Opinion: Leave Rex Ryan Alone!!!!
OK OK. I get it, I was harsh on Rex for crying in front of his players. Bottom line, we knew this was a team that was going to have bumps this season with a rookie head coach and quarterback, but when you call it on yourself with lots of brash talk, you’ve only yourself to blame.
As far as the crying, Steve Serby has a different take on the crying game, and one that I think is worth reading, but ultimately, one that I agree with only in part.
The men who play for Rex Ryan should be ashamed of themselves. Maybe if all of them cared as much as their rookie head coach does, had as much pride and passion as he does, they wouldn’t be The Team That Talks The Talk But Does Not Walk The Walk.
The emotional rookie coach of the freefalling 4-5 Jets broke down in tears in front of his team yesterday morning because it is a team he loves, it is a team he truly believes in, it is a team he has put his heart and soul and faith and trust in, it is a team, remember, he wants to take to the White House one day to shake the president’s hand.
Rex Ryan was a young man when he watched the defensive players of the 1985 Bears — the Mike Singletarys, the Dan Hamptons, the Richard Dents — carry their defensive coordinator off on their shoulders onto the Superdome field after they destroyed the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. The defensive coordinator was his father, Buddy Ryan.
“I haven’t been a part of a meeting where a coach cried like that,” Jets cornerback Darrell Revis said. “In the future, I hope there are more tears of joy than the ones this morning.”
Here, then, is the message for the New York Jets players, starting immediately:
Your coach has your back.
It’s time for you to have his.
Touching, and I do agree with Serby’s point about Ryan’s emotional investment in this team. I’ll never question his loyalty or Ryan’s dedication to his team and players, but there’s got to be a growing worry that his emotional mypoia could (or does) lead the team into pitfalls.
If this coach can’t appropriately call timeouts, or get his staff to get the proper number of players on the field in a given situation, or activate the right personnel for a given game … then even if he emotionally “has your back” as Serby writes, his other faults might be at cross purposes with his own goals for the team. Whether they know it or not, the Ryan caricature on KSK is basically the hyerbolization of who an “all emotion” coach would be. Which is why it’s so damn funny. There’s no planning, just visceral emotional preparation for the task at hand.
I do think that Ryan can learn from his mistakes, but it’s hard to tell so far. Game management is a real issue for this coach, and whether fans like it or not, they’re paying for him to learn on the job. The question is whether there’s enough progress seen so far from Week One to Week Ten to determine if this will end in a positive outcome. It’s been more than half a season, and the team and coaches are still dealing with simple mental mistakes.
Some commenters have argued that I’m off the mark, and that “sports is all emotion.” Once an argument is so logically generalized it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. If it was all about emotion, then why isn’t “Leave Britney Alone” Guy the best football player ever? Also, how is the robot Bill Belichick wearing three rings?
It’s not “all about ____” to get a team to win in football. It’s a combination of a number of things like strategy, talent, emotion, and many things I’m sure I’m forgetting. The finest militaries in the world know that drilling, tactical planning, logistics, superior equipment and personnel used in concert with proper deployment lead to victory. Some lessons can be taken from this for football. To lean too heavily on any one is dangerous … it’s a concerted team effort of all parts and pieces that work together. That’s all I’m asking for from the Jets. If they can do that and still lose to teams with losing records, then that’s all I can ask, but to say that this team is being coached to and playing to their potential seems like a bit of a stretch, no?
61 Responses to Opinion: Leave Rex Ryan Alone!!!!
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Johnny-
That’s my point. It can’t be all about ____ … in this case emotion, which is what some commenters think. All I’m doing is logically playing that out.
Kevin Garnett might be one of the best full embodiments of talent, athletics, size, smarts, emotion, drive, etc. which is what makes him such a dominant player in his generation.
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JustAGreenGuy says:
Andy Reid has been working as a head coach for over ten years and has never been able to successfully run a two minute drill. Some people just don’t work that way.
Bassett- I thought you were right on. I’m not calling for the guys head, but his game management skills need a lot of work.
