Off the teleconference
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- March
- 6
Before getting to what Thomas Jones had to say, the Jets also announced the signing of Cowboys free agent defensive end Kenyon Coleman, who provides some size on the edge at 6-foot-5, 295 pounds.
It’s believed Coleman is getting about $7 million in guaranteed money, a nice payday off his 2006 season under Bill Parcells, who undoubtedly gave a good recommendation to Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum. Coleman had 30 tackles, including 25 solo, to go with four sacks as a reserve. But coming into last season, he had just 38 career tackles and 2.5 sacks in four previous seasons with the Cowboys and a rookie campaign in Oakland, where he played just one game.
Coleman is recovering from shoulder surgery.
The Jets also re-signed veteran defensive lineman Bobby Hamilton, who they cut for salary cap purposes.
And, in case you didn’t notice it, Patriots linebacker Tully Banta-Cain “signed with the 49ers.”:http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2789594
As for Jones, he sounded really pumped to be coming to the Jets. And why wouldn’t he, for $12 million guaranteed and $20 million total over four seasons.
He said he was impressed with New York when the Bears came in back-to-back weeks last season to play the Giants and Jets.
“The energy, the excitement I felt at the Meadowlands and being in New York in general was special,’’ Jones said.
Truth be told, though, Jones already sounded like a player who had already spent a lot of time with Jets coach Eric Mangini. In other words, he toed the company line, not daring to hint that he expects to be the featured back.
No doubt, Jones is going to have to share at least a little of the playing time with Leon Washington.
“I’m here to help this team win,’’ Jones said. “The best players play. It’s a great situation, competition makes everybody better.’’
Asked why the Bears might want to trade him, Jones didn’t bite on the fact that Chicago wanted to give Cedric Benson more playing time.
“That’s a situation you might want to address with the Bears,’’ Jones said. “I had a great, great time in Chicago.’’
Jones thanked Bears coach Lovie Smith. He’s already praising Mangini.
“They’re a team you can tell just from watching them on film and playing them that week, they have guys that played hard,’’ Jones said. “I met with Mangini yesterday. He’s a great guy. He’s definitely a guy you want to play for.’’
Jones called himself a “workout warrior’’ and said not being overused his first four seasons in the NFL is benefiting him now.
“I’m very in tune with my body,’’ Jones said. “The way I feel right now, I could play for a long, long time. I’m just happy the Jets showed interest in bringing me here.’’
Jones also praised the Jets’ offensive line and said he’s looking forward to playing with quarterback Chad Pennington. Jones didn’t say this but Pennington is obviously a huge upgrade over Rex Grossman.
“I came out and met Chad and we worked out before the draft,’’ Jones said. “He’s a great player, a resilient guy, a smart guy. He definitely puts you in positive positions on offense. That’s something I’m looking forward to.’’
As for Tannenbaum, he said negotiations between with Jones’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, went late into last night and stretched out into this afternoon. Tannenbaum is particularly happy the Jets still have four picks on the draft’s first day.
“We did a lot of research on Thomas as a person and we think he’s a good fit on and off the field,’’ Tannenbaum said. “He’s a good, tough, Northeast runner.’’
As for Coleman, Tannenbaum was also obviously pleased.
“We expect Kenyon to be a significant contributor,’’ Tannenbaum said. “He played a similar defense in Dallas and we had an excellent visit with Kenyon. We feel like we’ve added competition and depth at that position.’’
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, March 6th, 2007 at 6:58 pm by Andrew Gross.
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Jane McManus 
Andrew,
Nice job the the update.
I’m a little puzzled though as to why they would re-sign Bobby Hamilton, since they still have KVO on the roster. If the goal is to improve the DL productivity and get more effective and efficient across the front 7. Keeping both on the roster seems like a waste to me.
Beyond that, I am please with the TJ deal, and the contract seems reasonable in that they kept it to 4 years.
I must say, I am a little disappointed that Banta-Cain signed with SF. I thought he would have helped (of course after Porter and Thomas). But Thomas Jones fills a hole as does Coleman. It should be an exciting draft but I still think Tannenbaum has at least another move up his sleeve, any thoughts? The great part about this front office is it seems that things are kept under wraps, no need for the rest of the league to know everything!!
Andrew,
Thanks for all the detailed updates.
So far, I’m impressed by how things are going. Tannenbaum is filling needs and adding depth without overspending. I feel like the team has already improved and I’m sure there’s more coming.
I’ve read on a few sites the Raiders are gonna release Lamont Jordan..how about a Jordan Jones Washington running back package?
