The Rundown: At What Price, Swagger?
When I showed up in the pressbox yesterday, I was surprised to hear the buzz all around about what happened during pre-game warmups between the Jets and the Dolphins.
Jets safety Kerry Rhodes and Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter got into a heated exchange during the pregame warmups and had to be separated by Miami linebacker Jason Taylor. The Dolphins were upset because Rhodes ventured to their side of the field.
“You have no business running your butt down there on our side,” Taylor said later. “So we let him know he wasn’t welcome. It was just little dumb mind games.”
Funnily enough, one scribe I talked about it said “I’m sure his teammates aren’t very happy with [the way he was acting].” Which to me was kind of a wake-up call. I asked if he wasn’t one of the heart-and-soul guys on this team, and the answer I then got wasn’t all that flattering. I got the sense that Rhodes act has been wearing some of his teammates thin so far this year … though it sounds like no one’s said anything that the papers have quoted. Let’s see if that changes this week.
Of course, when the press (and I) was(were?) allowed into the locker room, Rhodes nowhere to be found. Shocking. Meanwhile, Tackle Damien Woody sat placidly in front of his locker, answering questions long after most of his teammates had cleared out.
For all or the confidence and swagger that Rex has brought to this team, now standing at 4-4 after a fast 3-0 start, he’s also brought much more intense criticism on himself and the team. After the Patriots win, the press conference room was a claustrophobic fire hazard, jammed to the rafters. Yesterday, the post game conference was much less crowded, for a variety of reasons I’m sure, but I imagine that in some parts, because the Jets are just losing relevance and confidence from that first month of the season.
Unless the Jets start backing up their coach’s continued claim of potential greatness, Ryan’s first season in New York will be remembered more for his outsized personality than for his on-the-field accomplishments.
“We totally outplayed them, but got beat,” Ryan said. “I’d rather be in their locker room with a win than here, even though I’d rather be in this one moving forward. We have a better record than them right now [4-4 to 3-4], so I’ll still take this locker room.”
…
“If we’re going to talk the talk, we have to walk the walk,” linebacker Calvin Pace said. “Ultimately, nobody feels sorry for us right now.”
Least of all for Ryan, who while gaining a devoted following among Jets’ fans, has to win more football battles than trash talk ones to earn league-wide respect. His defense is formidable, but just like it did in Miami, gave up another fourth-quarter scoring drive, the one that ultimately put this game out of reach.
And pretty much, Calvin Pace hit it right on the head. When you talk trash, and shove and scuffle as much as the Jets do this year, why should anyone — even your most devoted fans — feel bad for you when you do it and then lose? You’ve gone out of the way to make the fans, the other team and whoever else will listen believe that you’re the better, tougher team, and it’s been for naught. Driving back to Massachusetts last night, I was listening to a New England sports radio station and they were asking whether or not the Jets used all their emotional bullets in the week two matchup against Tom Brady, and looking back, I think it’s a fair question to ask.
From watching some Jets players comments on Twitter over the last few months, it’s kind of sad that players on the team want fans to blindly cheer for them, no matter what they do or what they say, or how they act, or how they lose. Maybe some players don’t understand it, but we’ve been fans of this team long before and will continue to be long after they come and go, so for them to dictate terms of fandom to both you and I only makes me like what I’m seeing from them even less.
Right now, although the access to the team is like an all you can eat buffet, the quality of the food is awful, and I’m having second thoughts about going back for another helping.
Again, I don’t care if a team is deferential or cocky, I just care that they win games. What I will say is that when you’re deferential to your opponents, you’re not going to get as much praise should you win. As far as cocky, if you lose, it generally just makes you looks foolish. It’s kind of like the Jets have now swapped places with the Dolphins for loud-talking do-nothings in the Division. I find it sort of ironic, in a way.
With the talent that this roster has at many spots, I think that this team has the potential to be really good down the stretch, but I don’t know if it even matters for a postseason run at this point. From here on out, we’re looking for progress, looking for growth, looking to see who can play well for next season. Yes, it’s already come to that. To be truthful, it came to that after the Bills loss, but I wasn’t sure if I was willing to accept that fact then. This was to be the redemption game, and much like that last three conference games against the Dolphins, Bills and then this one, it just never came.
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Brian:
Not for Nothing, but it sound to me that Fonzie has been right AGAIN !!!
Only this time it appears he has been right about “Hollowood” Rhodes all along calling him a punk and demanding he backs up his $alary AND his MOUTH.
when you win, you gain respect. plain and simple. when you say stupid things and act like bart scott after the game, you look foolish. time for rex to put an end to this. the entire franchise is looking like buffoons, both on and off the field.
I know a lot of you dont like the smack talk by the coaches but if you have a choice between this or Mangini’s style, I’ll take this no matter what.
Once again, we see how important Brad Smith can be.
