N.Y. Jets: John Idzik's Retrofit Proceeding Slowly

From the desk of:  Walt Michael's Revenge

NEW YORK JETS: John Idzik's Patience Has Organization Riddled With Anxiety.

He just wasn't that good.  He wasn't.  Five years ago, the winning coach of the most recent Super Bowl champion Seahawks, Pete Carroll, said Mark Sanchez wasn't ready.

Things no doubt started well for Mark Sanchez, but only with Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, and tight end Dustin Keller by his side, not to mention a decent running game behind him as well. Mark Sanchez peaked quickly, then devolved just as fast.  For Mark's sake, he and the Jets needed to part ways.

That still doesn't absolve the Jets from doing Mark Sanchez wrong.  They made him rich, but little else.  At the time, Mark was playing for a head coach who didn't involve himself with offensive matters.  By 2011-12, Sanchez was bereft of weapons to work with.  And by 2012, a deteriorated offensive line, otherwise left him on his back, or fleeing for his life.  Why add (literal) insult to injury by bringing up last season?  Playing for two different offensive coordinators, and having to learn a new system under duress, no doubt, additionally made matters worse.

Unfortunately for both Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan, the head coach already squeezed everything out of what Eric Mangini and Mike Tannenbaum had previously started.  Unfortunately for Rex, the need to rebuild came during his watch, regardless of Sanchez.  Even the players Rex wanted imported, and received, were already older.  By the 2011 season, I feel the Jets were disillusioned by their fleeting success.  Mark Sanchez' contract extension was part of it.

Moving forward, if Geno Smith wants to gain perspective into what it will be like to have Michael Vick around, I suggest he call Kellen Clemens and Brad Smith.  Not only did both have to cede the floor to Sanchez, but, the last time the Jets put their football in the hands of a QB drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, Clemens stood witness while Brett Favre abetted in lighting the fuse that helped implode Eric Mangini's lone gig as a head coach.  Will this latest former Atlanta Falcon quarterback precipitate Rex Ryan's dismissal from the only head coaching gig he's known?

Geno Smith will be operating with the expectations of a second year QB - little.  How he performs in camp, I believe will become inconsequential.  He'll have exactly four games to show something, then the Jets will hand the ball off to Michael Vick.  Barring few exceptions, that's the way I see things transpiring next season.

If you can get beyond the dogs, Michael Vick and the Jets have a real football need for each other. If you can't get beyond the dogs, then as a Jets fan, you're having a hard time reconciling Woody Johnson's organizational morals.  In either case, the media will be descending upon Jets camp in late summer like flies on a freshly laid steamy cow patty.  Woody seems to enjoy chaos though.  I can't say the same of the general manager he hired.

John Idzik has been catching heat lately, for appearing reluctant to sign any number of formerly available free agents that would have addressed a few needs.  Part of the criticism stems from indeed having the money to spend, being in great salary cap shape, yet laying low.  I'll defend him, and say, just because one has money in hand, doesn't mean it needs to be spent.  I'll side with Idzik's patient approach for now, although I know it clashes with Woody Johnson's sudden petulance.  With extra draft picks to work with, how Idzik does in this year's draft will better define his tenure thus far.

Why fire a guy players love performing for, especially while your team is in rebuilding mode. Therefore, Rex Ryan's job status is a matter best left for, if and when Geno Smith starts to struggle and Rex calls to the bullpen for Michael Vick, or the end of the season, when Idzik's hammer likely falls.

Either way, it's going to be a long season for Woody Johnson, who says he wants to win now. Idzik says he's a patient man, and the more Woody talks about DeSean Jackson, the more he's A) - tampering according to NFL rules, and B) - stepping all over the toes of his new general manager. Naturally, there are rumors circulating that Woody supposedly isn't too crazy about John Idzik.

Funny how cow patties roll down hill, as everyone is still speculating whether John Idzik really likes Rex Ryan, or if Woody even still likes Ryan.  But on the other side of the coin, everyone in a uniform loves Rex Ryan, maybe except Geno Smith, who can't be happy about being placed in a revised (no win) situation.  While John Idzik is a patient man, Rex Ryan may not have the luxury of patience to operate with.

The divergent flight patterns of the Jets triumvirate spells nothing but J-E-T-S trouble, trouble, trouble, ahead.  Therefore, I'm making an early call, and telling Jets fans to keep their seat belts fastened, and trays in an upright position.  The trip from point A to point B is certain to be a bumpy one.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Jets: Mike Westhoff Offers Insight Into Jets Dilemma

From the desk of:   A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN


NEW YORK JETS - Former Coach Mike Westhoff Airs Jets Dirty Laundry.

I Say The Jets Next Move Should Be....

The old saying goes thus - Things must get worse before they get better.  Except if you're part of the Jets that is, where things tend to go from worse to catastrophic.  For Gang Green, the arrival in Dis was thought to be the end of the 2012 regular season, and the subsequent house cleaning.  But then came the recent, and now laughable Ren and Stimpy routine called a press conference.  And today, this....


It was an absolute  M - E - S - S   Mess  -  Mess  -  Mess!


In an interview on a Miami radio station, former Gang Green special teams coach Mike Westoff, characterized the Jets handling of Tim Tebow as an absolute mess.  This just exacerbates the question of who wanted Tim Tebow.  Coach Westhoff offered the Jets neither planned to incorporate, nor practiced to utilize Tim Tebow on offense at any time.  Sure, the Jets talked about it.  But they never followed through.  Or, does this raise the question of whether Rex Ryan and Tony Sparano together, were clueless in their struggle to fit him in?  Westhoff also intimated that Rex and Sparono kind of dumped Tebow on him to make use of.


In my opinion, the more damning aspects of Coach Westhoff's comments strike at the organization's very core.  His words reveal the true state of the Jets and speak poorly of them.  Why?  Because for long Mike Westhoff has been one of the most respected assistant coaches in all the NFL.  Originally, you had to take Mike Westhoff on his word that he was retiring from coaching.  It can now be safely assumed Coach Westhoff was running from the Jets as if the team's practice hangar were on fire.  What is also clear to me at least after grasping the whole of his interview, is he no longer wanted to be a part of the utter chaos that presently consumes the Jets.  Mike Westoff also appeared on the Michael Kay Show Friday afternoon to further clarify himself.  And he continued to bomb away.


Woody Johnson is the genesis of said Chaos.  It is his team.  He is the owner.  However, blame shouldn't be that simplistic.  The organization lost its semblance of normalcy somewhere between the extremes characterized by their two most recent head coaches.  Eric Mangini brought in talent and disciplined them.  But A) - the team underachieved under him, and B) - he was a media cold front.  At the other extreme, Rex Ryan is a turbulent tropical warm front consumed with, and by the daily media maelstrom.  At first, his team overachieved FOR him.  But the talent level under Rex has depleted over the last two seasons, not to mention, they have become quite an undisciplined bunch under his reign as well.


Woody Johnson might be committing a huge mistake by making a new General Manager retain Rex Ryan for at least one more season.  Several very good candidates, one from the Giants who took the Panthers GM position, are already off the market, and rumor is they would have nothing to do with the Jets present situation.  So what exactly is the Jets present situation?


Woody Johnson purchased the team in 2000, and inherited an agreement whereby Bill Parcells would move into the front office, and hand over the head coaching reigns to Bill Belichick.  But Belichick in turn immediately handed Woody Johnson his letter of resignation as HC of the NYJ and bolted for New England.  Al Groh was forced to step in and coach the Jets, which he did for one season and salvaged a respectful 9-7 record.  After the 2000 season, both Bill Parcells and Al Groh left the organization.  Overall under Bill Parcells the team achieved a 39-26 record, and a 1-1 mark in the playoffs.  Bill Parcells left behind Mike Tannenbaum who was originally brought on board to be the team's salary CAPologist.


Woody Johnson then made what many considered a good football decision when he hired Terry Bradway from Kansas City to be the team's new General Manager.  Bradway ushered in the Chad Pennington/Herman Edwards era.  Very simply, Herm may have been a victim of Chad Pennington's limited health and overall arm strength.  I do not want to dig too deeply into those five years.  They were good years by Jets standards even though the era only amassed a 39-41 regular season record.   The Jets made the playoffs in 2001, 2002, and in the 2004 season.  After the 2005 let down, the Edwards and Bradway tandem ceased to be.  Herm Edwards left for Kansas City.  But Woody Johnson retained Terry Bradway within the organization, albeit with a demotion.  But twelve years with the Jets now, he still currently serves as the team's Senior Player Personnel Executive.


By 2006, Mike Tannenbaum had progressed enough through the front office ranks to where Woody Johnson felt compelled to name him the next General Manager of the Jets.  Eric Mangini was then hired out of Bill Belichick's staff in New England to replace Herm Edwards as head coach.  The first season under Mangini was terrific.  The rest of his three year reign was not.  Mike Tannebaum, Eric Mangini, and the Jets compiled a 23-25 regular season record.  Whether inspired by Tannenbaum, or perhaps against Mangini's better judgement or not, the era went down in a blaze of glory with Brett Favr%#!?$vre at quarterback.


Eric Mangini was out.  Mike Tannebaum got to stay.  Rex Ryan is in.  The Jets then trade up to draft Mark Sanchez.  Four years later Rex Ryan stays, Mike Tannebaum is pushed out the door, and Mark Sanchez is the poster child for futility.  The assistant coaching staffs are decimated by firings and mass exodus.  The roster is riddled with questionable talent and bad contracts.  Additionally, the Jets are capped out.


