The Coles truth

Jets have no choice but to cut ties with costly receiver

NEW YORK -- The New York Jets have only one choice regarding the franchise-altering decision they must make by Wednesday: They must say no to Laveranues Coles and let him go to Washington to become Steve Spurrier's franchise receiver.

I believe strongly this is exactly what the Jets will do. As much as they love the guy, and as valuable as he is to their offense, the Jets shouldn't have a hard time letting Coles go. Here's why: 1) He's 5-foot-11 and 196 pounds, and with all the attention he’ll invite as a top receiver he's likely to get beaten up over the next three or four years. 2)The Redskins deal is a back-loaded contract with a $13 million signing bonus, a ridiculous amount of guaranteed money and nightmarish dough to pay starting in 2006. 3) The Jets have two franchise players (Chad Pennington and John Abraham) up for salary review in the next 12 months, and if they pay their fourth- or fifth-most important player $13 million to sign, what do a two-time Pro Bowler such as Abraham and 2002 passing champion Pennington deserve? Fifteen million guaranteed? Twenty? 4) Finally, though the Jets can afford the Coles deal in the near term -- the salary-cap hits over the next three years are only $2.3 million, $2.3 million and $3.3 million -- the long-term effect of this contract, in addition to deals for Pennington and Abraham, is that the Jets will have no margin for error in building their roster. If New York needs to resign any current players (Lamont Jordan?) or bring in a free agent over the next couple of years, it won’t have the money to do so. What if the Jets go 6-10 next year and need a difference-making defensive tackle and can steal, say, Booger McFarland from Tampa Bay? If they sign Coles, then ink Abraham and Pennington, they'll be out of the market for significant free agents for at least the following two or three years.

Football is so hauntingly cyclical. If you don't remember the lessons of the past, you'll be subject to the sins of the future. In 2000, the Jets chose to trade Keyshawn Johnson to Tampa Bay for two first-round picks rather than pay him a sick sum via a restructured contract. They had won eight games in 1999. In the 2000 draft, they picked Pennington in the first round -- a pick, Bill Parcells has since told me, they never would have made without the luxury of having four No. 1 choices because of the Johnson deal -- and Coles in the third round. Coles was the 77th pick overall. The Jets have won nine, 10 and nine games, respectively, and one division title, since Johnson left. Coles more than made up for the loss of Johnson. And now they have a chance to take the 77th pick from 2000 and turn it into the 13th pick in 2003 (the compensatory pick Washington would send north if the Jets don't match the offer). With that pick, if they so choose, the Jets could package their own first-round pick, the 22nd overall, and move up into the top 10 to grab a true franchise receiver prospect -- Andre Johnson, the 6-3, 228-pound Miami stud.

The other day, here in Manhattan, I sat with Pennington at a Sports Illustrated luncheon. The crowd fell in love with the mop-topped kid with the southern twang. "I just got back from a week in Barbados with my wife," he said, "and I was following what was happening around the NFL on that little crawl on the bottom of the TV screen. And I kept seeing our guys get signed by Washington. I said, 'What are we? The Washington Jets?'"

I asked him if he still thinks of Coles as a Jet, or if he's gone. "I have begun to prepare myself for life without him," he said. "I'm thinking the worst. I don't know what we'll do, but I think you have to start thinking that way. We'd really miss him -- not just for being so productive on the field, but for what he brought to this team. I remember one of the last weeks of the season, maybe before the Indianapolis [playoff] game, at a Friday practice. He doesn't have to be killing himself at this practice, but he goes diving into a snowbank to get one pass."

Pennington understands the business, though. He knows you can't have three or four guys making outrageous guaranteed money on one team. He didn't say it, but I could tell he knows which way the wind is blowing, and that he'll have to get Santana Moss and Wayne Chrebet and a stud rookie up to snuff this fall, because Pennington knows he won't have Coles. There are some decisions franchises should have knock-down, drag-out fights about, but this is not one of them. Set Coles free, Jets. You'll be fine.

MMQB: Are you unhappy with the Chargers for releasing you?

Harrison: The Chargers always told me I would retire a Charger. I played with a 30 percent tear of my groin last year. I should have missed six or eight weeks. I missed two. Two! Put Deion Sanders out there with a groin ripped from the bone and see how fast he runs. But I did it because I always put the team first. I couldn't sleep at night, my groin throbbed so much. And they cut me! They fired me! I put my career on the line, and I get whacked. You know what? I wouldn't change a thing. I go out and play football hard if there's any possible way I can go out there.

MMQB: Other than the fact they offered the most money, what do you like about the Patriots?

Harrison: I see an intensity there. They went 9-7 last year, and I'm talking to [coach] Bill Belichick, and he's lowering his head. He's ticked off at going 9-7. I love that.

MMQB: You almost went to the Raiders. Why didn't you stay in the west?