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John Kubie says:
BB should wear all three super bowl rings on Sunday, and when the Pats inevitably crush these grounded Jets, he should just hold out his hand for Ryan to kiss them instead of a handshake. Oh man, I’d love to see that.
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kd bart says:
JustAGreenGuy
Yet his teams have gotten to one Super Bowl and 5 NFC Championship games.
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Johnny Reefer says:
I believe he is working on it. I might not show up all the time, but its getting there.
I mean we had the lead, Garrard made some nice plays. The problem i got from the game is he turned into his inner mangini and wasn’t blitzing enough people on that last drive.
dont know why we sent 7 every play on brady but only sent 4/5 on most of that last drive.
Still though, with all his mistakes, the rookie QB, losing two probowlers, We still have a shot at the playoffs, alot more then alot of people besides myself thought.
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Bent says: The leave Britney alone guy is Chris Crocker, right? Doesn’t he start at safety for the Bengals?
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Rudibager says:
John Kubie, I really hope you’re a Pats fan.
And if not, I have a ring on my middle finger that I’d like to show you.
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KD- I like Reid. He always keeps his team competitive. If Rex gives us half of that I may have a heart attack. My point is that we are who we are. Rex will continue to be Rex and coach the way he has his whole career. He will pick up things here or there, but multiple games this year he has poorly managed the clock and the team had lots of penalties. The team seems undisciplined.
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Lost in all this is how good the rookie QB has actually been in the 4th quarter. Twice he’s led his team from behind in the 4th quarter to take the lead on late TDs only to see the defense a score in the last seconds to lose the game. Yes, he’s had his bad moments but Sanchez has looked really good at some crucial times this season.
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Harris52ChampionshipDefense says:
Good point KD. I think Sanchez has handled his rookie year better than the coach has!
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NJets says:
The bottom line is the defensive players failed to man up when it counted (again). The players need to take it upon themselves to win these games. Sanchez put them in a position to win this game (again) with two minutes left. No coach calls a perfect game…most teams have stupid penalties at least a couple times during a game. Thats just a part of the natural flow of the game. At the end of the day the players need to play better. We supposedly have all this “talent” on defense but I havent seen Kerry Rhodes make a big play all year. All I see is MIke Devito playing his ass off.
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Davo says:
The previous post/comment threads referred to Ryan losing the team, or losing his job. That’s not what I’d be worried about – it appears, at a glance, that Ryan is losing control over himself…his emotional balance. Even when the Ravens weren’t doing well, he and the D got a pass because they were so good. This is the first time he’s been faced with this type of challenge, personally speaking.
Last week you asked if Ryan was “going to the well” too often, asking the crowd to help win games. That didn’t work, so he’s gone to another well. What if that doesn’t work? I mean, seriously, the Patriots are coming off a tough loss, but *they’re* playing for their coach too.
If, and I know the game hasn’t started yet, but *IF* they put a pasting on the Jets, what does Ryan do then? What well does he dip into? (Maybe he can threaten to feed puppies to Kris Jenkins?)
Coaching is a stressful occupation. Coaching in New York is more stressful. Coaching in New York, for the Jets is unforgiving. That’s just the way it is. The potential is there for this moment to be a rallying call, but the floor could really fall out, too.
IMHO
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Most killed Mangini for being to tactial and structured like a military leader and not showing enough emotion during losses or wins
Now the problem is Rex is too emtional and has to be more subdued?
Rex was a killer DC and is (yes) learning on the job while trying to change the culture of this awful fanbase. he installed a new D and is grooming a new QB.
** Lets not forget that people are killing him for taking TO’s and getting penalties for 12 men on the field but then say he is using the DL coach being fired as a scapagoat …..even though his job is D subs??
The guy just cant win with you guys
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BTW
Joe Beningo is such a clown. i have zero resoect for this guy as a jet fan
This guy gets paid to be the worst Jet fan ever. He is so much worse than some of commentors on this site
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spentmiles says:
If we had started Kellen Clemens, we’d be 9 and 0 right now.