Meanwhile, the office of General Manager has been filled in Jacksonville, Carolina, and San Diego, by who many in the media consider to be stellar candidates.  The Cardinals promoted from within.  Not only have the Jets not settled on a candidate yet, Woody Johnson will let Rex Ryan exercise a measure of approval over the potential hire.


Ponderous!  The Jets hired a firm to line up candidates.  At this point, Woody Johnson is just throwing his money away.  Here's the deal.  Woody Johnson or a firm should not be conducting a GM search.  His President of Football Operations should.  Oh wait!  He doesn't have one.  Exactly.  Because if he did, Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum would have remained linked together.  The hiring and firing of the General Manager is perhaps best left to good football people.  Not Woody Johnson.


As things stand right now, Terry Bradway is the senior most football executive Woody Johnson has.  And next to Rex Ryan, Bradway is the only football mind Woody has left.  If the Jets keep missing out on qualified candidates for their GM position, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if the Jets are forced to promote from within, and perhaps elevate Terry Bradway to the office of GM once again.  In my opinion, that would be the way to go, and here is why.


Woody Johnson needs to clean up his entire organization and fill it with better football minded people.  Terry Bradway has been here since the 2001 season.  Since then, the Jets are exactly 96-96 over that time.  If you add in Al Groh's 9-7 record from the prior season when Woody first purchased the team, the Jets are now 105-103 in the Woody Era.  But once the Parcells Era ended, thank Rex Ryan for elevating the team to a .500 record because both Herm Edwards and Mangini posted sub .500 marks.  So far Rex Ryan has posted a 34-30 record in four years.  Bradway has been the only constant member of the Jets, more so than Tannenbaum, who's work directly contributed to the product on the field over the last twelve years.  Woody should now attach Rex Ryan and Terry Bradway at the hip and let them sink or swim together.


Why take on a new General Manager from outside the organization at this point?  If Rex and Terry succeed, Fine!  But if they fail Woody can rid himself of both of them, then truly rebuild his organization from the ground up.  He would have a clean slate to work with, and have the luxury of being methodical and getting it done right.  Therefore, his first move should then be recruiting a qualified Team President of Football Operations, and let that person hire the next GM of the Jets.


Why a team president?  Because the Jets have posted a .500 record over the last twelve years!  Because Woody Johnson is an heir of a very different world from outside football.  He is not a Rooney, or a Mara.  In the absence of a good Team President, an unlearned owner operating on his own behalf risks exposing the organization to dysfunction.  Without the GM, the owner is alone.  Look how long it took Daniel Snyder of the Redskins to realize that.  Sometimes this dysfunction  manifests itself in the owner firing his General Manager but leaving his teddy bear head coach on board for the next guy to worry about.  That's not the way to build football teams.  That's the way companies operate in the corporate world.  That's why the economy and the Jets are so messed up.





Mike.BTB

New York Jets: A Blueprint for Disaster

From the desk of:   A Blue-Blooded Giants Fan



NEW YORK JETS:  Striking Out In Their Bid To Secure Nnamdi Asomugha Sent Gang Green Into Tailspin.

How Do You Like Brian Schottenheimer Now?

Tim Tebow is a good place to start this discussion.  Why was he brought here and who wanted him?  The only four suspects involved are Coach Sparano, Rex, Mike Tannenbaum, and Woody Johnson.


Somehow Tony Sparano actually made Coach Brian Schottenheimer look good.  Schotty's departure shed light on Mark Sanchez' game.  Evidently there was a reason Schotty never unleashed Mark Sanchez.  Coach kept the QB, who Pete Carroll claimed was not ready for the NFL, within his limits.  Without Schottenheimer, Mark Sanchez was a complete disaster in his fourth NFL season.


Being methodical and play-calling within an offensive unit's means is easily confused with being boring, unoriginal and/or displaying lack of creativity, and things of that nature.  So in a town like NYC, Schotty wore on the fan base; naturally.  In obvious hindsight, I offer Schotty gave Sanchez structure, in-game management, and direction.  Save the issue of talent surrounding Sanchez for Mike Tannenbaum.  But perhaps it was Schotty who squeezed and manipulated Sanchez into being a capable enough QB that could HELP his team qualify for back-to-back AFC title games.  Clearly by 2011, the talent level around Sanchez started to erode.  And today it is very clear the coaching Mark Sanchez received under Tony Sparano was substandard.  Matt Cavanaugh has been his Mark's QB coach under both offensive coordinators.  If Matt has been the constant for Sanchez, the difference in his performance under Schotty and Sparano are made even more stark.  Tony Sparano was fired in Miami and helped make the Jets worse.  Schottenheimer was fired by the Jets then helped make the Rams better.  Go figure, right?  Schottenheimer had previous experience as a QB coach with the Chargers.  Sparano did not.


The Jets claimed all along Tim Tebow was the back-up to Mark Sanchez.  And to their credit, they handed Mark the season.  They even avoided giving Tebow the ball late in the season.  Even though  Sparano utilized a wildcat system in Miami, whatever the plan for Tim Tebow was, it became very clear to me Tony Sparano had no idea how to implement a two QB system.  There is a big difference. And based on the way Tebow was utilized this season, there was indeed no plan for Tim Tebow; at least no evident plan exhibited by Tony Sparano.


So did Tony Sparano want him around?  Doubtful.  Ditto goes for Rex Ryan.  I do not subscribe to the Wes Welker Effect.  When with the Miami Dolphins, Welker repeatedly burnt the Patriots.  So Bill Belichick traded for him.  Because Tim Tebow was instrumental in defeating the Jets the year prior doesn't make me believe Rex lobbied his GM to trade for Tebow.  Everyone has already chimed in about Rex's ignorance with regards to offense.  But even as the head coach, he strained and often found himself at a loss for words when trying to rationalize Tebow's existence, much less his role.  Rex Ryan straining for words?


The truth about Tim Tebow lies somewhere between Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum.  Whether the GM was just acquiescing Woody Johnson and his bottom line, or whether GM Mike Tannenbaum instigated the trade himself are no longer important.  The GM is gone.  The offensive coordinator should be shown the door shortly.  Tebow will soon be gone too.  And you can't fire the owner.  Rex however, might survive to coach another year depending on the next General Manager.


But what wreckage the former General Manager left behind.  The talent he and Eric Mangini assembled served Rex Ryan well during his first two seasons as coach.  The talent assembled by Rex and Tannenbaum over the last two seasons have not.  Or, they did a poor job replacing outgoing players.  Pick your poison.  But in my opinion, the Jets really did themselves a disservice when they cleared players and cap room in an all-out effort to secure cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.  By the time Nnamdi signed with Philly, quality players left on the open market, much needed by the Jets to fill other holes, were all gone.


And that's how I think the Jets have arrived upon today.


The defense has been solid enough.  But they were asked to do way too much for four seasons.  Their window is now just about closed.  Offensively, the Jets have problems at QB, offensive line, receiver, and with the running game.  If you include Dustin Keller's contract status, the Jets have problems at tight end too.  Great.


The next General Manager of the Jets better eat his Wheaties and brew a lot of coffee.  He has lots of work to do.



Mike.BTB

Pre-Season Pigskin: Giants vs. Jets

From the desk of:   DO  IT FOR THE DUKE

THE SNOOPY BOWL - III

NEW YORK GIANTS

vs.

NEW YORK JETS

SATURDAY:

BATTLE OF THE SWAMP LANDS

Eli Manning: Is Now Beyond the Coach

On Kevin Gilbride, and an Offensive Line Preview

N.Y. Jets: Still Trying to Paint the Town Green

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS:  Defending Champions Out To Silence New York Jets..., Again.


What possessed these two franchises to share a stadium?  On the one hand, you can blame Jim Dolan for effectively blocking the West Side Stadium project.  On the other hand, I can appreciate both owners not wanting to foot the cost of a new stadium alone.  But as far as the Giants go, why would they want to share?  And as the Jets go, what were they thinking?  It makes sense then, that maybe this is why Woody Johnson rubber stamps Mike Tannenbaum's efforts to turn his team into the East Coast Neo-Raiders, while John Mara runs his organization as if he was born into the business.


Not only are the two owners diametrically opposed to each other, the General Managers couldn't be more different.  Each team's head coach couldn't be more different from each other.  And the way each team's players conduct themselves, couldn't vary any more than they do.  What's great about this arrangement though, is these two organizations now hate each other like never before.


So lets get it on!


Lets speak in truths here.  The Jets are still trying to get to where Giants roam.  That's a tough spot to be in; just like their stadium situation.  Living in someone else's shadow can wear a man down; much less fifty-three men, plus staff.  And don't look now, but I'm sure someone is busy painting the latest Giants' Super Bowl graphic on the wall next to their locker room.  Yes, the same wall the Jets must walk passed on the way to their locker room.


Curtains anyone?


This is pre-season, so you can't walk away from this game lamenting results.  What we're doing here is paying attention to isolated players and personnel packages.


From the Giants, I'd like to see the Offensive Line show me some cohesiveness, even though, there are no strangers within the unit this season.  And I'd like to see David Wilson and Da'Rel Scott handle most of the rushing.  Defensively, I need Prince Amukamara to show me so much more than he did in the first pre-season game.  Because of horrible footwork and bad body positioning, Prince spent the first pre-season game against the Jaguars getting burnt like toast.


