Brian Bassett , theJetsBlog.com

We have watched over the past two days as the Bart Scott – Dan Leberfeld story has spiraled all over from Twitter, to news to the radio.  It’s not everyday that a player threatens the bodily harm of a reporter, let alone hear about a reporter threatening litigation. Hubbuch threw his standard NY Post issued firebombs, everyone wrung their hands and Jets fans added another media member to their s***list.  To quote the late Rodney King … can’t we all just get along?!?

Calm Down,  Bart – In essence, Scott has spent first three years with the Jets as the media’s wind up toy; I’ve witnessed it firsthand on several occasions over majority of time with the team.  Reporters ask a simple question and Scott would answer at length to each question.  Bart Scott is normally very verbose when he talks with the media.  So the fact that he’s on his boycott is fine, but he’s made himself a go-to guy for a quote on just about anything.

Off the Record Means It — Scott is still talking with the media and I’m guessing avoiding fines, it’s just the media of his own choosing.  For Scott, that means Jeane Coakley.  We see his sitdowns every week with Jeane right here on TJB.  So while Leberfeld didn’t break any rules and was just trying to document that reporters are deliberating with him to go back on the record, it would stand to reason that if a player is not willing to be documented as on the record for answers, then it would also mean that player is unwilling to be photographed in a free media time in a locker room.  Would it have been cool to take pictures of Darrelle Revis with his clothes on in the locker room after the Bills game when he was concussed even if a well-meaning reporter was simply telling him to feel better?  No, of course not.  The point is, respect the letter as well as the spirit of the rule.

Worry About Your Tackles — It seems like Bart Scott is manufacturing his annoyance at the media to help fuel his rage – something we saw begin with the Tom Jackson incident, but seems to be going downhill steadily since then.  But all of that seems like a poor substitute for declining play.  I’m not going to go as far to say it’s a calculated move to smokescreen his bad performance so far this season, but in two weeks Scott has seven missed tackles.  Seven.  Bart is making a lot of money and at some point realized he was stuck with the Jets for 2012 and thus stuck with the New York media.  If I was a inside linebacker and had missed that many tackles in two games, making as much money as he is, I don’t think I’d want to talk to the media either.   It’s time for Scott to spend more time worried about getting in position and wrapping up the ballcarrier than wasting his ire in a reporter.

Can we please focus on Miami now?