As Gang Green Turns: The Ryan Express Continues to Derail

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: The Ryan Express Continues to Derail on Blogcritics.



The once hallowed Jets defense, head coach Rex Ryan's version of The Maginot Line, is looking more and more like Swiss cheese. How did Tim Tebow lead a 95-yard drive (and carry the ball for a 20-yard touchdown run)? The answer is the same as how the Germans overcame that supposedly impregnable French barrier in World War II: they simply went around it.

Ryan has made many promises to the fans and his players, but now it seems he just has miles to go before he sleeps - the promises have already been unkept. The 5-5 Jets are in no position to take the division and probably have very little chance of making the playoffs.


Yes, the defense didn't do its job on Thursday night against the Denver Broncos (5-5), but the more important story is Mark Sanchez and the offense. Sanchez still seems like he is treading water out there, while Tebow is doing his best Fran Tarkenton impersonation and making his fans believers. In fact, when Sanchez starts looking around for someone to catch his pass, the opponents are probably happier than the Jets' wide receivers. Chances are just as good for Sanchez to throw a ball that will be intercepted rather than a completed pass. It is starting to get that bad.

A great quarterback can be a game changer. Look at Indianapolis this season. They are 0-10 without the services of Peyton Manning. No one can underestimate how important that great quarterback is, for if he were playing in full health that team would no doubt be 8-2 now. It goes without saying that Manning is that terrific; however, the Jets with Sanchez are 5-5, and at this point it would be hard for us to say they would be doing much worse without him.

Yes, the Jets' offensive line has been taking a lot of blame for this Sanchez meltdown, but most Jets fans should see the truth by now. Sanchez is no great quarterback and struggles to be even moderately good. Ryan always gives him support and that is all well and good, but when does the coach finally face the fact that Sanchez still doesn't seem to have his head in the game? Maybe when he is sitting home watching the playoffs.

The great Ryan defense, the supposedly unstoppable express train to the Super Bowl, has been derailing this season. Ryan's offense is not much better, and the truth is that this train is probably not making it into the station. So for all Rex's promises and all his bluster, we face the reality of what will probably end as an 8-8 (or worse?) season.

If this happens again, Jets fans are going to be grumbling all the way through the playoffs. We then have to face the facts and perhaps Ryan will too: maybe Mark Sanchez never becomes the next Joe Namath, and then we have to start thinking about who is QB in 2012? Chances are that the Colts will not sign Manning and he will be a free agent? If Woody Johnson's deep pockets can pull out thirty or so million dollars, the Jets may indeed have a great quarterback again, a game changer, who could finally lead them past the Patriots to take the division. Wouldn't that be a great way to get the Ryan Express back on track?

Photo Credits: Ryan & Sanchez - Daily News; Peyton Manning - ESPN.com

As Gang Green Turns: What a Difference a Week Makes - Jets and Steelers Play Nice?

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: What a Difference a Week Makes - Jets and Steelers Play Nice? on Blogcritics.

It is amazing how different things can be in one week in the soap opera As Gang Green Turns. You will probably recall all the bluster coming from New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan concerning his arch nemesis Darth Bull - New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick - in the week before the game between the Jets and Pats. This was a showdown. This was a war between coaches. Man your battle stations and full speed ahead.


Well, this week the Ryan Express has slowed down some. He has toned down all the rhetoric and has actually made nice. He likes Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin. He admires the man. He respects him. The last time Rex got so enamored with someone (Darrelle Revis - when he was missing from training camp), he talked about giving his corner back a great big smooch if he walked in the door. Mr. Tomlin, you have been warned.

And if our wondering eyes are to believe what we are seeing, then we get a reciprocal round of praising of Ryan by Tomlin. He likes Rex too. There is either something wrong with this picture, or perhaps it is just the silence before the fury. Either way, this kind of lovey-dovey stuff gives me the creeps right before a big game.


Now, before you go thinking this game is going to be boring, today Steelers' defensive back Ike Taylor said he was going to "lay him out" in reference to his former teammate, Jets' wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Ah, some turmoil has finally surfaced. This is just the kind of threat we need to get the fun going again.