On special teams, we see how valuable he is. He’s good in coverage and in tackling. This is all besides what he can do for us on offense.
Lastly, we dominated the 1st half of yesterday’s game and we should have won field position easily but difference between our punter and their punted was about 15 yards. I said this in the beginning of the season. You can’t have a big time defense and then no punter to back the opposition onto their own end to win field position.
As much as I hate to admit it he’s right. I guess I got caught up in the hype with the first three wins. I wish them we’ll but it’s another year where the Jets don’t make the playoffs.
I like the direction the team is heading in, I wish they would keep the trash talking to a minimum. There’s nothing wrong being confidant in your style of play and I’m all for letting it be known what you’ll get when you play the Jets. Just let your play speak for it self man.
I guess I was foolish to think they could actually make it to the playoffs this year. HATE saying this but, There’s always next year.
Still a fan though good and bad times. Go Jets!
Dick move Kerry, Dick move
“From here on out, we’re looking for progress, looking for growth, looking to see who can play well for next season”
Anyone realistically looking for a lot more than that at the start of the season with a rookie QB with 16 college starts and a rookie HC was at least mildly delusional, even for a Jets fan.
Ryan tried to change the culture in the locker room by making the players not afraid to say they expect to win. It worked wonders in the first three games. Did Ryan get a little seduced by the NY press into overdoing it? Sure. Would I like to see it dialed back a little bit? Yes, but not at the cost of throwing the baby out with the bath water.
The coaching – even with a couple of poor decisions here and there – has turned a defense that many people expected to be mediocre at best this year into a dominant unit, fielded the league’s best rushing attack, and gotten a 22 year old QB, who barely saw the field in college, to play exceptionally well through stretches against very good NFL defenses. Those are actual results that I’ll take all day long, regardless of all the talk, don’t talk arguments.
It seems plenty of people want to bury this guy after 8 games as a Head Coach, but I’d say be careful what you wish for. I’ll throw my lot in with Virgil:
“Fortune favors the bold.”
As a professional, players should give respect when they lose or not say anything at all…but to be honest…I dont take anything someone says serious minutes after they lost. You speak with emotions, not with brains.
We as fans comment in that manner…ditto for the bloggers here.
If I was Bart Scott, I’d be pissed too to dominate an offense like that and still lose, especially given the way we couldn’t stop them in MIA. IT’s frustrating. And these guys are pi@@ed off, as they should be…
Football is a game of violence and emotions…many say our players/coach are sore losers, and there are shades of truth in that, but I think they are more-so just mad they lost. I know when I play my best and still lose, it’s never easy to accept. ESPECIALLY MINUTES AFTER THE GAME IS OVER AND YOU”RE BEING INTERVIEWED (for the players, I dont get interviewed lol)
I sometimes wonder if all the swagger allows them to delude themselves that they’e better than their record. And their record is a clear indication of how they’ve played – mediocre.
My God people.
It’s week 8. As in we’re halfway through the season. As in there’s 8 more games to play. As in stop the eulogies and put your man pants back on. So we lost, there have been bigger tragedies in life. Our team dominated theirs and because of two big plays, we end up losing. This is a good team. Our defense has not looked lost without big Jinx. Our offense doesn’t look a mess because of missing Leon. God forbid this team get it all together for stretch of games, they could be a 10-6 team. The season isn’t over, and if they do make that sort of a run, they’ll be the 2009 Arizona Cardinals, a.k.a. team no one wants to face because they’re scorching hot at the end of the season.
Save the swan songs, the season isn’t over and STOP the “better luck next year” talk already. They’re only the SOJ in your heads, so get your mind right.
It’s almost like how one lie leads to a bigger lie, and it snowballs. They talk trash, don’t back it up, and then talk louder trash, trying to convicne themselves that their arms, legs and butts move as fast as their mouths. I think Bart Scott might think they are 7-1, instead of 4-4. To him, a few of those loses were only a dream, becusse “we’re better than that.” As Parcells said (sounds refreshing now) – “You are what your record says you are.”
Thanks Brendan!
I totally agree. Aren’t people at least a little encouraged about our defense not folding without Jenkins?
I thought this year was different. But no. Same Old Jets.
The only reason the Dolphins didn’t have more offensive yards is because the had 3 less possessions because of 2-Kick returns and 1-Fumble Return.
F-the jets this season and do something else no Sunday
Yes it’s week 8, Yes there 4 -4, but honestly speaking; do you think they can beat New England, Atlanta, Indi, Cinnci??? The way there playing right now, AND there NO guarantee they’ll make the playoffs anyway…. Seriously Dude!
Hey man, I being realistic here. I though the Jets D was good yesterday, but the last 4 game they were not constant at all.
First Miami game= D let us down, Buffalo = O let us down
Oakland = Hell they SUCK, Yesterday = Special Teams play
I just wish they were constant in all phase and I’ll accept the lost.
