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...

Sanchize

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

Same as the old boss

I turned on the NFL Network this morning just in time to see the New York Jets press conference to introduce their new head coach. He seemed like a good guy. Thin. Nicely styled silver hair. Pressed white shirt and a Jets-colored striped tie. As I made myself  a pot of coffee for the day, I listened to the new coach as he spoke in a calm, reasonable voice that sounded confident, but not cocky. If you are a Jets' fan you've got to like what he had to say.

The coach promised a "new beginning" for the franchise that became an NFL punch line the past few seasons. "We're going to be the team that you don't want to play," he said. "We are going to be a dangerous football team. We're going to attack you from the minute that whistle blows. We're going to attack you on offense, defense and special teams. That's my job, my responsibility. Understand it, that's exactly what we're going to give (the fans) this season and beyond."

He sure looked and sounded different than the old coach. Rex Ryan. The overweight guy in the sweatshirt who arrived in 2009 and declared himself the next great head coach and promised Super Bowl title after Super Bowl title. This coach didn't talk about how great he is or make any playoff or championship guarantees. This one talked about starting fresh with a new aggressive approach. He talked about a different kind of offense. No more ground and pound. He wanted a wide-open attacking offense. It sounded like he wanted to build a Patriot-like offense although he didn't come right out and say it. Another difference between this coach and Rex Ryan. He never mentioned Belichick or the Patriots. Two things Ryan was obsessed with.

The new, well-dressed coach talked about taking part in the hiring of the new GM so that the two of them can take a look at the roster and see what they have. Sanchez? Tebow? McElroy? Well, the new coach just got here so it's too soon for him to be talking roster changes.

Owner Woody Johnson sat to the left of the new coach and smiled at everything he heard. When asked why this was his choice to run the team for the 2013 season and beyond, Johnson said his new coach was "hard-working, smart, and sophisticated." Sophisticated? Now that would be different from Rex Ryan. You don't hear that word too often to describe an NFL head coach. I picked up my cup of coffee and moved closer to the small TV on my kitchen counter to read the name of this remarkable man.

The words below his skinny face said ... "Rex Ryan."

Rex Ryan? Sophisticated? Rex Ryan, after four years of failing as Jets' coach, talking about a new beginning? Rex Ryan, after four years of preaching ground and pound, talking about installing a high-octane offense? Rex Ryan, the guy with a tattoo of his wife wearing a Sanchez jersey, smart?

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Woody Johnson got fooled again.

Pig skin

So it appears that Rex Ryan has a tattoo of his wife in a sexy pose wearing just a Mark Sanchez #6 jersey. I don't even know what to say about that. I thought when I first heard it that it had to be the work of the Onion. It is not. He really has a rather large tattoo on his right arm of his wife wearing a Sanchez jersey.

I have just two questions...

1. When is Jets' owner Woody Johnson going to realize that he has an ass clown for a head coach?

2. Why the hell wouldn't Rex put his wife in a Darrelle Revis jersey?

Week 16 rewind

I said I wasn't going to look back at last Sunday's Pats uninspiring win at Jacksonville to find the good and the bad. And I'm not. But I just can't help looking back at another game from Week 16 involving my other favorite team ... the Jets.

Rex Ryan and "the best team he's ever had" took one step closer to total laughingstock with a 27-17 loss at home to the soon-to-be-fired Norv Turner's Chargers. But -- as usual with Skinny Rex's team -- it wasn't what happened on the field that was the most laughable. It was what happened off the field.

Ryan decided -- again -- that he had seen enough of starting quarterback Mark Sanchez. That's the Mark Sanchez that the team handed a large three-year contract extension before the start of the season. Right before they traded to get blessed backup Tim Tebow. Ryan had pulled Sanchez during a game two weeks ago but Tebow was injured so he inserted third-stringer Greg McElroy. The kid looked like a third-stringer but the Jets got a rare victory so Rex had to make a decision. Go with the kid or go back to Sanchez? Ryan, wisely, went back to the guy he's paying millions. But that ended for good when Sanchez played one of the worst games I've ever seen a quarterback play. He threw four picks against the lowly Titans to make official what everyone else has known for weeks. The Jets won't be going to the playoffs again.

So Rex decided it was time for a change at quarterback. And this time Tebow was healthy. Since they made a big deal out of signing him it seemed like an easy choice. Sure, everyone knows Tebow isn't going to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. But he knows how to make plays and he knows how to win. He did it in college and he did it last year with Denver. And he's fun to watch. So give him a shot. Obvious. Right?

Well, not to Rex. He decided to go back to McElroy. And you know who wasn't happy about that? Tim Tebow. Mr. Turn the Other Cheek decided he'd had enough of the Jets and their three-ring nonsense. So he decided that if he wasn't considered good enough to start over some guy named McElroy then he wasn't interested in running the lame wildcat plays that offensive coordinator Tony Sparano likes to use him in. And he told his coaches just that.

