LT! Bringing the heat down on the Jets! His interview on Showtime’s Inside the NFL:
I watched this live as it aired on Showtime last night… and thought to myself as LT was talking, “Damn, he’s is not holding back at all… just tellin’ like it is.” Shocked me. This morning, I’ve seen a few “LT is throwing the Jets under the bus!” “LT needs to keep his mouth shut!” type of comments on twitter. I don’t think so at all. He was just being honest. I think he was trying to position himself for his post-NFL career too… analyst jobs are tough to come by. Tell ya what though, no chance he goes back to the Jets after this. Nobody in that locker room would feel comfortable bringing him back after saying that stuff, even if it was all true.
So, will LT come back to the Chargers? I’ve heard the rumors. I’m not buying ’em though. I just don’t think he fits the current system, and right now… I’d take Mathews, Tolbert and Hester over him in the backfield. Yes, I know Hester and Tolbert are free agents, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Don’t forget about Curtis Brinkley either. I just don’t think the Bolts want LT back. Too much baggage and history at this point. If he signs with the Chargers, it will be just to retire in the uniform, which he should do. Just feels right. Either way, good luck to our past Man Crush, LT… seems a nice fellow. He was always kind to me.
-bp
If you want to read some of the transcript of what LT had to say, USA Today has it here.
On Jets’ venomous locker room atmosphere:
It got out-of-hand toward the end of the season. That is why it got out in the media. This is something that happened (in the) third or fourth week of the season, that was going on, and nobody knew about it because the players kept it under wraps. Until we went on that losing streak and guys started to speak up and speak out about certain things…It is as bad as I’ve ever been around, honestly. And I’ve been around some locker rooms and quarterback-receiver situations and what-not. But it was as bad as I’ve been around. You know it was at the point where I think the players could no longer do anything about it. There was nothing that the players could do.
On Jets organization:
Guys think about this. They (Jets Organization) created this. This is the type of football team that they wanted. Mike Tannenbaum, Rex Ryan are both brash, in-your-face type of style, say whatever you want, just get it done on the field. And then it leads to other things, as guys are calling each other out and saying I’m not getting the ball or whatever it may be.
Can Jets QB Mark Sanchez overcome rips from anonymous teammates?
I think he can overcome it. I think, the guy that said, that came at him, I don’t know who it was, that said Sanchez was lazy, but I disagree with that. The guy is not lazy, guys. He is not a lazy guy. He puts in the time after practice in the film room. He can get it done. He just has to have pieces around him to help him get it done.
Is Sanchez pampered?
Yes he is, I would say a bit pampered because he has no competition. He has no real threat to say this guy may take my job.
On Ryan’s bold predictions for the Jets:
I would prefer him not to say it as much as he did. I don’t mind every now and again saying we are going to win a championship. Maybe at the beginning of the year just saying, ‘Hey, our goal is to win a championship.’ But at the same time every week if you are calling out a team on certain things, I think it puts a little extra on your team. Guys really want to go out there and say, ‘Let’s shut this guy up. Let’s shut these Jets up, just end their season.’ I think that adds to that when Rex speaks up like that because, you know, everybody doesn’t like that type of style, and they’re not supposed to. But at the same time there are certain things that you can do to not have it come off like that.
About the Jets naming unhappy WR Santonio Holmes a team captain:
The players had nothing to do with that vote. Coaches vote on the captains with the Jets.
[screengrab via SportsGrid]