I don’t know what kind of attitude Rex is trying to bring to the Jets orginazation but it’s not a winning one. How could you sit there and say we outplayed the Dolphins, when you lost. You may have out played them offensively but you lost the game. The Dolphins made the plays that needed to be made to win the game. This should have been clear, The Dolphins outplayed the Jets. And then for Scott to be sarcastic and say what he said clearly shows me this team is going no where under this egoistic coach who has nothing to show for it. The Jets will not make the playoffs with that attitude, you lose two impotant division games and you can’t even awknowledge you lost fair and square? I am going to laugh when Rex Ryan is fired next year when he has nothing to show for his “talk”! The Jets have a good team but the wrong attitude, Mark Sanchez has a good future but you need to win games and shut up and not make excuses. The first loss should have sparked motivation instead it sparked more talking… Sad…
WIth our defense and running game we are going to be able to beat any team. Not saying we will, but we have a blueprint that keeps explosive offenses on the sideline and a defense that can shut down the most elite offenses in the league. The defense held the #1 offense in the league (40 points/game) to 24 points and their QB to a 78 QB rating when he is at a 107 mark for the season.
The Jets have the blueprint for cold-weather football, and the more experience Rex gets at running a team the closer this team will be inching towards the elite portion of the league, as opposed to the cellar where a lot of you seem to think we’re headed.
Thanks Brendan,
Did all the trash talk really effect the play of the offense and defense? Did swagger and cocky talk keep them from taking it to Miami? No… They lost, Yes…It hurts, Yes… but it wasn’t the swagger that lost it for them.
Did we, the fans, lose face to Miami fans because we got caught up in the swagger and now we feel let down? Is it hard for us to go to work this morning because we were trash talking too? This may be closer to the point.
Yeah, man, Sanchez should just retire after going 20-35 for 265 and 2 td’s (with no turnovers).
Jet fans should start campaining to get Rex fired, all the fat guy does is talk? What kind of coach encourages trash talking when losing two games in a row!
maybe woody should put down his silver spoon and say something. this is your franchise mr. johnson and they are acting like idiots. and losing football games while doing it.
BRENDAN, WHAT GOOD IS THAT WHEN YOU LOST 2 GAMES IN THE DIVISION? He did have a pick by the way, were you watching the game? That mentality is why the JETS are where they are. Enough with stats where are the WINS!?
UnderDogz,
Please give it a rest. Rex isn’t going anywhere. The fans aren’t going to line up outside Giants’ Stadium to protest. For all his ‘nothing but talk’ actions, he has the Jets sitting with the 4th ranked defense by points, and 2nd by yards per game. Chill.
Brendan….lol ok so losing 4 of the last 5 and talking the way he does, makes him a good coach? lmao Get ready for the secound half of the seaon… lets see how you feel for Rex then…
No, UnderDogz, he didn’t have an INT. He didn’t turn the ball over once. What good is it? It’s good to see our ROOKIE qb progress and show he can lead the offense if needed, not just hand the ball off and throw 3 yard dump passes.
and he has them giving away football games on a weekly basis.
An turnover on a 2 point conversion try does not count as an interception. It’s qualified as a failed attempt.
Rex isn’t on the field. So Rex says ‘boo hoo hoo’ in the press and that’s why Wallace Wright neglects his outside contain on Ginn’s first TD? Rex says he doesn’t feel sorry for the Phins for losing Will Allen, and that’s why Shonn Greene fumbles?
Everyone is always looking for a scapegoat, how about the players just aren’t performing the way they should be. They’re making dumb mistakes, and it isn’t Rex’s talking or inexperience that is causing them.
I think the Jets have great talent, But Rex is screwing that up. Jet’s players are getting the job done, but they do talk a hell of a lot just like their coach…
A failed 2pt conversion that was intercepted. Whether it counts or not, it FAILED.
bent flew across the atlantic for THAT? if i were him i’d stick to manchester united.
Ryan saying they dominated the Dolphins yesterday sounds a lot like Carlos Delgado saying the Mets were the better team following their loss to the Cardinals in the 2006 NLCS. I don’t care about the Jets being the better team, I want them to be the winning team. I am so sick and tired of Kerry Rhodes. Bart Scott ran his mouth this week, but you know what, he led the team in tackles and recorded a sack. What did Rhodes do yesterday? Squat. And of course he doesn’t stick around in the interview room after the game. He probably had a magazine shoot or he had to post something really funny on Twitter like “Got beatdwn by Fins but we r still best team LOL.” Trading him is probably an unrealistic scenario because of his contract and his total lack of performance the last two years but I’d love to dump him. Bring in a safety who will leave everything on the field – not on his twitter page.