Harrison: I was talking to Denver, too. I was with the Raiders when the Patriots called and convinced me to fly east to meet them. I was pretty close to being a Raider. [Oakland DT] John Parrella called me 30 times. Bill Romanowski called me. I met the coaches. As much as I wanted to go to the Raiders, they just couldn't pay me the money I thought I was worth. The tradition, the mystique about the team, all of that was good. They're always looked at as the bad boys, and that's the way I am -- on the field only. They wanted to blitz me, play close to the box. It was ideal. But New England's going to be great for me.

1. At the airport in Portland, Maine, on March 2, my photo ID was checked entering the security line and when I boarded my flight.

2. At the airport in Fort Myers, Fla., on March 4, my photo ID was checked entering AND exiting the security checkpoint, but not at the gate.

3. At the airport in Orange County, Calif., on March 10, my photo ID was checked entering security and never again.

In addition, a sharp-edged can opener twice has been removed from my rolling suitcase this month and five times it has been ignored. On one occasion, at Newark Airport, a supervisor had to be called in to inspect the opener and, after discussion with two aides, deemed it safe for me to carry in the suitcase.

Patience is a good thing.

A bursting mailbag this week. Last week I openly questioned Seton Hall’s women's basketball coach for saying the Big East basketball tournament was "anyone's tournament." And, of course, UConn then had its 70-game winning streak broken. I figured a few of you might notice. I was right.

COME ON. ADMIT HOW YOU BLEW IT ON UCONN LAST WEEK. From Matt Schaub of Denver: "I'm a big fan. Since you are doubtless going to be inundated by comments (snide and/or otherwise) about your gaffe in last week's 'Quote of the Week,' how about giving us a tally of just how many people seized that opportunity?"

My estimable SI.com editor and Person Who Keeps Me On Track, Aimee Crawford, tells me as of late Friday afternoon: "At last count, you had 420 messages on this topic." Most, of course, calling me some form of idiot.

ADMIT IT! ADMIT IT! From Matt Maples of Victoria, Texas: "Wow. I guess the Seton Hall coach knew something about basketball after all. Again, as stated in recent columns, maybe you should stick to football, coffee and Mary Beth. Those are three areas you seem qualified in."

Let's talk about this. Perhaps stupidly, I absolutely, categorically stand by what I said. Coach Phyllis Mangina said this was anyone's tournament. The definition of that, I assume, means it isn't a stretch to think that anyone in the league could win the tournament. Am I right? Not just 14th-ranked Villanova, or 23rd-ranked Rutgers, but that comment meant it was realistic to think Syracuse (2-14 in the league) had a genuine chance to win the tournament. Does anyone think if Syracuse and UConn played five times that Syracuse would challenge to win even once? If the coach had said, "I think there are three or four teams in the league this week that could legitimately challenge UConn," I would not have argued. What the coach said is equivalent to a baseball fan in Tampa saying, "The American League is anyone's to win this year." The Yankees have a chance, and Oakland, and the Angels, of course. Maybe two or three others. But Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Detroit are not in the race. So it is not "anyone's" league. Now that I've dug my hole deeper, I'm going to let it go and move on to something really important. Like the ripping of my fantasy football team.

YOU DRAFT A FAKE FOOTBALL TEAM AS WELL AS YOU PREDICT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL. From Adam Shooshan of Onset, Mass.: "Ugly draft my friend, even for 11 teams in a league."

Well, I, uh ...

YOU PICK PLAYERS LIKE YOU PICK SUPER BOWL WINNERS. From Jeff Hanson of Apple Valley, Minn.: "Your fantasy squad looks pretty good, but how did you end up with The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance [James Stewart] as your second running back? Hasselbeck was a sneaky pull at QB, but going with him as your ace (over a bigger name) should have allowed you to nab a much better No. 2 RB. It's almost become a cliché, but it is nonetheless true -- fantasy football titles are won and lost at the RB position."

Yes, I did blow it at running back. Having never taken part in an NFL fantasy draft before, and picking 12th in a 12-team serpentine selection process, I had two picks in the top 35. I could take two running backs, or one plus the best other position player in the draft, which I thought was Marvin Harrison. I thought I might be able to get a Curtis Martin-type at 36 with my third-round pick, but he went at 32, and my choice then was to take two stud wideouts or one stud wideout and an OK back such as Amos Zereoue. I figured I'd take the best players, then make a trade next fall, when Donald Driver or Koren Robinson gets hot. As for Hasselbeck, all I'll say is this: I had breakfast at the scouting combine last month with Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, and Hasselbeck will have every chance in the world this fall to throw for 4,300 yards and 25 touchdowns. Obviously, I'm staking my team on the Seattle offense. That, as you can tell by watching Seattle play for the past eight years, is quite a risky proposition.

