Has anyone checked the spacious upstairs office in the Jets’ state-of-the-art facility in Florham Park, N.J., lately? Is that Woody Johnson or Al Davis sitting behind the big desk pulling the strings?
If you’re a Jets fan, you probably have heard the term “Raiders East” applied to your team of late.
The Jets, after all, suddenly have become a safe haven for some highly talented players who arrived as high risks based on some off-the-field — to borrow a word from Tiger Woods — transgressions.
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Last season it was Braylon Edwards, the supposed locker room headache in Cleveland, who was brought in despite arriving with some legal woes in tow.
Earlier this offseason, the Jets acquired cornerback Antonio Cromartie despite the fact that he has seven children with six different women in five different states and was behind on paternity payments.
The latest addition to the Jets roster is receiver Santonio Holmes, who will spend his first four games as a Jet watching from home as he serves a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
The Jets believe they can deal with these types of issues because their locker room is filled with character veterans who will keep the wayward in line, or “keep them on the reservation,” as one highly-placed Jets executive likes to say.
Edwards has caused little-to-no negative stir inside the Jets locker room since he arrived. Cromartie already has wowed his new teammates with a tireless work ethic, and he seems giddy to be a Jet. Holmes, according to those who know him, is a good kid who has made some mistakes.
Risks? Sure they’re risks, but the Jets believe they have the formula to turn those risks into brilliant business decisions.
Certainly another 70 catches out of Holmes this season and something close to the 10 interceptions Cromartie had a couple of years ago in San Diego will make Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum look like geniuses.
And if it all works out, the veterans who preside over that Jets locker room might deserve some kind of special bonus.
“When in Rome, do what the Romans do,” Jets linebacker Bart Scott said. “If you surround these young players with people that do things the right way, they’ll come around.”
Holmes’ locker is right next to Scott’s. Cromartie’s locker is next to the stall of even-keel center Nick Mangold.
Johnson and Tannenbaum would not have taken the risks of acquiring these players without the trust they have in the locker room.
“Our locker room is very tight,” veteran tackle Damien Woody said. “We’ve got very good leadership in the locker room, and I think that played into their decisions to being some of these guys in.”
Scott, who already has had Cromartie over to his house, said, “A few guys had a few issues, but we’re looking at those things as the past. It’s a clean slate when you walk into this locker room.”