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It would also help if he had some playmakers on his defense. Where’s the Jet equivalent of Ed Reed? A DB capable of taking any interception back for a TD.
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Changing culture of the fanbase. F that! I let this stupid team trick me into believing in them every year. How many coaching hires do I have to keep hearing this with? It’s a joke. We have lost 4 games in the last 5 min or OT. We need to finish games.
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Joe B. says:
We’re paying #25 (I’m not referring to him by name until he makes a play for once) to be that Ed Reed guy, and he’s incapable or unwilling.
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JesusRevis says:
I didnt even realize this thread started, I feel like I already missed out on so much. Oh well, guess i’ll have to catch up. I do feel a little responsible for this thread being created… Just patted myself on the back.
I agree with Serby, we should be calling out the players, not the coach.
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Fat Mike should be his classic douce self this aternoon on WFAN…..
He is killing Rex for crying and for cutting a player, and for mocking him for saying he is not above reaching out for advice from his peers?
I just dont get how he gets killed for this.
Revis
I got started late on the last post but as you know I am 1000% in agreement with you on this subject -
niko1677 says:
Rex is just being who he is and wearing his heart on his sleeve. Right or wrong at the end of the day the Jets record will prove whether his approach is good enough to lead a winning team. An emotional speech on Monday will likely not carryover to the following Sunday and as a matter of fact the emotional speech he delivered 3 saturdays ago didn’t even carryover to the Miami game the next day (Butle mentioned he heard the speech and was ready to kill someone immediately after). But that is who Rex is and the bottom line is there is more than one way to skin a cat and Super Bowl coaches have been cut from every cloth imagineable, so let’s Rex be Rex and see where it leads. There is a saying that players take on their coaches personality and if this is true we have to give the players some time to get used to and take on their coaches personality since Mangini and Rex are from two opposite sides of the spectrum.
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Brendan says:
Very well said, niko. As niko pointed out, this is who Rex is. Personally, I’ve had a range of coaches, in many sports, that had the emotional level anywhere between Mangini and Rex. It’s obviously a case-by-case basis, but I found that as a player I loved playing for the guys with Rex’s style. Not to say I didn’t perform my duties, or wasn’t a good player with someone who is more serious (which I’ve had more of in my life), it’s just that when it’s all work and no play the players tend to think of this as a job. My junior year I felt like it was a job. Instead of waking up and saying “Feelin’ good, let’s get after it today” it was more “ugh…practice, let’s get this over with”. When I had a coach that had a similar personality to Rex’s, it was always “Woo! Let’s strap it up!” Playing football wasn’t a job. My senior season I had a coach much like Rex. It was great having someone talk to me as an equal, and not dictate to me how to work out issues, but ask for my input and work through things together. That’s how Rex runs his ship. He doesn’t think he’s above these players, in face he almost seems as if he’s working for them. A coach like Rex coudl motivate me to run through a brick wall, so I don’t know who honestly thinks he’s losing his team or anything by crying. Crying isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of passion. You don’t cry unless you truly truly care about something, care about it so much that you can barely control your emotions and yourself.
Don’t worry Rex, some of us out here are with you 100%.
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JPM says:
I really like what Rex Ryan has brought to the team, and I’ve been giving him a bit of a free pass since he’s a rookie head coach. But Bassett makes a really good point here. Rex does seem to be leaning much more on the emotional than on the tactical. It’s just who he is. And my limited knowledge of the hiring process tells me that the emotion he showed in the interview is what got him hired. But now we’re seeing that emotion only gets you so far.
Now before anyone jumps on me, I am by no means saying Rex is a bad coach and wont improve. I think he needs at least a few years to show that he can get a firm handle on the tactical side of the game. He is still learning on the job afterall.
However, I am mildly concerned about an article I read in the Post today that says he is reaching out for advice from other head coaches. Getting advice from other coaches is not going to help him improve his tactical mistakes. That is something he is only going to learn by individual game experience. I am just concerned that he doesn’t seem to see that the biggest problem he’s had so far is cleaning up the in-game mistakes, and this isn’t something that talking to other coaches will help with. They can help him with big picture stuff, but they’re not going to sit down and discuss nuances of game strategy to him. He’s going to have to fix it by himself.
