As Gang Green Turns: Humpty Dumpty Rex Teetering On the Wall

Article first appeared on Blogcritics.

Rex Ryan, Jets head coach and intimidating master of his domain, seems ready for a big fall. It isn't enough that he has negotiated his path with his foot in and out of his mouth going on three seasons, but now all the king's men are not loyal to his service, so even if the big guy falls off the wall, it is unlikely they will all rush to put him together again.


"Controversial" seems to be a word that is always connected with Ryan. He brags about his team, sometimes without thinking, and oftentimes even if he has time to think he still blabbers about things that are potentially damaging to the team. He is like a parent who keeps telling his kid that he is a prodigy, but the kid can barely play the piano and hits all the wrong keys. Then he goes on bragging to the other parents about how great his son plays and puts him in the spotlight, only to see the child fall apart on stage. Incongruously, he learns little or nothing from this and continues to push the child without ever doing the most sensible thing - teach him how to play the piano the right way.

This turmoil on the Jets is nothing new. Ryan seems to enjoy it, even if it is a subconscious pleasure, and manifests situations which continually mix things up. Unfortunately, the big guy is not just a straw that stirs the drink, but rather a blender that has the cover off. But if Rex doesn't like the heat, why does he keep putting himself in the kitchen you may ask. The answer is not because he is looking for a gargantuan snack, but more likely that he is unable to stop himself, sort of like the shark that eats its own intestines after you slit open its belly.

If the things I hear on talk radio on sports stations here in New York are even half accurate, the Jets locker room has more protesters than can be found in lower Manhattan in Zuccotti Park. Many people see this unrest as a key to the team's terrible start (2-3), but the problem is inherent in the culture that Rex has established in the team. Anyone who watched the HBO show Hard Knocks last season can tell you that Rex wants his guys to win and aspire to be a bad boy bunch as they mow down the competition. Sometimes this has worked for him, but now his methodology seems to be imploding.

When questions have been rightly raised about quarterback Mark Sanchez and his throwing problems, suddenly the focus shifts and it's the offensive line that is to blame, or even more specifically offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Derrick Mason complains about the line, and before you can say Gang Green, Mason is traded to the Texans. This goes a long way to qualifying King Rex's rule over his kingdom, as obviously he is ready to banish those who do not show loyalty to him or his minions.


Now we have Santonio Holmes complaining about the offensive line. Apparently Plaxico Burress has also complained, and right guard Brandon Moore is accusing Holmes of being "disrespectful" and causing dissension on the team. Center Nick Mangold has indicated that he has no problems with Holmes, but one wonders how true that can be. Clearly, the writing is on the wall and Rex, not that light on his feet to begin with, is walking a shaky path on top of it.

Rex can say that none of this matters, that his offensive line has "skin like an armadillo," but there is a fear for this Jets fan that this season is on the brink of being lost. I am not at all certain that you can blame the linemen for Sanchez's performance thus far, and perhaps it is legitimate to blame Schottenheimer (but he is not the guy throwing the ball), who says "The team's a family and all families have disagreements." Is Schottenheimer pretending not to notice the jeers of the fans? They and some of the players think it best if he goes, but Rex is standing by his man (at least for now).

So the chicken or the egg question this week is this: is it just that Sanchez is not throwing the ball well, or is it because the line is not giving him enough time to throw it even if he were? The painful process of watching the last three games seems to clarify things for me: poor blocking, the lack of Schottenheimer's "pound and ground" game of running the ball, and no success putting the ball in the air either because of Sanchez throwing poorly or receivers not catching the ball.

In the next episode of the ongoing soap opera that is As Gang Green Turns, the guest star this week is the Miami Dolphins (0-4), coming into the New Meadowlands Stadium for the big Monday night game. The Jets are coming off three losses in a row, and there should be no doubt about the outcome of this one, but right now there is nothing but uncertainty. If the Jets should lose this game, Rex may indeed have that big fall from the wall, and all his horses and all his men are going to run in different directions. If that is the case, Rex will lie there in the hot sun for a long time, and the season may well be over after six games. How do you pick up the pieces after that?

Photo Credits: Ryan - New York Daily News; Sanchez - New York Post

As Gang Green Turns: Jets Trounce the Bills 38-14

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Jets Trounce the Bills 38-14 on Blogcritics.

