days after being released by the Buffalo Bills, After his first practice with the Jets on Wednesday, Maybin did not want to discuss his disappointing two seasons in Buffalo.

“That’s the past and I’m looking forward. My complete and total focus right now is on the New York Jets and helping us get to the Super Bowl,” Maybin said.

Obviously, Maybin has heard about Jets coach Rex Ryan and his guarantees.

Seriously, though, Maybin does have much to prove. Drafted 11th overall by the Bills in 2009 he started just one game in two seasons and never recorded a sack.

Maybin is hoping that playing for Ryan helps him jump start his sidetracked career.

“Honestly, when you look at his track record, you look at the things that he’s done in this league, the defenses that he’s had (and) the way that they rush the passer, they just don’t rush the passer, they have a great track record of getting home and getting to the quarterback,” Maybin said. “For somebody like myself, who really tries to take pride in that aspect of my game, there is not a better scenario that you want to come into, especially a coach with that kind of defensive mentality.”.

Jerricho Cotchery Notes Differences Between Jets, Steelers

Rex Ryan 'Excited About' Aaron Maybin

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan said today that he is “excited about” Aaron Maybin, signed today by the team. Maybin, the 11th pick in the 2009 draft, was released earlier this week after only two seasons with the Buffalo Bills.

“We will give him that opportunity to come here and see what he can do. I’m excited about him. I always spoke high of him in Buffalo. I thought he had ability to rush the passer,” Ryan said. “We’ll see how he does. I think he’s got some talent, some pass-rush ability, and if he sticks on our team, he’s going to be a pass rusher for us. We don’t need him to be a starter, we’ve got two excellent starting outside linebackers already. So we’ll see, we’re going to give him an opportunity to help on defense and help Mike Westhoff on special teams.”

Maybin was a bust with the Bills, starting just one game in two seasons and registering zero sacks and only 23 tackles. The Jets are not taking on much in terms of financial obligation. The Bills are reportedly still on the hook for $2 million in guaranteed money that Maybin will receive.

Report: Jets Set To Sign Aaron Maybin

After failing to get Vernon Gholston on track, New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is poised to try again with another first-round bust in Aaron Maybin.

According to reports, the No. 11 pick in the 2009 draft was just a physical away from being added to the Jets training camp roster.  Maybin was released this week by the Buffalo Bills after failing to pick up one sack in his two seasons in the NFL after starring at Pen State.

Ryan is the king of motivation and will be looking to see if playing the team that gave up on him twice can serve as a boost as he tries to prove he belongs at this level.

Assuming Maybin passes his physical, he would present the Jets with the perfect kind of low-risk/high-reward situation that can help remedy the pass rush issues facing Ryan's defense.

New York Jets Training Camp: Robert Turner Suffers Broken Leg

Could the New York Jets turn to one of two former New York Giants for help along their decimated offensive line? We may find out in the next few days.

The Jets have reportedly lost offensive lineman Robert Turner, their primary backup lineman, to a broken leg. Turner suffered the injury during Monday’s 20-16 preseason loss to the Houston Texans.

Turner will have surgery on his broken right leg this week, according to reports.

Two former Giants, center Shaun O’Hara and guard/center Rich Seubert, are still looking for new teams after being released by the Giants at the beginning of training camp. O’Hara was limited last season due to knee and ankle injuries. Seubert played well, but suffered a knee injury near the end of the season and is not likely to be ready Week 1.

The Jets, though, seem to be in a position where they need reinforcements on the line. So, one of the two former Giants might get the call.

After Rex Ryan Threatened To Bench Mark Sanchez, Young Quarterback Wasn't Happy: "I Wanted To Fight Him."

Plaxico Burress Won't Play Vs. Texans Due To Ankle Injury

New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress has not begun his second NFL career the way he had hoped. Burress has barely practiced with the Jets due to an injured left ankle, and will not play in Monday’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans.

Burress, of course, is returning to the NFL after serving approxmately two years in prison for shooting himself in the leg with an unregistered handgun while at a Manhattan nightclub during the 2008 NFL season. He was a member of the New York Giants at the time.

Burress had an MRI on the injured ankle today, and called it a "classic sprain." He told reporters that he would be playing if this were the regular season.

