NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS. August 12, 2015 Table of Contents

Transcription

1 NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS Table of Contents ASSOCIATED PRESS... 1 With Geno Smith out, Jets try to move on from ugly punch (Dennis Waszak)... 1 Fitzpatrick steps in starting role again, this time for Jets (Dennis Waszak)... 3 NFL reviewing Jets' locker room punch of quarterback Smith (Dennis Waszak)... 5 THE RECORD... 6 Experienced Ryan Fitzpatrick ready to take Jets reins after Smith debacle (J.P. Pelzman)... 6 NEW YORK TIMES... 7 Jets Are a Franchise as Broken as Their Quarterback s Jaw (William Rhoden)... 7 ESPN NEW YORK... 9 Geno Smith's jaw will heal, but he'll have hard time recovering from this mess (Rich Cimini)... 9 Todd Bowles has reached first pressure point in his Jets coaching tenure (Rich Cimini) NEW YORK POST Ryan Fitzpatrick will keep QB job over Geno if Jets are winning (Howie Kussoy) Sad Jets reach new low with sucker punch (Steve Serby) Geno s dumb macho fight bait could mean end of Jets career (Steve Serby) Ryan Fitzpatrick gets first shot to prove he can lead the Jets (Brian Costello) NJ ADVANCE MEDIA It's up to Todd Bowles to change Jets' chaotic culture Politi (Steve Politi) What getting punched by a teammate says about Jets' Geno Smith (Dom Consentino) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Geno Smith's broken jaw just more stupid Jet tricks (Mike Lupica) Jets inquiring about quarterbacks doesn t mean team will sign one right away (Seth Walder) WALL STREET JOURNAL Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick Has Already Mastered One System: the Rubik s Cube (Stu Woo) METRO NEW YORK Kristian Dyer: Jets, Todd Bowles still cleaning up Rex Ryan's mess (Kristian Dyer) Jets' impact back Chris Ivory anxious for tackling to start (Kristian Dyer) Kristin Dyer: Geno Smith, IK Enemkpali both to blame for unrest in Jets locker room (Kristian Dyer) WEDNESDAY S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS ASSOCIATED PRESS With Geno Smith out, Jets try to move on from ugly punch (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press 1 P a g e

2 FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) It took just one destructive punch to rattle an entire franchise. Geno Smith's jaw is broken, Ikemefuna Enemkpali is out of a job and the New York Jets are trying to quickly move forward from one of the most stunning and embarrassing moments in team history. Coach Todd Bowles delivered the jolting news Tuesday before practice that Smith would be sidelined at least 6-10 weeks with a broken jaw after being punched by Enemkpali in the locker room before the team's morning walkthrough. "It was something very childish," Bowles said, "and he got cold-cocked, sucker-punched whatever you want to call it in the jaw." Smith, entering his third season, will require surgery to repair the injuries and will be sidelined for the rest of the summer and likely for the first few games of the season. The regular-season opener at home against Cleveland on Sept. 13 is five weeks away. Enemkpali, an outside linebacker in his second season, was immediately released by the Jets. "The team knows this is something we don't tolerate, something we can't stand," Bowles said. "You don't walk up to another man and punch him in the face." Neither Bowles nor a small handful of players made available to the media would go into detail about what happened, or if they knew what sparked it. "I think at the end of the day, details aren't really necessary," guard Willie Colon said. "I think today, as an organization, as a team, we may have taken a step back." But now, the Jets are trying to move forward without Smith, who was having a good camp, and turn to veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick as they prepare for their preseason opener at Detroit on Thursday. Here are some things to know about what's next for the Jets: FITZ MAGIC The acquisition of Fitzpatrick from Houston in March by general manager Mike Maccagnan looks even more shrewd now, and not only because he's an experienced backup with 89 NFL starts under his belt. Fitzpatrick has played in offensive coordinator Chan Gailey's system, putting up solid numbers under him in Buffalo from The Jets will need to find another veteran backup as insurance for Fitzpatrick with rookies Bryce Petty and Jake Heaps the only remaining quarterbacks on the roster. But, because of his familiarity with the offense, Fitzpatrick is the perfect option considering the circumstances. "Yes, there's no question about it," Gailey said when asked if he could rely on Fitzpatrick. "That's from prior knowledge as well as present day. There's no question." ESTABLISHING CHEMISTRY Smith took just about every snap with the first-team offense throughout training camp, so Fitzpatrick needs to get work in with the players he'll now be throwing and handing off to. That means extra work in particular with receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, who were developing a solid rapport this summer with Smith. "There's going to be some stuff we have to get down body language, all that, expectations and that's going to take a little bit of time," Fitzpatrick said. "But I feel like we have good communicators, the 2 P a g e