If the soap opera stuff of the preseason on and off the field antics and the TV show Hard Knocks was getting kind of boring for the average Jets' fan, now he or she must be delighted to see that the Gang known as Green have what it takes. In pounding the Buffalo Bills (0-4) in what was a romp to be sure, the Jets proved their legitimacy as playoff bound and now sit in first place with a 3-1 record.



Head coach Rex Ryan must have been delighted to see his offense running on all cylinders, with Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomilson both rushing for over 100 yards, and Braylon Edwards and Dustin Keller easily scoring touchdowns. In total the Jets had 273 yards rushing and won their third straight game against their division for the first time in ten years.

Of course, QB Mark Sanchez continued his impressive steering of the offensive ship. He was 14 for 24 for a total of 161 yards and two touchdown passes. Sanchez had me worried during the preseason when he looked sometimes lost and confused on the field, but whatever has happened to shake him from that malaise is working great. Sanchez seems confident and in charge now, and the team is reaping the rewards of his growth as an on the field leader.

One has to be happy to see LT returning to form for the Jets. He rushed for 133 yards on nineteen carries with two touchdowns. In doing so he passed the great Tony Dorsett to reach seventh place on the list for all-time career yards rushing. It was the first time LT has rushed for more than one hundred yards in more than two years, but the way he is going now it makes me think he is going to have quite a few more one hundred yard games this year.

With little drama and lots of fanfare, the Jets cruised to this victory, and this should quiet some of the yackers here in New York who were shooting the breeze on talk radio this past week. Many of them thought that the Jets would ease up against lowly Buffalo, get shocked by some unexpected plays, and lose the game. How very wrong they were.

A championship team takes all games seriously, even those against teams that are 0-3. The Jets came out today and had the look of a team that is playoff bound. They left all the drama in the clubhouse, and on the field they went to work and it was a pleasure to watch.

This sets the Jets up nicely in first place in the AFC East for their big game next Monday night against the Vikings. Having won three straight, Gang Green is playing the game in their hard-hitting fashion and are taking no prisoners. It looks like they are more than ready for that challenge next week.

As Gang Green Turns: Total Drama on Revis Island

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Total Drama on Revis Island on Blogcritics.

My father always said, "You can't have it both ways." This usually meant I was being taught a lesson about something. This happens all the time with teenagers. They want money, but they don't want to work for it. They want a car, but they don't want to pay for it. They want privileges, but they don't want the responsibility that comes with them. You get the idea.
Well, the same can be said of the New York Jets and their head coach Rex Ryan these days. Rex likes to come off as the cocky leader of a swaggering bunch of pirates that may be scallywags, but it's supposed to be okay because they have their eyes on the prize: not a buried treasure but instead the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Anyone who watched the HBO series Hard Knocks knows what I am talking about.
Well Rex can't have it both ways: he can't come out and say he's "embarassed" for the organization and its owners and all this other stuff when one of his players does something bad, because in fact he encourages the rogue mentality in that clubhouse. He may not see that or understand it, but it's clear that his players think their coach believes it's good to be bad.
Ryan might as well go around the clubhouse singing that theme song from the TV show Cops. "Bad boys, bad boys/What you gonna do/What you gonna do/When they come for you?" Sadly, the way things are going, no one is coming and no is doing anything about it either, so it seems like nothing more than a joke, but on whom?
The latest drama in the soap opera As Gang Green Turns has to do with Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who was arrested for driving while intoxicated. There seems to be little disciplinary action on the team's (or NFL's) part, except to say that Edwards will sit this week's game out: That's a bad decision for Edwards; worse for the Jets and their fans. If Edwards is there in uniform, he should play. If he's not going to play, don't let him suit up. He shouldn't be anywhere even close to Miami. Making him sit on his hands and watch the game from the bench teaches him nothing and his fans nothing as well.
I am not suggesting Edwards should go unpunished: he most definitely should be. He will get his day in court and hopefully he'll feel some kind of pain. It is only fitting because there are too many people in wheelchairs and in graves because of drunk drivers. He can't just get away with it because no drunk driver should get away with - even if they are first offenders like Edwards. It is an affront to the victims of drunk drivers and their suffering families.
The thing is that the NFL does not do what it should do in these cases: fine the transgressors. Hit them in the wallet where it hurts. Whatever Edwards gets paid for one game: fine him and give that money to some organization that helps victims of drunk drivers. Every game he sits he should forfeit his money. Plain and simple. If he goes to jail eventually and misses more games, fine him again and again. Maybe that will teach someone a lesson.
To add to the total drama here, Darrelle (No Man Is an Island) Revis came out and condemned his teammate's behavior and questioned the way the team is handling the situation. That's just what we need from Revis, the guy, who because of a contract dispute, held out so long that he missed training camp, got out of condition, and then came back and hurt himself. He should stick to getting himself better and back on the field. Maybe he can talk more when he's proved something, considering how he let his team and their fans down.
Ryan, who never worries about the size of the shoe sticking out of his mouth, should try to defuse the situation, not bring more attention to the problem. Yes, the whole thing is embarrasing to the organization, but the buck stops - or at least it should - on Ryan's desk. Like Harry Truman, he better take responsibility for the actions of his players. He should shut the clubhouse door and set his club straight. He had better do it quickly, or this 2010 season is going to unravel quicker than a fishing line stuck in a Great White shark's jaws.
Great white sharks? Circling Revis Island? Edwards goes in for a swim. Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun: dun-dun-dun! Rex, I think you're going to need a bigger boat.

