Jets Coach Sal Alosi's Devious Act Was Not A Coincidence

[r8rh8rmike]

Wed Dec 15 05:17pm EST

Jets coach Sal Alosi's devious act was not a coincidence
By MJD

Sal Alosi, the New York Jets coach who tripped Miami player Nolan Carroll in the third quarter of the Dolphins’ 10-6 win last Sunday, didn't "just happen" to be there.

The Jets have discovered that he strategically ordered players to "form a wall" in that specific place, and have now changed Alosi's suspension from "rest of the season" to "indefinite." Here's the play:

If you'll take his word for it, Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said today that neither head coach Rex Ryan or special teams coach Mike Westhoff were involved in the plan.

“As we continued our investigation, we discovered some new information,” Tannenbaum said in a conference call from the NFL owners meetings in Dallas, “and the players at the Miami game were instructed by Sal to stand where they were to force the gunner in the game to run around them.”

To force the gunner to run around them, or to give them an opportunity to trip the gunner? It seems a little unlikely that the gunner would go all the way around them. Tripping him, as we all saw on Sunday, isn't all that far-fetched. That actually happened.

Tight end Jeff Cumberland, who was inactive Sunday, said it was nothing new for the players to line up next to each other as they did against the Dolphins, according to AP.

"Since the beginning of the year, we’ve been instructed to line up behind the (white) line,” he said, adding that it was only Alosi who has told them to do so."

As far as further punishment goes, Tannenbaum says the Jets are still gathering information and that "all options are on the table." A lot of people felt like Alosi should've been fired for acting so recklessly to begin with. Now that there's evidence pointing to this being a premeditated plan, things seem even worse.

The Jets interviewed the players who were standing near Alosi, but will not take any action against them. “This is just about Sal,” Tannenbaum said.

[r8rh8rmike]

So this was a regular occurrence all season long involving players, yet we're to believe Westhoff and control freak Ryan knew absolutely nothing about it? Really??

At the rate they're going, the Jets are going to make the Cheatriots look like the Choir Boys.

[Rambunctious]

The tripping I have a HUGE issue with. The forming a wall where the players are allowed to be... not so much.

I mean my team is trying to contain the runner. I'm not going to help the gunner by making sure he has a clear path around him.

[Nick]

The tripping I have a HUGE issue with. The forming a wall where the players are allowed to be... not so much.

I mean my team is trying to contain the runner. I'm not going to help the gunner by making sure he has a clear path around him.

There's an Outside the Lines video on ESPN's NFL page where Mike Golic says the players were standing there illegally, because the first out of bounds line is where coaches are allowed to stand but players have to be behind the second line which is about three feet back or so. Alosi seems to have the players lined up on the first line.

[Rambunctious]

There's an Outside the Lines video on ESPN's NFL page where Mike Golic says the players were standing there illegally, because the first out of bounds line is where coaches are allowed to stand but players have to be behind the second line which is about three feet back or so. Alosi seems to have the players lined up on the first line.

Oh... I was just going by what one of his player's said.

Yea if the players aren't allowed to be there then I would fire him.

[Nick]

Oh... I was just going by what one of his player's said.

Yea if the players aren't allowed to be there then I would fire him.

Golic may have been wrong, I have no idea what the rules are for who can line up where and on what line. But if they aren't allowed there and Alosi instructed them to line up there, then I bet you're right, he will be fired.

[r8rh8rmike]

The fact that Tannenbaum is using the "revelation" of what Alosi had the players do to change the suspension from "rest of the season" to "indefinite", tells me it's a big no-no. But if that's the case, why didn't the officials ever warn or penalize the Jets for doing it at some point during the season? Just a strange situation in a lot of ways. I wouldn't be surprised to see this thing blow up.

Regardless, I think it's safe to say Alosi's career with the Jets or any other NFL team is is over.

[BrokenWing]

Can't stand Rex Ryan, and this is exactly the kind of thing I think he'd support. Even if he can't do so publicly.

[Goldenfleece]

The tripping I have a HUGE issue with. The forming a wall where the players are allowed to be... not so much.

I agree. The wall comes off as a little bit of gamesmanship, but nothing too far out of the norm. It might be against the rules, but IMO wouldn't be a firing offense in and of itself. According to an article on NFL.com, "flagrant violations after two warnings could result in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty". The tripping was more egregious. He obviously knew it was wrong and could have wound up causing injury.

[r8rh8rmike]

I think there's a reason players are not allowed to stand too close to the field. The Jets purposely lined up in a specific spot to abstruct the gunner, which creates a dangerous situation, knee or no knee. Those guys are flying down the sideline at full speed and contact with someone who's in a place they're not supposed to be can end up in disaster. The NFL levied a heavy fine, and the Jets are scrambling to distance themselves from Alosi, which again, tells me it 's a big deal.