3 receiving corps are very good communicators. I think that's one of my strengths as well, so we'll get on the same page." UP FOR GRABS Bowles wouldn't commit to Fitzpatrick as the starter for the rest of the season or to Smith reclaiming his job when he's healthy, but indicated that a player could lose his starting spot due to injury. "If the other guy is playing well and the boat is going right and there are no waves and everything is going and we're 4, 5, 6, 7-and-0," Bowles said, "yeah, you're not coming back to start." PUTTING HIS FOOT DOWN Bowles was stern yet even-keeled while twice addressing the Smith-Enemkpali altercation, although questions arose about whether the first-year coach needed to assert himself more. He answered all that by immediately cutting Enemkpali after gathering the facts, sending a clear message to the team and skeptics outside the facility that he will not accept this type of behavior. "I told the team that," Bowles said. "I addressed them. I don't care who you are. As far as them in the locker room, the veterans have to take care of themselves and they have to police the locker room as well, but when somebody just walks up to you and just takes a shot, you know that can't be warranted anywhere." CULTURE CHANGE? Bowles also dealt with the news last month that star defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson was suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy and then was charged with resisting arrest after a high-speed road race in Missouri 12 days later. Richardson could face additional discipline by the league for violation of the personal conduct policy once the legal process plays out. Despite three highly publicized situations this summer, Bowles and the Jets players insisted that there is no deep-rooted issue in the locker room. "Honest to God," center Nick Mangold said, "this is an isolated incident. " Fitzpatrick steps in starting role again, this time for Jets (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) Ryan Fitzpatrick's bushy beard is already in midseason form. The New York Jets hope his command of the offense gets there, too. Quickly. The veteran quarterback is suddenly an NFL starter again, but not exactly how he or anyone else envisioned. Fitzpatrick assumed the starting role Tuesday after Geno Smith was lost for at least six to 10 weeks with a broken jaw after being punched by teammate Ikemefuna Enemkpali in the locker room. "It was an unfortunate situation, something that I can't look backward at," Fitzpatrick said Tuesday. "I have to look forward and do the best I can to get on the same page as quickly as possible." 3 P a g e

4 General manager Mike Maccagnan acquired Fitzpatrick from Houston in March as insurance for Smith, who is entering his third season after two shaky years. Fitzpatrick joining the Jets was largely overshadowed after the team also traded for wide receiver Brandon Marshall and made a huge splash in free agency with a number of signings, including cornerbacks Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine. Bringing Fitzpatrick in could end up being the most significant deal of all. Smith was having a good training camp, growing increasingly comfortable in new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey's system. That was before the punch. Enemkpali was released, Smith is likely facing surgery on his jaw and the Jets are pushing forward. The 32- year-old Fitzpatrick knows Gailey's offense, having successfully worked in it during their time together in Buffalo from "There's a lot of comfort for me being in Chan's system," Fitzpatrick said. "There's also a lot I'll continue to get better at in terms of game situations and being a smart quarterback." The former Harvard player worked mostly with the second-team offense throughout training camp, so he'll need to get better acquainted with starters like Marshall and Eric Decker. Coach Todd Bowles said he's confident in Fitzpatrick, who had been having a good camp along with Smith. "It's hard to replace a guy when both guys are doing well," Bowles said. "You (can't be) wishy-washy, but Ryan's been a pro. He's been there before." Fitzpatrick has thrown for 19,273 yards and 123 touchdowns in 10 NFL seasons during stops with St. Louis, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Tennessee and Houston. His best overall years came under Gailey with the Bills, throwing for at least 3,000 yards in all three seasons, along with at least 23 TDs in each. "I've seen him play (and) know what he's capable of," guard Willie Colon said. "We believe in him, we trust in him." Fitzpatrick started 12 games for the Texans where Maccagnan worked in the front office last season before breaking his left leg in against Indianapolis. He appears fully healthy, and his confidence is also in great shape. "If I didn't want to be here and if I didn't love this game and have confidence in myself, then I wouldn't be standing in front of you guys," he said. "I would be on vacation with my five kids and sailing off into the sunset with a career nobody probably thought I would have had. For me, I'm not satisfied with what I've done." This is but the latest twist in how Fitzpatrick has landed a starting job in the NFL. In 2008, he finished the season as Cincinnati's starter, going after Carson Palmer was hurt. After signing with the Bills in 2009 to serve as Trent Edwards' backup, he eventually closed the season as the starter. Fitzpatrick won the job in 2010 three weeks into the season when Gailey benched Edwards and Fitzpatrick stayed under center through the end of the 2012 season, when Gailey was fired. He signed with Tennessee as a free agent the following year and started nine games, replacing the injured Jake Locker. After signing with Houston last year, Fitzpatrick began as the starter but was replaced by Ryan Mallett. After Mallett was hurt, Fitzpatrick again stepped in as the starting quarterback. "After being traded from Houston to here, I didn't know if I'd ever find myself in a position to start a game again," Fitzpatrick said. "I understand that the opportunities are few and far between and I understand 4 P a g e

