Bart Scott: “I’m Going to Ball Out”

Aug 26, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott (57) during the second half of their game against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Jets 17-12. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

Bart Scott was less of a linebacker in 2011. He didn’t play well, and he will tell you that. As such, we all saw that he lost snaps last year, especially on passing downs. Everyone around the team wanted to write him off and say that he is finished, and it was time for younger players to take over. How did Bart feel about this? He came back lighter, revitalized, and ready to have a big year. Here what he had to say:

“You guys tried to throw dirt on me,” Scott told the Daily News. “My prognosis: I’m going to ball out.”

There was one point during the offseason when Bart’s future with the team was questioned. They looked into trading the Madbacker at one point, and drafted Demario Davis, who happens to play the same position. How did Bart react?

“A lot people wrote him off,” linebacker David Harris said. “He’s hungrier, especially with them drafting an inside linebacker at the same position high in the draft. He responded in the way everybody thought he was going to respond.

Although Bart was painted as the bad guy, it really wasn’t a fair description of him. He took a pay cut prior to the 2011 season to free up space, and convinced LaDainian Tomlinson and Calvin Pace to do the same:

“Really? I’m the bad dude?” Scott said about the lasting image of him exiting the locker room after last season. “I’m the one that convinced LT to take a pay cut, so we could try to get Nnamdi (Asomugha). I’m the one who took the hit first. I told LT and Calvin… but I’m painted as an ass—-. I ain’t never been an ass—-. You can’t paint me as the bad guy.”

His attiude on the field and downgraded play was obvious, especially to defensive coordinator Mike Pettine:

“Last year, the attitude was bad,” Pettine said. “A lot of things factored into it. Bart’s a prideful guy. He’s a competitor. He wants to be out there. There were too many mistakes. Whether it was a mental mistake or a physical mistake, there were too many. “Bart will be the first one to admit that his play fell off some last year,” Pettine added. “We talked about it. We discussed it as a staff. If he’s not playing well enough to be out there, he’s not going to be out there.”

Bart met with the coaching staff, to learn about how to sure up his game, in this increasingly pass first NFL. His playing time is going to be matchup based, with him not on the field as much against spread offenses, and hardly ever coming off the field against running games.

Let’s all hope we have the Bart Scott of old. The Jets defense returning to elite status is, in part, depending upon Bart for it.