Player Notes

The Jets are coming into the 2023 season with a tremendous amount of hype. HBO’s “Hard Knocks” has aided in this, serving as another propaganda arm for the organization.How could they not? After a disappointing 2022 season, the team checked off just about every need during the offseason.They added the star quarterback in four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers and four-time Pro-Bowl running back Dalvin Cook. They’ve ...

Ask Joe Namath what the best part of playing quarterback for the Jets is and he gives you an answer only he can deliver.“Winning a championship,” Namath says over the phone with a chuckle. “Everybody’s happy. Everyone around in Jersey, New York, wherever. Winning.”Here’s the problem: There have been 36 starting quarterbacks for the Jets since Namath left town after the 1976 season and none of them ...

Rookie wide receiver Xavier Gipson looked terrified before learning he made the Jets’ 53-man roster.In a preview for Tuesday’s season finale of “Hard Knocks” on HBO, Gipson became overwhelmed with emotion when Jets general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh delivered the news.“Well, look, man,” Douglas said. “You know, the odds are stacked against you from the jump, man.“You did a lot ...

On one side of MetLife Stadium, the green side, the Florham Park side, you have Amarillo Slim: joyously yammering over his cards, happily willing to let you know how willing he is at any time to shove all his chips in the middle of the table, goading you into matching him so he can double his stack as you slink off to the ATM for more.On the other side of MetLife, the blue side, the East Rutherford ...

6-7 minutes 9/5/2023The opposing coaches used to gawk.Stand and gawk.Sometimes point, or deliberate how or why or what. But mostly, standing at the 50-yard line, they gawked.It was the way this 310-pound menace snapped off his routes in pregame warmups, cradled passes and manhandled his blocking assignments. Every movement so smooth and under control. He carried a gravity of attention, like the tallest ...

2-3 minutes 9/5/2023It sounds like former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is trying to ensure that his old job is in good hands.Current Patriots QB Mac Jones said Tuesday on WEEI’s “Jones and Mego with Arcand” that Brady has been a “mentor.”“He’s definitely a legend, and I have all the respect for him,” Jones said. “He’s a great guy. He’s actually helped me a lot already, just talking to him or whatever, ...

Updated September 5, 2023, 5:41 p.m.An offseason of team-building has resulted in a 53-man roster for the Patriots for Sunday’s season opener against Philadelphia. While there could be some moves between now and kickoff, here’s an up-to-date, player-by-player look at the team Bill Belichick will take into his 29th season as a head coach in the NFL.OffenseThere’s a reason some national pundits said ...

Updated September 5, 2023, 6:00 p.m.Deion Sanders picked up his first Power 5 victory as a college football head coach in stunning fashion on Saturday, leading Colorado to an upset road win over national runner-up TCU.Colorado went 1-11 last year, but Sanders quickly restocked the team with new talent. The Pro Football Hall of Famer added 53 transfers since taking the job last December, according to ...

6-8 minutes 9/5/2023His answers typically are straightforward — lacking gloss and glitz — a football coach sounding like a football coach. Mostly Xs with very few Oohs.The Chargers didn’t hire Kellen Moore to bring electricity to their news conferences, only their offense.“He’s a calm guy,” wide receiver Keenan Allen said. “He’s not tripping too much. Probably never seen him yell. I don’t think he ...