Ex-Ravens linebacker Bart Scott has never been one to keep his feelings to himself. Once as a Raven he threw a referees penalty flag into the stands to show his disgust with the way the game was going from an officiating standpoint. Then, this past season Scott was fined $10,000 for flipping the bird to a camera man during the Jets trip down the drain at the end of the season.
When Rex Ryan left Baltimore to become the head coach of the New York Jets one of the first things he did was show up at Bart Scott's door at midnight on the first day of free agency. Ryan wanted Scott to come to New York with him to anchor his new defense. He wanted Scott to play the Ray Lewis role because he knew Scott could be a vocal leader just as Lewis was.
Well, I guess the marriage is now over because Scott want out of the Jets franchise. He has seen his playing time diminish this past season as he was benched on passing downs because it was believed that he is a liability in coverage. His agent Harold Lewis said his client is "extremely frustrated" with the situation in New York and had always envisioned himself as more of an integral part of the team.
Although Scott wants out of the Jets franchise, he does not want out of New York completely. His agent was quoted as saying that Scott would "join the Giants in a heartbeat", Referring to the Jets inner-state rivals who won the Super Bowl this year. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons Scott would want to join the Giants but it does not do much for his character choosing the Super Bowl champions as the team he would most like to join. I've never understood these players that tell everyone what team they would want to go to. What if the Eagles were to look at him? How do you think their fans would feel knowing he would rather be a Giant?
ESPN New York's Rick Cimini seems to think that Scott is one of the last of a dying breed as the NFL shifts to more of a passing league.
Scott’s position — weak-inside linebacker — is becoming obsolete. With the proliferation of spread offenses, inside ‘backers are being replaced by nickel corners. Late in the season, I asked Scott about his diminished playing time and he said, "It’s an adjustment. Football is changing. They’re going with more three and four wides, and you want to get another cover guy out there."
This just goes to show once again that it does not pay to leave the Ravens For "greener pastures". Now Scott can join the long line of Raven linebackers who have left only to find their careers in a tailspin only a few years later.