INTERESTING THOUGHT. From Walt Evans of Portland, Ore.: "I welcomed your views about Toni Smith and her flag protest, as well as the equally vivid and powerful response from U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Hayes of St. Louis. You both made thoughtful and astute observations on a provocative issue. Here's my suggestion: Please invite Sgt. Hayes to write a few sentences each week for the next several weeks for your column while he is on point (or nearly so) for the U.S. in the Arabian Gulf. We know he is a sports fan, and lots of us would like to follow what he is going through. We are interested in details from his perspective, and we will thank Sgt. Hayes for giving up some of his 15 minutes of Internet access each week to inform your readers what life at the front is like."

Walt, a fabulous idea. If you're reading this, Staff Sgt. Hayes, we'd love to hear from you. Tell us how you're doing, and tell us what life is like over there. And good luck.

THE CARDINALS REALLY DEPRESS THIS GUY. From Ed DeLorenzi of Jackson, N.J.: "As a huge Cardinals fan, I feel like a girl who dressed for the prom but finds no one will dance with her because she forgot deodorant! Even Pat Tillman would rather be jumping out of planes getting shot at than to play for the Cardinals."

Well, they got some pretty good guys this week. I really like the perpetually underrated Jeff Blake, and the James Hodgins signing will help a bad running game. James Darling will be a good front-seven force for them. They're getting better, but the problem is that when you're so far down and no one wants to play for that owner, you're going to have trouble attracting the best free agents.

2. I think it came down to this for the Eagles: They didn't trust Hugh Douglas to stay healthy and continue to be a 13-sack guy over the next three years. Douglas basically signed a two-year, $10.1 million deal -- which obviously is an affordable contract -- with Jacksonville to leave Philadelphia. But it's not a contract he would have signed with the Eagles. Douglas wanted more than $6 million as a bonus in Philly. He'll be missed, more than Jeremiah Trotter was last year. Douglas is a gem in the locker room, and a willing player even when he's hurting, which he was much of last season. But I think if the Eagles can entice a similar-sized guy, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, (6-4, 253) from the Packers with a contract Green Bay won't match, the Eagles will be better off.

3. I think the Chargers will be sorry they let Junior Seau go. I don't know everything Marty Schottenheimer knows, obviously, but I do know that a diminished Seau is still the heart and soul of any team in this league right now.

4. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. Lawrence Rocca writes a good, opinionated baseball notes column in the [Newark] Star-Ledger, which lands in my driveway every morning. On Sunday Rocca reported this beauty: "One longtime Yankees player suspects that George Steinbrenner's overbearing behavior this winter was cranked up a few notches by the success of the NFL's Buccaneers. 'He doesn't have the best team in Tampa now,' the player said. 'That has to bug him.' Steinbrenner lives in Tampa year-round." What an interesting note.

b. Coffeenerdness: I am dying for tips on an affordable coffeemaker that doesn't turn bitter after 15 pots. My Starbucks model, the little silver one, just spits out bitter stuff recently, even after a serious cleaning, and I need to make a change for my sanity, and my family's. Seems like a selfish thing, I know, but this is my column, after all.

c. Montclair (N.J.) Softball Note of the Week: Nice start for the Mounties Saturday evening in the comfy confines of the Giants Practice Bubble adjacent to Giants Stadium, rented for two hours because the weather has prohibited the girls from going outside for scrimmages or anything, really. Montclair 4, Whippany Park 1, with junior southpaw Mary Beth King and a couple of promising kids, freshman Allie Warheit and junior Christina Colon, combining for the win. Weird watching a game in a bubble on the fake turf, but fun. Mary Beth threw the first three innings, giving up three hits and a run while striking out three. Looked pretty good. And with six starters back from last year's New Jersey large-school North sectional championship team, optimism runs high. (Have you ever known parents of kids from any successful high school team to NOT be optimistic?) Anyway, all we need now is a few more days like Sunday -- bright sun, 63 degrees -- to turn their tundra into a real field.

d. Guillermo Mota. Bum. Scared bum. However many games Mota gets suspended for plunking Mike Piazza, it will be a crime if Piazza gets half of that. What's he supposed to do, just take it?

5. I think my tax guy showed up yesterday with my finished state and federal returns, and the depression will not lift for, oh, about the next 11 months.

6. I think offensive-line-needy teams that won't trade a high second-round pick for Kyle Turley are nuts. Last year, two teams took second-round tackles -- Mike Pearson in Jacksonville and Chester Pitts in Houston -- and I guarantee you Turley will be better than both over the next five years. A lock. One quick mental scouting report on Turley: He's truly not a turd.

7. I think, and you can mark my words on this, that the upset of this draft will be Cal quarterback Kyle Boller getting picked ahead of Marshall's Byron Leftwich.

8. I think there will be a ton of very curious teams at Chris Simms' workout in New Jersey this week.

9. I think the Chiefs, with $4.5 million of cap room, should have ponied up for the guy they need the most on their team right now: Hugh Douglas.

10. I think Boller will get picked no lower than 10th. Just wait. He will be the guy who most puzzles the crowd in New York on draft day.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. Monday Morning Quarterback appears in this space every week. Click here to send him a comment.

 

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