From the Jets, I would imagine the most important thing this week is the play of Marc Sanchez and his ability to put up points.  Only Marc Sanchez can quiet all the Tim Tebow constant chatter.  If Marc plays well, Tebow becomes inconsequential, and all the talk dies down; to a point.  After all, this is NYC we're talking about.


What strikes me as odd, is the Jets were/are one of the most successful teams in the red zone with Marc Sanchez taking snaps.  So why would you change up with Tebow?  It seems counter-productive to me.  Be that as it may, since there are two QB's, I'm curious to see where exactly on the field each QB is given his chance.  My thinking is Tebow would be a safe way to play in the Jets own end.  But once they cross midfield, I think Sanchez will dominate that time.  Who knows.  I do know the season will be crazy due to Tebow's mere presence alone.


And, like the Giants, the Jets' Offensive Line needs to be markedly better this season than they have been.  The Jets return with basically the same crew, and Shonn Greene as the feature back.  I do think Coach Sparano will improve them as a unit.  I think Coach Sparano will put Marc Sanchez into far better situations than Coach Schotty did as well.  Defensively, I'd be paying attention to the play of the linebackers.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Jets: Still Trying To Paint The Town Green

From the desk of:  A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN 

J - E - T - S

Just - Enjoy - Tanenbaum's - Signings

OR

Just - Enjoy - The - Shenanigans

NEW YORK JETS:

Was It Over When The Germans Bombed Pearl Harbor?

When we last saw them in December of 2011, the frat brothers of D-Generation Rex were in the process of getting caught red-handed, holding brushes and spray cans, while trying to paint the town Green.  The way last season ended was just the latest in a series of setbacks.  For at their zenith two years ago, Gang Green threw a most debaucherous toga party in New England, and did things which they'd eventually forgive themselves for.  You should have seen them.  They felt so ashamed - an all time low.


In retaliation for snide remarks a Patriots' nerd made regarding Rex Bluto's best gal, and her pretty feet, Bart D-Day Scott, and Boon Sanchez, retrofitted the Jets, and unleashed an aerial bombardment down upon Wes Welker, and greater Beantown, that some fans in Foxboro are still hiding from.  Then for good measure in the after-party, they imposed themselves and danced with other people's dates, served alcohol to under age women at the party, and performed acts so heinous decorum does not permit me to discuss them here.


Indeed, the more raucous residents of Big Blue House on the Prairie never felt more high than on that night against the Patriots.  But since that game, all their grade point averages have dropped, and more and more, it appeared as if seven years of college were heading down the drain; especially after they killed that horse last season.  But you can't keep their spirit down, now can you?  At least not Rex Bluto's you can't.  Because for him, it wasn't over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, now was it?  For Rex, not talking about about himself, the Super Bowl, or how great his team stands to be, is a conversation not worth having.  That said, Rex Bluto, Hoover Tanenbaum, Woody Otter Johnson, and the rest of the Jets are back.  And this time, D-Generation Rex is rolling with their newest pledge, Pinto!


If you're a Jets fan, you can't help but admire with bewilderment, the thoroughness of the job, fraternity president and Jets General Manager Hoover Tanenbaum has done with this team.  Make no mistake.  This most motley collection of class clowns, entitled brats, and media dramatists exists by design.  But why?  Well?  Being that Hoover Tanenbaum sits at the head of his own class, he'll be made to stand in front of the Dean's desk.  Problem is, there is no Dean!  Woody Otter Johnson is the one with the twelve inch check book in that black doctor's bag he keeps behind the bar.  In other words, this is Woody's cucumber, and if he thinks his is bigger than yours, that's all that matters to him.  And so far, he seemingly likes the way the semester is going.


Regardless of what I think, here they are!  View them in all their Green incredulity.


There are players on this team that pollute the atmosphere down to a molecular level.  Good luck with that.  However still, the 2012 Jets will perhaps be the most unique gathering of fifty-three players dressed in green shirts and tight white pants you might ever witness as a fan.  Of which, I'm not one.  So let's get this out of the way before the season begins.  I am a Giants fan.  But I am not a hater.  I have never harbored ill will towards the Jets.  But I will be covering the Jets this season the best I can as a source of entertainment.  Because heaven knows they are a major source of material.  Are you guys happy about that?  ....I digress.


Of course, there is the newest pledge, Pinto Tebow.  He's the one running around camp with a devil on one shoulder scheming for Boon Sanchez' job, and telling Tebow to take off his shirt in the rain.  And on the other shoulder sits and angel, getting him to say all the right things to the media, and stick to his core values.  Boon Sanchez is dejected already, so look out.  His main supporter, Rex, hasn't been too faithful lately.  And should Boon Sanchez fail at any point this season, that could very well open the door for Pinto to take his job.  That's when things will get totally out of control.  That's when kegs start crashing through the windows.  And if Woody isn't really careful, Pinto Tebow just might deliver his daughter to the doorstep of his house in a shopping cart, ring the bell, and rush away.  Because after all, isn't rushing the ball what Tim Tebow does best?


In four months from now, don't cry when someone puts their arm around you and says, "You f#cked-up!  You trusted us." Or, if luck has it, as Otter once championed, "..what's needed is a real futile and stupid gesture be done on some one's part....."  And the Jets feel they're just the guys to do it.

SATURDAY,

AUGUST 18, 2012

Pre-Season Game Two:

Battle in the Swamp

NEW YORK GIANTS

@

NEW YORK JETS

FROM

Giants Stadium!

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Jets ~ 2012 Guaranteed to be a Memorable Season

NEW YORK JETS:  Write This In Stone; The 2012 Jets' Season Will Be One of the Most Tumultuous Campaigns in Team History.



Jet Fans, let's get right to the heart of the matter.  The triumvirate of Rex Ryan, Mike Tannenbaum, and Woody Johnson, are turning your team into a circus.



Let's lead off with the Head Coach, shall we?  In just speaking of this last season alone, Rex Ryan remained disconnected from the offensive side of the ball.  He antagonized his "little Brother" and paid a Big Blue price for it late in the season.  Then on the heals of back-to-back AFC Championship appearances, Rex's team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since taking over.  Once the season ended, certain players started airing out their dirty laundry to the Media.  And when questioned about his team's alleged grievances, Rex Ryan denied knowing problems existed amongst his players and pleaded ignorance to any simmering locker room animosities.  It just never occurred to him that his locker room was in dire need of an attitude adjustment.  And to me, that's a failure to capture the pulse of the team.  But how could he, when he himself was involved in a falling out with his offensive coordinator and was constantly jostling with the Media and creating his own controversies?



He remains unaccountable for a team that continues to lose it's identity - an identity (see Ground and Pound) that he never truly established, or, committed to, in the first place.  Over all, what the Jets have achieved so far under Rex has been arrived at more so through his words, than through deeds.



That's the outsiders view.  But I'm a local.  I get Rex Ryan and I like Rex Ryan, even though you folks know I'm a Giants Fan.  None of this should come off as hatin' either.  I understand Rex's in-game, and his methods.  He's cool with me.  But the record speaks for itself, and sometimes you need to be called on the carpet just to keep you honest.  I will say this though - his style has a short life span.  And a General Manager can only exasperate the situation by continually bringing in the wrong kind of players.



Mike Tannenbaum deserves his third-share of blame; if not more.  I believe Mike Tannenbaum bears the most responsibility for last season's disappointment.  And it is precisely because there has been no philosophical consistency from him.  I get no sense he has a coherent plan.  What I see is more of a Fantasy Football approach these last two seasons.  He also strikes me as a swinger.  When Eric Mangini was still coach, Tannenbaum operated with a more conservative and business like tact.  With Rex, Tannenbaum has again taken on his Head Coach's persona; if not in similar fashion to Rex's overt brashness, but through his splashy, risky, yet fearless transactions.



He put together a fine team in 2009, but has literally spent the last two seasons sabotaging it.  More and more he's proving himself to be exactly who Bill Parcells thought he was bringing to the Jets; a CAPologist - and nothing more.  He is nifty with numbers, and is extremely well spoken.  But with each passing season as GM, he's proving himself to be an inadequate team builder.  I say that because I feel he caused this team to take a series of backwards steps.



Somewhere in between Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum lies the curious case of Braylon Edwards. By the time of initial his signing, Tannenbaum was already committed to taking chances on players with a checkered past.  As things worked out, Braylon would have run through walls for Rex in addition to working well with Mark Sanchez.  The Jets then decided Santonio Holmes was who they really wanted.  But with Santonio in, and Braylon, and Jerricho Cotchery out, Peace; Love; and Harmony; left the building.  That, if anything, seems representative of Mike Tannenbaum's plan.  And well, in two short seasons, his transactions have polluted the locker room.  And now the Jets are considering a return of Braylon Edwards again.  That's what you call a circle folks.



Look what the decent from 2009 has done to your quarterback.  Mark Sanchez took major strides backwards last season.  But if you dig a little deeper than just the prevailing opinions about him, you would know so many things around him failed or broke down; to include his offensive coordinator.  But only QB's get blamed.  While everyone is busy dumping on Mark Sanchez, a sub-par offensive line goes largely unspoken about.  And now through their actions, the head Coach and the GM have given every indication they are about to turn on their quarterback.  In football terms, the contract extension the Jets gave Sanchez was more like a kiss of death.  The organization can spin this any way they want.  Mark Sanchez is now walking a tight rope without a net.