The players should be a reflection of the coaching staff. Where are you going with that Brendan? Ok you lose twice to the Dolphins but what about the other two? This team is going no where with that coach. It’s a fact and we will see at the end of the season where record is all that matters and not talk…!
and the first 2 point conversion failed and cost us a time out. We needed that time out later. Its just poor clock management and knowing the situation by Rex. He def has some to blame for yesterday but of course the special teams was awful and westoff needed to get it together during the bye.
How can you say they’re going nowhere. They’re 4-4 with a rookie QB and the 4th ranked defense int he league.
Great insight, Bassett..
I was thinking, at times yesterday, how i’m a little sick of Rhodes too.. Not quite the big play safety he was once billed as.
Giles, I agree 100% wins is all that matters. First game they bashed the wild cat. But the Phins still win. Second game they out played the Phins but the Phins got lucky and scored two special team TDS. And they still lost that game, but the talk continues…
Worst loss of the year. But, what’s to criticize? The Jets’ attitude, Kerry whoofing at the Fins? How exactly did any of that figure into the loss? The Fins handed the Jets a huge dose of shut up (to quote Big Jenks) twice. Good for them; after next week, they’ll be 3-5 and out of the playoff picture.
Where do the Jets go from here? To placate the pundits, I guess Rex and the defensive guys should talk less. But, it’s not the talk that has left the Jets 4-4; it’s been offensive breakdowns against the Saints and Bills, a defensive breakdown against the Fins (game 1) and inexplicably a special team melt down of historic proportions against the Fins (game 2). The Jets have to play more consistently in all 3 phases of the game and the wins will come. I just don’t see how talking figures into any of that.
The Jets have 8 more games and, at this point, the maturation of Mark Sanchez is the most important thing for the Jets franchise. Maybe, by the end of the season, we’ll see Mark win in a last second drive (not that yesterday was his fault, but the great QBs pull out games when their teams should’ve lost). Whether the Jets have a winning record or not, history has shown that it’s year 2 for a QB that is more important than year 1. Lost in yesterday’s game was how well Sanchez played after an iffy beginning and he was playing from behind…he almost pulled off a miracle finish. I thought he was very impressive; not bad for a 22-year old kid who now only has a combined 24 Div. I and NFL starts. Forget wins and losses, it’s all about the Sanchise from here on out.
The fact is, whether you like Rex’s overall approach or not, he has the defense performing at a much higher level than virtually any NFL prognosticator predicted at the the start of the season, fields the #1 rushing attack, and has a rookie QB playing at least a little bit above expectations.
Yesterday, he did what probably most experts would have advised for a rookie HC, he relied on the far more experienced coach on his staff – Mike Westhoff – in the are of his specialization…and got burned for it. Bad break.
Underdogs.. No season goes without its bumps in the road.. this team isn’t done yet.. Still too early.. i know 3 or the last 4 weeks have been tough to stomach at times.
The Jets are all talk no action!!! Same old Jets! I’m a glutton for punishment.
Brendan, very simple… You lose 4 out of games in lose two games in your division. How do you think they are going to beat teams like the Colts, Falcons, Patriots…? I am sure there will be a lot of talking though…
>>I think the Jets have great talent, But Rex is screwing that up. Jet’s players are getting the job done, but they do talk a hell of a lot just like their coach…
Really? Which coach missed the tackles on Ginn’s returns?
Brendan-
Actually, the Jets D only gave up 10 points to the Saints. The O and more specifically Sanchez gave up the other 14.
I agree, this team is headed in the right direction. In years past we knew going into many if not all games that we were going to lose. Not maybe, definitely. Even with a very raw rookie QB and a rookie head coach I don’t fear anyone on the schedule. We may not win but we have a chance.
This team is heading in the right direction but it needs to tighten up. Is there anyone who really thought Sanchez was going to step into the NFL and be Tom Brady in his first year? Hell, Brady wasn’t Brady in his first year. He cost us two games, Saint and Bills. The special teams cost us yesterday. The only one you can hang on the D was the first Miami game. When the offense and special teams start playing as consistent as the D, and they will, this team will be very tough to beat.
The talk is getting out of hand and as I said before, less twitter and more hitter. But the confidence this team has in itself is crucial to winning. They believe they are going to win going into every game and Ryan brought that attitude. But it’s time to stop talking so much and just go play the game.
I think the Jets have great talent, But Rex is screwing that up. Jet’s players are getting the job done, but they do talk a hell of a lot just like their coach…
Really? Which coach missed the tackles on Ginn’s returns?
It was a typo I actually meant to say the Jet’s players aren’t getting the job done.
I don’t know if the Jets can beat the Colts, Falcons and then the Patriots for the second time, but I am certain that none of those teams will take the game lightly, talk or no talk. They have to play the team on the field that is number 1 in rushing and 2nd in total yards against, not the quotes in the paper.
SACKDANCE, I concur with your post. I would just say that what caught me off guard is the rooky coaching. A well coached team & we would certainly have 2 more wins(Bills & Miami 2). Miami 1 & NOS would have been close if the game decisions had been better, but I think we would have lost them anyway.