Come on, Rex, you know you want to respond to this comment. Truthfully, we're waiting.

As Gang Green Turns: Jets Sack Pats 28-21 - Bring on the Steelers!

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Jets Sack Pats 28-21 - Bring on the Steelers! on Blogcritics.

Today Jets fans are bursting with green pride, while fans of the New England Patriots just might be green with envy, but no matter what the game last night settled - at least for this season - the score between the two teams in favor of the Jets. The Jets now head into their second AFC Championship Game in a row, and one has to give a great deal of credit to Jets' head coach Rex Ryan as the man who has got them there.

Make no mistake, this was a battle of wits and wills between two tough competitors. You could say that Mark Sanchez beat Tom Brady, or you could say the Jets' defense beat Tom Brady (sacking him five times in the process), and you could even say the Jets' offense was just better than the Pats' offense. While these things are all true in regard to last night's game, the real battle - as stated during last week by Ryan - was between the head coaches Ryan and Bill Belichick.

Last week I referred to Ryan and Belichick as Luke Piewalker and Darth Bull respectively (alluding to the famous Star Wars characters), but as I watched the game last night, something made Belichick lose his imposing status. Wearing a frumpy Patriots' hoody and his headphones, Belichick looked more like a worn-out Yoda who the force did not have with him. At times Belichick seemed lost, as if the proceedings could not be happening before his eyes as his padawans were getting clobbered.

What even seemed more impressive was that the Jets defense got to Brady. Besides sacking him five times, Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Drew Coleman, and company rattled Brady's cage. During every possession he seemed rushed and even flustered, trying to find someone to throw the ball to but being dogged by that relentless Jets defense that had him flinching even when no one was close to him.

Sanchez was impressive going 16 - 25 for 194 yards with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. While he no doubt had to be nervous going into this game at Foxborough, he showed the grit and determination of one more experienced on this night, and this ongoing maturation process has been happening though not always obvious in the later games of the season. Now it seems Sanchez has found himself, is comfortable with his receivers, and is playing the game smarter than he ever has before.

Last week Rex Ryan said that there was the only one bigger game in Jets team history than this one, and that was the victory of Joe Namath and his team in Super Bowl III. At the time I thought this was more typical Ryan bluster, but now I see the wisdom of this comment. Beating the Patriots - and especially beating Belichick - was indeed crucial and exorcises the haunting 45-3 loss to the Pats last month.

Now the Jets will turn their attention to the Pittsburgh Steelers. If the Jets can indeed beat the Steelers next week and reach the Super Bowl, the achievement will be even more amazing because they will have won three playoff games in a row against the best teams around: the Colts, the Patriots, and the Steelers. Even more amazing is the fact that they will have done this on the road.

There will be lots of talk going on this week, and I am sure much of it will be coming from Ryan as per his usual routine. Still, despite all the talk and all the hype, Ryan and his men came out and walked the walked. In two more weeks, they may even get to walk the walk of Super Bowl champions. If they do win it all, should we worry that Rex will finally run out of things to say? Not a chance.

That's it until next week at Pittsburgh in the ongoing sports soap opera As Gang Green Turns.

As Gang Green Turns: Jets Get Saturday Night Fever and Beat Colts 17-16

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Jets Get Saturday Night Fever and Beat Colts 17-16 on Blogcritics.

There was a crazy notion here in New York all last week that the Ghost of Playoffs Past, played by a ghoulish Peyton Manning, was going to come back and ruin the party for the Jets again. Everyone was talking about head coach Rex Ryan fearing Manning and that it would all turn out so badly, but Ryan's "Hope" was found in a great running game for the offense, a defense that had been engineered in many ways just for this rematch, and a last second kick that hit the right spot.

There was a tough first half of matched zeroes, but the way Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and company were going, it looked like Manning was closed for business. This was the way Ryan envisioned things when he brought Cromartie into the mix. Things did change in the second half, and Ryan had to start worrying that no matter how well he had planned for this moment, Manning and the Colts were just going to squeak away with a 16-14 win.