Sometimes locker rooms get polluted because you populate them with the wrong kind of people for the wrong reasons.  There's always the business side of Football to contend with.  And that's where the owner comes in.  Many believe Woody Johnson is the instigator of some questionable moves made by the Jets.  After all, he has a brand to sell.  And many think he encourages his organization to conduct it's business in a manner that strikes me as more flamboyant, than fundamental.  Overt attention grabbers and trying to win the back pages of the tabloids are not what winning football teams are made of.  But this is exactly what the Jets are being accused of.  Starved for attention in the shadow of the N.Y. Giants, many accuse Woody Johnson himself for taking the team down this path.



THIS IS THE WORLD....  Tim Tebow is now a part of.  And the fact Rex Ryan, Mike Tannenbaum, nor Woody Johnson were on hand at Tebow's press conference was plainly and simply - negligent; if not laughable.



What starts now is something of a completely different matter.  What dynamics Tim Tebow will, or will not bring to the Jets' offense, remains to be seen.  It is only March, and what we already know is that the Jets' 2012 season will be one of the most tumultuous campaigns in the organization's history.






Mike.BTB

N.Y. JETS ~ REX's JETS get Grounded and Pounded

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL ~  Pittsburgh Steelers 24;  NEW YORK JETS 19


Bad ROAD TRIP:   Mind If We Dance With Your Dates? 

Not only didn't Otis Day and the Knights not "love" the Jets - They didn't even recognize the Jets when they walked in.  Showing up to that club was a bad idea from the start.  As soon as they walked in, the music stopped and all eyes were on them.  They settled in anyway for what was most likely going to be a very weird night. 

Once the music kicked-up again, one patron made it very clear he didn't want to talk and that he didn't go to college.  Another guy pulled out a switch-blade.  They had their tabled ripped out of the floor in front of them and to top it all off, had their dates taken away from them for a dance with strangers. 

When LEAVING! became the smart thing to do, they smacked up the car, along with a few others in the parking lot, in their attempt to flee and left the girls from Dickinson College behind to walk home alone.

Yes, the night was an unmitigated disaster; we know.


It's over Man; (Big Ben) Dean Wormer dropped the big one!  For Coach Rex Blutarsky and his Green Fraternity, I guess it IS seven years of College down the drain after all.  The Jets wound up tripping over their own marbles - all 10,000 of them.  The DeathMobile was really a Green Edsel in disguise.  And now,  there's no breaking beer bottles over Coach Blutarsky's head trying to cheer-up Flounder and getting him to stop crying about wrecking his brother's '64 Lincoln.

I think BOONE said it best and spoke for all, when he so eloquently said,

"You F%?#ed Up!...You Trusted Us!"


OK - So college was a complete waist of time for everybody, but Man! - wasn't it fun while it lasted?  Many of those characters from the movie all left Faber College behind to lead very different lives, just as free-agency will disperse some of this team's current players.  But the memory of their mayhem never went away and the memory of two great games against the Colts and Pats shouldn't either.  What the Boys achieved in one semester was Classic and something we who saw it, will remember for the rest of our lives.  When the pain subsides from this loss, Jet fans will look back on this season with endearment and acknowledge it for the Classic that IT was.

The horse, the toga party, the Mayor's daughter, the food fight, Dean Wormer's wife...  They were all worth it in the end even if they never got a chance to graduate.  So to Coach Blutarsky and the Boys..., Thanks for a great time.




NEW YORK JETS:  A Final Quiet Flight Home.

With a Better First Half, They Could Have Been
The TITANS of N.Y. Again!

So what happened out there?

Rex elected to defer the Kick-Off as is his custom.

Then, the Steelers proceeded to pounded out massive yardage running the ball and Big Ben capitalized on key downs by rumbling outside the Pocket. The Steelers went on a 9:06 minute drive ending in an opening possession touchdown.  Things went down hill from there for the Jets.  A Mark Sanchez fumble and return for a touchdown by Pittsburgh exacerbated the score and everybody went into halftime with the Steelers leading 24-3. 

The Jets Defense was plagued by poor tackling allowing over 100 yards rushing in the first half alone.  Offensively, the Jets could only gain ONE net positive yard running the ball and could not capitalize on a Big Ben interception.

In the second half, they gained back respectability.  Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene and the Defense worked to get 16 more points on the scoreboard making the contest a 24-19 affair.  The Defense held the Steelers scoreless in the second half and scored two points of their own with a Safety.

And then the biggest point of contention of the night would be Coach Schottenheimer and what happened at the goal line.  Because after that, the Steelers got the ball back and Big Ben rolled out one final time to get one more first down and secure the win for Pittsburgh.

That's the game, basically in a nut-shell.


Of note is, in spite of a horrible QB Rating, Big Ben had a most remarkable and disruptive game out of the pocket.  He not only ran for yardage, he rolled out and threw accurately on the run and controlled third down for the Steelers.

He dared throwing Darrelle Revis' way, which I thought he would.  And Revis really should have come down with an interception.  But two Big Ben interceptions, in the end, didn't come back and doom the Steelers.  Instead, all his other work outshines the numbers he's credited with in the box-score.

The Steelers' Defensive performance in the second half?  How much of the Jets comeback can be attributed to Pittsburgh sitting on a 24-3 lead?  It's hard to say.  Rex said the Jets made zero half-time adjustments because he thought things would turn around as it was.  Well, they did.  I'd like to think Shonn Greene made a difference and again, Sanchez had a great game.  You can say...If It Weren't For The Fumble-6 and What Went Wrong Down On The Goal Line..., the Steelers' Defense could have potentially blown it also.  So, I do believe the Jets comeback was real and not something the Steelers allowed for the sake of an expiring clock.


BUT, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED OUT THERE?

Well, I'll start with my own Preview: ~ Steel City Showdown.  If you take a second and go through it, it's still what I feel today and now I'm just questioning why Schotty wasn't as aggressive as I think they needed to be.

These teams almost mirrored each other.  I thought both defenses would remain stout, tough and stingy.  I knew Sanchez and Big Ben would be main reasons either team won.  And we all knew both teams would try to impose the running game on each other.  Actually...blah blah blah.  I didn't anticipate the Jets tackling so poorly in the first half and that's as much the reason why they lost as any.  You can point to a myriad of things actually.

You want a short list?

* The Goal Line Stand
* the Roughing the Kicker penalty
* a huge Cotchery drop
* a Mark Sanchez fumble that went for 6 points the other way
* not capitalizing on the first Big Ben INT.
* Pittsburgh rushing for over 100 yards in the first half and the Jets only gaining ONE
* poor first half tackling
* continued devotion and false-hope in LaDainian Tomlinson and not pounding with Shonn Greene
* not one pass to Braylon Edwards for nearly the first three quarters of the game
* etc  etc

** But they did hold the Steelers scoreless in the second half.

Here's the real point I want to bring out of my Preview.  I thought the Jets needed to take numerous chances down field in order to shake loose the running game for them. 

Here's some of what I said in my preview:

"And now, against the Steelers, Mark Sanchez has to win a game for the Jets by his lonesome. Mark and his Receivers will become the focal point of the Jets Offense because I think the Steelers will hold true, and limit the Jets' running game to low yardage. Mark is going to be responsible for managing 1st and 3rd downs while they try and squeeze something out of their running game. This is not to say they shouldn't be trying to enforce the run-first tact, but I do think they'll be managed.

So how do you combat the Steelers defense?  Well, they are very aggressive.  So I say you meet it with aggression.  I say be bold.  You have to make then back off the run other wise they will take it away from the Jets and tee-off on Sanchez.

I think Schotty is going to have to get a little West Coast on Pittsburgh.  Use the Steelers' aggression against them.  Screen passes, draw plays, scatter-passes to Shonn Greene out of the back-field, and a whole bunch of slant and crossing patterns.  But I really think Schotty and Sanchez need to take a lot of chances over the top. As a matter of fact, the very first play the Jets have from scrimmage should be "The Bomb".  Honest!  I would take multiple gambles going over the top.  That's what you're going to have to do if the Jets want to shake their running game loose.  Then hopefully by the 2nd half, the running game can find some daylight and run with power.

.....So, against the Steelers, this Offense may have to get out of it's element.  What Jet fans can hope for is that Schotty's play sheet has everything on it that Mark does best and that a few of those plays find their way.  Because even though the Jets beat the Steelers in the regular season, remember two points came on a Safety and another touchdown was scored on a kick-return. So, Mark Sanchez will have to engineer more than 13-points this time around.

........On Offense, Nothing Ventured; Nothing Gained.  If I'm Rex I'm playing this game ultra-aggressively.  This is for the AFC Championship. Rex wants to win this time.  The Team wants to win this time. Their fans want them to win this time.

So I say TAKE IT! I say try and overwhelm them. I say launch a couple a balls deep early, and see if Braylon Edwards or Holmes can pull down a pass and inflict an early body blow. Because that's the way this has to be.   It has to hurt. The Jets need to make the Steelers think about something else other than the run......"