REX & Co will make adjustments to get better. The 2nd half of the season will be interesting to see if they can complete the puzzle.
subwayfare, I agree. Everyteam should do their homework on any given sunday. Because W’s are all that matters. Not the talk the Jets have. There is a difference between confidence and just being cocky? And at what price? 2 LOSES IN THE DIVISION?
I am surprised by all of the Rhodes hatred.. I mean the guy has played pretty well….not as well as we thought or nearly as much as he talks but the guy has done a good job so far this year.
What act has worn thin?? His confidence? So we should stop listening to Rex, Scott, Pace etc..??
Give me a break …..the defense has played well all year…..enough with the un-named source that is mentioned
“How do you think they are going to beat teams like the Colts, Falcons, Patriots…?” Well, since they already beat the Pats I’ll go out on a limb and say they’ll use that blueprint to try and beat them AGAIN.
For the record, I’m a little down on Rhodes, too. While he’s not playing nearly as badly as some posters would believe, there does seem to be an inverse relationship between his play and public profile. More focus on the game and less on the fame would make me happier.
All Im saying is we have a head coach that screams of swagger and confidence and now people are unhappy that some of our players are running thier mouths?
I dont care if he tweets or go to movie shoots…the guy has played pretty well and our defense has given this team a chance to win almost every week.
People are just looking for a scapegoat here
I’m generally in agreement, AKA. As the majority of my posts make clear, I think the talk about the talk is what’s really overdone. But Rhodes seems like the kind of kid who’s a little too easily distracted and played his best when he was fighting to show he belonged.
you guys seem to forget we could have relatively easily scored on that final drive. but our dumbass offensive coordinator decided to go with a run -pass-pass play which was totally unneccassary. we could have elected to run on 1st 2nd 3rd and even 4th down to get a fresh set of downs the way our running game was going. TJones would have gotton at least 3 per carry . i say fire schottenheimer this offseason and get someone who understands the offense for real.
rex ryan and mike pettine are doing just fine with the defense, theyll get better as time goes on but we need a new O coordinator
FIRE SCHOTTY
subwayfare
I think you can say that about most of the league and i would agree with the Rhodes might fall into that catergory…. I just dont understand killing a guy who has played well so far….
Maybe people really thought he was going to be Ed Reed…. All I know is K Rhodes and the defense have shown up each week and played well. I have no reason to kill the guy until he does other wise
Thank you brendan for being the voice of level headed fans who can use their brains.
I am not killing anyone this game…. I cant kill B-Schott or the defense….they did their job for the most part.
If someone told me we would lose the game becasue of a Westoff coverage breakdown I would have told them they were crazy….This was a loss that I really have no one to blame. Just another shocking loss!
I don’t mind the talk at all. If they were quite (like under Mangini) and had the same results I would still feel sick about the way the have lost these game. Either way the Jet naysayers league would be killing them.
At least with the trash talk and the agressive defense they are much more exciting to watch.
Hopefully this team will grow into its ego.
It’s not about this year, it’s about next year! Rex and MS have to grow beyond their rookie years. It’s all about the future. There is too much talent on this team not to be successful down the road. We just have to live with these growing pains in the mean time.
I can’t stand fans who would seemingly rather be proven right about predicting this team’s failure than see this team succeed. Let’s be a part of the change we want in this losing culture we’ve fostered. I’d rather Ryan and the team struggle and learn now if it means they’ll grow from these experiences.
Look at Mangini- he had success so early in his career he never figured out how he did it, trying to miserably replicate his worn out formula every successive season.
For every bad loss or exciting win I would read ramble914’s post…..over and over again
It hard to see right now Jet fans but we new this year might tease us a little…. consider us teased…now lets move on. Do we really have 2 weeks to complain about this nonsense
And by the way, this was a milestone game for Sanchez. He started off shacky, regrouped and had a stellar finish (the 4th and 15 not withstanding). If you look at the passing leaders for yesterday, MS is right up there in the top 5.
no way, schotty is done in NY,
EVEN with those 2 KR TDs that last drive coulda said it all about the jets if he made the right calls. sanchez needs to grow into that elite QB who can make the final throw to end the game… dont just throw him the job! what about this team being run heavy?? sanchez owned the secondary throughout the 2nd half but when it comes down to the final minute/seconds when your close to the red zone give TJ the damn ball!!!! espcecially if he ran well all DAY!!!
i want to start the official fire schottenheimer movement
I think that movement started 3 years ago.
well it seemed like it died
gotta re do it
…whos a good O coordinator for next year?
gruden?…..lol…..
pfft, hes a twitter jackoff. Anyway Im sure Namath and Satan had this conversation back in january 69 ..
God: OK Joe, I will give you this one victory but thats it for the Jets until the end of time and your losses will come in some of the most mind boggling ways imaginable. Deal?