Now I’m not an NFL head coach so I could be wrong. Hell, Bill Parcells even reached out to other coaches after his 3-12-1 first season (but I don’t know enough to say whether his problems were tactical like Rex’s). Bottom line is I hope he gets a grasp on how to clean things up on his own. Again, he’s a rookie head coach so let’s give him some more time to show he’s learning. Give him some time to prove he can do this job. (Look at Marvin Lewis – a lot of other organizations would have fired him a long time ago and he’s doing pretty well for himself now).
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I’m one of the few who at with you 100%
this team is going in the right place, it takes more then a year to get rid of 40 yrs of stench.
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reality99 says:
Anybody worried that this coaching staff lacks the ability turn sanchez into a great qb. Which i believe he can be.
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Mike R says:
I think Rex has been watching some Glenn Beck: “I love my team. . . and I fear for it.”
I see your guys’ points about Rex’s game management. But I’ve always been in the school of the coach should not be the one who that the game boils down to. Players should be winning the games and coaches should not be losing it (this is why I hate Jerry Manuel as manager of the Mets but thats a side note). Coaches do have a roll, but in the end, had the Jets tackled better in the first half, or had Sanchez not thrown some balls at his receivers feet early on, or had someone on defense made a play, we wouldn’t be talking about Rex. The Titans didn’t start 0-6 because of Jeff Fischer. It was because of Kerry Collins and by the same token Jim Caldwell is not the ones winning games for the Colts.
It comes down to the players and thats where Serby is right.
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JetObsessed28 says:
I don’t like my team losing.. well, who does? But here’s why:
1. it’s a loss.. it sucks
2. arm chair GMs start making rediculous accusations.
3. media takes quotes from the press conferences and distort the facts..My advice: nyjets.com has the video from all the press conferences.
I watch them and form my own opinions rather than read the beat writers who attend, and write (distort) what they see/hear..
If you watch these, you’ll see the true context in which a comment like, “i have a few coaches i’m going to call for advice” came from, and the true meaning behind it, the body language with which it was said..etc..same thing with the Sanchez conference…not as big and bad and disasterous as it’s made out to be..
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reality 99:
her’s some reality..
Sanchez has been very good the last few games.. He led the team back, Sunday.. they were winning.. Sanchez didnt’ give up a long drive with 2 minutes left… -
at.
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I dont think shotty has the ability to give sanchez every chance to be great. I think the jets got it right with the qb but not the head coach.
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Mike R
It always comes down to players making plays. What wins games as much as anything is a player turning what should be an ordinary play into an extraordinary one. It’s a Leon Washington turning a 10 yard screen pass into a 65 yard gain due to breaking a tackle or making a great cut.
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Richard in NC says:
Bassett,
no doubt, like the rest of us die hard Jet fans, you want this team to win. Having said that I think your criticism is a bit harsh and your expectations are a bit high. Look I would love to see them make the playoffs this year. realistically with a rookie QB/head coach combo, that probably isn’t going to happen. Remember Belichick took over a Patriot team that went 5-11 the year before. The Patriots record after Belichick’s first year 5-11. -
This head coach was supposed to make tough losses go away with a great defense and he cant do that. I dont care where they are ranked i know what i see with my own eyes they are SOFT. I wanted a experienced head coach with a ring we have tried the coor. route enough times.
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Sorry correction the Patriots were 8-8 before Belichick took over and went 5-11 after Belichicks first year.
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When this season started i was hoping the kid played well and i wouldnt care if they were 6 and 10. And the kid is playing pretty well. But its the way we are losing with missed tackles and choking games away.
