Tag: ESPN Radio NY

Bart Scott thought of life after football when he signed with Jets

Former Jets linebacker joined Jets partly because he wanted to have an easily transition to his life after football.

It came as somewhat of a shock when Bart Scott signed with the Jets over his former team, the Ravens, in 2009. Scott had his reasons, though.

After taking a team-friendly deal to stay with the Ravens in 2006, Scott finally wanted to cash in during free agency. The Jets offered him a six-year deal worth $48 million, as did the Ravens. However, with Scott’s former defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan, becoming the Jets head coach, the linebacker gave New York serious consideration. That made him realize that the big city could help him once his playing days were over.

Scott took advantage of being in the biggest media market in the world following his 11-year NFL career. He was with CBS Sports for five years before joining ESPN Radio New York. He currently has a show with Alan Hahn.

“You think it’s a coincidence that half the [ex-players] in media are from New York? It’s not an accident,” Scott told ESPN. “It helped brand me on the big stage. ‘OK, we’ll take the loudmouth’ because we had success. We didn’t call ourselves the Dream Team and get our asses kicked. People might say we talked s—, but guess what — we were damn fun to watch.”

The first two years of Scott’s Jets career were some of the best moments in team history. New York made the AFC Championship game in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010. Scott was part of one of the best defenses of all-time, playing alongside Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie in their primes.

Scott took a chance coming to New York. Despite not winning a Super Bowl with the Jets, it’s fair to say he’s doing well in his life after football.

Larry David told ex-Jets GM Mike Maccagnan to draft Lamar Jackson

Larry David told former Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan to draft Lamar Jackson instead of Sam Darnold in 2018.

The Jets drafted Sam Darnold with the third overall pick in 2018, but Larry David thought there was a better option on the board.

David was on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN Radio Tuesday and said he called former general manager Mike Maccagnan ahead of the 2018 draft. He had a suggestion to make, and that was to draft Lamar Jackson. David, of course, is known for “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fame and not for his draft expertise, and so Maccagnan ignored his advice.

“He laughed at me, but who can blame him?” David said. “Nobody thought Jackson was gonna be good.”

It turns out that David knew what he was talking about. Jackson is the odds on favorite to win the MVP award in his second season, led the Ravens to a 14-2 record and led the league in total touchdowns.

At the same time, it’s hard to blame Maccagnan for passing on Jackson. Almost every other team overlooked him until the Ravens picked him 32nd overall. There were even people around the league that were trying to turn him into a wide receiver.

David has a history of calling Jets general managers ahead of the draft. In 2006, he called Mike Tannenbaum and told him the Jets should draft Reggie Bush with the fourth overall pick. Bush ended up going second overall to the Saints, while the Jets selected D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold.

The comedian has yet to reach out to current GM Joe Douglas, but maybe he should this year because his player recommendations have been spot on.

Joe Douglas expects Le’Veon Bell back with Jets in 2020

Joe Douglas expects Le’Veon Bell back in 2020, while he won’t comment on Jamal Adams’ contract extension.

After much speculation about Le’Veon Bell being traded this offseason, it sounds like Joe Douglas expects the running back to return in 2020.

Douglas was on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN Radio Monday and was asked about Bell’s situation. The Jets were taking calls on Bell at the trade deadline, but didn’t get an offer to their liking. Between that and Adam Gase’s questionable use of Bell, it was all shaping up for the back to be traded. However, Douglas doesn’t sound like he’s planning on moving Bell at all.

“We value Le’Veon,” Douglas said. “We value the competitor, we value the teammate. We’re excited (for him) being in our program another year, going through our offseason again.”

Bell was signed to a four-year deal worth $52.5 million but did not live up to the contract in the first year. He had a career-low 789 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, he only had 461 yards receiving. Not all of it was Bell’s fault, though, as he was running behind a terrible offensive line and Gase failed to utilize him correctly.

The issue with trading Bell is that no one would take his contract. The Jets would have to take on some of his money or else a team wouldn’t trade future assets for a 27-year-old running back. Unless that happens, Bell will return for another season.

As for Jamal Adams and his potential contract extension, Douglas declined to comment on what’s next. Douglas did say that he’s “so happy” that Adams is on the team and that the trade-deadline tension between the two “is in the rear-view mirror.”

Adams was First-Team All-Pro this season and has distinguished himself as one of the best at his position. His production on the field is spectacular, while his leadership keeps the Jets locker room intact. However, he is likely looking for a record-setting extension.

Douglas said last week that he and the front office are going to assess every single player on the roster in preparation for next season, so he hasn’t ruled out extending Adams just yet.