Joe: Cool
Agree with Sack Dance. 1 loss where the offense didn’t show up. 1 loss where the D didnt; show up and 1 loss where the ST didn’t how up. The 4th loss was to the Saints who are just better. Got to not get crazy about things and stay focused on the growth. The D has tremendous potential. The O is still in its infancy with Sanchez getting into a rhythm with Edwards, Cotchery, Smith (who was still out) Clowney, Wright, Keller.
My biggest beef is still with Schotty. 1st and 10 on the 12 with 1:56 on the clock. That’s really 8 plays to get 12 yards and score with no time on the clock. It’s all set up. What do you do? To me it’s celar you go to your bread and butter. In the same situation in Miami the Fins did it, ran it in and celebrated. But Schotty called 1 run (got 3 yards whcih is all you need to average to win) and then 3 pass plays taking the game out of the hands of your most reliable phase: the OL, Richardson and TJ (two back to back 300 yard games Hello!!!!), and putting it in the hands of the rookie who is still growing with his receivers. That’s a huge mistake and that’s why they lost more than all the other break downs that they could have overcome with just 9 more yards of running. You dance with what brung you. Run for 3, run for 3, run for 1. 1st down and goal. TD Win Jets.
oops replace God with Satan, bad typo, and yes i agree sanchez will be ok .. and that is a good thing
I’m a SOJ fan, but I didn’t see anything SOJ about yesterday. I saw an exciting, but frustrating football game against a tough team. We got beat. Period. It’s called football. We’re good, but we’ve got problems. The only in-game numbers that count are on the scoreboard.
Here’s where I’m looking from here on out:
Rex Ryan.
This team is desperately crying out for a Head Coach who’s clearly in charge of his entire operation. Not a DC with a chip on his shoulder.
Rex’s progress:
Because he’s far enough into an actual season here, he’s finally saying “we” and “I” in reference to the NYJ instead of the Ravens’ defensive unit and other asst. coaching stops he’s made. That’s something.
Rex’s rookie score card:
1) He’s clearly changed the defeatist attitude that’s hovered over this franchise for decades — exactly why so many of us jumped for the Kool-Aid tray this spring.
2) He’s turned a mediocre D unit into a top-ten caliber one. With more time together, it may well prove to be a top-five unit.
3) He’s focused tightly on the D, and has given full authority to his O and ST staffs. But he’s Balkanized the Jets. They’re now 3 different teams, instead of 1 cohesive team, with 3 interwoven units. I doubt Rex could tell you what The Plan is in each of those non-D rooms each week.
4) When the D blows up, he’s all fire and brimstone, as he was after Miami I. If it’s the O or, like yesterday, STs, he’s “uh, I dunno, doesn’t make sense, we stopped them, WE’RE BETTER THAN THEY ARE!” It’s clear he doesn’t have a handle on his staff, what his staffs’ goals and planning are, or any understanding of what HIS overall strategy is for this entire team over the course of this season. He’s given away too much authority to his staff, and now has no idea what they’re doing. So he can’t call them to task if they tank the boat that week. How can Rex tell Schotty or Mike they screwed up, when he had no idea what they’re doing? Or worse, what he WANTED them to do?
5) His series of rookie HC gaffes on the sideline continues. The same exact types of clock-mgt., package personnel, score/quarter decision-making mistakes we pilloried Herm for. Rex has shown a propensity to ‘tough’ his way through a moment, rather than ‘think’ his way through it. More than once, his answer to a mistake has been his reliance on his better-but-not-impenetrable D. ‘His D’ seems to be his only answer to every sticky moment — both on the field, or at the podium.
Going forward:
a) Rex must take the bye week & re-evaluate his overall approach to being a HC. Keep what works and retool what doesn’t. He must put a very clear Rex Ryan stamp on every corner of that enterprise. Even Mangini did this — it was just a lousy stamp. How good is Rex’s stamp? Mike and Schotty have to know they work for Rex. With Rex. Not for themselves. Rex needs to speak KNOWINGLY on every facet of that team, HIS team — which is what a HC does.
b) The above change is critical; I cannot see how much longer those separated units can last this way — without the finger pointing and excuse-making cropping up that absolutely rips a clubhouse apart. Rex’s salary will be earned in the next 3-4 weeks as he attempts to weave these units into a whole — if he can. Or else they may well be at each other’s throats.
c) Don’t stop yapping, but channel the BS. Rex came in along with ‘the swaggerlicious one’ and made attitude a team identity. For the minions who toiled under Mangini, Rex was water in the desert. But some of the troops are choking from swallowing too much, too fast. Some (Kerry?) have gone too far, even drawing ire in our own clubhouse. Rex has to do his most serious coaching-up so far, by taking all that aggression and channeling it into laying out the guy in the other color shirt — on the field. Otherwise, this franchise will be a shambles by Week 15.
d) Hire/assign A BENCH COACH!!!!!!! It’s painfully obvious that Rex has no feel for nuance within the flow of a contest. Just as baseball has done this, Rex’s first 8 games as a HC cries out for someone savvy, whom Rex trusts, to be in Rex’s ear with wise, experienced advice, counsel and mentoring during games. Right now, Rex looks just as lost or overwhelmed by game situations at times as Sanchez does.
