Where's the beef?

I have to say it. I miss Fat Rex. I know. That's not appropriate. The Jets' brilliant head coach has shed a lot of pounds to get healthy and live a longer, stronger life. Great for him.

But I miss the "Let's go get a goddamn snack" Rex. I miss the "Eat a lot of goddamn snacks" Rex. I miss the "I'm gonna give you a goddamn smack" Rex.

Who is that guy in the video above? Rex Ryan? Really? That soft-voiced little guy doesn't even sound like him. Did he shed his big voice along with his big stomach? It's kind of sad. I've said it before. A coach with Ryan's style works when things are going well. That's how it is with loudmouths. They are tough guys till they've been knocked around a little. Then? Not so much.

Rex Ryan came to the Jets in January of 2009 talking the talk and walking the walk. He wasted no time promising Super Bowls and in setting his sights on Bill Belichick and the Pats. For good reason. Ryan knew that the Jets would have to go through the team from New England to get where he wanted to go. Mt. Ryan said he wasn't going to be kissing Belichick's rings and planned on taking it to the division dominators every chance he got. A rivalry was reborn.

The Jets finished his first season with the best rushing attack and the best defense. Ground and pound with just the right amount of clutch passing by rookie QB Mark Sanchez. The Jets started the season 3-0, including a 16-9 win over the Patriots, and Big Rex was feeling it. Then Gang Green lost six of its next seven to fall to 4-6. The last loss was a 31-14 pounding at Gillette. The Jets lost to Atlanta in Week 15 to fall to 7-7 and Rex lamented that his promising team had been eliminated from playoff contention. Turns out the big guy was wrong. The Jets were still very much alive if they could win their last two games. Unfortunately their next game was against the unbeaten Colts. The Colts were toying with the Jets when their coach Jim Caldwell decided he didn't want to have an undefeated regular season and pulled his starters. The Colt backups handed the game to the Jets and Rex found himself in the playoffs in his first year as head coach. He was feeling pretty good about things.

He was feeling even better about things a few weeks later as the Jets advanced to the AFC title game and a rematch with Peyton Manning and the Colts. Rex and the Jets led 17-10 at half but -- in what would become a pattern for Ryan's teams -- they let a game they should have won slip away. No Super Bowl for Rex this time.

In year two Ryan made another Super Bowl guarantee and the team roared out to a 9-2 record and a Monday night showdown with the Patriots at Gillette. First place in the division on the line. The moment Mt. Ryan had been waiting for. Leading up to the game Rex, Sanchez, and the Jets were all talk. The Patriots' time was over. They were the new team to fear. They were gonna show the world. Final score: Patriots 45, Jets 3. One of the best regular season games I've been to.

The Jets lost three of their last five to finish 11-5. Good enough for a wildcard. The Jets knocked off the Colts in the first round and Big Rex and his brash boys came back to Gillette for a shot at redemption. This time the Jets were the better team and stunned the Pats -- and me -- 28-21. Rex had been head coach of the Jets for two seasons and was going to his second AFC title game. Impressive. A little lucky. But impressive. It was the peak of the Rex Ryan era in New York. The Jets fell behind the Steelers 24-0 in the title game and almost came all the way back to earn a ticket to the Super Bowl but fell short, 24-19. That must seem so long ago for Jets fans.

In year three of Big Rex things started to fall apart. The season started as usual, with the coach talking Super Bowl. The Jets won two to start. Lost three. Won three. Lost two. Won three more. Lost three more. What does that kind of inconsistency get you? No. Not fired. It gets you 8-8 and no playoff berth. Sanchez threw 18 picks and the ground and pound had turned to dust. The team lacked discipline and often beat itself. But Big Rex refused to accept that things were going bad and continued to talk the talk. It seemed that he was the only one who couldn't see that his team could no longer walk the walk. Dissension in the locker room began to bubble up, a sure sign that a collapse was near.

That brings us to last season, year four. The arrival of Skinny Rex and the end of any Super Bowl bravado. It was a collapse so glorious that only a Patriot fan (we know about collapses) could truly appreciate it. The Jets inked Sanchez to a big-bucks contract extension during the offseason even though it was clear he had lost all his confidence and most of his game. Then... the team signed Tim Tebow to be Sanchez's back-up and held a circus-like press conference to announce the move. Sanchez was done right then and there. The Jets finished 6-10, losing their last three games as the home crowd chanted for Tebow to play and for Rex to go. The NJY lost by scores of 27-10, 34-0, 30-9, 28-7, 49-19 (butt fumble), and concluded the whole mess by getting crushed by the equally bad Bills 28-9 in the season finale.