5 that my time in this league is probably limited in terms of getting these opportunities. So, I'm going to take advantage of every single day and every single rep that I get out there." NFL reviewing Jets' locker room punch of quarterback Smith (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) Former New York Jets linebacker Ikemefuna Enemkpali could face discipline from the NFL under its personal conduct policy after breaking quarterback Geno Smith's jaw with a punch in the team's locker room. Enemkpali (EN-um-PAL-ee) and Smith got into a dispute Tuesday before the team's morning walkthrough, and the linebacker slugged the quarterback. Smith likely needs surgery and is sidelined for 6-10 weeks, according to coach Todd Bowles. Enemkpali was released by the team shortly after the incident. An NFL spokesman said Wednesday that the league is reviewing the situation. Any incident involving workplace violence that occurs off the football field falls under the NFL's personal conduct policy. That means any team interested in signing Enemkpali, a sixth-round pick last year out of Louisiana Tech, might have to weigh a possible suspension. ESPN first reported that the NFL is looking into the dispute. Enemkpali, who had three tackles in six games last season, could also face legal charges if Smith pursues them. "I thought it was childish, either way, and it was stupid," Bowles said. "But we have to live with the results." The Jets were off from practice Wednesday as they prepare to head to Detroit for their preseason opener on Thursday night. The team will then have another day off from the practice field before returning Saturday. The incident clearly rattled and angered many Jets players, who were stunned that something of this nature happened in their locker room. "This isn't a UFC match," Jets guard Willie Colon said. "We're football players, not fighters." Enemkpali, from Pflugerville, Texas, has been in previous trouble for fighting. He was suspended from the Louisiana Tech team in 2011 after being arrested for an off-campus incident in which he was booked with disturbing the peace and battery of a police officer. But since joining the Jets, Enemkpali had made a mostly favorable impression on his teammates. "Since I've known IK, all he's done is come to work and try to become a guy for this organization," Colon said. "He's always played his tail off. So details at this point are here and there. Our quarterback is sitting at home with a broken jaw, we have an outside linebacker that isn't with us anymore. It's a loss." Bowles said Enemkpali was "remorseful" when he spoke to him, and the linebacker later released a statement through his agent, apologizing to the team and fans. "Geno and I let our frustration get the best of us, but I should have just walked away from the situation," Enemkpali said. "I deeply regret and apologize for my actions. It was never my intention to harm anyone. I appreciate the opportunity I had with the Jets." 5 P a g e

6 THE RECORD Experienced Ryan Fitzpatrick ready to take Jets reins after Smith debacle (J.P. Pelzman) The Record August 13, 2015 Daily Clips Cont. Ryan Fitzpatrick is in his 11th NFL season and with his sixth team in the league. Thus, he readily admits that he has been there, done that. I ve seen a lot of things, experienced a lot of things, Fitzpatrick said Tuesday. No doubt he has, but even he would have to admit the circumstances in which he gained the Jets starting quarterback job were quite unusual. Fitzpatrick, 32, will start for the Jets tonight in their preseason opener at Detroit. That wasn t the plan as of Monday, but coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey had to revise things after IK Enemkpali punched Geno Smith in the jaw Tuesday, knocking him out of the lineup for six to 10 weeks. Enemkpali subsequently was waived and claimed Wednesday by Buffalo. It was an unfortunate situation, something that I can t look backward at, Fitzpatrick said of Enemkpali s altercation with Smith. I have to look forward and do the best I can to get on the same page [with the starters] as quickly as possible. Bowles hadn t named Smith the starter yet, but matters clearly were headed in that direction unless Smith had a horrid August. The third-year pro had been solid in camp and hadn t thrown an interception until the team s 10th practice. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick, acquired in a trade with Houston in March, had to be content with working with the second-stringers. To his credit, he didn t complain about the situation. Now a twist of fate strange by even the Jets weird standards has thrust him into the starting role. Bowles indicated that if Fitzpatrick is playing well, Smith might not be able to reclaim the starting job once his jaw heals. After being traded from Houston to here, I didn t know if I d ever find myself in a position to start a game again, Fitzpatrick said. I understand that the opportunities are few and far between and I understand that my time in this league is probably limited in terms of getting these opportunities. So, I m going to take advantage of every single day and every single rep that I get out there. Fitzpatrick, who has 123 touchdown passes and 101 interceptions in the NFL, played under Gailey from in Buffalo, when the latter was the head coach. So he certainly knows the offense. There s a lot of comfort for me being in Chan s system, Fitzpatrick said. There s also a lot I ll continue to get better at in terms of game situations and being a smart quarterback. Before the news about Smith broke Tuesday, Gailey spoke to reporters and was asked if he would be comfortable with Fitzpatrick starting if Smith got hurt. Yes, there s no question about it, Gailey said. That s from prior knowledge as well as present day. There s no question. 6 P a g e

7 Although the Jets likely will be vanilla on both sides of the ball during the preseason, it s possible the Jets now could use more of Gailey s playbook on offense during the regular season, given Fitzpatrick s familiarity with it. Fitzpatrick, a former star at Harvard who has started for St. Louis, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Tennessee and Houston during his NFL career, still has a passion for the game. If I didn t want to be here, he said, and if I didn t love this game and have confidence in myself, then I wouldn t be standing in front of you guys [reporters]. I would be on vacation with my five kids and sailing off into the sunset with a career nobody probably thought I would have had. For me, I m not satisfied with what I ve done. NEW YORK TIMES Jets Are a Franchise as Broken as Their Quarterback s Jaw (William Rhoden) New York Times FLORHAM PARK, N.J. A dejected Calvin Pace stood outside the Jets training complex on Tuesday evening, valiantly trying to make sense of how another black cloud had suddenly appeared over the team. Hours earlier, the team s starting quarterback, Geno Smith, had been punched by a teammate, breaking his jaw. The Jets announced Smith would be out 6 to 10 weeks, and that the player who had punched him, linebacker Ikemefuna Enemkpali, was now an ex-jet, cut immediately by the first-year coach, Todd Bowles. For the Jets, a season that has not begun has been turned on its head. Before they have even played a game, people were again asking, Why do bizarre things always happen to the Jets? Why can t this star-crossed franchise, going on 47 years without a title, get out of its own way? Wille Lanier, the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame middle linebacker, said Tuesday in a telephone interview that the combination of size, aggression and the violent nature of football puts a premium on controlling emotions and having team leaders who ensure a level of decorum and restraint, especially inside one s own locker room. It s difficult to contain anyway, Lanier said, referring to the emotion inherent in football. If you don t have people who can contain theirs, it puts too many people at risk. He said that in his experience there was often an abundance of leaders in the locker room who would not allow situations to escalate into altercations that might hurt the team. You would get into tussles with your brothers, he said. You did not get into fights with your teammates. Do the Jets have that kind of leadership? After Pace spoke with the news media, offensive lineman Willie Colon took his turn. He acknowledged that the Jets had no choice: Enemkpali had to go. We re not trying to create a culture like that, Colon said. If you have an issue with another man, you talk about it. You don t put your hands on anybody. 7 P a g e