I dont love B-Schott ….I feel he is always play calling looking for a HC job instead of running the ball to give us a better chance to win. He thinks he is S Payton too many times
In saying that I thought his playcalling was pretty good yesterday. You can get on him for the last drive but he did okay yesterday…
The next OC is already on the staff…either M Cavannah or Bill Callahan. Thats just the facts
I thinking Norv Turner is gonna get canned after this season. He’s my choice for OC. The guy works wonders with young QB’s: Troy Aikman, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers. And he calls a hechuva game. He’s just not a good HC, but we won’t need him for that.
Bill Callahan, Jim Zorn and Jon Gruden would be my front runners for replacing BS
you cant make this new generation of offensive co-ordinators see the value of a good old fashioned fullback. its not going to happen.
Rex is playing HC just as J Harbaugh did last year…. He is coaching what he knows best and letting the other coaches do what they do best.
This will not change this year
ramble,
Got some Schotty on the mind? I don’t believe Turner ever coached Brees… Also, let’s not forget he coached Alex Smith (ugh).
Sorry for the long post. The point of the above?
This team goes as far as Rex takes them.
It’s up to him.
Oh wait was he OC under Mike Riley’s stint? Damn, the difference a decade makes.
i look at this team and i see a lot of positives…..they have a solid defense…a young qb who looks promising…an excellent run attack…one of the better olines and above average wide receivers….schottys play calling is abominable along with game management….yesterday special teams was a joke..the guy #83 camarillo couldnt get off a block or contain and every week its a new saga
WW85,
I can’t really hang any loss on the coaching, except for maybe the first Miami game because the defense (Rex’s baby) was torched. Rookie HC with a rookie QB and the Jets are .500 at 4-4. The only rookie HCs who have better records are Jim Caldwell with the Colts and Josh McDaniels. They both have veteran QBs. With a veteran QB, the Jets are likely 6-2 and maybe 7-1. While Sanchez has played well, he still isn’t completing 60% of his passes and he has 10 INTs to 8 TDs. The consequences of Sanchez missing on those 8% of passes that a vet would complete probably cost the Jets 3 games. The positive to take is that even with a liability at QB, the Jets’ defense and special teams have been able to fill the gap. It’s just unfortunate and somewhat weird that the defense and special teams had to breakdown against the Fins, of all teams.
The lack of containment on the second kickoff would not have mattered if they squibbed the kick, that is why the coaches blew the game as opposed to the players.
MIA could not get an exporting first down so there was only one way to lose the game, kicking off deep(again) to the only big playmaker on the team, and they did.
Fool me once,….
>>u cant make this new generation of offensive co-ordinators see the value of a good old fashioned fullback. its not going to happen.
Ok, I get some of the criticism of Schott but I don’t get this. Did we not go out and get the best fullback in the league last year when we sent two backs to the Pro Bowl? Aren’t we the number one rushing team in the NFL this year? Tony Richardson has been key to the success of the rushing attack on this team even if he doesn’t show up in the stat sheet.
In Schotts defense, he has had 4 different starting QBs in his time with the Jets. Chad, Kellen, Farve and Sanchez and each of these guys has wildly different styles. Sanchez provided the biggest challenge because he is so raw, you can’t call plays like you have a 10 year vet back there. Hell, nobody really knows exactly what Sanchez can do best yet.
I expect to see significant growth from Sanchez the second have of the season and that should allow the play calling to be more imaginative. If not, then something needs to change.
Let’s not forget, Schott was the QB coach at Sand Diego who tutored Brees. That seems to have turned out ok.
Yeah… like Sackdance said… yesterday was weird
Just a weird feeling today because even at the half when it was 3-3, I felt so comfortable with the flow, the look of our offense and our defense. It felt like we were going to win one way or the other. I guess thats a positive. Take away the special teams egg and we pretty much looked like a solid team yesterday. Im looking forward to how we close this season out. To me it was of utmost importance that we finish strong. We lost Jenkins and Leon and we still looked good. Those are positives people. Rex needs to take more control, make his mark around the team and move forward. Listen guys, the Giants are looking just as bad right now and everyone was real real high on them at the beginning of this year….
REMEMBER THIS: The Jets will only win 7 games this year. Rex Ryan is the main reason this team will go nowhere.
