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Bringing you all of the day's developments from Cortland, it's Smartline. Here's your host, Kent Brockman.
Leon Not Expecting a New Deal - NY Daily News
Remember how I thought Leon Washington reporting indicated talks were progressing? The theory went Leon thought the Jets were acting in good faith, and he would get a new contract without holding out. Apparently that was way off. Leon is extremely unhappy and doesn't expect anything to happen soon. He says he's not going to leave camp, which is good. The bad is this could hamper negotiations in the future. Washington's agent seems like a hard bargainer. Might he increase his demands to punish the team for waiting so long? This might not hurt in the near future. The long run could be a different story.
Word is that Mark Sanchez outplayed Kellen Clemens on the first day of camp. Neither quarterback seemed to be very sharp, though. Sanchez doesn't necessarily need to outplay Clemens. He just needs to show himself capable. Avoiding an ugly first outing puts him well on his way. The one silver lining in the ugly weather today is it gave Sanchez a chance to handle less than optimum conditions. There aren't many bad days in Los Angeles. There are a lot in the Meadowlands, especially as the season gets older. This doesn't simulate the swirling winds of Giants Stadium, but it is a chance to handle a bit of adversity from mother nature.
NY Jets CB Donald Strickland appears to hurt wrist but returns to practice - NJ.com
Donald Strickland got dinged up. It doesn't sound too serious since he returned to practice. Not that losing Strickland would be a good thing, but cornerback is one of the few positions at which the Jets are deep and could survive an injury (although losing either Darrelle Revis or Lito Sheppard would certainly bring a dropoff).
Gholston's Reps Increase Behind Pace at OLB : New York Jets News
Vernon Gholston is getting extra attention since he's slated to start for the suspended Calvin Pace during the first quarter of the season. Pace is a great mentor for him. They have a lot in common. Pace was a first round pick who got off to a rough start. A lot of people wrote him off just like people are doing to Gholston right now. He also can offer Gholston advice on some of the finer points of converting from defensive end to outside linebacker.
TJ speaks, just not about that | Jets Journal
Thomas Jones isn't going to talk about his contract. It's good that he won't air his dirty laundry like Leon Washington. It's still tough to see how this ends. Jones doesn't have any leverage. He can't force a trade. No team is trading for a running back on the wrong side of 30 and giving him the kind of contract he wants. If he holds out, the Jets have Shonn Greene waiting in the wings. Anything is possible with a Drew Rosenhaus client, though.
Rex's Battle with Weight - Newsday
Rex Ryan has put on a lot of weight since the Jets hired him. This training camp, he's trying to get himself back into shape. Best of luck to Rex in a battle millions of Americans face. Is it worth noting that Eric Mangini was never as good after he dropped a lot of weight in 2007?