8 Things like this can become a cancer, whether the locker room becomes divided or people think this is the way you handle certain situations and it s up to the veteran guys, like myself, and the coaching staff to let it be known that this is not how you handle situations, he added. Still, the incident which may have taken only seconds to start and finish becomes merely the latest in a sordid Jets history. The players come and go, and so do the coaches, but it s always something. That s just a misperception of this team, like something is always going wrong, Pace said. This probably, since I ve been here, is the most unfortunate thing that I can really say happened. And believe it or not, guys fight. Things happen. Brothers fight. You re together all the time, things happen, just maybe not to this severity. It s actually more than a perception, but Pace does have a point. In the rough and tumble world of athletics, push often comes to shove. Sometimes that produces moments when teammates go after one another. In 2008, Carolina Panthers teammates Steve Smith and Ken Lucas got into a fight on the sideline during a practice: Smith broke Lucas s nose. In 2003, the former Oakland Raiders linebacker Bill Romanowski shattered a teammate s eye socket. Lanier recalled a decades-ago altercation with one of his teammates, Otis Taylor, but shrugged it off as merely a tussle. But those incidents all came on the field, during practices. This one, reportedly about an unpaid debt of about $600, seemed to defy explanation. But suddenly the Jets preseason which should be a laboratory for Bowles s new system and an audition for players trying to make the roster has become a test of resilience. Smith s broken jaw has not only changed the Jets season, but possibly the team s long-term fortunes. Pace said that Smith, criticized by fans last season and booed by them as recently as Sunday s team scrimmage, was getting ready to come into his own. The chemistry between him and the offense was going good, Pace added. He was giving us some tough days defensively. Now the Jets, who were 4-12 last season, could be in for more tough days. There have been many. The Jets won their only Super Bowl in 1969, made the playoffs the next season but did not return to the postseason until The franchise has suffered a series of first-round draft busts Blair Thomas, Bryan Thomas, Vernon Gholston and it was humiliated by Bill Belichick, who resigned as HC of the NYJ after one day on the job and went on to build a New England Patriots dynasty. Some teams celebrate their history; the Jets have so much to forget, from the Rich Kotite years to Dan Marino s fake spike to Mark Sanchez s butt fumble. Is this simply a string of endless bad fortune, or a franchise that is badly broken, just like its quarterback s jaw? When Rex Ryan roared into town in 2009, he declared that the Jets past was dead. No more of the same old Jets. But by the time Ryan was fired after last season, that s just what they had become. Bowles has not made such promises but vowed, like several predecessors, to turn this ship around. There is a lot to turn around. Only two weeks ago, Sheldon Richardson, a star defensive lineman who was already suspended for violating the N.F.L. s substance abuse policy, was charged with several traffic violations after a car he was 8 P a g e

9 driving was clocked at 143 miles per hour. The car also contained a 12-year-old and a loaded handgun and smelled of marijuana, according to a police report. Now the preseason begins on Thursday in Detroit with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback and the Jets behind the eight ball. Right now our quarterback is sitting at home with a broken jaw and we have an outside linebacker that s not with us no more, Colon said. It s a loss. I m not sure these are the same old Jets, but you have to admit, they sure look familiar. Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the season of the Jets next playoff berth after winning the Super Bowl in The Jets advanced to the playoffs the following season and then not again until 1981; it is not the case that the Jets won their only Super Bowl in 1969 and did not return to the playoffs until ESPN NEW YORK Geno Smith's jaw will heal, but he'll have hard time recovering from this mess (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- With one vicious punch, a backup linebacker named IK Enemkpali dramatically changed the New York Jets' season and perhaps the future of the franchise. He recorded his first NFL sack, taking out starting quarterback Geno Smith on Tuesday morning because of a dispute over $ a Jeton-Jet crime of mind-boggling proportions. Enemkpali broke Smith's jaw in two places and he may have shattered Smith's chances of becoming the franchise's long-term answer at quarterback. Smith's surgically repaired jaw will heal in six to 10 weeks, according to the Jets, but we may have seen the last of him as the Jets' starter. It's Ryan Fitzpatrick's team now, and there's no guarantee Smith will ever return to his old gig. Todd Bowles made that clear, offering no promises to Smith. As the coach said, "If the other guy is playing well and the boat is going right and there are no waves, and everything is going and we're 4, 5, 6, 7-0, yeah, you're not coming back to start." Technically, Smith can't lose a job he never had. He still hadn't been named the opening-day starter even though it was heading in that direction. Even if he returns to the lineup at some point in the season, it's fair to wonder if he'd be able to do enough in a small window to win the confidence of the new regime. The new bosses, Bowles and Mike Maccagnan, don't want The Geno Question to linger into This is the year to commit or get off the pot, and now there are major questions about how the mentally fragile Smith will respond. And how his teammates will respond to him. No player deserves to get "sucker punched," which is how Bowles described the stunning altercation before the morning walk-through, but Smith's involvement in "something very childish" (once again, Bowles' words) raises red flags about him. The starting quarterback is the face of the franchise, the leader of the organization. He's supposed to be above this garbage. This never happened to Chad Pennington or Vinny Testaverde or Boomer Esiason, but it happens to Smith. 9 P a g e