Well, that's what I said.  That's how they scored on Holmes' touchdown.  They tried only a few down-field passes in the first half.  Braylon Edwards I believe blew a route on one of them but more glaring is the fact he didn't have a reception for most of the first three quarters of the game.  But Coach Schottenheimer never really gave the deep threat a chance while the play was there waiting for them all night!  The Steelers secondary isn't great aside from that guy with a lot of hair.  And so what happened?  The Steelers took the run away from the Jets allowing them ONE yard rushing in the 1st half and they tee-d of on Sanchez causing a fumble-6.  Coach Schottenheimer didn't do enough to make the Steelers' defense think differently.  He needed to be more aggressive and pick on their corners with deep passes.  Why else did Mike Tannenbaum bring in Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes in the first place?  This was supposed to be the game where they improved upon the Offensive disappearance in last years' Championship game.  This was the game; not any other before this!

Then, there was The Goal-Line Stand.  Again, I believe Coach Schottenheimer got it all wrong.  Of course he got it all wrong.  People in Mongolia knew he got it wrong.  Every unborn Jet Fan will come to learn how wrong he got four plays that ran his team into the ground and kept them out of the Super Bowl.  Say what you will about the first half.  Yes it went bad, but too often we are reminded it's not how you start; it's how you finish.  Ask the Giants for a lesson in that (See Eagles). 

Why did this team and Coordinator rely so heavily on LaDainian Tomlinson based on greatness from years gone by?  Shonn Greene has been the young legs propelling the Jets running game ever since LT began to disappear mid-way through the season.  He should have been featured, not only in the first half, but on the goal-line hand-off that went to LT instead.  There were for downs, one yard, three feet and Glory to go.  Shonn Greene should have been choice one, two, three and four.  But Coach Schottenheimer elected to hand the ball off to someone who once upon a time would have flown over the pile, but this time couldn't use his walking cane to pole-vault onto a sidewalk.  Do we have to rehash the two pass calls?  Let's not, right?

Execution during the most critical, crucial moments of a game is the mark of a Champion.  But even great players need help.  Winners are still needy of a Coach putting them into position where-by they can make greatness transpire on the field.  Sanchez had himself a great day regardless of his coach and in that critical time, the QB needed and demanded more and better from his Coordinator.

Brian Schottenheimer didn't do that.  Instead, during those critical four downs near the goal line, I felt, I observed, someone who operated with a complete lack of urgency and didn't rise up to the challenge of the moment.  The play selection is a wholly different matter for which he deserves his very well deserved criticism.

I'm not a Jets fan so I'm perhaps not qualified to fan-dump someone's job.  But I do know you Jet fans have been complaining for years about this guy.  He drives you as crazy as Kevin Gilbride does me...and I don't blame you.



And what to make of the season now?

There's alot of opinions about players, Rex and the season to occupy space with.  Maybe a lot of that gets dealt with in the future. 

For now, I'll leave it at this:

If the Jets had not beaten the Colts in the first playoff game, Coach Rex and the Jets would have been pointed at, laughed at, ridiculed and mocked.  A decades' worth of new jokes and immature, but funny ways to manipulate J-E-T-S would have been arming a new generation of 13-year-olds' ridicule towards the team to use against their friends for a decade to come.

Had they lost to the Patriots, their fortitude would have been questioned; everything would have been questioned.  They, the verbal participants of Trash Talk Week, would have gotten destroyed by the media.  As a matter of fact, the whole thing would have been a complete disaster.  We'd still be sheltering ourselves from the fall-out.  A comprehensive, all-out media Blitz would have be brought upon JetsNation with a loss in Foxborough.

And now that the Playoff run has ended with a loss to the Steelers, I just want to reach into my pocket, pull out a pack of candy Life-Savers, and offer you one.  There's nothing to be embarrassed about.  No one should be receiving any more criticism than the routine Blah Blah blah...that usually follows a season that doesn't end with a Super Bowl.

Don't be so hard on yourselves.  Being in the Final Four is fun and the ride was great.  Sports, after-all, are more about failure, than anything else.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. JETS ~ STEEL CITY SHOWDOWN

NATIONAL    FOOTBALL    LEAGUE

American Football Conference

Championship Game

NEW YORK JETS

vs.

Pittsburgh Steelers

No Pain; No Gain.  Enjoy the Violence!

The way I see it, there's only two ways either team will be going to the Super Bowl; - Bruised and Battered.

This is going to hurt.  After Sunday, some players may never be the same again.  This game is going to cost some of these players a day or two on the back end of their careers.  If FATE once said they were due to retire on a Friday, after this game, there will be players who will now be retiring on a Tuesday.  For sixty minutes tomorrow evening, eleven-man packages of Black vs. GREEN, will be running around trying to render each other stupid with pain.  And the arctic front expected for Game Time will make the pain sting and last - all - night. 

This road to the Super Bowl has been particularly hard on the Jets without a home game.  But they've been here before and this is the last road game for them, because the Super Bowl is a home game for everybody. But whichever team wins, I don't think they'll be up for much celebrating an AFC Championship versus just being contented with having survived the night.  These games are very different in that respect.  They're brutal.

The Super Bowl is a Tuxedo and spit-shined shoes.  The Super Bowl is the showcase; the polished brass; the lipstick, glitz and glam; - It's the perfectly cut diamond. 

The Championship Games are the mining operations; the digging deep within yourselves; the grinding, pitfalls and hazards of trying to find that rough, ugly, uncut pigskin diamond that will be manipulated to expose brilliance.  It's about boots, gloves, drills, picks, and shovels.  There really is no glory here.  It's just about getting dirty and being damn proud of it..  I think I just unwittingly described Steel Town.

The Conference Games can be worse yet..  They're primal.  It really is survival of the fittest.  There is hunter; and there is prey.  It's a very fine line as to which team is which at any given time.  And that can change on a dime.  The Conference Championships are about surviving your rivals, foes, enemies, and tormentors.  They comprise the majority of your schedule.  They are in you division.  These are teams you play not just once, but twice, and on occasion three times.  They are your direct competitors trying to deny you.  It is through them a team must go in order to play for the ultimate prize.  These games are primitive.  It is the lion and the hyena fighting over the same football; sometimes it's lion versus lion.  The Championship Games are about killer instinct and camouflage, cunning and guile.  Those are also all traits needed to survive in the Concrete Jungle (of New York City), home of the JETS.

For the loser of tomorrow's game, it will be a devastating and bitterly cold-hearted way to end the season.  They'll have the next six months to defrost and let the bad memory thaw and melt away.  For the Victor, the game will be a pleasurable but very painful reminder of the sacrifice needed to make it to the Big Show.

There is no escaping the pain that awaits BOTH teams Sunday night.  They embrace it; distribute it...and seem to thrive in it. There are 330 million people in America and less than 1% of us can do what these players do.  But yet for such a small fraternity of gifted athletes, they all try to knock the snot out of each other.  That makes for a great game.

If you thought the silence coming out of both camps over the week was dead, this game will more than quench your thirst for carnage.  Enjoy the Violence!




Big Ben may not be as cerebral as Manning or Brady, But he's Bigger, Tougher, Bolder, and Crafty like a Fox.

Peyton Manning is a BRAIN connected to an arm that can throw footballs.  Rex Ryan was right.  You can't out-prepare him.  He's the smartest QB in Football.  But he's so damn cerebral, he can out-think himself, or at times just get plain 'ol out-thunk, because guys like him program themselves and when you go off-road, they can short circuit.  Rex Ryan showed how to do that two weeks ago.

Tom Brady is another master game planner under the guidance of Bill Belichick.  He and Simon Bar Sinister have their Offense down to a science.  But he too was confused by the Jets and their schemes.

Both quarterbacks were harassed, hit, confused and out-coached.  Both QB's also stayed stationary in the pocket due to their confusion and paid for it.  Thinking too much kept them holding out for a play until they fell under the pressure.

Ben?  He's big, bouncy and doesn't fall.  And most lethal to the Jets, he doesn't think as much and is the boldest QB they'll play.  He's a crazy cat who thrives on busted plays.  He won't stick around in the pocket if he has daylight..  He'll run in a blink of an eye.  And for a big guy, he rumbles.  He also throws well on the run.  The guy can actually do it all.  Yes, he's a freak which makes him a big Football dummy (in the most complimentary sense of the word- you know what I mean).  Guys like him ruin everything.

In the pocket, he presents more problems.  He's got a gun for an arm and it's accurate.  He's very under-rated as a pocket passer; Very.  And he takes hits (and more hits).  We watched Manning and Brady fold like cheap poker tables under the threat of being hit.  Ben will stand there till the last second and make a pass, and absorb the hit he knows is coming;- get up and do it again...and again.  It's just an advantage he has with his size.  Growing up we called these guys Big Joooch.  They were indestructible.

He's bold and has been successful at it.  Remember that pass to Santonio Holmes in the Super Bowl?  Of course you do.  And you know there were others.  He almost did it to the Jets when they played last.  He had the ball in his hands in the closing seconds and almost beat the Jets.  That would have been a crushing defeat for the J-E-T-S indeed.

Here's the biggest truth about Big Ben, - We are inside his Era.  He has a pair of Super Bowl wins in the recent past.  The Patriots last Super Bowl win was 6 years ago.  Ben has won his two since. 

Big Ben is still showing everybody what time it is.



This is the game.  The JETS need MARK SANCHEZ to seize the moment!

Remember Pete Carroll saying Mark Sanchez wasn't ready for the NFL when he got drafted out of USC?  He wasn't ready all the way to an appearance in the AFC Championship Game in his rookie year.  But the Jets were held scoreless in the second half against the Colts last year. 