Then came Mark Sanchez. Yes, he of the hurting arm and having a pretty much off night. When the pressure is on, Sanchez seems to rise to the challenge, and with fifty three seconds left he brought the team down the field and got them to where they needed to be for Nick Folk to have one shot to put it through the uprights. Talk about pressure! But Folk was game and the kick was good.

Unlike last year, Manning goes back home and the Jets move on. It felt good as a Jets fan to see Manning skulking off, defeated by Rex Ryan's crew, the guy he had bested so many times before. After the game Ryan enjoyed the moment and then some, telling reporters that it felt good to see Manning know the feeling that he has known. Rex had the salt and was enjoying rubbing it in Manning's wounds.

Of course, all green-blooded Jets fans were happy last night. It was a magic moment of victory with no time left on the clock. It's the stuff of all kids' dreams when they stand on a field or court: hit the homer that wins the big game, sink the basket at the last second, slap the puck into the net, or kick that ball free and clear. Nick Folk had that moment last night and the Jets rightly celebrated an amazing 17-16 victory.

But make no mistake: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots loom next weekend, and we can bet that Bill Belichick was enjoying this game and licking his chops for the next round. With Sanchez still ailing, and the Jets just barely getting this win, it looks like there could be another big blowout in Foxborough next week.

Still, there is always a miracle that can be had if things align the right way for Rex and his men. Anyone who watched last night's game and saw that ball end things the Jets' way have to be believers. So until next week, channel the late great Mets' pitcher Tug McGraw saying "Ya gotta believe," do a lot of praying, and keep your fingers crossed.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

As Gang Green Turns: Jets Beat Bills And Will Play Colts Next Week

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Jets Beat Bills And Will Play Colts Next Week on Blogcritics.


All this past week, head coach Rex Ryan made it clear that he wanted to win number 11 real bad, and his team went out and got it for him today, even though many of his regulars sat it out. The Jets (11-5) beat the Buffalo Bills 38-7 at New Meadowlands Stadium, and then they had a victory parade around the field to celebrate. Of course, beating the Bills (4-12 ) with replacements is not terrible but it is nothing to brag about either.



Hurting quarterback Mark Sanchez started and stayed on the field for one series of plays, but then he was gone and Mark Brunell took over and ended up tossing two touchdown passes, and even third string QB Kellen Clemens got in on the act and ran for a ten-yard touchdown. Rookie Joe McKnight carried the ball 32 times for 158 yards, and the defense handled the Bills despite Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie taking the day off.

As fate would enter the picture, the Jets were getting that eleventh win for Ryan while the Kansas City Chiefs were losing to the Oakland Raiders. This set up next week's game against the Indianapolis Colts, reminding everyone of last year's Jets loss to Peyton Manning and company in the AFC Championship game.

Ryan was certainly not letting this rematch get to him as he made his comments after the game. He is still going with his usual "we're the best team out there" routine, but he did qualify it by saying that now the team has to step up and prove it.

All week long people were debating whether or not Sanchez should play, but Ryan obviously took the most cautious path with his young QB. We can question whether or not Sanchez will be prepared for next week, but we know that the team is facing the always tough and prepared Peyton Manning. If they should somehow miraculously survive the Colts, then the next opponent would be Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. These impending match ups should temper the enthusiasm of even the most green-blooded Jets faithful.

Still, Ryan has talked the talk all year long, and his team has taken him into the playoffs for the second year in a row. Now the time for talking is over (but that's not going to stop Ryan) and the team has to walk the walk. The biggest concern for this team is getting guys like Cromartie, Revis, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shonn Greene, and Sanchez back in good shape for the game. If they are still hurting and not up to their full playing ability, then it is likely Gang Green's return to the playoffs will be brief.

Photo Credit: Robert Sabo/NY Daily News

As Gang Green Turns: The Misery Continues in Jets 10-6 Loss to Dolphins

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: The Misery Continues in Jets 10-6 Loss to Dolphins on Blogcritics.