10 There was the missed meeting (remember the night at the movies?) and the profane outburst toward a fan last season, and the airline altercation the year before that. Separately, they're minor transgressions, but connect the dots and a picture has emerged. Bowles admitted he was upset by Smith's involvement in Tuesday's incident. "Yeah, it takes two to tango," he said. "One to throw a punch, but two to tango." That's one dance the starting quarterback should avoid. Bowles made the right move by firing Enemkpali almost immediately, sending a strong message to the team. That kind of behavior is inexcusable. Smith wasn't punished by the coach, but he will be judged by a jury of his peers -- the 52 other men in the locker room. Darrelle Revis, one of four players who spoke about the incident, was none too pleased that Smith put himself in harm's way by not peacefully resolving the dispute with Enemkpali. "This is somebody we were counting on," Revis said, adding, "Geno and IK should've handled themselves as men." That might sound harsh because Smith is the guy with the broken jaw, but it's hard to fathom how two grown men would let a mere $600 alter a season and potentially ruin careers. It was a classic "Same Old Jets" moment. The seasons change and the leadership changes, the franchise remains a punch line -- quite literally, in this case. They're on some kind of run, aren't they? Sheldon Richardson was suspended for flunking a drug test and later arrested for mistaking the highways around St. Louis as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Antonio Allen blew out his Achilles tendon on a freak play in practice. Dee Milliner busted a wrist on a routine play. And now we have this, Enemkpali busting his quarterback's jaw. Welcome to the madness, Todd. The soft-spoken coach who rarely curses now works for a cursed franchise. Enemkpali joins Marvin Austin and Brandon Short in a small, but growing fraternity: guys who injured Jets' quarterbacks in the preseason. Thing is, Austin and Short were playing for the New York Giants when they wiped out Mark Sanchez (2013) and Pennington (2003), respectively, in preseason games. Enemkpali was on Smith's team, for crying out loud. "I was always told it's OK to kick your enemies' asses," Jets offensive lineman Willie Colon said. "You don't kick your brother's ass." Truth be told, the Jets probably will be better in the short term with Fitzpatrick, who will be a grownup in the huddle. He's experienced and knows the offense better than any player on the team, but we all know he's not the future. Smith, despite his uneven first two seasons, began camp with a chance to be the future. He was excited about it. He was in a chipper mood last Saturday night at MetLife Stadium, proud of the way he turned the boos that rained down on him during a relatively meaningless practice into cheers. And, to think, he thought the fan base was his biggest challenge. Todd Bowles has reached first pressure point in his Jets coaching tenure (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York 10 P a g e

11 What happened Tuesday on the practice field -- a profanity-spewing Todd Bowles ripped into his team in the aftermath of the Geno Smith-IK Enemkpali debacle in Floor 'em Park, New Jersey -- will be remembered in one of two ways. It could be the seminal moment of the New York Jets' season, the speech that galvanizes their Romper (Locker) Room and establishes Bowles as the new sheriff in town. Or it could be a verbal scolding that goes through 90 ears and out the other 90, allowing the old culture to become the new culture. Don't blame Bowles for the Smith-Enemkpali smackdown and the recent Sheldon Richardson transgressions, but start judging him now. This is his first crisis, his first pressure point. How he handles it could determine what type of coach he becomes for the Jets. The Jets haven't played a game yet, but they're in a vulnerable state. Their quarterback is down for six to 10 weeks -- he might never get his job back -- and emotions in the locker room are raw. As guard Willie Colon said, "Things like this can become a cancer." All eyes will be on the soft-spoken, no-nonsense man in the big chair, looking to see if he can contain the controversy and eliminate the "Animal House" perception that has resurfaced. One of the reasons Woody Johnson hired Bowles was because he wanted a 21st-century disciplinarian to tighten up the loose ends that marked the Rex Ryan era. (In fairness to Ryan, he never had a Jet-on-Jet smackdown, although Wayne Hunter came close to belting Santonio Holmes in the huddle on that fateful day at the end of the 2011 season.) So far, the Bowles Jets resemble the Ryan Jets, but to put that on Bowles would be like blaming the president in the first month of his term for a sluggish economy. "It takes time to right a team," said Bowles, perhaps acknowledging the locker room chemistry was a bit funky under Ryan. "When you come to a team, you ve got to establish your own culture. That s not going to happen overnight. You take lessons and you learn from them. "For those three things to happen (Richardson's suspension and arrest, plus Smith's broken jaw), it doesn t discourage you as a coach. It makes you stronger. It makes you give statements to players. It makes them understand the rules clearer and, hopefully, they learn from other people s mistakes." Bowles walked into a tough job, one that got tougher over the last few weeks. He did a nice job with the Richardson situation, displaying the right balance of indignation and compassion. He did the right thing by firing Enemkpali, a marginal player who might or might not have made the team. Skeptics will say Enemkpali was an easy scapegoat, that Bowles wouldn't have released him if he had been a starter. The coach insisted that wouldn't have been the case. OK, fine, but now there's a precedent. It's hard to imagine another Smith-Enemkpali situation, but what if Richardson messes up again? Will he cut one of his best players? Bowles uses the word "accountability" a lot. When I spoke to him by phone on the eve of training camp, he said his opening speech to the players would focus on accountability and chemistry. "Those will be the two main things I'm trying to get across," he said that day. He told them he wouldn't tolerate any fighting on the practice field (so far, so good), but no one cares about their unblemished record in that regard because Enemkpali changed everything with a devastating punch to Smith's jaw. Now they're embroiled in Defacegate, with people wondering how they can overtake the New England Patriots when they can't make nice among themselves. "You set rules and you learn lessons," Bowles said. "You don t want to learn too many lessons. Lately, we ve learned about three in a row, so we ve got to get it at some point." That point is now, and it's on Bowles to restore the peace and remove the laughingstock label. 11 P a g e