Many said he still wasn't ready this year, and that he certainly couldn't guide a team past two Hall of Fame QB's in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady during the same playoff run.   Well, he stayed unpolished enough and inexperienced enough to make it into his second consecutive AFC Championship Game.  He's got some late game heroics from the regular season under his belt and is now 4-1 for his career in the playoffs while playing all those games on the road.  How ya like me now?

What I saw last Sunday was a quarterback taking two and three step drops, winging spirals and completing 64% of his passes while topping things off with three touchdown passes.  It wasn't Brady.  It was Sanchez.

Brady?  I watched him take seven step drops and take all day on his way to getting wrecked.  Not everything will be able to work off the quick slants and Mark will surely get harassed by the Steeler's pass rush.  There will be times he'll need to stand tall and deliver a pass knowing he's about to get pounded.  That's how you become great;  by doing things that are hard.  That's why they get paid the big bucks, because the game hurts.

The biggest stat for Sanchez in the Patriots game was no turnovers.  The Jets had no turnovers and won.  It's so cliche but so true.  Don't be afraid to punt.  A battle of field position is manageable, but the turnovers disrupt everything.

And now, against the Steelers, Mark Sanchez has to win a game for the Jets by his lonesome.  Mark and his Receivers will become the focal point of the Jets Office because I think the Steelers will hold true, and limit the Jets' running game to low yardage.  Mark is going to be responsible for managing 1st and 3rd downs while they try and squeeze something out of their running game.  This is not to say they shouldn't be trying to enforce the run-first tact, but I do think they'll be managed.

So how do you combat the Steelers defense?  Well, they are very aggressive.  So I say you meet it with aggression.  I say be bold.  You have to make then back off the run other wise they will take it away from the Jets and tee-off on Sanchez.

I think Schotty is going to have to get a little West Coast on Pittsburgh.  Use the Steelers' aggression against them.  Screen passes, draw plays,  scatter-passes to Shonn Greene out of the back-field, and a whole bunch of slant and crossing patterns.  But I really think Schotty and Sanchez need to take a lot of chances over the top.  As a matter of fact, the very first play the Jets have from scrimmage should be "The Bomb".  Honest.  I would take multiple gambles going over the top.  That's what you're going to have to do if the Jets want to shake their running game loose.  Then hopefully by the 2nd half, the running game can find some daylight and run with power.

I don't think either team will be scoring too many points, but I do think those points are going to have to come in large part, through the air.  Big Ben is Bold and Daring and things seem to work-out when he takes chances.  So, against the Steelers, this Offense may have to get out of it's element.  What Jet fans can hope for is that Schotty's play sheet has everything on it that Mark does best and that a few of those plays find their way. Because even though the Jets beat the Steelers in the regular season, remember two points came on a Safety and another touchdown was scored on a kick-return.  So, Mark Sanchez will have to engineer more than 13-points this time around.

Here it is kid.  This game has your name written all over it.  It's Go Time..!




BLITZ Them Till They Cry!

Defensively, both teams are in Lust with the Blitz.  Expect to hear that word a lot Sunday.  This time unlike against the Colts and the Patriots where I though they should lay back and punish receivers, I think Rex can get back to Blitzing the way he likes to and sell out.

Again, I think the Jets should be ultra-aggressive.  And Pittsburgh is the type of Offense that Rex can employ his traditional Blitz packages against instead of having to get so crafty these last two games.  If I'm Rex, I'm going to get down-right Blitz Stupid. 

Finally, this is the game for REX's Corners to shine.  Revis Island will claim another victim and he may finally see some action coming his way.  Like I said before, Big Ben is a nut and he is defiant enough and daring enough and brave enough to throw Darrell's way, mostly because the two time Super Bowl Champion isn't afraid to fail.  When Big Ben sees one of Big Rex's Blitz packages coming his way and he spots the single coverage, Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis might give the Jets the advantage in this department they'll need.

Ben is daring, but he can be induced into mistakes, and if you pester him enough up front, the Corners and Safetys might be able to snatch one or two passes away from the Steelers.

If the Steelers are going to make Sanchez beat them, well then the Jets have to make Ben beat them.  This ia just a game where you have to meet the Steelers head on and execute your plan with more intensity than the Steelers, because their plan is the same.

These teams are two trains speeding towards each other and the collision is going to be terrific..

"Can't Wait!" - Bart Scott



As A Matter of Fact....

Stupid;  That's the point about this game.  Game plans are rendered stupid in a game like this.  Both teams know each team wants to run the ball.  Both teams know they will be Blitzing any thing that moves.  Both teams understand their quarterbacks will have to win this game for them.  And both teams will be throwing the kitchen sink at each others QB's. trying to stop him.

It's pretty hard disguising a sink.  That's why schemes, deception and masking Blitzes really don't matter Sunday.  These guys are just gonna line up and play Physical Football and leave the Chess Match to the guys in city parks.

On Offense, Nothing Ventured; Nothing Gained.  If I'm Rex I'm playing this game ultra-aggressively.  This is for the AFC Championship.  Rex wants to win this time.  The Team wants to win this time.  Their fans want them to win this time.

So I say TAKE IT!  I say try and overwhelm them.  I say launch a couple a balls deep early, and see if Braylon Edwards or Holmes can pull down a pass and inflict an early body blow.  Because that's the way this has to be.  It has to hurt.  The Jets need to make the Steelers think about something else other than the run; ...like pain.  Because nothing in life is easy and the things we love in life usually hurt the most.


So go out there; Embrace the moment... And Seize the Day!

The Steelers six Super Bowl Trophies mean nothing Sunday.  The Jets lone Lombardi Trophy means nothing Sunday.  The only thing that matters are the sixty minutes they'll spend on Heinz Field when the sun goes down Sunday and who can endure the most pain trying to win the right to play one final game.

..And Finally, only now have we arrived at the moment when we see if all Mike Tannenbaum's transactions have made any difference.

It's report card time for the GM.  The only way to answer whether Tannenbaum's moves will have paid off is to play the game.  Everything he did since last year's Campionship Game ended has been geared towards surviving the next sixty minutes of hell this year.


There's nothing left to say or do now.  All that's needed is for the Football to be kicked-off, starting one of the most important games in New York Jets Football history.... and we'll take it from there.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. JETS ~ Operation FOOT STOMP; It's Go Time!

JETS WIN!  Take One:


Look!  Up In The Sky!!  Run for your LIVES!!!
The Same ol' JETS ARE COMING!

Foxborough; Boston; Massachusetts; New England; The North East; Western Civilization.....They were all ready, and in position, just like last time in Week 13.

And just like last time, superior leadership was supposed to rule the day...Again.  But, Failure to Prepare is Preparing to Fail; - And so it is that Patriot One is the ultimate task Master and is famous for always having his Modern Day Minutemen in the highest states of preparedness. 

Simon Bar Sinister prepared his men to inflict the same kind of 15 to 1 casualty rates (45-3 blow-out) that devastated their opponent and had them bleeding GREEN in the aftermath of the most recent failed attempt to blot out Patriot skies.  A tattered and battered JETS Squadron barely made it back to WOODY A.F. Base.

Once again, the Minute Men were ready.....But this time, for Rex's Revenge.

But, the element of surprise was gone.  Patriot Intel picked-up and heard every transmission emanating out of New York City (and their big mouths).  New England knew exactly when they'd be arriving down to the day; hour; and minute. 

Patriot One; the Master Planner, assured everyone, Foxborough would remain as safe as it always was.  Many a foe have tried to break the Walls of Foxborough, and failed.  Most, if not all denizens of Massachusetts felt secure in the thought this was to be the latest attempt that would fall short of it's mission.  His men, companions and fans alike, all felt and fed off the rock-hard confidence of their stoic leader.  So, with all his pieces in place, plans and details checked..., re-checked, and morale high, the leader of Patriot Force ordered radio silence, then shut-off the lights to the city, and waited.  The trap was set.  Soon, the RAT Coach would be drawn to his beloved cheeseburger and.....

Shortly after dusk, the calm of the early night was broken.  The first faint rumble of approaching JETS could be heard far off in the distance.  "Steady!"...ordered Patriot One.

The rumbling in the sky intensified; louder.   Then... A Slip and a Blip! 

Wes Welker keyed a mike!  Oh My!  He broke Patriot One's direct order and their positions had no doubt been compromised at that moment because of it.  "SILENCE!" Patriot One ordered again.

Gasp!

Everything remained still on the ground as the skies started to thunder overhead.  From the darkness above, fortune cookie sized notes attached to little Green parachutes began to rain down on Foxborough.

Every little GREEN parachute dropped the same message for everybody on the field, in the stands and Sports Bars across New England.  It said:

"Eat Me!" -  with Love, Caring and Affection ~ Coach REX BLUTARSKY.


With his positions revealed and now having to play his hand, Patriot One ordered the search lights on and pointed skyward.  Foxborough collectively screamed with horror as they caught sight of what was headed their way.  Directly over head, and where ever they pointed a light; - for as far as New Englanders could or could not see in the Massachusetts Night, there was wave after wave and formation upon formation of NEW Fearsome, Hulking, Angry-looking, belching, Big GREEN Bombers, retro-fitted and re-armed with a Smarter Plan, Renewed Confidence, Intelligent Brutality, and Destiny seemingly on their side.  Eeek!