After losing a terrible game last week on the road against the Patriots, the New York Jets (9-4) and their fans were hoping for much better things against the Miami Dolphins (7-6) at New Meadowlands Stadium. Alas, it was not to be; even though the defense showed up this week, the offense once again seemed dazed and confused as the Jets lost 10-6.

The immediate focus has to be on quarterback Mark Sanchez, who was 17 for 44 for 216 yards. He has looked like he is making it up as he goes along, and the results are not pretty. Sanchez is fumbling, getting intercepted, and stumbling his way through these last two games. In the process, the Jets' hopes to take the division are now lost, and it is questionable whether they have what it takes to even make the playoffs now.

The bright spot of the day for head coach Rex Ryan was that his defense came back, looking less like the zombies from the AMC series The Walking Dead in last week's game and more like the highly touted "best" defense in football today. The problem is no matter how well the defense clicked, the Jets offense came down to two Nick Folk field goals.

To make matters worse, while the Jets were losing this one, the Patriots (11-2) were wiping up the field with the Bears (9-4) in an 36-7 victory. Surely there is no doubt after these last two weeks that the Pats are the best team in the NFL right now.

After the loss to the Pats last week, Ryan buried the game ball in a symbolic effort to say that loss was over and the team had to move on. Today the team did nothing to prove that they, and not the game ball, are six feet under. With a road game against the Steelers (10-3) looming next week, Sanchez and the offense better get themselves together or the season will be ostensibly lost.

 

As Gang Green Turns: The Mouth That Roared Gets Gored

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: The Mouth That Roared Gets Gored on Blogcritics.

I have been trying (as I think most Jets fans have) to process the New York Jets 45-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football this week. "Trying" is the operative word here because it is difficult to accept such a horrific defeat.

Rex Ryan said, "We got our butts kicked" after the game, but that is only part of it. The fact is that his big mouth has roared too often, he has proclaimed far too many things, and the reality is so far from his boasting that it is now shockingly clear: Ryan's defense is a sham. He can have Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie and say they are the best defensive backs in the game, but it is meaningless when there is no effective pass rusher on the team. It became clearer than ever in this game.

Partiots' quarterback Tom Brady seemed to have all the time in the world on Monday; meanwhile, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez was getting the bum's rush all night. He was throwing interceptions and looking like a high school kid being thrown into a college game. Yes, it was that bad, folks.

The Jets failed on so many levels that there is no word -humiliating, disgraceful, pathetic among them - that can possibly describe how bad this game was for the Jets and their fans. Before the game Rex was shooting his mouth off about which was the better team; after this game it's clear not only that the Jets are not going to win their division but that they aren't even close to being in the same league as the Pats.

It's an ugly truth but it had to be said. As a Jets fan, I am wondering if I should even hope for them to make the playoffs as a wild card team. After the way they played Monday night, it would be better for them to sit home and watch the games and maybe learn something for next year.

 

As Gang Green Turns: Smith Is a Cinderfella in Jets Over Bengals 26-10

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Smith Is a Cinderfella in Jets Win Over Bengals 26-10 on Blogcritics.

There is something about a guy without a shoe scoring a touchdown that has a bit of comedy to it, and something of myth too. Cinderella lost her shoe and gained a prince; wide receiver Brad Smith lost his and helped the New York Jets (9-2) gain a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals (2-9) at New Meadowlands Stadium on Thanksgiving evening. This game was a feast to be sure for fans of Gang Green, and a reason to give thanks for head coach Rex Ryan, who hugged Smith so hard, he may have been thinking that the WR looked better than the turkey and all its trimmings dancing in his head.

This was not a game like the ones in the past few weeks, where the Jets faltered and almost lost to the Lions, Browns, and Texans. In this one the offense clicked in when it had to score points, and the defensive duo of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie helped shut down Terrell (Big Mouth) Owens and company. Owens had made some disparaging comments about Revis earlier in the week, but Revis did his talking on the field, holding TO to just seventeen yards.