12 NEW YORK POST Ryan Fitzpatrick will keep QB job over Geno if Jets are winning (Howie Kussoy) New York Post August 11, One sucker punch unexpectedly elevated Ryan Fitzpatrick from the sideline to the Jets new starting quarterback. As a teammate, Fitzpatrick conveyed disappointment after learning Geno Smith would be out up to 10 weeks after suffering a broken jaw when he was clobbered by former teammate IK Enemkpali on Tuesday morning, complimenting Smith for how well he d played in training camp and how hard he d worked. But as a 32-year-old veteran on his fourth team in four years and sixth team overall Fitzpatrick was immediately appreciative to be given a chance he wasn t sure he would ever get again. Every time you get a chance to go out there and play is an opportunity for you in this league, said Fitzpatrick, who was drafted in the seventh round in 2005 out of Harvard. After I was released in Buffalo [in 2013], I didn t know whether I d have an opportunity to play or at least be the starter again. I understand that the opportunities are few and far between and I understand that my time in this league is probably limited in terms of getting these opportunities, so I m going to take advantage of every single day and every single rep that I get. New coach Todd Bowles said he would reevaluate who would start when Smith returns from the injury, but if Fitzpatrick who was traded to the Jets in March after throwing for 17 touchdowns, eight interceptions and 2,483 yards, while completing a career-high 63.1 percent of his passes in 12 games with the Texans leads the Jets to a level of success Smith has been unable to reach during his two seasons, the veteran could end up keeping the starting job for the entire season. The Jets likely will sign a veteran quarterback to back up Fitzpatrick rather than stick with rookie Bryce Petty looking at underwhelming, out-of-work candidates such as Rex Grossman, Tyler Thigpen, Michael Vick, Brady Quinn, Jordan Palmer and Matt Flynn. If the other guy s playing well and the boat s going right and there are no waves and everything s going and we re 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-0, you re not coming back to start, Bowles said. Anybody s playing great, you lose your spot for injury, you lose your spot for a bunch of things. If he s playing great and the ship is going the right way, you don t make a move. With Smith out 6-10 weeks, he won t be back until at least Week 3 against the Eagles or as late as Week 7 against the Patriots; the Jets have a bye in Week 5. I m confident in Ryan. Ryan s had a good camp, Bowles said. He s been here before, he has a lot of games under his belt, he knows the system, he knows how to throw the ball and he understands the game. Teammates gave Fitzpatrick the same support, with the quarterback noting additional confidence comes from his familiarity with the Jets system, having played under offensive coordinator Chan Gailey for three seasons with the Bills. Still, Fitzpatrick acknowledged the comfort can only do so much and that he still needs to build a rapport with the first-team receiving corps, who he has shared limited work with during training camp. 12 P a g e

13 Bowles said he is unsure how long Fitzpatrick will play in Thursday s preseason game in Detroit, having to find a balance between getting him reps and avoiding another injury. Fitzpatrick had arrived at training camp prepared to play behind Smith. He is left with the opportunity he s always wanted. If I didn t want to be here and I didn t love to play this game and I didn t have confidence in myself I d be on vacation with my five kids sailing off into the sunset with a career nobody probably thought I would ve had, Fitzpatrick said. I m not satisfied with what I ve done. I feel like there s so much more that I can continue to improve on. I m really excited for the challenge. Sad Jets reach new low with sucker punch (Steve Serby) New York Post New head coach. New general manager. Same old Jets. Only the Jets could deliver this kind of punch line: Reserve linebacker IK Enemkpali socks starting quarterback Geno Smith in the jaw over what rookie head coach Todd Bowles labels a childish incident that will send Smith into surgery and to the sidelines for six to 10 weeks. The late Saddam Hussein might have called it Sock And Jaw. Over a $600 debt that the idiot reserve linebacker wanted paid for the starting quarterback canceling a charity appearance in Texas because of the death of someone close to him. Smith had planned on paying the debt. Letterman would have needed a Top 50 list to adequately chronicle the litany of Stupid Jet Tricks over the years. It s bad enough the franchise hasn t won a Super Bowl since Jan. 12, But long-suffering Jets fans have been forced to endure more wild and wacky episodes of dysfunction, outrageousness, mindlessness and amateur-hour silliness than fans of any other sports operation. The clown face of the franchise wears a red bulbous nose and floppy green-and-white shoes. And we thought the circus had left town once Rex Ryan was fired and took his talents to Buffalo. Silly us. My formal initiation into Jets World I missed rah-rah college coach Lou Holtz ordering his Jets to sing a fight song following elusive victories during the ill-fated 1976 season came after a midweek confrontation with quarterback Richard Todd at the beginning of November 1981, when he grabbed me around the neck and smashed my head into a locker. Looking back, it should be considered an upset that no teammate walloped him after his five-interception nightmare in the 1982 AFC Championship game, better known to Jets fans as the Mud Bowl because Miami coach Don Shula neglected to cover the field during a monsoon, bogging down the speedier Jets. On the flight home, erratic behavior by head coach Walt Michaels resulted in his firing. Bruce Coslet actually conducted a conference call with beat writers in the press room from another room in the same facility. 13 P a g e