No way Hamilton and KVO will be on opening day roster.
Good guys for lockerroom, OTAs, training camp, though.
Dude, your post is dated. Jordan agreed to take less of a bonus to stay in Oakland yesterday. And stupidly too. He would have gotten more than his original bonus as a free agent AND gotten out of Oakland. Dumb.
And equally dumb is the idea that there is enough carries for Jordan, Jones and Washington.
Don’t forget Cedric Houston.
in the past we have heard about guys we have a connection with and want to come to N.Y. Well you can forget about that, because the only connection and loyalty these guys have is $$$$$$$$$. Banta-Cain and Graham, no matter how much they may like Mangini were going where the money was. All post FA all we heard was Graham, Graham, Graham. He didn’t even give us a sniff. I don’t necessarilly think that the JETS are done signing FA players. They still need a starting LT and a shut down CB.
>>They still need a starting LT and a shut down CB.
Don’t forget an OG and another LB too.
Am I the only one who thinks they overpaid for Kenyon Coleman? How does a reserve get $7 million in guaranteed money?
Great stuff on TJ.
Hey Mark..just so you know..Coleman had 4 sacks as a part time player…while Bowen had 5 not 6 1/2 as a full time player
Mark,
At first, I was surprised by what they paid for a career reserve, but in this free agency season it seems to be the going rate. Teams are paying up for aging, arguably over the hill, players left and right. At least this guy is just approaching his prime, and one can only hope that they got a rave review from Bill Parcells.
Joe: I understand that, but if he was THAT good, why has he been a reserve his whole career? Not saying it wasn’t a good signing, but it just seems like a bit much to throw his way. I still think the Jets now target the draft for finding their d-lineman.
Greg: I hope you’re right.
I agree with Mark, too much guarantee for a career reserve.
I love the TJ signing, but overall their free agency record is less than stellar, have a feeling they and we may regret the Coleman deal.
He does have good size and potential, but that is a lot of money.
Andrew,
At this point OT appears to be the biggest need.
Are they happy with any of the incumbents? Along with Adrian Jones, who I think fits better at Guard if sober, there are a couple of other young guys hanging around that we have not heard much about, wondering if they were in their plans?
I would think that if they liked anyone in free agency they would have already scheduled a visit. One name that seems to fit at RT is Mike Rosenthal, he would be a step up over Clement and is at least as good as Columbo.
All of the tackles that look to be availabe at the end of round one appear to be projects.
I’ll be honest, I thought Adrian Jones would have been cut by this time, just based on his DUI incident. Obviously, I’m wrong, which means the Jets probably do see something usable in him for next season. The fact that he didn’t start in 2006 was a disappointment to the Jets but it could be a good sign for his development that he’s still employed by the Jets.
Perhaps A Jones has got himself straightened out and is the plan, he was going to be the ROT of the future when drafted.
Where is it stated how much money Coleman got? I can’t find it. I just checked a few numbers on Coleman and Bowen. Coleman 28 yrs old in April,5 seasons 6 ft 8..295 lbs. 30 tackles…4 sacks in 16 games as a sub. Bowen 30 yrs old in July..8 seasons..6 ft 3..265lbs.. 20 tackles 5.25 sacks in 16 games as a starter. I am sure Bowen would have gotten more money than Coleman. But I feel that Coleman was the better deal..He is a bigger man, which is what is needed in the 3/4 defense.Plus this is the NFL and no contracts are guarenteed.{To each his own}
Joe B,
I reported in today’s paper Coleman received $20 million for five years with approximately $7 million in guaranteed money. I almost was afraid to go with what I’d heard because the figures seemed high. But that’s the lay of the land right now in the NFL.
He’s rehabbing from off season shoulder surgery to boot.
Hope they are right, but….
Definitely too much money for a reserve. But like you said Andrew, that’s the lay of the land right now. Unfortunately, Clements and Thomas set the market VERY high.
I also don’t see how the Dolphins gave Porter $20 million in guaranteed money when he’s not a 4-3 LB and getting older and slower.
We are bringing in a ton of defensive lineman, but if we want our defense to take another step, we really need to get a huge nose tackle, somewhere in the 360 pound range. Are there any of those out there? We need someone to clog up the middle, take on a couple of offensive lineman and free up Vilma. Any word on Columbo from Dallas? I heard that Dallas offered him a contract!
Just a thought as far as the offensive line goes, Mulitalo from Baltimore was released, he has been a pretty good guard for the Ravens, might help us..
Just for the record, Bowens started zero games in 2006.