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subwayfare says:
Obviously, emotion alone doesn’t win anything. But the knee-jerk journalism rampant in Jets coverage tends to over-generalize and blow everything out of proportion. From reading the coverage of “clock management” issues one would think Ryan put the team on the bus at the end of the third quarter because he thought the game was over. There have been a handful of poorly used time outs over the first nine games. Defensive substitutions problems accounted for at least a couple of them and Ryan made a coaching change yesterday in an effort to solve that problem. Does Ryan need work on clock management? Yes. Has he demonstrated himself to be the worst clock manager in football, with no hope for improvement? No. Herm wins that in a walk.
And, of course, the myopic zeroing in on the negatives wouldn’t really make as good a story unless one completely leaves out the positives. From what I see, Ryan has the ability to make strategic adjustments, both between and in games. That’s more important to me than just about anything else you want to say about a coach. If you want to fry him for the poor run defense in the first game against Miami then you’ve got to acknowledge the phenomenal Jenkins-less adjustment in the second Miami game – one lost by a fluky pair of Special Teams TDs. If you take him to task for giving the team a week off and not having them prepared in the first half against the Jags – not unjustified, by the way – then you have to give credit for the significant turnaround in the second half. Yes, they broke down on two or three plays that cost them the game on the final drive, particularly one on which a starting safety that wasn’t on the team last year miscommunicated with another safety playing a new scheme. In the rush to hang the guy, everyone seems to want to forget that there are virtually alway issues when a team has a new system, with new starters at key positions, never mind a rookie quarterback.
The team has been in just about every game until the final drive. Kind of remarkable for a team under the circumstances listed above. The fact that the team has come up just short would be recognized by most knowledgeable observers of team sports as the gap between a talented team still gaining experience and a champion. Just about every NFL expert predicted the Jets to win 6-9 games this year, but be considered a contender in 2010. Sure, expectations got raised when they opened at 0-3, but shouldn’t have made people suddenly throw logic out the window and then punish the coach when unrealistic expectations don’t pan out.
Make no mistake, I want Rex to believe. I want him to make the players believe. That’s his job. If the coach doesn’t believe his team can win then I’m not going to spend the two hundred bucks to come to the game or waste three hours of my life watching it on TV. The only thing that will worry me is if he changes his tune in the face of the backlash. That will show me a lack of inner confidence, a paper tiger. A guy that never gives in, that says, I don’t care how many games I’ve lost in a row, or what anyone says, I still think I’m going to win every time, gets the benefit of the doubt from me.
Rex Ryan’s been the HC for 9 games and – in spite of some flaws I hope he cleans up as he gains experience – I think he’s shown more positives than negatives and, possibly, more potential than any Jet coach in decades. People who prefer the terminally humble, maybe we’ll win, maybe we won’t, type of coach must have missed the Kotite era. Sadly, I didn’t.
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starz31 says:
Can we take bets on which way Hank will come and ruin this argument too?
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*opened at 3-0*
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subwayfare…go easy with the reasonable posts here. How are we supposed to argue when everything you said is true?
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Drew (And I mean this with no offense intended)- I think giving people slack because of an assumed stigma is stupid and personally I’m tired of “insert new coach name here” being the answer and everyone turing a blind eye to their inefficiencies because “insert new coach name here” is the one.
Is he the Highlander?
In a Jet Li movie?
Perhaps the golden child?It isn’t like Rex is BB. Rex could soar or crash it is too soon to tell.
Were adults maybe until we see results I feel we should be open minded. Not in a fantasy world, if that is the case I want Spiderman at safety and the Blob at NT. Fans can be critical. That doesn’t make them fair weather.
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WW85 says:
Rex needs SOME of his inner Mangini to appear. We need a commander, strategist-tactician as well as emotional gipper speeches. One thing not mentioned a lot here is the lack of DISCIPLINE or retribution on this team. You can’t be the best friend of your troops & also lead them into battle. It prevents you from making the hard decisions.
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say what u want about rex but this guy can be my head coach anyday of the week. the guy is going to get us were we want to go. hes learning, everyone had a learning curve. this first year im writing things off. if we finish 8-8 or 7-9 and the hc and qb get it then its a sucessfull season
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fonzie says:
Ryan is probably upset because little Jimmy Leonhard hurt his hand.Whine Whine Whine!!! Ryan you LOVE this media attention!!!!