14 Coslet was replaced by Pete Carroll, who was sabotaged by Dan Marino s Fake Spike and was fired after his rookie season because owner Leon Hess lusted after Brooklyn-born Rich Kotite. A Dese and Dose guy, Hess called him affectionately. Kotite went 4-28 over two years before announcing: I wasn t fired. I didn t quit. I m stepping down. Okaaaaay! Not even Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, who won two Super Bowls with the Giants, could lead the Jets back to the Super Bowl. He quit after three seasons, then his hand-picked successor, Bill Belichick, quit after one day as HC of the NYJ at a Bizarro World press conference. Belichick, as any long-suffering Jets fan will tell you, has won four Super Bowl rings with the arch-rival Patriots with Tom (Deflategate) Brady. And therein lies a big part of the problem. The Jets have been searching for their Next Broadway Joe, or a Brady to call their own, since Namath left them in 1976, long before he wanted to kiss Suzy Kolber on national television. Never mind that they drafted Ken O Brien instead of Hall of Famer Marino in Mark Sanchez was the anointed savior before the Thanksgiving night Buttfumble that will live in Jets infamy. The last two seasons featured an overmatched GM, John Idzik, with a longer-term vision for the team than Ryan, the coach he inherited. And now, your 2015 New York Jets: Til Debt Do They Part. Geno s dumb macho fight bait could mean end of Jets career (Steve Serby) New York Post It doesn t truly matter whether it was a sucker punch or simply a punch. In professional football, the franchise quarterback is held to a higher standard and higher paycheck. Broadway Joe Namath was a jet-setter/night owl/ladies man whose favorite target would have been Johnnie Walker had he been a teammate. But his teammates respected him because he walked the talk as their leader and the Fu-Manchu d face of the franchise. He always had their backs. Ryan Fitzpatrick is now the Jets quarterback, starting with Thursday night s preseason opener against the Lions, because Geno Smith should have walked away from the kindergarten confrontation that left him with a broken jaw and a broken Jets career. Whether he owed IK Enemkpali $600 or $6,000 or 60 cents. There are very few Boy Scouts inside NFL locker rooms, and a disturbing lack of maturity, caution and common sense outside of them. Raging testosterone levels are the rule rather than the exception in the boys-will-be-boys culture of all sports. But as an NFL owner, as an organization, as a coach, as a teammate and as a fan, you want your quarterback to exhibit calm and poise in the face of chaos and turbulence, on the field and off. You want him to be a model of decorum and professionalism. You want him to be your battlefield commander around whom the rest of the team rallies. The head coach wants his quarterback to be an extension of him, a trusted lieutenant. 14 P a g e

15 Ideally, you want him to be Peyton Manning. Or Eli Manning. Or Aaron Rodgers. Or Andrew Luck. Or, yes, Tom Brady. There is too much at stake for everyone, too much invested, financially and emotionally, for the quarterback to put himself in an uncompromising position or in harm s way. I think this is the last straw for Geno Smith. Todd Bowles can talk about changing the culture all he wants, but good luck to him if a bad apple like Enemkpali hasn t learned, if from no other source than Roger Goodell s Personal Conduct Policy, that the laws of the wild are not tolerated, even in a league of pros and cons. Rex Ryan may have run a loose Jets ship, but let s not forget that Enemkpali never sucker-punched Smith under Ryan s watch. No doubt Brady would have deflated the problem. Smith inflated it. The New York Quarterback needs a tougher skin than most. Smith blinked under the glare of the microscope when he cursed a fan at the end of one game and missed a team meeting the night before another game in his sophomore season. Smith laughed off the boobirds at Saturday night s Green and White scrimmage. He seemed more comfortable entering his third season. I think it s more important for my teammates to see how I react to it, more than anything, Smith said afterward. What are his teammates to think now? How, exactly, will they be able to trust him again? How will Bowles be able to trust him again? How will general manager Mike Maccagnan be able to trust him again? How will Woody Johnson be able to trust him again? Enemkpali could have called him the 32nd-best starting quarterback in football, and Smith would have been better served to let it go in one ear and out the other. It escalated inexcusably into a symbolic black eye for the tortured franchise so eager for a fresh start with bright new leadership. Because it only calls into question Smith s judgment. There has been a long list of misfits who proved illequipped to be a franchise quarterback but somehow, Ryan Leaf was never socked by a teammate in his locker room. Robert Griffin III probably wouldn t have won the popular vote in the Washington locker room last season, but he was never KO d by anyone. Make no mistake, Smith is the victim here. But if it is true that he stuck a finger in Enemkpali s face, or dared him to act as ESPN s Ryan Clark, a former Steeler, said Wednesday then he is hardly blameless for being victimized. When you are the designated driver of the Porsche, you steer clear of trouble at all costs. This was a head-on collision that could have and should have been avoided. And if some of his teammates don t know it, Bowles sure does. Bowles arrived at Florham Park as a classy, no-nonsense professional who has been preaching accountability from Day 1. He didn t sign up to be head coach of Romper Room. The signing of Brandon Marshall and expected emergence of Jace Amaro afforded Smith the chance to make instead of break. With the prospect of an elite defense, even without the suspended Sheldon Richardson, Smith s mandate was to cut down on the foolish mistakes that have marked his career. This may have been the worst one of all. Jets career intercepted. Jets career fumbled away. Ryan Fitzpatrick gets first shot to prove he can lead the Jets (Brian Costello) New York Post 15 P a g e