Frightened, terrified, and in a panic, the fans inside Foxborough made furious scrambles towards all exits and into the parking lots, tripping over eachother trying to get back to the shelter of their homes.  Most of them deserted their team and left them to get bombarded alone.  Sports Bars furiously got patrons and fans to help board-up windows and doors.

Meanwhile..., Up Above:

REX ~ Iron Bird...this is Big GREEN.  I got a Blip.  You're free to commence Operation Foot Stomp on your mark.  It's time to squash some bugs.

SCHOTTY ~ Roger that GREEN ~ TiTan One this is Iron Bird, come in TiTan One...over.

SANCHEZ ~ TiTan One...over.

SCHOTTY ~ Operation Foot Stomp is a Go.  Squash Bugs; I repeat, Squash Bugs is Go.

SANCHEZ ~ Wilco..Foot Stomp.  All TITANS....TiTan One;  IT'S GO TIME!!  On My MARK!

And with that folks, the payload doors opened and REX dropped a game plan Bill Belichick was thoroughly unprepared to defend against.  The JETS Defense blew up the Patriots Offensive Line and the line of scrimmage, to include the Pats' running game, and Tom Brady's entire game.  Five sacks hit their intended target.  Mark Sanchez launched lethal strike after lethal strike against the Patriots' Secondary with nearly 65% accuracy, highlighted by three crushing precision hits that went for touchdowns.  An interception, a respectable running game and some very remarkable Receiver work with huge catches and romping Y-A-Cs (see Braylon Edwards) were all part of the Weapons-of-Pats-Destruction used against New England.

SANCHEZ ~ Iron Bird,  this is TiTan One;  if it wiggled, we got it.  Clean-up on isle nine.  We have a Condition GREEN.  Over.

SCHOTTY ~ Roger, TiTan One.  Good job.  Return to base.  Big GREEN; Iron Bird One....the message has been delivered.  We're headed home.

REX ~ This is Big GREEN, Copy that!  They're keeping dinner warm for you at the Hanger.  Out.

REX ~ POUND 1; GROUND 6 ~ Sit-Rep...Over!  Talk to Daddy.

S.ELLIS ~ GROUND 6...Blue Sideline secured sir!
S.GREENE ~ POUND 1 here....The Flag is in the Ground.  The field is ours.  Small pack of  Patriots headed toward open end of Stadium.

REX ~ Let 'em go Boys.  Today is their lucky day.  Great work; Smoke 'em if you got 'em!  See you back home.  Big Daddy out.

...And then, they were gone;  headed back to Delta House.  What they left behind was payback for revoking their charter; taking the bar, and all the stuff they didn't steal BUT MOST of all, for the beating in the Motel Room.

Back at Foxborough, the next morning was too soon.  Confidence that usually accompanies sunrise after an evening of devastation and destruction, stayed hidden in a closet or underneath a bed, shaking through-out the day.  Over twenty four hours have passed, and the denizens of Massachusetts and greater New England are only now starting to peek out from behind their shuttered windows; barricaded doors; fortified Man-Caves; and boarded-up Sports Pubs.  They waited a full day plus, to walk out in the open and survey the damage of Sunday night's N.Y. JETS raid.

For Simon Bar Sinister; a.k.a. - Patriot One - Bill Belichick, and his young team of Minute Men, it's back to the Lab to keep working on the reconfiguration of the Patriots.  For them, this rebuilding season was thrown off track by a Division Title.  And whether you want to hear it in the midst of a celebratory time for Jets fans or not, Bill Belichick will take all those draft picks he accumulated by trading away solid veteran starters and build himself a new dynasty for Tom Brady to end his career with.  He'll be back, just like the JETS came back.  The Patriots' season was all about Belichick getting every last spoon-full out of his New England bowl of young Chowdah' Heads.  But this was all they had left and it wasn't enough.  After playing three games against each other, once and for all, the Jets clearly showed they had more and were the better team of the two.  Nuff' Ced!

Coach Rex didn't just win the day like he said he would.  He wrecked it, piled the rubble high and plopped a big N.Y. JETS  flag on it.  And so, in the Battles of the PIGSKIN Wars, to the Victor, the Spoils. 

Back at the Hangar, everybody made it back home safe.  The Victory Party was in full swing.  Mrs. Blutarsky was there to greet her Big GREEN Hero with a giant hug and a bigger victory kiss.  They, and all the fly-boys, ground crews, coordinators, players, Woody and their Best Gals, clicked their heals, put their best foot foward and danced, drank and Drifted the Night Away.


What's between Rex and his wife, is between Rex and his Wife!  Who's laughing now?


Roger That!  Mission accomplished.  Out.



Bwahahaha!  BWahahahahaha!




Mike.BTB

N.Y. JETS ~ Return to Foxborough - Rematch vs. Patriots

NEW YORK JETS:  It's Time To Pay "The BILL".

Bill Belichick is a Football Marxist in a hoodie.  He controls the means of Patriots' production and play distribution like a Pigskin Socialist.  Players who's contract situations or attitudes that become hindrances, disappear.  There is one master plan and you are free to follow it and contribute towards the benefit of the whole.  Play to your capabilities, and reap what you need.  The second you stray from the plan and rebel against uniformity will be the next time you wake up without having to put on a Patriots' Jersey for a living.


It will be Coach Belichick who will be the first one to recognize if the Jets came to play.  He'll know right away whether or not Rex brought enough cash to stack chips high enough to last the night, or if he spent all his money during the week like a drunken sailor on shore leave.


But, Bill Belichick also knows teams that refuse to stay down and continue to linger around are a problem.  He knows when teams have had everything thrown at them, to include the kitchen sink, and remain resilient and unfazed by adversity, those teams are hell to face.  Even after beating the Jets 45-3 the last time these two teams met in Foxborough, Bill Belichick knows, someone who repeatedly gets up after being knocked down never ceases being formidable, and become an even more dangerous opponent because they are numb to the pain and spit in the face of conventional wisdom. 

Bill Belichick knows more about Defying The Odds than just about anyone in Football today.  So he knows exactly where Rex Ryan is coming from.

Obviously, Coach Rex disturbed the hornets nest with the continued jabs he chose to take at his opponents. Aside from knowing a thing or two about Defense, as the Jets' Head Coach, running his mouth is what he does best.  I don't know why, but then again, he is Buddy Ryan's son.  Buddy Ryan once punched his own team's Offensive Coordinator in the face while on the sidelines during a TENN Titans game on Monday Night Football.  This apple didn't just fall and stay close to the tree.  Rex fell out of the sky like a piano and cracked the sidewalk.  Nothing about him is subtle and eveything that comes from Rex is big.  While it's unlikely Rex will take a page from his Pop's playbook and punch Belichick in the face, Coach Rex is like Bill Belichick in this regard; they were both born to work in Football and they both know how to make their teams jump in front of buses for them.  Rex, like Belichick, as an infant, pooped Football shaped pellets, but just in a much bigger diaper.  They are both Defensive minded coaches.  That's their background and forte'. They may both have had trouble in grade school grasping simple things like the alphabet, because all they know or care about are X's and O's.


Here's where the Coaches diverge.  It's all about Supply and Demand.  Coach Rex supplies his team with an environment he feels they can prosper in.  Coach Belichick demands every player adhere to a prosperous formula.

OK...,So Rex wrote a bunch of checks he asked his team to back; Big deal.  Players like to be put in that position by someone they like.  But a problem arose when the players joined the frenzy and started writing their own checks.  Who was backing them?  Does that sound familiar America?

Bill the Socialist, meet Rex the Capitalist.

Some would argue, economically, uncovered debt and deficit spending is the stimulus that allowed this country to become a dominant economic power among other things.  But there's another side of Capitalism; a darker more treacherous side.  The Jets have everyone asking if they're writing checks their butts can't cash?  Their leverage is all leveraged out.  Now they are, what they refer to as being Naked on the Street.  All kinds of uncovered and naked debt is what triggered the Great Financial Crash of '29 and the Depression that followed.  If the Jets aren't very careful, that's just the way they may find themselves Sunday night; Naked in the Street.

By 8pm Sunday evening, there's going to be a margin call and the big question is who's getting stuck with THE BILL?  Will Coach Rex's and his player's checks bounce and send JetsNation crashing into a state of Depression?  Or will Coach Belichick have to eat this one and just get to write it off as a LOSS to the State?



NEW YORK JETS:  The Time For Talking Has Ended;
LET'S GET IT ON!!!

While the other six teams participating in this weekend's playoff games spent their time practicing and preparing, the Jets and Patriots have been fighting it out all week, not bothering to wait for Sunday like two angry brothers at a Pub, who stopped in to tilt-back a few on their way to a fight.  Sunday afternoon's game will merely be the TV portion of this on-going scrap.

It wasn't only Rex talking.  Of course there was Antonio Cromartie's poetic words, but Wes Welker joined in.  Coach Belichick even offered a joke or two on the home-town radio shows.  Tom Brady had something to say as did Nick Mangold.  They've all done it.  If not this time, for sure during a time in the past someone from either side was always saying something (or pointing).  The only good that can come out of this, with all the Hot-Air blowing around, is the chances of snow up in Foxborough will be low. 

Hopefully, at some point during all the name-calling, bickering, cat-fighting, and trash talking, a Football Game will break out and all debts will be settled once and for all.