Ryan: “JIMMY PLEASE COME BACK!!!! WE NEED YOU TO PLAY,I DON’T LIKE BELICHICK’S RINGS THEY SCARE ME RIGHT NOW!!!
Leonhard: “SORRY COACH!!! I can’t play with Kerry. I am finished with him!!”
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JAGG
I am all for critical and taking shots at mistakes Rex and the team makes. Its not the crtitism that bothers me its the hot and cold nature of most fans but especially Jet fans.
After Groh they loved Herm then soured on him and they loved Mangini cause they wanted a strict coach then a more player friendly coach…. oh wait mangini dosent show enough emotion….but Rex shows too much.
Its everyday back and forth no matter who the coach or players are. its exhausting.
The guy is just being himself and he gets killed for it?? Why becasue we lost some tough games? Becasue he is a chatty coach unlike others?
I have been critical of a guy like B-Schott becasue he has had 3+ years to prove me worng. I was critical of Mangini for some of his silly ways. I was critical of Drew Coleman, J Miller, A Elam, S Ellis, T Bradway, D Rob, John Abe etc…..just to name a few. I just am not the overreator that most of this fanbase is.
BTW…Do you think we can get Spiderman to replace Leonhard this week? That would be fantastic!!
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Fonzie,
Maybe if some of our fans *cough*AHEM*cough* cared as much as Rex does, then we’d all be in a much better place.
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Drew- I’ll see what I can do about spiderman.
I don’t like the back and forth either. I think Rex can be a good coach, but absolutely hate this team running their mouth after losing.
I’m a Yankees fan in Philly. I got to see first hand how obnoxious sore losers are. The Jets have a lot to prove and I would never have been this critical(especially with a rookie QB) if Rhodes, Scott and Rex would stop barking. The Jets this year remind me of small dogs. They yap alot, but when challenged they fail to do anything. I hate people like that. That is a personal choice tho and long after Rex is gone I’ll still be a Jets fan.
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dave b says:
With all the examples of rookie QB’s and head coaches excelling in their first year, it’s like people forget that rookies are LESS likely to succeed compared to weathered coaches and veterans.
I commend Ryan for going to his colleagues for advice. I’m here for the long haul. Keep working, chalk this year up to a re-building phase, and stop being flabbergasted every time Sanchez throws an interception.
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hank/naples says:
JAGG:
In order For Rex to work on his game management skils he must first start by being the HEAD COACH !!.
He is NOT!!!. He is only one third (1/3) HC, with OC and ST being the other two thirds (2/3).
And has been, is and will be the problem.
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dmazz says:
Being a NY Jets fan is hard because of being lumped with other Jet fans not because of the same team we root for. I.E. most Jet fans are fed mud from crappy writers and propaganda shoveling talk radio hosts and the fans eat it up like steak dinner. Case in point was last week when Rex went on the Boomer and Carton radio show to talk about the importance of the fans and the home crowd influence. The next day Carton was spinning the words out and in to reflect negativity and spew bad intentions. The fans ate it up and the media ran with it. Rex is a great coach and I’m personally proud to have him be our coach. Then again maybe Jet fans don’t deserve him as a coach and would be happier with Mangina/Herman Edwards/Kotite. We are lucky to have what we now have. Stop crying about a season that we ALL knew wasn’t going anywhere regardless. Just enjoy the NFL.
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Max says:
I think it’s great that we have an emotional coach. NFL football is an emotional violent game. You need that emotion one reason you see how players “pump” themselves up before a game. Having said that, you also need tactical, strategical acumen to be a head coach in the NFL. You can’t teach emotion but you cetainly can acquire the tactical and strategical know-how. I believe Rex will do that. I also think that Rex will figure out who is his “type” of player after his rookie year. I believe he wants players who will give him “110″% for 60 minutes. I think he has only found a few of those this year. Very few. Every coach needs at least three years to have his system in place with “his” players and coaches. We as Jets fans have been subjected to so many high expectations always resulting in so many lows for so many years (40 and counting) that we want everything to happen NOW. The Jets need to emulate the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise and be patient in building a Super Bowl caliber team. I know that is a lot to ask but so far the “old Jets merry-go-round method” has not worked in 40 years. Old Mangini regime + new coach + rookie quarterback equals 5-11. Enything else would be frosting on the probervial Jet cake!
