Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Jets notes: Analytics, Marcus Mariota and QB chatter

A look at what's going on around the New York Jets:

1. Revenge of the nerds: Took a trip to Boston Friday and Saturday to attend the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, where a lot of smart people in various sports gathered to discuss the impact of analytics. (Think "Moneyball.") Eighteen NFL teams were represented, not including the Jets, who attended the conference last year. With free agency and the draft approaching, it was interesting to hear executives from teams such as the New England Patriots and San Antonio Spurs -- both champions -- discuss how they use numbers, data and analytics for player evaluations and team building. Then, of course, there was Brian Burke, the president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames.

"The notion that you can sit behind a computer and pick athletes is bulls---," Burke told the audience. He later backtracked, claiming analytics play a small role in their player-evaluation process.

The Jets are still getting situated under new general manager Mike Maccagnan, but they're not expected to ride the wave of the analytics craze.

2. Duck hunting: Howie Roseman, the Philadelphia Eagles' executive vice president of football operations, was a panelist at the conference. There was a discussion on the philosophy of trading up in the draft and, although no specific players were mentioned, you couldn't help but think of Marcus Mariota. There has been a lot of chatter about the Eagles (20th pick) trying to move up for the Oregon quarterback, perhaps swapping places with the Jets (sixth).

Roseman didn't sound keen on the concept of a blockbuster trade up.

"The history of trading up for one player, when you look at those trades, isn't good for the team trading up and putting a lot of resources into it," he said. "The guys who are really good at drafting, if you're hitting on 60 percent of your first-round picks, that's a pretty good track record and it's dropping as you go through the rounds. So, really, the more chances you get -- the more tickets to the lottery you get -- really, the better shape you're going to be."

He doesn't have the final say on personnel -- coach Chip Kelly, who covets Mariota, has that power -- so Roseman's opinion has to be kept in the proper context. Nevertheless, it gives us an idea what one voice in the Eagles' draft room might be thinking.

3. Robo QB: New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, on a panel that covered cutting-edge technology, said he envisions the day when teams have a "quarterback simulator," as he called it -- a virtual-reality contraption in which quarterbacks can "face" specific opponents. Because of the limited amount of practice time under the collective bargaining agreement, a simulator would allow quarterbacks to get the extra practice reps they don't get on the field, he said. Think about it: If your rookie quarterback is preparing to play a complex defensive scheme, he can strap on a pair of high-tech goggles and play a virtual game against that defense.

It also could be a great tool for evaluating quarterbacks in the draft. Imagine conducting a virtual contest between Mariota and Jameis Winston, testing their decision-making, reaction time, anticipation, etc. against a "real" defense. Why stop there? The Jets could stage a virtual quarterback competition, which probably would be more intense than the actual competition that occurred last summer.

4. Fixing the schedule: The Jets can't blame their struggles in recent years on an unfair schedule -- at least not according to a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Murat Kurt submitted a research paper at the Sloan conference that reveals a competitive imbalance in the regular-season schedule, showing a significant disparity in the total number of games played against extra-rested opponents -- i.e., teams coming off the bye week or a Thursday night game. From 2002 to 2014, the Jets played 16 such games. Only the Cincinnati Bengals (14), Pittsburgh Steelers (15) and Washington Redskins (15) had fewer games against extra-rested foes.

The most? The Buffalo Bills had 29, including one last season against the Jets. It didn't prevent the Bills from administering a 38-3 beatdown.

In his paper, Kurt offers a solution to the problem, but he lost me at "mixed-integer linear program."

5. Back in the real world ... : Quarterback Josh McCown, who agreed to terms with the Cleveland Browns, received a contract offer from the Jets, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Jets met with McCown last week at the scouting combine, so we knew there was some degree of interest. It reportedly wasn't a competitive offer, but still: Josh McCown? Granted, there aren't a lot of great options in the free-agent market, but this tells me the Jets are banking on Geno Smith or praying Mariota falls to them. By the way, McCown reportedly agreed to a three-year deal for $14 million, including $6.25 million in guarantees.

6. Chad hanging in: Former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, a smart guy whose opinions are respected, refuses to throw in the towel on Smith. Pennington, speaking Friday on ESPN radio, said it takes three to five years to get an accurate read on a quarterback. Smith is entering his third year.

"There's no question I think Geno Smith has the physical talent," Pennington said. "He came from a spread system at West Virginia. There's obviously a huge learning curve, and I'd hate to see them give up on a talented player like this."

Another former Jets quarterback, Vinny Testaverde, also has spoken highly of Smith. It's a tight fraternity, I suppose, although something tells me Smith wouldn't get a glowing review from Mark Sanchez.

7. Waiting on Revis: I think league executives, especially those in the AFC East, are curious to see the outcome of the Darrelle Revis negotiations with the Patriots. The two sides are trying to hammer out a contract extension before March 9. Failing a new deal, they'd probably cut him because of a prohibitive $25 million cap charge for 2015 on his current deal. There's an irony here:

The Jets, who traded Revis because they didn't want to pay him, have helped his leverage by professing their interest in him. (See Woody Johnson's end-of-the-season comment about welcoming a Revis return.) That has to be in the back of New England's mind as it negotiates. The Jets, of course, could get penalized by the NFL, as the Patriots filed a tampering charge. The Jets could be fined or docked a draft pick. If that happens, they can take some solace in knowing Johnson's remark probably caused the Patriots to pay a little more than they preferred, eating up valuable cap space.

8. A pioneer calls it quits: James (Shack) Harris, 67, a longtime front-office executive who made history in 1969 when he became the first black quarterback to start an opening-day game, announced his retirement from the league this week. He worked most recently in the Detroit Lions' personnel department. Harris spent six decades in the game, leaving an indelible mark. He fulfilled his dream to play quarterback at a time in our history when young African-American players were steered to other positions. His first start came against the Jets, with whom he later worked.

Harris was the Jets' assistant general from 1993 to 1996. I remember one story about him. When they were scouting Keyshawn Johnson before the 1996 draft, the Jets dispatched Harris to the USC pro day to get an accurate 40-yard dash time. There had been some question about Johnson's speed, and they needed that last piece of information before deciding to pick him No. 1 overall. Harris, who speaks with a slow, deep drawl, doesn't waste words. He keeps it simple and direct. When he called the team after the workout to report his findings, he said simply, "Speed won't be a problem." And that was that. The Jets drafted Johnson.

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