The Jets, not the Seahawks, were supposed to trade the No. 1 pick to the Browns. (Summit Entertainment)
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"Draft Day," the "fictional" account about the Browns moving up in the draft to grab a franchise quarterback, opened nationwide on April 11. Perhaps one of the least believable aspects of the movie was that the Seattle Seahawks held the top overall pick, which they eventually traded to Cleveland, thanks largely to the dogged determination of ruggedly handsome Browns general manager Kevin Costner.
The Seahawks weren't the first choice for that first pick, however. Nope, that honor was supposed to go to the Jets, but the team pulled out just a few days before shooting began because, director Ivan Reitman tells the Los Angeles Times, they had their hands full with a real-life quarterback controversy.
Mark Sanchez had just put the finishing touches on his worst season in the NFL, one that included 13 touchdowns against 18 interceptions and eight lost fumbles -- including BUTT FUMBLE.
“They were having something of a quarterback dispute, and the team said that this is just going to incite our fans a little more to criticize us, even though it's all fictional,” Reitman said.
This was also coming on the heels of the Jets trading for Tim Tebow, an experiment that blew up in their face, and then watching as general manager Mike Tannebaum was run out of town. He was replaced by John Idzik, who promptly complicated the quarterback situation by drafting Geno Smith in the second round.
And if things weren't already FUBAR, Sanchez injured his shoulder during the second half of a meaningless preseason game, which lead to one of the most awkwardly hilarious Rex Ryan press conferences ever.
So while we understand the organization's concerns, the reality is that art can't come close to imitating life when it comes to the Jets.
ESPN's Rich Cimini says there's another reason the Jets were hesitant to participate in the movie: It might portray their fans in a negative light.
We suppose that's ... a(n extreme) possibly, though we'd like to think it has more to do with the team not wanting to draw more attention to their first-round draft record.
NFL Hot News
Giants QB Eli Manning to undergo ankle surgery Thursday
Giants quarterback Eli Manning is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic ankle surgery today in North Carolina. The procedure will clean out his left ankle, which Manning sprained in Week 17 last season."I went through the recovery and rehab after suffering the sprain," Manning said via the Giants' official website. "I was still experiencing some discomfort as I began my normal offseason preparation, and after consultation, we felt the right thing was to have Dr. (Robert) Anderson clean out the ankle. The doc tells me I should be running in about six weeks."The Giants begin their offseason program on April 21, and Manning said he is looking forward to being in the weight room and the meeting room when that time comes to learn the team's new offense from first-year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.
Manning could very well be healthy in time for a mandatory minicamp in mid-June and should be good as new for training camp the following month. Manning isn't exactly the fleetest quarterback around, so an ankle scope won't hurt his fantasy value. He'll have a busy summer as he learns the new offense and works with young, relatively new receivers in an effort to improve upon 2013's disaster of a season. Manning had an 18:27 touchdown-to-interception ratio last year.
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