Braylon Edwards Motivated for Big Year

Steve Serby has a feature on Braylon Edwards, who is ready to have a big year.

Life is good for Edwards these days. At 27, he is in his prime, eager to drop the dropsies. He loves his black beard so much he might keep it past training camp. He loves his young quarterback, Mark Sanchez, and his head coach, Rex Ryan. His 1-year-old son, Braylon Jr., is his pride and joy.

"He means growing up and being mature, and always thinking about him first," Edwards said.

Describe him.

"He's very competitive. Only time he cries is when he can't do something. He's just like me, to be honest. He doesn't want you to do it for him. If he can't do it, he'll cry, and you'll think he has to use the bathroom or he's hungry, and that's not the case at all, he's mad. . . . Pretty eyes . . . he's gonna be special, very smart."

Edwards tweeted yesterday: "Rex is by far the realest straight up and down head coach I've ever had. This season is definately [sic] going to be a special one, mark my words.

"I expect make a big impact," Edwards said.

Here's what Ryan has learned about Edwards

"That he's unselfish . . . that he does a lot of dirty work for his teammates. . . . Never once has he asked me about, 'I need to catch X amount of passes' and all that kinda stuff. . . . We'd probably be smart to throw him a bunch of balls, 'cause he is a talent.

"But I'm expecting a huge year.

"I've had some private conversations with Braylon. I don't need him to be the best receiver in the history of this game. He knows what I expect from him."

And Edwards knows what to expect from Sanchez, and vice versa.

"We've grown so much together," Sanchez said. "Our chemistry's so much better. I'm thrilled to have him. He's an unbelievable player."

Edwards is a guy who has really impressed me since the trade. He had a bad reputation in Cleveland. Some of it may have been deserved. There were issues off the field, disappointments on the field, and an ugly contract dispute. One look at some of the vitriol some Cleveland fans have shown for the guy on this site make it clear it was not a good situation.

He has seemed like a new man since joining the Jets. Yes, he has to work on the drops, but he has been a good citizen on the field and in the locker room. He also does the little things that do not show up in the box score like giving full effort while run blocking. He's probably the best blocking wide receiver the Jets have had since Keyshawn Johnson.

It's amazing what going from a bad situation into a good one can do for a guy. Rex isn't alone expecting a good year from Braylon.