Coles' motives are unclear Wednesday, October 11, 2006 After the Jacksonville game, Laveranues Coles beat around the bush, yet made some things perfectly clear. Asked how he felt after the Jets' 41-0 pasting, he said:"You never want to give vent to your feelings, especially at this point in time. ... I've been watching TV where guys have been saying things, then they have to come back and say they're sorry. ... I don't ever want to end up on that side of the situation." Coles, who also said he was "just a pawn in a chess game," sure seemed to want to make a point about his playing time. L.C. fans see his three catches for 19 yards, hear of him getting only 35 offensive plays, and say, "Hey, Eric Mangini and Brian Schottenheimer, what's up with that ? "But for Coles or his supporters to complain about him being phased out or forgotten or disrespected is preposterous.On a bad day for Chad Pennington and his offense, Coles was in for 35 of the first 38 plays. He departed for one three-play series when the score was 21-0 and Schottenheimer inserted wideouts Justin McCareins and rookie Brad Smith for him and Jerricho Cotchery. He left for good late in the third quarter with the score 38-0. Even with his depressed stat line, Coles is second in the NFL in receptions (33) and yards (431).And no Jets' receiver has had more passes thrown to him than Coles on Sunday (six) or this season (49). In fact, he's never been underused by the Jets or the Redskins -- according to Stats Inc., he's been the intended receiver of 643 passes since 2002, fourth-most in the league behind Torry Holt, Marvin Harrison and Chad Johnson.It's possible Coles is concerned about playing time. In the contract he signed to return to the Jets last year, an NFL source said there is an unspecified $500,000 de-escalator clause for this season. Some such clauses deal with achieving a percentage, say 80 percent, of a team's plays. Post-Jags, his play rate unofficially is down to 82.5 percent (255 of 309 plays).But that is speculation. So is this: What Coles may be seeking is a new address.He has offered weekly hints about not being happy about Mangini's training camp and team rules. He even mused this summer about how those on the Jets he came back to rejoin -- coach Herm Edwards, general manager Terry Bradway and fast friend Wayne Chrebet -- have moved on. It almost sounds as if Coles wants to be traded. Would the Jets accommodate him by Tuesday's trading deadline ? Unlikely. They paid him a $3 million roster bonus in March and teams tend to not want to eat that kind of money. Plus, Coles truly is Pennington's and the offense's go-to guy. After the season, a trade might be another story. The cap hit would be large, but not onerous. For now, Mangini is smiling and playing it smart. He declines to get into a mini-Shockey standoff with one of his best players."I think that Laveranues is passionate, I think he's competitive, I think he's tough," Mangini said. "I feel very strongly about him in a very positive way."That doesn't sound as if the Jets want to say "sorry" or "see ya" to Coles. STRAIT GONE AGAIN: Safety Derrick Strait was waived Tuesday. The 2004 third-round pick was traded to Cleveland in August, only to return when RB Lee Suggs failed his Jets physical. Strait then started Games 3 and 4 for FS Erik Coleman, but was little-used at Jacksonville. E-mail: lange@northjersey.com > http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...lRUV5eTcwMDM4NTMmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2
This is another bullshit article. Nowhere does it say that he wants to be traded- rather, it's the perception of a beat writer, going off on a limb.
Unbelievable, these guys. These beat writers will run with anything. Why is it so hard to digest Coles's numbers last Sunday? The guy is playing injured and should have been taken out even earlier than he was. What a waste of space.
These types of articles do nothing but annoy the ever living sh*t out of me. Like KOZ says, where does he say he wants to be traded? Just some guy saying "it sounds like Coles wants to be traded"
Sorry to say, you guys are living in denial. It's clear Coles is unhappy with the situation and has expressed some inclination that he doesn't want to be here. Obviously, he can't come out and say "I want to be traded" but this really does suck. I hope Mangini can turn it around
This article does sucks, but I think we all know that Coles is the one of the biggest malcontents in the world.
Coles should shut his pie-hole and be a teammate for once. He's back with the team he's had his best seasons with and is with the QB he's worked best with, and he still finds reason to complain? What the hell does this guy want anyways? Somebody get this man some prozac please.
How does this man have a job? He gets paid to pull stuff out of his ass and publish it. How newspapers pay men like this is beyond me.
Coles needs to stop complaining. He got cash in WAS and complained about the being mis-used. He got more cash to come back to the Jets and is complaining about not playing every play in a blowout where he was hurt going into the game. LC typically gets the benefit of the doubt because he is tough and seems like a good guy. However, his latest episode coupled with his rumblings in camp make me think he is no different than Randy, Terrell or Keyshawn.
Well hes one of the best WR this year numbers wise so he should shut up and play. If he really does want out, i would trade him for randy moss and a pick. I know people are going to give me crap about saying it but moss and chad had a great thing at marshall and they like eachother a lot.
You actually think that Randy Moss and Coles hold the same trade value? Coles and Santana Moss- I'll buy that.... Pass whatever that is that you are smoking...
Kelly Likes to Fuck Around Kelly has publicly produced misleading titles time and again, leading some sources to believe that she likes to fuck around. Speculation around the league is that this aspect of her personality is mirrored in her private life.
This article is in no-way indicative, that Coles wants to be traded. Why would we trade our solid #1 receiver who has a known bond with Chad P., especially when Chad could have a prolonged future here if he continues to stay healthy and productive?
Why are you guys shooting the messenger? I'm glad that Kelly posted this. I don't always get a chance to read all of the NY papers and am happy when people post articles, even if the content is questionable. In addition, her title is not misleading: The article states: "It almost sounds as if Coles wants to be traded." That might be complete fiction, but to suggest that she just invented a thread title that has nothing to do with the content of the article isn't true either. Attack Lange, not Kelly. TBTF
I'm attacking the author, who to this point I thought was a fairly decent beat journalist- I've grown used to Kelly's posts and know that you can't take alot of them at face value....