When The N.Y. JETS Are On Offense:

MARK SANCHEZ does not need to win this game for the Jets.  But he has to help and he can't blow it.  He WILL have to play Sunday like he has never played before in Foxborough however; and that would mean playing WELL.  He's played there twice in his short career and has 1 touchdown and 7 interceptions worth of memories to show for it.

How is that shoulder?  His passes have been off, wide, and high for a few weeks.  Mark Sanchez could always throw the long pass well.  With short throws, he's OK too.  His middle range pass has always been suspect.  The aching shoulder may be exasperating that fact.  But he was already predisposed to the problem.  That's Coach Schotty's problem to contend with, and for him to game-plan around.

Ideally, if the Jets play this right, Sanchez won't have to throw too often.  But it's crucial he be accurate with his passes none-the-less.  Completions, to the correct jerseys, are paramount.  Accuracy and completions are task number one for Mark this Sunday.  He doesn't need to be concerned with the big play.  What's needed from him is accuracy and completions for 1st downs!  The Jets' ability to gain 1st downs against the Patriots Defense will help keep the Jets offense on the field; the Jets defense off the field; and the ball out of Tom Brady's hands.  The Jets ability to gain 1st downs, especially late in the game, will go a long way towards determining if the Jets win or not.  The Jets failed to gain a 1st down late against the Colts with two consecutive three-and-outs, that almost cost them their season.

If the Big Play presents itself, then fine; you take your chances.  In the NFL.., Nothing Ventured; Nothing Gained.  But 1st downs will be the name of the game, and that means Dustin Keller and Shonn Greene must be targets off the line in Keller's case, and out of the backfield in Shonn's.  Those two will open up opportunities for Holmes and Edwards to make a big play.  But the Jets must be patient with their possessions and concentrate on 1st downs.

But what Mark Sanchez really needs to be, is complimentary to the Run Game.

Peyton Manning had two chances with the ball in the second half; TWO.  The Jets had three substantial drives versus INDY.  Their quality first-half first drive was short circuited by an interception.  But two more time consuming, Ground and Pound drives in the 2nd half were directly responsible for limiting Peyton's playing time.  One drive in particular lasted 17 plays and took 9:54 off the clock.  LaDainian Tomlinson scored two touchdowns to cap off those drives against the Colts.

The Jets must do this again.  They must commit to the running game and be patient with it.  Shonn Greene should be leading the rush.  Shonn Greene left; Shonn Greene right; Shonn; Shonn; Shonn; all night long.
Let LT give Greene a break from time to time.  But Shonn Greene must be the man rushing the ball and he must be utilized out of the backfield considerably if the Jets are to hold on to the ball.  They can do it behind a fine Offensive Line who really should be able to push a smaller Patriots' Front, backwards.

The Tight-End and the Running Game can make sweet music together if you know how to play 'em.  During half-time of the INDY game, I think Coach REX finally took a firm grip around Coach Schotty's "game-plan" and forced him to sell out with the Run.  Coach Rex is an Old Hand, and he knows the tune well.  Coach Rex wants to DJ this Boston Rave using the Run Game, but even he knows, Mark Sanchez still has to help out with the Mix.

If Sanchez stays patient, and sticks with the dump-offs to Greene and finding Dustin Keller, the Big Play will come screaming his name.  Then, it will be up to Sanchez to capitalize.  The opportunity will present itself where Braylon Edwards or Santonio Homes can come up big for the Jets; but they need to do it exercising patience.

Don't forget and more importantly, don't repeat the futility with how the Jets started the game against the Pats last time; by trying to open with a No-Huddle scheme.  Coach Rex recognizes the mistakes he made going into and during their last encounter.  He said himself, he's through trying to fool people after the Colts game.  From now on he's just going to line up his guys and try to be stronger than the other team.  That's something that maybe even Bill Belichick can't over-come or out-coach.  Getting man-handled is a state-of-mind.  And Coach Rex has his guys in a lather.  If the Jets can prevent themselves from getting out-technique'd and out-thunk...., if they get primitive, so to say, I think they have a chance to actually smack them around a little bit, behind their Offensive Line (even with the loss of Woody).

Of course, no turnovers, no penalties...Blah, Blah.  Sell-out with the Run; hit your Tight End and let the big play come to you.  It's up to Coach Schottenheimer to set up Mark Sanchez correctly.  But it's up to the Offensive Line and Shonn Greene to control the clock.  Run to Daylight!  For this game, the Jets best defense against Tom Brady is their Offense and it's ability to stay on the field.


When The N.Y. JETS Are On Defense:

With no Jenkins and no Leonard, the Jets' interior is akin to a shark's Soft White Under-Belly.  Bill Belichick and Tom Brady avoided the tooth of the shark (Darelle Revis) and attacked their soft belly the last time they met at Foxborough.  Rex's team was gutted and filleted 45-3.  The Patriots attacked the Jets, and in particular their Safety's with Tight-Ends, Slot-Receivers and a running game that kept them off balance all night long.  There is absolutely no reason for the Patriots to stop picking on the Safety's now.  That means Brodney Poole's name will be mentioned a lot Sunday.

But what was most damaging to the Jets in that 45-3 drubbing was falling behind too early and by too many points.  If the Jets fall behind early again and have to play from behind over the last three quarters, then all the best laid plans will go to waste.  I think they can still afford to be patient with the running game while managing a 7 point deficit.  Anything more, and they will be in big trouble.

The Patriots haven't lost at home since...the Bush Administration?  In order to change that, the Offense will have to stay on the field, but on Defense, the Jets will have to make stops.  Tom Brady and the Patriots will score at some point.  The Jets just need to make him a little less successful that normal.  If the Offense can keep the ball out of Brady's hands and the Defense can make some critical stops, the fourth quarter might present the Jets with a chance for victory.

The Pass Rush the Jets lack?  Well, they're not going to find one now.  With Brady's three-step drops, you really have to be clever if you blitz him.  So, To Blitz or Not Top Blitz?  That is the question.

If you blitz him from the outside, it just takes too long to get there with three-step drops.  And quite honestly, I don't think they should commit anyone from the Secondary to the Blitz.  The Blitz will have to come from the Linebackers, and it needs to come up the middle where the rush gets to him quickest.  I think the Jets should disguise, but then rush only two and three after Brady.  Let 8 defenders cover and punish receivers.  It's a ploy right out of Belichick's play-book.  Every Patriot receiver (Welker) must be punished for going across the middle.  Period.  Getting your hands on Brady is a tough task, so Plan-B should be to pound the receivers instead.  The Jets need to trust the one-on-one coverage and protect the middle of the field.  They can do it with less pass-rush.

This is another area where Coach Rex's team can really exert some brutish physicality upon the Patriots Offense.  Disrupting the passing game and being mindful of the run, just might clear a path to Tom Brady himself.  If the Jets can plant a seed into New England Receivers crossing over the middle, how does Bill Belichick out-coach that?

Tom Brady hasn't thrown an interception since....Prohibition?  He's thrown four interceptions all season and two of them came against the Jets in Week 2.  That's something to believe in I guess.  But don't count on it.  Instead, if he notices there's no pass rush, he may do something foolish, like run, and present the Jets Defense an opportunity to pound him in the open field (I'm trying here...OK?).

Maybe not.  But like I said, protect the middle of the field and MAKE TACKLES.  They will make catches.  Just limit their yards-after-catch with good tackles.  If Revis and Cromartie are great tomorrow, maybe the guys in the middle can keep that soft white under belly protected.

Don't count on turnovers.  Just make stops..



Etcetera...

If the Jets' Special Teams can keep giving them the effort and results they've been supplying, it would be a huge bonus.  They will need it!  They will need excellent punting.  You just can't give the Patriots good field position.  If they can manage to score points on Defense, even better.  Use your Challenges wisely and don't trip anybody on the sidelines.


FINAL WORD:

Mike Tannenbaum built this team to win now.  Their ultimate moment will be upon them Sunday afternoon.  The Coach he hired isn't afraid to fail.  That's a trait of great coaches and great players.  I'm not calling anybody great.  But I know Rex isn't afraid to fail.  Coach Rex has generated a lot of heat since he took over as Head Coach, and maybe just enough to burn the Patriots for a day.  That's all Coach Rex said he's looking for; A Day.  He wants to be better than Belichick for one day.  It's not far fetched.  The guy knows Football.

The REX DAY is the same as Tannenbaum's NOW.  With a Jets loss, there will be that problem of some bounced checks and a lot of explaining to do by both the GM and Head Coach.  The Media might be just a tad bit more forgiving because they weren't an in-and-done team.  It still will be rough going though.  And if the Jets lose miserably, well, then...., there's going to be Hell to Pay as Rex will be viewed as having stepped in his own mess.

For the Jets, there's an awful lot riding on this game.  The aftermath of a Jet loss can be brutal for them and especially Coach Rex.  However, on the other side of Doom, a Jets' win can be glorious and Green.



P.S. - I'm still witholding my pick till tomorrow because I just don't know yet.

Saturday's Line Is:
PATRIOTS -8 1/2 Jets



MORE:
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2011/01/nyjets-rexs-plan-calls-for-brute-force.html
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2011/01/ny-jets-rex-vs-belichick-iii-its.html
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2011/01/ny-jets-rex-gives-indy-nag-boot.html
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2011/01/ny-jets-what-makes-coach-rex-smile.html




MIke.BTB