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Andrew Weiss says:
Loss #1 – New Orleans. Why they lost: Sanchez got rattled by Greg Williams’ agressive blitzing and he lost his poise. Team was pretty well prepared. Within a td in 4th quarter.
Loss #2 – First Miami game. Why they lost. Defense did not deal well with wildcat and outside running. Pace’s first game back and he was rusty. Poor clock management in final minutes. Still, team in a position to win with 2 mins and the lead. Ahead in fourth quarter.
Loss #3 – Buffalo. Why they lost. Sanchez threw five picks. Even still, it was OT and they had ball in FG range. Player penalty. Tied in fourth quarter.
Loss #4 – Second Miami game. Why they lost. Poor coaching decision to deactivate best special teamers. Poor offensive execution and play calling on final drive. Still, in red zone w/ 1st down and under two minutes. Within a fg in 4th quarter.
Loss #5 – Why they lost. Poor defensive execution in first half and final drive. Did not make adjustments early enough. Ahead late in fourth quarter.If somebody wants to tell me how that amounts to a disastrous prospect for the future, I’m ready. What I see is some coaching mistakes, some rookie qb mistakes, a possible indictment of the DC, who we never mention because he’s so overshadowed by Rex. Questionable play calling at times by offensive Coord. Some mistakes in time management. Player blunders.
If anybody thinks this guy is gonna come in off the street and win a super bowl they’re nuts and unrealistic. This wasn’t the Steelers coming off a Super Bowl. They haven’t executed really well on offense since 2002. The first Mangini defense was pretty good, but this defense is miles better. At times, dominant. Last year they couldn’t stop anyone. Remember the San Diego game? And, while we’re on the subject, who wants to see his team outcoached like last year with Shanahan and Holmgren?
It’s nine games. He’s already won more than Parcells his first year. Belichick was 6-10 his first year in Cleveland, 5-11 his first year in NE. Walsh was 2-14 in 1979. So let’s stop the coach bashing.
I repeat. This coach and this team are not responsible for anyone’s past disappointments. My advice. Shut up and get behind the guy. If he’s not the one, we’ll know in a year or two. Then you can trot out same old Jets any time you want. For now, get off his back.
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AW nice post—I agree with just about everything said–the problem is that the coachspeak, the players yapping, and the 3-0 start all contributed to lofty expectations for this team. If they had started 0-3 and were now 4-5 there would be an entirely different mindset about the team. Hopefully, they can somehow get a W up north this weekend so we can keep some interest for the rest of the season. SPINDOCTOR
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SackDance99 says:
I was somewhat critical when I read that Rex cried, then the NY Post quoted players as saying that he cried after the Houston win, too. So, the guy is emotional and extrapolating his emotional responses to how he coaches is unfair. As for seeking out advice from other HC’s, I can’t believe that’s even subject to criticism. A good coach would do that after a 13-3 season, too. There’s always room for improvement.
Does he have some issues as an HC to iron out? Sure he does, but I honestly do not think any alleged coaching blunder either resulted or contributed to a loss (even the deactivation of Murrell and Carroll against Miami…Izzo and Fowler had Ginn on that 2nd TD). I think people see Sanchez’s progress (and I like him a lot), but don’t realize that his overall play is sub-standard. So, the Jets’ defense and special teams have to make up for Sanchez’s shortcomings. The Jets almost did that against Buffalo and Jacksonville. Heck, we all think the Saints game would’ve been competitive without the gift TDs.