I have never seen a team play that bad in a coach's fourth year and not have it end with the coach being canned. Never. But this is the Jets. Sure, oddball owner Woody Johnson fired the GM. But he hired the new guy with the help of Skinny Rex. Woody loves Rex. It's sweet. But it's foolish. And that's how Rex looked in the post-game press conference after their preseason game against the Giants the other night. Foolish.

The assembled media rose to the occasion as only it can when there is a big, easy bone they can grab hold of. Ryan sent Sanchez on the field late in a preseason game and the quarterback's shoulder got hurt. Everyone wanted to know what Rex was thinking. Why put his valuable starting QB at risk in a meaningless game? It was a feeding frenzy. Skinny Rex choked. He mumbled stuff about competing and deciding and then went into an SNL comedy routine. Fat Rex would never have acted like that. He would have barked that he was trying to get the team ready for the regular season and that Sanchez plays when he tells him to play. He might have even questioned why all the writers, bloggers, and blabbers were talking about Sanchez as if he was suddenly the equal of Brady or Brees or Rodgers when they have been dumping on him for three years now. Instead of talking about competing he could have talked about a team and a quarterback that have a lot to prove, thus making no game meaningless and no guy above playing at any time.

That would have been fun. I miss Fat Rex. This is how I will remember him...

A thumpin'

Here's a highlight from last night's Pats preseason loss to the Lions.

I didn't see too much of the game, but from the looks of this play it's easy to see why the Pats got hammered 40-9. Total lack of execution. The wide receivers looked lost. The blocking schemes were a mess. Brady looked even less mobile than usual. And that's just the offense. The defense wasn't much better.

Just an ugly, ugly game.

Fortunately, it doesn't count.

Great moments in Patriot history

I've been lucky enough to be in the stands for a lot of the great Patriots' moments over the last decade-plus.

The Snow Bowl. Bruschi's return. Both playoff wins in the snow vs. Manning. The raising of championship banners. Last night I added another to the list.

Tim Tebow's first game-action in a Pats' uniform at Gillette.

When #5 walked out on the field to start the second half, the crowd -- or at least the ones that were back in their seats and paying attention -- gave a cheer that was half mock/half what-the-heck. A whole half for Tebow? I guess we were witnessing Football Jesus's best shot to make the team.

Not too long after that Tebow was throwing a God-awful interception and me, Shep, my brother Jim. and nephew Steve were headed back to our cars.

Tebow's passing stats at the end of the game? 1-for-7 for -1 yard and a pick. That's a whole half of football and a -1 yard.

I guess I can add another one to the great-moments list. Tebow's only action as a Patriot at Gillette.

Ruh roh

The football talk on Sports Blab Radio during the preseason focuses on things like who will be the third wide receiver? How will the Pats use Tebow? Who will play next to Vince? And will Belichick ever really answer a question?

Some worthwhile issues. But they all pale compared to the issue in preseason that really matters. Whether you are defending champ or a team dreaming of going from worst-to-first, injuries -- or more accurately the avoiding of them -- are all the really matter.

Preseason rule #1 through #100, stay healthy.

So when the news flashed across smartphones and laptops that Tom Brady had gone down in practice holding his left knee (yes, that one) it suddenly didn't matter all that much who the third wideout will be. Fortunately Brady checked out fine and is expected to play against the Eagles in the second preseason game.

A fortunate break for the Pats. Brady could get hurt in the opener at Buffalo, but at least it would have happened with something at stake. Getting hurt in preseason -- especially preseason practice -- is just the worst kind of bad luck. The kind of bad luck that coaches hope to avoid. You can see them holding their breath on the sideline all preseason.

Preseason bad luck has already hit several teams this year. Baltimore will be without tight end Dennis Pitta for the season. The Bears lost defensive back Kelvin Hayden. The Browns have about 10 guys out of action and the Broncos are missing veterans Champ Bailey and Knowshon Moreno.

The Pats have looked pretty good in preseason action so far. If it's like most preseasons, there will be times when they look not-so-good. As long as they get out of the next few weeks mostly unscathed the preseason will be a success.

A team that has one star tight end in prison and the other nursing about 15 injuries doesn't need to lose any other key guys at this point.

Sanchize

Mark Sanchez threw a pick-six on his first drive of the preseason. He's already in mid-season form.

F.O.Y.P.

They have almost single-handedly taken away three rings from Brady and Belichick. But they make great commercials. The new one advertising football on your phone (F.O.Y.P) has to be the best. It's not "Dick in a Box" ... but it's close.

Practice practice practice

Tim Tebow takes a snap in practice... and Belichick didn't swallow his whistle. So far, so good.

Game time

It's only preseason ... but football is back! Four days till the Pats take the field.