16 August 13, DETROIT Now, the Jets have a game to play. After absorbing the reality they will be without quarterback Geno Smith for the start of the season, the Jets take the field Thursday night to face the Lions in their first preseason game. All eyes will be on Ryan Fitzpatrick, who takes over under center with Smith out. Jets coach Todd Bowles will be manning the sideline for his first game with the Jets after what has been a challenging start to his tenure with Gang Green. I m confident in Ryan, Bowles said Tuesday. Ryan s had a good camp, Geno was having a good camp, too. It s hard to replace a guy when both guys are doing well. You [can t be] wishy-washy, but Ryan s been a pro. He s been there before. He s had a lot of games under his belt. He knows the system. He knows how to throw the ball. He understands the game. The Jets did not have this exact scenario in mind, of course, when they made the trade in March with the Texans to acquire Fitzpatrick, but they did want a seasoned veteran to back up Smith in case he suffered an injury or played poorly. This is Fitzpatrick s sixth team, and he now finds himself with another opportunity to prove he can be the guy. The 32-year-old spent last year with the Texans, going 6-6 as the team s starting quarterback. Fitzpatrick had not worked with the starters in training camp until Tuesday s practice, so they have some work to do on chemistry. But he knows offensive coordinator Chan Gailey s offense after spending three years with Gailey in Buffalo. Well, the beauty of it is I ve been in this offense for three years and in terms of that and how comfortable I am, that s going to be helpful for me in this situation, Fitzpatrick said. I think the fact that I ve thrown to a lot of different receivers and a lot of different players, that s going to be helpful in terms of grouping and comparing different receivers that I ve thrown to. There s going to be some stuff we have to get down, body language, all that, expectations, and that s going to take a little bit of time, but I feel like we have good communicators, the receiving corps are very good communicators. I think that s one of my strengths as well, so we ll get on the same page. Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (hamstring) did travel with the team and Bowles said the Jets will make a decision on whether he will play after watching him warm up. Three players to watch Brandon Marshall The Jets new No. 1 wide receiver probably will not play very long, but should give Jets fans something to feel good about. He has looked great in training camp. Bryce Petty With Geno Smith out, Petty becomes the No. 2 quarterback until the team signs someone else. The rookie figures to get a lot of playing time against Detroit. We ll see if he looks lost or like he belongs. Leonard Williams The team s first-round pick has been impressive in camp. The Jets need Williams to come along fast with Sheldon Richardson suspended for the first four games of the season and maybe longer. 16 P a g e

17 NJ ADVANCE MEDIA It's up to Todd Bowles to change Jets' chaotic culture Politi (Steve Politi) NJ Advance Media FLORHAM PARK The best answer Todd Bowles gave to a question on Tuesday was exactly one word, and it's a promising development if you're a Jets fan who is tired of rooting for the NFL's punchline. Would the Jets head coach have cut IK Enemkpali who will go into infamy simply as "the Jets puncher" for knocking quarterback Geno Smith out for six to 10 weeks if the linebacker were a starter and not a player on the bubble of making it through training camp? "Yes," Bowles said, without hesitation. Feel free to be skeptical. This is, after all, a league that routinely decides its "justice" based on how much mileage a player has on his body Ray Rice, a fading running back, is ostracized after his very public moment of domestic violence; Greg Hardy, a defensive end in his prime, gets a new contract after his. Would Bowles really have cut Enemkpali if he were as good as, say, Muhammad Wilkerson? Or if he were as established in the Jets locker room as, say, Nick Mangold or Calvin Pace? Luckily, the first-year head coach wasn't faced with a decision like that. Cutting Enemkpali was easy. Still, it was a message, one that Bowles drove home with an expletive-filled speech to the team before practice, that the loosey-goosey days of the Rex Ryan Era are over. "It takes time to right a team," Bowles said. "When you come to a team you've got to establish your own culture. That's not going to happen overnight. You take lessons and you learn from them." It will take time before we know if Bowles can really change the rotten culture around the Jets, but it seemed like he was making progress. This isn't the case of a new coach trying to rule with an iron fist, like Eric Mangini bring everything but Bill Belichick's hoodie with him from New England. Bowles, 51, is trying to earn his players' respect. He is a former Pro Bowl player who waited 18 years as a coach for his break. He is not going to be their snack-delivering best pal like Ryan, to say the least, but he's going to be stern and fair. This was his first test, and he passed it. "We're not going to tolerate anything like that from anybody," Bowles said. "I told the team that. I addressed them. I don't care who you are. "As far as them in the locker room, the veterans have to take care of themselves and they have to police the locker room as well, but when somebody just walks up to you and just takes a shot, you know that can't be warranted anywhere." It will be interesting to see how Bowles handles the ongoing saga involving star defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. The league hit him with a four-game suspension for his drug violation, but the team is waiting to see if there are additional penalties related to his arrest for resisting arrest after driving his Bentley 143 mph with a 12-year old in the car. Bowles was asked why Richardson got a second chance while Enemkpali did not, and the head coach bristled. 17 P a g e