May 16 2012
The New York Jets Media….Now The TMZ Of The NFL
I am ALL FOR a good football rumble, a dirty smack-talk and of course a bitter team rivalry. But what I’m NOT for: CERTAIN “media types” turning normal professional position competition into an outright “battle of the attention whores.” Dear Rich Cimini, we, as loyal NY Jets fans, DO NOT CARE HOW MANY REPORTERS ARE OR AREN’T LINGERING AROUND TEBOW’S LOCKER LIKE VAMPIRES OUTSIDE SOOKIE’S HOUSE ON TRUE BLOOD! Nor do we care who ISN’T stalking Mark’s locker during OTA’s. Stop posting photos on Twitter about it. Stop having career Twitter-wars with Manish Mehta and both of you stop reporting who had too many Big Macs in the off-season! If you’re going to continue that TMZ-type crap, please go call Darren Rovell and start #Rovelling.
I want to know how much work our rookies are putting in, who’s excelling athletically and who’s being signed. I want to know how Rex and Tony Sparano plan to structure a relatively new offense and how hard Mark and Timmy are working ON THE FIELD. I could give a crap less who’s got “prime real estate” near their locker in order to ask them “who’s going to be the starter?” after workouts. Here’s a clue; THEY DON’T KNOW EITHER.
If you’re going to report on stories, coaching quotes and the “up’s” and “down’s” of mini camp, OTA’s, etc, please report the ENTIRE story. NOT what YOU want to hear, what you think WE want to hear or what you think the COACHES want to hear. No one cares in the end. We want the truth. So do your jobs and give us THE FACTS. Get back to basics of journalism and communications 101; REPORT WHAT HAPPENED. No one cares who wears Shape-up’s. (cough*cough*Cimini)
Apparently the Jets’ QB Coach Matt Cavanaugh recently had some quotes publicized regarding the Sanchez/Tebow “saga” that has become the NY Jets’ offense. Initially, in the beginning of the week, I read ALL of Coach Cavanaugh’s quotes regarding Mark Sanchez and his wishy-washy, mildly-devastating 2011 season. He blatantly stated that Mark’s short-comings on the field were neither solely Mark’s fault, nor were they the fault of the O-line or other key positions-he simply said that it was “a little of both.” So why am I now reading more and more of HALF of that article and even MORE of his SOMEWHAT complimentary comments towards Tim Tebow? Oh, because that’s what SOME people WANT me to read. Right. Okay then.
Now, before everyone gets all hyper about some random chick’s opinion on sports reporting, let me be perfectly clear here; this isn’t a personal vendetta against ANYONE in particular. I’m calling it how I see it. I want the facts. We all do-regardless of your team of choice-we want to know what’s going on. Small, fun, personal stuff about some of the guys is entertaining and yes, we, as fans, love to know the “inside scoop,” but when you’re creating something out of nothing, and legitimately starting “media firestorms,” let me be the first (or second) to say, SHUT UP.
This has been a public service announcement. Carry on and happy hump day.