"We all want to see him out there," said Jets coach Rex Ryan. "But is it in the best interest of him? I don’t think so."

During his final season with the Giants, 2008, Burress seldom practiced due to what he said was a right ankle injury.

The Jets are hoping Burress, who they are paying $3 million, will join Santonio Holmes and Derrick Mason to give them a formidable receiving corps.

Until he is able to get on the field, however, no one has any idea what type of player Burress can still be.

Rex Ryan, Mike Francesa Go Toe-To-Toe On WFAN

Mike Francesa, the loudmouth WFAN sports radio talk show host, visited New York Jets camp Thursday. That means he got to talk to Rex Ryan, the Jets loudmouth coach. The result? Fireworks, of course.

Sports Radio Interviews has the complete transcript. We have some excerpts below:

Is all your trash talk real or is it more show business to sell tickets? Is it put on?

“I think it is definitely real, but is there motives behind some of the things I do? Maybe a little bit [of show business]. Especially to stir it up a little bit against some people.”

Do you ever think that you put your team in a precarious position by the things you say? Are you going to stay in the prediction business?

“Well I look at it this way, we have one goal. One goal from the day I walked in here and that’s to win a Super Bowl. I never came here to go to the AFC Championship Game. That’s part of it. That’s great. [Mike Francesa: That’s gotta be everyone’s goal?] That’s why I don’t understand why I’m so different than everyone else. Maybe it’s because I do say it. Now look after we win it you don’t have to put me in that god category.”

See you didn’t even win the Super Bowl yet. Sometimes I think that you think you have won a Super Bowl already here with the things you say?

“Absolutely. I know I didn’t. I’ve won it in the past. The fact that my family has won five of them. I know what it looks like. That’s why I think we have the goods to do it. Nobody is going to convince me otherwise until they say ‘hey you guys don’t play this week because you are out of the playoffs or whatever.’ But to me we are going for it. It’s the only goal we have and I just want our guys to envision…you know what because they know I am speaking from the heart and I’m telling you what I believe to be the truth. Is it the truth? We are going to find out. The great thing is I can’t wait because we get to prove it on the field and we’ll see who’s right.”

— Listen to the complete interview

Plaxico Burress Says He Is 'Overjoyed' To Be Playing Football Again

Plaxico Burress joined the Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio New York earlier this week to talk about his comeback to the NFL. Sports Radio Interviews has the full transcript, and here are some excerpts:

How he feels to be back playing football:

“It’s just an overjoyed feeling everyday being able to come out here and get back to playing football, something that I love to do. I’m just rededicating myself and I’m recommitted to just come out here, work hard every day, and just having the opportunity to be able to come out and play in this league everyday it’s more of an honor. I’m just happy to be here.”

Whether or not he ever lost hope:

“No. Never. (Host: That drove you?) Of course. I had a lot of support from fans all around the world. Japan, Thailand, and places that you wouldn’t even know people knew who you were and had a lot of love out there. They were definitely some of the people that kept me motivated to getting back to playing in this league and I knew that one day if I just kept in pretty good shape and kept working hard that I would be able to play again.”

Whether or not the Jets are a Super Bowl contender:

“It’s one of the reasons I came here. I’ve sat here and watched this team come through the ranks over the past few years with the level they’re playing at and get to the Championship two years in a row and not being able to get over that hump. I understand the mentality is every day you come into the building is to win a championship, nothing less. I love it, it’s contagious, guys are buying into it, and guys are working hard to get to that point. I just hope that I’m the piece to the puzzle that can get these guys over the hump. Not just to get there but to win a world championship. We have everything intact, it’s just about us going out and executing and playing hard-nosed football.”

Without doubt, if Burress can be anything close to what he was with the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers he can be a weapon. Right now, though, nobody knows for sure what tyope of player Burress will be.

Rex Ryan Would Rather Be In Cortland

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan would rather be in Cortland than at the Jets facility in Florham Park, N.J. — at least for training camp.