Sanchez has only completed 53.3% of his passes. To get to 60%, he would have had to have completed 16 more passes…almost 2 more per game. This past Sunday, if he had completed a simple swing pass to Jones on a screen, Jones would’ve had an easy TD and if he had passed sooner and with more zip to Edwards, the Jets would’ve had a 2-point conversion. I think most fans here don’t realize that the way Sanchez is playing would make it hard for any coach to win. The Jets, despite Sanchez’s poor play, have lost 4 games on the last possession. If the Jets had just won 2 of those games, Rex would be talked about as a potential coach of the year candidate.
Look, the losing sucks. But, if we believe that Sanchez has what it takes to be a successful, then we have to remember that it’s very hard to have a winning record with a QB completing far less than 60% of his passes. And, for the record, I think Sanchez does have what it takes, but the completion percentage is troubling: Flacco, Ryan and Big Ben were all, at least, at 60%. I am also surprised that his completion percentage is not higher…he was at a very respectable 65.8% at USC and likely would have been better his senior year. More than his INTs, that low completion percentage has got to change. I’m willing to accept the losses because he has to learn and there’s no substitute for doing, but Sanchez has to start making more completions and fewer INTs.
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jon in bk says:
Agree with you, Sackdance. There are some troubling signs from Sanchez- picks, bad completion %, occasional happy feet. He has made plays, though, and that’s tended to happen in the 2nd half when we’ve needed it most.
Hopefully his mistakes are the result of inexperience and his young age. It looks to me like he can make all the throws, and he has looked better lately. Ryan’s regime will be completely determined by MS.
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jvsvn says:
Look, I think Ryan is agreat and I’m glad he’s our coach instead of Mangini. But hey, the only thing that matters is performance on the field. We’ve had a few bad losses in a row and Ryan hasn’t seemed entirely on top of the situation. Period. The bottom line is that he’s got to do better. Pure and simple. And can people please stop with the “well, he’s only a rookie head coach” nonsense. Sanchez has a legitimate claim on that excuse but Ryan doesn’t. The guy is Buddy Ryan’s son. He has literally been on the inside of the NFL for his entire life. That’s right, his ENTIRE life. Are you telling me that he’s just now learning that clock management at the end of the game is important. No, I don’t think that is it. There have been signs of disorganization from the start of camp. Players running into each other, penalties, clock management, etc. I’m all for free-wheeling if it’s working but it’s obvious that changes need to be made. Ryan’s got to step up and start running a tighter, more professional ship. I’m not saying change his entire approach. I wouldn’t want that and it wouldn’t work. Just learn from his mistakes, and fast, and make the proper adjustments. I think he can do that and, if he does, we’ll be fine.
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Eddie DiGio says:
JVSVN
I hear what you are saying about Rex being in the league for basically his whole life, but its alot easier said than done to manage a game when you have never done it before.
Every situation, game is different. Things happen during a game the same way they do in life. You learn from the past mistake and then another thing takes a turn, and you have to learn from that.
But I do agree with you that when/if they can get that stuff cleaned up, the Jets will be fine in the future.
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LMP23 says:
I cry too
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FernandoQ says:
I for one am very happy with the direction of the team. The losing SUCKS but I’ve watched enough football in my life to know that this team is headed in the right direction and year 2 in Rex’s system is an exciting thought. Sanchez has lived up to the billing and draft choice …it’s obvious that he’s got what it takes….the difference between year 1 and year 2 as a QB is astronomical …so I’m excited…
Go Jets!!!!!!!
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Stewman says:
Look I’m a dolphin fan and I hate the jets. I never want you guys to do well. Now with that being said I think Ryan is great defensive coach just like his dad. I love the style of play that he runs on defense. I also think you guys have the talent to be a force. However the question just like his dad is if he is a good HEAD coach? Can he make his players play smart and disipline football? I believe that he needs to tone down his rhetoric and try not to make the headlines about him. If he can do that and become more of a chower type of persona I think you guys will win many many games.
Well i think being that the Leave brittney alone guy is a white 120 pounds tranny, has alot to do with why he isn’t a professional football player.
but other then that, i agree, Rex needs to work on alot, but thats just it, he has to work on it . It’s not like he can just magically make his flaws disappear.