The Jets have made a number of roster decisions over the past week, parting ways with K Nick Folk, RT Breno Giacomini, C Nick Mangold and CB Darrelle Revis. Team insider Eric Allen caught up with the New York Post's Brian Costello at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and discussed the legacies of those recently let go by the Green & White.
"I think every winter you're kind of conditioned and used to this now," Costello said. "Every year there are going to be cuts for salary cap reasons, but these are some big names. You're talking about Darrelle Revis and Nick Mangold, guys who are probably going to be in the Ring of Honor someday. Revis' No. 24 I think could be retired someday.
"You see those names getting cut and it's still startling even though we kind of have been talking about that it might happen. It's amazing to think about and how much transition has gone with this team the last few years. To see those guys go I think is just startling to see it actually happen. Clearly the Jets are turning the roster over and GM Mike Maccagnan is turning the page on the last two years of what he's done and it's a signal that times are changing around the Jets right now."
Costello on Revis…
"Ultimately when we get five or ten years away and the Jets are honoring Darrelle Revis, no one is going to remember 2016. They're going to remember 2009, the interception in San Diego, the interception on September 11th against Dallas. They're going to remember all those great memories and not necessarily some of the struggles he had last year."
On Mangold…
"With Mangold, it's hard to appreciate a center because it's not in the highlights and there's not a lot of film on TV. You don't necessarily know what's going on in the trenches. To me, the moment I realized what Mangold meant to this team was when he wasn't on the field. I remember in 2011 he missed two games and it was the first time he had missed games. Things just didn't operate well for the offense. There were blitzes coming from everywhere and QB Mark Sanchez was ducking and diving everywhere.
"You talk to his teammates and the quarterbacks he's played with, you can't overstate the importance he had to this team. He really was the brains of the offense on the field and he had some young quarterbacks to work with through the years with Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith. He was the guy who guided them when they were in their early days and helped them through it. I think the time had come. It was clearly a business decision, but Mangold is another one that will clearly be honored by the Jets someday and will always be a fan favorite."
On Folk…
"That one surprised me a little more than Mangold and Revis because his cap number wasn't as large. You look through the game-winning kicks and you go through them: here in Indianapolis is probably the biggest one. Then against Dallas where Darrelle's interception set up Folk's field goal against the Cowboys on the anniversary of 9/11 in a crazy night at MetLife — it was one of the loudest nights I think I remember at MetLife Stadium. Folk had a really good run because you don't see kickers with runs like this often."
On Giacomini…
"Breno I think brought some toughness to the line. He was always a good guy in the locker room and he was fun to talk to. Maybe he brought a little too much toughness with the penalties he got from time to time, but the writing was on the wall this year with Breno's back. That's a tough injury to come back from when you're a 300-pound offensive lineman. I think he did some good things for the Jets in the time he was there, but it was really time to move on."