The big story of the night was Smith, who took the spotlight away from Santonio Holmes, who had been the hero of the last three games. Smith scored two touchdowns, including one on an 89-yard kick-off return in which he made like Cinderfella. The lost shoe notwithstanding, Smith proved to be the Jets' best offensive weapon in the game.

Sanchez put in an acceptable but lackluster performance, going 16-for-28 for a total of 166 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Something has to change between now and next Monday night in the big showdown with the New England Patriots, who mauled the Detroit Lions (the same team who gave the Jets such a hard time two weeks ago). If Sanchez continues to play this way, the Pats are going to be walking off the field with a win.

Ryan, who alternates moments with foot in and out of his mouth, didn't waste any time to get the blood of his next opponent's blood boiling by commenting that the Patriots are the best team in football in a wise guy manner. He went on to say everyone says that "Except me." So the gloves are off and Patriots' head coach Bill Belichick has been slapped in the face. Okay, guys, choose your weapons and take thirty paces. This duel should be an exciting one.

There is plenty of time between now and next Monday for some back and forth saber rattling that should make what's going on between North and South Korea seem tame, but next Monday night's game in Foxboro Stadium will be a battle that may lead to winning the war for one of these teams this season.

As Gang Green Turns: Holmes Continues to Amaze in Jets 30-27 Win

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Holmes Continues to Amaze in Jets 30-27 Win on Blogcritics.

How many times can Santonio Holmes pull the rabbit out of his hat? Well, he may say, "It's elementary, my dear fans," and we would accept him on his word after these last three weeks of amazing catches that win games. Simply amazing!

If it sounds like I am channeling my inner NY Mets fan, you are indeed right. I keep thinking of the late great Tug McGraw's mantra, "You gotta believe!" It applied to the 1973 Mets and it certainly applies to these 2010 Jets. How else can you explain what happened at New Meadlowlands Stadium today?

Going into the fourth quarter, the Jets (8-2) had what looked like a sure fire win over the Houston Texans (4-6). When you go into the fourth quarter with a 23-7 lead, and you have the defense that the Jets have (even despite looking not so great in the last two games), it would seem to be a no-brainer that the game was over, but guess again. These are the Jets, after all, and they excel at giving their fans every kind of torture one can imagine during four quarters.

I don't know what happened in that fourth quarter, but all of a sudden the Jets were down 27-23 with less than a minute on the clock. Yes, I was playing with my son and talking to my father and ready for the high fives to go around, and then we were on the verge of losing. What exactly happened there?

Well, I know what happened. After a Shonn Greene fumble, the defense that had shut down Andre Johnson and the rest of the Texans for three quarters fell apart, allowing twenty points in about twelve minutes. The same thing happened in the last two games against the Lions and the Browns. Those games went into overtime and the Jets salvaged wins in both cases and again here today. Say it with me: "You gotta believe!"


I have to credit Mark Sanchez with enormous grit and pluck and determination to make the drive that he did with those final seconds ticking away like crazy. How do you make such incredible passes under pressure? Sanchez seems to have found some kind of late game mojo, completing four passes for seventy-two yards, with the final pass to Holmes completed with just ten seconds left in the game.

Sanchez did have one interception today and, as in past weeks, that has hurt him, but he was also 22 for 38 for 315 yards with three touchdowns, that last one being the game winner. He is starting to look like the guy Jets fans are expecting him to be, and he has a way of making the big passes when needed just the way old Broadway Joe used to do.

After the game, head coach Rex Ryan said, "We keep finding ways to win, and that’s what championship teams do. If I have to apologize for every week I will, all the way to the Super Bowl."

Right now the Jets are tied with the New England Patriots atop the AFC East with the best record in the league. Some people might say they should be at least 5-5 right now, with these last three weeks being all games they should have lost, but I'm not so sure anymore.

As Rex said, they do keep finding ways to win, so "You gotta believe!" At least until Thursday night anyway.

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.