As Gang Green Turns: Jets Survive Loss of Revis and Beat Patriots

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Jets Survive Loss of Revis and Beat Patriots on Blogcritics.

If you are a New York Jets fan, you probably closed your eyes when you saw Darrelle Revis go out of the game and said a little prayer. I know I did. "Please, let him get back in." Unfortunately, that left hamstring kept him out the rest of the way, but the Jets D found their mojo and shut the New England Patriots down in the second half, resulting in a 28-14 win that gave Gang Green a much needed victory.

After last week's terrible 10-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Jets needed this one on their home turf against the Pats. During training camp, QB Tom Brady when asked about the TV show Hard Knocks, said that he didn't watch the show and hated the Jets. Thanks, Tom, that really helped Gang Green get themselves revved up for you. Of course, it didn't hurt that Sanchez found his sea legs and the offense really took off in this game.

The story could easily have been a disaster. In the second quarter when Randy Moss beat Revis for that touchdown, it just seemed like Revis was not himself but, when Revis reached for that left leg, it was a bad omen that made it feel like Gang Green would be demolished the rest of the way. After the game head coach Rex Ryan admitted that when he heard Revis pulled his "hamstring," he was ready to shed a few tears. That Rex - always Mr. Sensitive, but most Jets fans probably felt the same way.

With Revis gone and the score 14-10 in favor of the Pats at the half, it was not a pleasant intermission for Jets Nation. As we wondered how bad it would be in the second half without Revis, something must have happened in that Jets' locker room. Maybe Ryan gave a pep talk while drinking a veggie shake and twirling a hula hoop. Whatever happened, the Jets came out and their D shut down big mouth Brady without Revis. Antonio Cromartie must have had a bowl of Wheaties, because he stopped Moss cold.

On what may have been the most important play of the night, Brady threw a long pass to Moss, but Cromartie and Brodney Pool were on him. The ball bounced off Cromartie and into Pool's waiting arms, but the officials said he was out of bounds. The Jets challenged, and replays clearly showed Pool's both feet were in bounds and that he had control of the ball. That play was basically the end for Brady and the Pats.

While I've been pretty tough on Sanchez all during the preseason and again last week, I have to give him a standing ovation for the way he played in this one. Not only did he complete 21 of 30 passes for 220 yards, but he also notched a career high three touchdowns. LaDainian Tomilson, Jerricho Cotchery, and Braylon Edwards all contributed as the offense really shined in this game.

Of course, it wouldn't be Gang Green if they weren't some drama. All-Pro center Nick Mangold suffered an injury and also left the game. Will he be available next week? And though no man is an island, will Revis be banished to the disabled list? Will Ryan then cry himself a river of tears? Tune in next week as the never ending saga of As Gang Green Turns continues.

As Gang Green Turns: 10-9 Loss to the Ravens Only Part of the Problem

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: 10-9 Loss to the Ravens Only Part of the Problem on Blogcritics.

