If Michael Vick looked ill prepared on Sunday, that’s because he was. “I learned a lesson last week: Always stay ready, always be prepared,” said Vick, according to Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday. “That left a bitter taste in my mouth, that I wasn’t able to go out and put points on the board or even help this team in any fashion. This week has been a different work week for me. I think throughout the rest of the year, it’s going to be totally different for me, as far as my preparation.” It’s time to take a trip down the New Jersey Turnpike and marvel at how great that shopping mall really could have been. News on the Jets and Giants..
- Jets coach Rex Ryan knows that he has to win to get the media off his back and quiet calls for his job, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. Meanwhile, as the tabloids hammer him, he has the support of many in the locker room. “We’ve been playing for Rex since training camp,” running back Chris Johnson said. “He’s the type of guy everyone loves around here. No one wants him gone or anything like that. We’re playing for him. We’re playing for ourselves. Just like Rex, everyone here has a job. Rex isn’t going to be the only guy in jeopardy of losing his job if things aren’t going well.”
- The Jets‘ turmoil is a product of GM John Idzik‘s suspicious spending and failed decisions, writes Jason Fitzgerald of The Sporting News. One would have expected Idzik to hit free agency hard after the team’s cap problems were cleared up, but he didn’t do nearly enough this offseason to help Gang Green improve. Fitzgerald writes that it’s hard for the Jets right now to look in the mirror and not see the Raiders staring back. Ouch.
- Giants president John Mara said it will be “several months” before Robert Mueller’s investigation into Ray Rice case is completed, tweets Bob Glauber of Newsday. Mara is helping to oversee the investigation and many outside observers have questioned his impartiality since he has a strong working relationship with Roger Goodell.
- The Jets worked out Malcolm Bronson and Dashaun Phillips, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).