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Palladino: Sheldon Richardson Can't Be Trusted, And That's A Huge Problem For Jets

By Ernie Palladino
» More Ernie Palladino Columns

What the Jets lose in talent -- as Sheldon Richardson sits out what could be an even more extended suspension -- they gain in invaluable knowledge.

Richardson, already on a four-game hook for violating the NFL's policy on whacky tobacco, could now face further discipline for his mid-July arrest for resisting arrest. So it's entirely possible Todd Bowles will spend most of the first half of this important rebound season without his Pro Bowl defensive tackle.

But that's OK. Who needs tackles and sacks? Especially since Richardson has contributed something much more valuable in the past month, namely knowledge. Of all the lecturing going on in the Florham Park meeting rooms, or the barking coming from the staff during drills, Richardson has stood out as this training camp's professor of life science.

He has taught much. For one thing, he opened all our eyes to the fact that those numbers at the end of a car's speedometer actually mean something. Who knew the needle on that hunk of tin and rubber we drive to work, the grocery store or the amusement park could actually hit 120, 140, 160? Richardson proved to us in a single incident that those numbers aren't just a public relations gimmick.

He showed that as stately a car as a Bentley can actually go 140 MPH on a public street. Actually, 143. And he probably could have cranked it up to 150 if he really wanted to make a point. Maybe he figured the higher speed would trigger the loaded semi-automatic under his seat, or scare the 12-year-old in the back seat.

Imagine.

The learning didn't stop there. Jets management, the guys who hoped Richardson would become part of the solution to 4-12 -- and not the problem going forward -- now knows he simply cannot be trusted. Chalk it up to being 23, or maybe just plain dumb, but there is no way the Jets can ever think Richardson will do the right thing once away from the structures of the football day.

That's going to pose a huge problem. He's made Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan realize that a good night's sleep will come at a premium with this guy. From here on, they'll hit the pillow thinking, "What's the next stupid thing coming down the pike? A fireworks accident?"

Maybe not. It's been done -- by that other professor who wears blue.

Finally, he taught the Jets, their fans and anyone in the rest of the universe who's listening that "I'm sorry" ranks as one of the cheapest phrases in our language. It has devolved over the years from an expression of true contrition to some meaningless cliché. Richardson and so many others look at it as a slate-wiper.

Do wrong. Say "I'm sorry." Screw up a couple of weeks later.

Richardson was full of "I'm sorry" when he got hit with his first suspension. He promised people would never see his name in the police blotter again.

Didn't take long. On the first day of camp, there was Richardson repeating his phrase and recognizing he's got to "do better."

Maccagnan and Bowles would certainly agree. The question is whether they can trust their star to actually follow through. So far, he's a world-class screw-up who has hurt a stellar defensive front immeasurably.

The learning process can often be a rocky ride for teacher and student alike. The problem with Richardson is that he shouldn't be teaching anybody anything at this point. He should be learning -- plays, situations, reactions. That's it.

The knowledge he's spread around over the last month?

Nobody needs that.

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