1 bad game from the defense. 2 bad games from sanchez and 1 bad game from special teams. unfortuantely thats 4 losses. sometimes you get or make a break and pull one out.
top teams do that all the time. but they find a way. they make a play. they score at the end. and as noted above, they have a rookie qb & rookie hc.
for all the mistakes, one the last drive i thought they were going to win the game.
if you look at all the hc’s now in the laegue and past, they tend to be either motivators or x & o tacticians. they are a few that can do both well, parcells, dungy and belichek. they are rare and dungy was hammered for years for being too conservative. ryan is more of a motivator, but those are his defensive schemes. he is learning in game management, which is not easy. he has never had to be reposnsible for that before. how about a full year under his belt before killing him?
this team has yet to turn the corner, but they are close. problem is, although this is a young team, many key guys are older. can they get it together before ellis, jenkins, jones and fanacea start slipping?
Mike,
He’s “Blakanized” the Jets? Are you kidding me? Aside from this being 100% speculative on your part, I’ve not seen anything to back this theory up. Do you realize what coordinators are hired for? To run a part of the team. Offensive Coordinators run the offense. Special Teams Coordinators run the special teams. Do you understand the insane amount of detail that goes into planning for a game each week. There’s not a single head coach in the NFL who makes weekly game plans for all 3 facets. He gives a general direction, like “Hey, Schotty, we think we can really take advantage of the young CB’s on the Dolphins, so have some stuff ready that will get those guys on an island”, for instance, but he doesn’t draw up the plays. THAT would be detrimental to the team. He lets guys do what they’re paid for, and he sticks to what he knows. What sense would it make to have a defensive head coach run the offense? Or dictate the plays to run?
I don’t get your mindset that this team is a bunch of “separate units” and not a whole team. Sure, there are different units on every team, but what makes you say this team is less of a team than any other squad in the NFL? If anything, I’d say this team is more close-knit than 75% of the other teams. They’re always backing each other up and defending one another. Separate units? On paper only, maybe…
all i know is that it is a miserable monday again in jetville. i can’t believe how things never seem to change. it’s against the laws of physics.
I cant wait to face the phins next year.
But from yesterday’s game, I liked the way we handled each of the adversity. They scored 3 unanswered touchdowns on ST and defense and we were still in the game until the last drive.
More experience at coaching and QB, and we would have wont 3 games while sitting at 7-1 going into the bye.
Overall, I’m fine with the progress (even if I was mad yesterday).
What progress?!?! It’s the same crap every year just different people. I mean come on. Every week they find a new way to lose but there is progress? How about being a consistent team. That is progress.
Rex needs to become a head coach. Enough with this crap that Shotty handles the offense and Rex doesn’t even know whats going on. Go into an offensive meeting and learn something. If you think a play should be a run than tell that little $&^&^ to run the ball. If you think it should be a squibb kick then go say something. Don’t be a disservice to your team with arrogance. BE A HEAD COACH!
If you don’t see any progress or any potential on this team…then well, you might find yourself lonely around these parts.
the people making excuses for the arrogance spewing from this team full of clowns is a joke, from the classes loud mouthed coach to the big mouthed invisible free saftey …… in sports if ya talk smack ya back it up or your a joke …..
how did it effect yesterdays game ??? it made them look like a clown show…….. a bunch of arrogant big talkin , overpaid chumps …. continuing the tradition we stay a league laughing stock .. but we think were great ……
hey kerry ..how about a big pick …. or bigtime play in 2 years…..? when opening your mouth .. stick to selling suits yer better at it….
ed reed……light …… lol
ya found away to drop 2 to miami ….. what progress ..ya lost …….
face the dolphins next year …. why ? so they can beat our asses for a fourth big time in the last 3 years…..
i thought we wanted them bad after last game last year …. now it’s next year …… ok yeah right ….
and theres no chance next year .. henne develops ahead of sanchez and they smack us twice next year 2 ….
next year …..pfffhhtttt
Okay, I’ll admit it. I dislike Rhodes more than Schotty, but not by much. They both are more hype than substance.
Rex will fix this.
Rex won’t be fired next year. Is he supposed to get up at the podium and say….hey my guys suck we all suck we won’t win…& we’ll never win a championship. NO.
If we used our offensive weapons…spread the ball around more to our WRs just not feature one reciever all game and throw some screen passes the offense might have some success. The offensive play calling is way too predictable. You need points to win the game and cannot rely on your defense to score points or just shutout the other team.
Here’s why Ryan is a joke and has no right being an NFL head coach:
“RYAN, WHO GIVES Westhoff and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer almost complete autonomy, says he has no plans to take a more hands-on approach.”
Ryan should return to just being a defensive coordinator…During games, this team is run like there is no game plan on all the sides of the ball..He has to take command but he’ll NEVER do that…Just like he’ll NEVER shut his big fat trap…I predict the players will soon get sick of his hubris and stop playing for him…He’s already embarrassed them enough…What a joke!!!!
I admit that there is talent on their roster starz31 but wins are all that matters..bottom line! And they are the same team every year regardless.
That is all I have to say!