In the latest episode of "Hard Knocks," which aired Wednesday night on HBO, there is some juicy information on a variety of topics. In a nut shell:

• New York Jets officials mock the infamous Tim Cowlishaw Twitter report that said Darrelle Revis was close to signing a new contract. Publicly, they refused to comment when beat writers asked about the report, but there's GM Mike Tannenbaum, talking on his office phone, saying, "It's the most bizarre thing. This guy Tim Cowlishaw from ESPN wrote it. Let's put it this way: I hope he's right. I'd like to know what the deal looks like."

• Tannenbaum almost freaks out when watching the tape of a Carolina Panther pass rusher diving at the left knee of QB Mark Sanchez. Tannenbaum calls it "scary," saying it reminds him of the shot that ended Tom Brady's season in 2008. The GM isn't happy with LG Matt Slauson, saying, "You look at that, and you think, 'Is Ducasse that bad?'" Vladimir Ducasse nearly got Sanchez wiped out in the Washington Redskins game, prompting Rex Ryan to say on the sideline, "He's gonna get us killed. It's got to be better than that (bleep)." Clearly, they're more worried about left guard than they're letting on publicly.

• Revered FB Tony Richardson, 38, nearly gets cut. Tannenbaum & Co. are giving it serious consideration, with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer chiming in that Richardson is "the true leader of the team ... one of the iconic players." The decision comes down to Richardson and WR Laveranues Coles, two old guys for one spot. Ryan says "both are great mentors, and both can still play." As we all know, Coles gets cut, but Ryan tells him it will be "a short vacation" because they want to re-sign him after Week 1. In a related topic, this episode is another ode to rookie FB John Conner, who, based on Ryan's gushing, is headed to Canton. Enough already.

• There's a fascinating exchange between backup QB Kellen Clemens and Tannenbaum, who summons Clemens into his office to tell him he wants him to take a pay cut.

Tannenbaum: "We would adjust your salary to what the minimum would be ($630,000), but we would guarantee your salary for the whole year."

Clemens: "Here's a question for you: What if I say, 'I'd rather not.'"

Tannenbaum, laughing: "We'd probably cut you."

Nice. As you know, Clemens did take the cut to remain the No. 3 QB, but he does so in such a classy way. He says, "I don't want to be overpaid, just like I don't want to be underpaid. I'm a small-town kid, and I believe you get what you deserve and that's it."

• On the eve of the Washington Redskins game, Ryan tears into the team for eating cheeseburgers at the night practice at Hofstra. Some players actually stopped by the nearly McDonald's before practice, bought cheeseburgers and ate them on the practice field. The next night, Ryan lets them have it.

"There's a difference between having fun and being a jack ass," Ryan tells the team. "Our defense was a jack ass when we went to Hofstra, eating a bunch of (bleeping) cheeseburgers before we go stretch. That's being a jack ass. You'll be a world champion, but not like this. We won't win it. We'll sit back and say, 'Why didn't we do it?' We didn't do it because where were our (bleeping) priorities?"

Ryan isn't done.

"How 'bout our offense? When are we going to put it together? Can we not run the ball down their throats every snap? Can we not throw it anytime we want to (bleeping) throw it? Let's make sure we play like the (bleeping) New York Jets, and not some (bleeping) (bleeping) team. That's what I want to see tomorrow. Do we understand what the (bleep) I want to see tomorrow? Now let's go eat a god damn snack."

Actually, the last line is funny, but Ryan is right for tearing into the team. The cheeseburger thing is inexcusable.

• Ryan, explaining to Coles the decision to release him now, mentions financial concerns. He makes it sound like the team is on a real tight budget. He says, "One of them is the Revis deal. We have to have money in place in case he shows up without a new contract. There's a great possibility you're still going to be on this football team. It's just that if we have you the first week and have to pay the whole season, the way our money is right now, we can't do that." Doesn't bode well for the Revis talks.

• Ryan raves about WR Santonio Holmes. Talking to former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, a guest at the Hofstra practice, Ryan says of Holmes, "He might be the best player on the field."

• Schottenheimer, QB coach Matt Cavanaugh and RB coach Anthony Lynn bemoan the lack of leadership on offense. They discuss the needs for players to step up and take charge, hardly an endorsement of Sanchez. This probably is a reason why Richardson makes the cut.