Jets will save first-round pick for other positions than CB

Having traded for Antonio Cromartie from the San Diego Chargers, the New York Jets now have a powerful support to starting cornerback Darrelle Revis and save a first-round pick that could give them a choice in filling in other positions from next month’s draft.

“We thought corner was an absolute must,” Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said on ESPN New York. “We felt that we had to improve that position. So Cromartie was the key to the offseason because, looking at our options, it was the Cromartie trade -– or it was the 29th pick in the draft. To get that out of the way, we really enhanced our draft because now we can say that whatever happens in the draft, we can take whoever we want. Move up, move down we can get what we want. Without Cromartie, at the 29th pick in the draft, we would have taken a corner.”

Previously, Tannenbaum believed his only other option to upgrade the cornerback position was to use the team’s first-round pick, 29th overall. Now he could use it to target wide receivers who can help quarterback Mark Sanchez improve the team’s passing game. That could be a good news to the Minnesota Vikings who hold the No. 30 pick and need help in the secondary. It’s been expected that Rutgers CB Devin McCourty will put on the purple NFL jersey to start his NFL career.

RB Tomlinson joined Jets with a two-year contract

The overtime visit to the New York indeed indicated something and has made it unsurprising when free agent running back LaDainian Tomlinson signed a two-year contract with the New York Jets. Thus the aging star found a new job while the Jets had another boost to their rushing offense that already ranks top in the NFL.

“He wanted to go to a team that he thought had a chance to compete for the championship,” Tomlinson’s agent, Tom Condon told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “He wanted to go somewhere where he had a chance to have a significant role, and so with the Jets he also was going to be very familiar with the offensive system.”

The Jets made it to the AFC Championship game last season before ending the playoffs with a 17-30 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. With the potential to be a Super Bowl Champion indeed, the Jets attracted Tomlinson with their sincerity and efforts to go after him on free agent market despite his age. The 2006 NFL MVP is turning 31 years old and finished last season with career low production, but he still ranks eighth on the NFL’s career rushing list with 12,490 yards. If not a starter, Tomlinson would be a great backup to Jets’ second-year running back Shonn Greene after putting on Jets jersey.

Jets to RB Jones: Salary cut or leave

Although the New York Jets running back Thomas Jones has had two consecutive excellent seasons for the team, the Jets just consider that the 32-year-old running back is expendable and tend to release him if he is unwilling to accept a salary cut.

To keep Jones in his Jets jersey without salary cut, the Jets will have to pay him a $3 million roster bonus next month and $2.8 million in base salary for his service in 2010 season. It’s expensive to the Jets, and they are likely to have negotiation with Jones’ agent Drew Rosenhaus about the deal before any decision is made.

Although finishing 2009 season with career high 1,402 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, Jones still becomes expendable to Jets as he is turning 32 year old and will possibly surpassed by younger backs. Without Jones, the Jets still have good choices in rookie back Shonn Greene who gave excellent performance in the playoffs and four-year veteran Leon Washington, who is expected to return from his leg injury for 2010 season.

Jets LB Harris missed practice with ankle injury

The New York Jets linebacker David Harris skipped Tuesday’s practice because of his sprained right ankle, making it more unlikely that he would put on Jets jersey to play this Sunday’s playoff against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Harris is the Jets’ leading tackler and it would be a huge loss to the NFL’s top-ranked defense if he can’t play. He injured the ankle during the first half of the regular-season finale against the Bengals on Sunday, and watched from the sideline in the second half. Harris wasn’t in the locker room during media availability.

Jets Coach Rex Ryan wouldn’t specify whether it was a high ankle sprain and wasn’t sure if Harris would practice Wednesday, saying that the team will give Harris as much time as he needs. Good news is that Ryan Fowler, Harris’ replacement, is recovering well from a head injury and took part in practice on a limited basis Tuesday.

Jets QB Sanchez to practice Sunday to test injured knee

Remaining uncertain what rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez’ playing status will be for this weekend’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, the New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan said he would have the quarterback practice Wednesday to see how well his injured knee can work.

“It may take a couple of days to figure this out,” Ryan said. “You know me, I’m not a guy who’s going to string it along and have no decision and not say anything about it. Clearly, if Mark is going to be playing, I want him to get the majority of the snaps, just like I would if Kellen (Clemens) is going to be playing.”

The No.6 Jets jersey did not appear during Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kellen Clemens started at quarterback as the replacement to Sanchez, who was rehabilitating the sprained posterior collateral ligament in his right knee at the Jets’ facility.

As Clemens led the Jets to a 26-3 win over the Buccaneers, Ryan is hoping to split the snaps with the first-team offense between Clemens and Sanchez, if the latter is fine enough to play this weekend’s game.

Jets WR Clowney said he was misunderstood by Coach Ryan

After being benched by Coach Rex Ryan for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, the New York Jets wide receiver David Clowney said Wednesday that there was a minor misunderstanding between him and the coach as Ryan did not see his entire comment on Twitter.

Shortly after the Jets winning over the New England Patriots in Week 2, Clowney posted a message on twitter, in response to a friend asking why he didn’t see him on the field much during the game. The message said: “1 play in the 1st Half, 4 plays in the 2nd half … A bit disappointed about my playing time but very happy and satisfied about the win.” It was followed by a subsequent tweet saying “My team always comes first so I’ma just keep grinding.” And Clowney said Ryan only saw the first half of the message.

However, Ryan said that the tweet message was just one of the reasons that caused him to make the decision of benching Clowney for last Sunday’s game. And Clowney, who has no catches this season in his No. 87 jets jersey, said he was informed by Ryan a few days before the game that he’d be inactive. He was not fined for his actions and still had no idea who sent his tweet message to Ryan.

Rams QB Bulger expects plenty of playing time

For a starting quarterback, he usually has to ease into the preseason with playing no more than two series in the exhibition opener. But the St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger thinks that he can get much more playing time.

Bulger expects perhaps he will get as much as three quarters of playing time under new coach Steve Spagnuolo and new coordinator Pat Shurmur who has been leading the West Coast offense.

“It could be three quarters or two,” Bulger said of his playing time. “It’s a new staff and we’re all still trying to get a feel for each other. Hopefully, we’ll get a couple of good drives and see how it goes.”

This is Rams' first season under new coach Spagnuolo, who is trying to turn around a team that was 2-14 last season and 5-27 over the past two seasons. Spagnuolo did not say how much playing time Bulger or other starters will see against the Jets.

The Jets released TE Owens and took TE Brock from Panthers

The New York Jets have made their announcements of releasing tight end Richard Owens and claiming tight end Kevin Brock off waivers from the Carolina Panthers.

The reason for the Jets to release Owens is probably his leg injury. Because of the injury, Owens had missed several training camp practices. He spent the last few days riding the stationary bike in hope of recovering soon. Before he was signed by the Jets last month, Owens has had 17 career catches for 141 yards and a touchdown in four NFL seasons with Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Rams.

As for Brock, he was an undrafted rookie from Rutgers. In the four years he spent with the Scarlet Knights, he was used as a walk-on for the most time and had only 49 catches for 541 yards and four touchdowns. Given the chance of wearing jets jersey, I belive he will do better job.