“I prefer to have camp up in Cortland. The reason I always said that was it gives you a chance where all you have is football and each other. That’s a great thing. You don’t have your families or anything else. I think it’s more of a bonding thing and you don’t have that as much here. Obviously, our facilities can handle anything. These are phenomenal facilities. We have five full fields, so this is as good as it gets, but I still miss that part of it. The way the schedule is set up, we’re getting mental work. We have meetings on top of meetings. Then, we have the walk-thru. I think we figured it was 24 practices as compared to 36 last year. That’s kind of what you’re (working with),” Ryan said.

“Obviously, there are no two-a-days or anything like that, so it is different. We’re meeting. Guys will meet until 10 at night, so it’s similar as far as the time commitment, but you don’t have the going back to your room. We used to do things (like) movie nights (and) different things. We’d say, ‘Ok, you get to vote on it. You have the night off, but you have to do some kind of activity,’ whether it was going to a movie, whether it was a bible study or whether it was going out and drinking beer. You had to do it with a teammate, but you don’t really have that now, which is a little different.”

ESPN Preseason NFL Power Rankings: Jets No. 7, Giants No. 11

Rex Ryan Talks about Shaun Ellis, Nnamdi Asomugha And More

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan was on the Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio New York earlier this week. Among other things, Ryan talked about the departure of Shaun Ellis to the New England Patriots and Nnamdi Asomugh’s decision to sign with Philadelphia instead of with the Jets.

Q: The big story today is that Shaun Ellis signed with the Patriots yesterday. Here’s what I don’t understand Rex. You guys made him an offer. That’s what you thought he was worth. Then the Patriots go out and an up the offer by 4 times the amount you guys were offering. How could the Patriots think that much more of him than you guys?

A: “Well no. I disagree a little bit. I think what happens is that you look at your team. This isn’t a thing where you just have blank spending or we would have the entire team back. We liked our team from last year. This is about you gotta balance things. We couldn’t afford with the draft picks that we’ve had and things like that. We would have liked to have Shaun back, but it would have to have been at our price.”

A: Rex, you always hear how football players around the league want to play for you and the Jets. The Jets offered Nnamdi Asomugha a great deal, but he decided to go somewhere else. Did that shock you when Mike Tannenbaum said we are not going to get Nnamdi Asomugha? What did you think?

A: “No it never shocked me at all. It’s one of those things. It’s where you place your priorities and if your priorities chase the last dollar than obviously that is what you are going to do. I felt we had a great chance to get him, but it certainly was not a forgone conclusion that we were going to get him. We never flinched one bit. In fact if you said this was the team we were going to end up with we would have signed on for this one. I think Nnamdi Asomugha is a terrific player. There’s no question about that. He’s a great, fine, young man, but again sometimes maybe this place isn’t for everybody. I truly think that this is the time to be a Jet. This is our golden age to be a New York Jet. I think we can compete with any team in the league. In fact I think we will beat every team in this league. The beauty of it is that it’s going to be starting up real soon and we are going to find out.”

Q: Nnamdi Asomugha said he had a better chance to win Super Bowl in Philadelphia. Do you think he had a better chance in Philly or here in New York?

A: “We get to answer that on the field and I am happy for that. I definitely believe we can win it here. I don’t know there situation or whatever and I don’t really care. I know how we feel that we got the team to beat and we’ll find out.”

New York Jets Training Camp: Mark Sanchez Admits 'Transition' With New Receivers

Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason are in. Jerricho Cotchery, Braylon Edwards and Brad Smith are out. New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez admitted Monday that the Jets offense "is in a bit of a transition."

The third-year quarterback knows it will take some time for him to develop some rapport with Burress and Mason.

"These guys have played a lot of ball and they picked up our system very quickly so I think the most important thing for me is to get comfortable with their route running, understand what they're thinking, talking things out and then go play it out in the preseason and see how we do," Sanchez said.

Sanchez said Burress is "doing a great job picking up the checks and we'll just get him full speed as soon as possible."

He has been impressed by Mason thus far, calling him "a veteran, savvy guy, he knows how to use his body. He has really great hands and he'll teach us all quite a bit about playing. He's the ultimate pro. He's a respectful guy. He knows how to get his work in, knows when to take breaks, knows when to laugh, knows when to have fun and knows when to get to work."

New York Jets Training Camp 08.06: Derrick Mason Joins Gang Green

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