Hanging my head quietly after the Jets slumped off the field in defeat at the New Meadowlands Stadium, I had one question: what did the Jets in more? The rucus with TV news reporter Ines Sainz or the way they gave away the store on the HBO series Hard Knocks?

One question is harder to deal with than the other, but in the ever churning soap opera that is Gang Green, no drama goes unnoticed. The Jets have been accused by Ms. Sainz of sexual harassment. She was on the field, trying to do her job and interview players, including QB Mark Sanchez, but some players got more than a little crazy. Maybe an attractive woman still causes that kind of thing, but truthfully it is as unacceptable on the gridiron as it in the boardroom.

The other part of that question is just as salient: did the Jets reveal too much on Hard Knocks? We know head Coach Rex Ryan certainly opened his mouth way too much - ask the Ravens' Ray Lewis who has the last laugh right now - and this caused players on other teams, coaches, and everyone else to wonder why the Ryan and the Jets would ever expose themselves this way. Good publicity? Perhaps. It was also an easy way to build resentment that had already been there into a tidal wave of anger and a desire for payback.

I am not sure we can blame the reporter or the TV show for what happened last night. The Jets defense almost looked as bad as the offense. The D got penalties it should not get, gave Ravens' QB Flacco more time than he should ever have had; and while Darrelle Revis looked good, he couldn't make up for Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson's transgressions all by himself.

As for the offense, you probably are sitting there shaking your heads and thinking, "What offense?" All the worries we had about King Rex's horses and his men seemed justified last night. Sanchez got humpty-dumptied by the Ravens' defense and is lucky they could put him together again.

This was less than an auspicious start for our Gang Green. They have to learn that a pretty woman on the field is no excuse for acting like teenagers at the mall. They also have to learn that the opposing team on the field has watched their TV show, taken lots of notes, and are more than ready for them.

Who beat Gang Green on September 13th? They all only have to look into the mirror to find the answer to that question.

As Gang Green Turns: It's a Hard Knock Life

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: It's a Hard Knock Life on Blogcritics.

As anyone who has seen this season's Hard Knocks on HBO can tell you, it probably isn't the worst place in the world for a football team to get exposure. Yes, you get a weekly dose of Gang Green in all its glory and infamy, with Coach Rex Ryan getting a little heat for his language from Tony Dungy and inspiring Patriot's Quarterback Tom Brady to say he doesn't watch the show and "hates" the Jets. Is this the way to conduct a preseason or what?

Now we hear reports that on tonight's episode of the show that we could have a special guest star: contract holdout Darrelle Revis. Is this just a good ploy to spike those viewer ratings or is it a way to finally get both sides to the table? There are always rumors in the world of Gang Green, and there have been plenty of them going around this week that Revis was close to a deal, but then we get alternating stories about the Jets and Revis being about as far apart as the Golden Gate and George Washington Bridges.

A report in the New York Daily News last week suggested that both sides were $40 million apart in the negotiations, and there has been no budging from either side as we reach day twenty-four in Revis's holdout. That is why these rumors about Revis appearing on tonight's episode of Hard Knocks, while intriguing to say the least, seem dubious. During this whole time the team has maintained that negotiations are "confidential," and so we have heard nothing new; that is nothing new except for all the rumblings, grumblings, and gossip that gets dissected on talk radio day after day.

What is interesting to note is that a significant deal was announced regarding All-Pro center Nick Mangold. He signed a seven-year deal making him the highest paid center in the NFL ($57 million). The whole Revis thing looks considerably more disdainful when we note that Mangold came to camp without a deal. While he may or may not have known a deal would be reached, Mangold took the view of the team coming first. Revis is making it clear that he comes first, but maybe tonight things will change in the unreal world of reality TV.

How long can this holdout last? Maybe all season? "Who cares!" the Jets will tell us, courtesy of the tunnel known as Rex Ryan's mouth. He says that they are confidant in Antonio Cromartie stepping up on the left and rookie Kyle Wilson on the right, backed by the less than astounding Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman. "To the right of them; to the left of them." Where have I heard that before? Oh, yeah, but things have to be considerably better for the Jets without Revis than those Light Brigade guys Tennyson wrote about, right?

So tune in tonight to see if the green really hits the fan: same Gang Green time; same Gang Green station. There could be some genuine fireworks, and even if Ryan doesn't shoot his mouth off, Revis just might show up. Da-da-da-dum.