So the Jets went up against San Diego with some guy named McElroy as their starter and some guy named Jeremy Kerley as their backup/wildcat quarterback. No wonder Fireman Ed quit. And to no one's surprise the Jets offense was inept again.

If you are a Pats fan then its required reading to go to the websites of the Daily News and the Post on Mondays. It's high entertainment. ESPNNewYork had a good piece on the quarterback mess. A mess that should get someone fired. First should be Sparano. He is officially the most overrated coach in the league. It also might be time to take a look at the GM.

But I sure hope it's not Skinny Rex. He's just too much fun. And I'm hoping after his team loses the season finale to Buffalo -- and it will because they can't beat anyone that can score more than 20 points -- that he will be so depressed at his team's 6-10 record that he goes on a goddamn snack binge and returns to being Rex with a big gut and a bigger mouth. I miss that Rex.

Headline news

A picture is worth a thousand words. A great headline is worth so much more.

There was a lot of entertaining reading in the New York papers Friday morning, but this column by the Post's Steve Serby was by far the best.

Thanksgiving Day parade (of errors)

WEEK 12
The Patriots locked up another AFC East title with their Thanksgiving thrashing of Skinny Rex and the Jets. It was one of those nationally televised butt-kickings that only fans of the team doing the kicking can love. The rest of the country (and most Jets' fans) probably tuned out at halftime and turned in for their night of turkey-induced sleep.

A few weeks ago all four teams in the division were 3-3 and the Blabosphere was warning us that the Patriots were going to be in for a long struggle this season. Five weeks later the Pats (8-3) haven't lost and everyone else in the division has won only once. Game, set, division.

The Pats aren't without problems. The secondary and the pass rush are both spotty at best. They are having trouble keeping offensive linemen healthy. They don't have a deep threat on offense. And Gronk is out for at least a month. Time will tell how big those problems are. But one thing is for sure, they have more than enough talent among the players and the coaches to overcome those problems on most days. Like last night.

The score was 0-0 after the first quarter. If it wasn't for another bad Mark Sanchez pick (by Steve Gregory) deep in Pats territory the Jets would have had the lead and the momentum. But with just under six minutes to go in the opening quarter, Brady and the offense took the ball at their own 16-yard line after the interception and marched 84 yards on 15 plays for a touchdown. The camera cut to Ryan as Brady and Welker celebrated yet another TD connection and you could see he knew that his team had missed a chance to take control early. But Sanchez and the Jets responded, moving the ball to the Pats' 31-yard line where they faced a 4th-and-1. Decision time for Skinny Rex. Kick a field goal and get on the board? Or go for the first down and the tying score. Rex went for it (good choice). The next minute of football would spell the crushing end to the Jets' season and maybe -- just maybe -- the end of Skinny Rex's job as HC of the NYJ.

Shonn Greene got stuffed on the fourth down play, and as he struggled against Big Vince and the rest of the Pats D line the ball popped out of his hands and shot 15 yards downfield where Gregory grabbed it. Pats' ball. One play later, Brady threw a short out-pass to Shane Vereen and the second-year back had his biggest moment as a Pat, racing down the sideline untouched for 83 yards. And then things got really crazy.

On first down at the Jet 31, Sanchez turned to hand the ball off but missed his connection with the runner. He turned around, confused, and decided to run face-first right into the backside of one of his offensive linemen (see video above. Again and again and again ...). I've never seen a play like it. NFL Films is going to have to remake a lot of its Top 10 shows. Top 10 Funniest Plays. Top 10 Bloopers. Top 10 Worst Jets' Plays. Top 10 Plays Where The QB Runs Into His Lineman's Ass. Because all those lists now have a new #1. The force of the "hit" knocked the ball out of Sanchez's hands and Gregory scooped it up and took it 32 yards to make it 21-0. And then... on the ensuing kickoff Jets' returner Joe McKnight got whacked and the ball sailed right into the hands of Julian Edelman who raced untouched 22 yards for another touchdown. In less than a minute, the score went from "it's anyone's game" at 7-0 to "the Jets' season is ovah!" at 28-0.

The Pats passed for 323 yards and rushed for 152. That's balance. And that's the big difference between this team and last year's team. I loved BenJarvus and was sad to see him go. But Ridley has been much better. I didn't see that coming. Belichick did. When Bolden gets back from his suspension, the Pats will have four very good backs who can do a lot of different things. That was on full display during one of the most impressive drives the Pats have had in years. Late in the third quarter the Jets got a safety and then a quick touchdown to cut the lead to 35-12. Sure, still a blowout. But the offense hadn't done much since the scoring burst in the second quarter and Jets' fans were sadly starting to have hope again. My nephews and brothers all texted each other ... "Time for Brady and the offense to make a game-clinching drive." Drive they did. They jammed the ball right down the Jets' throats, going 86 yards on 17 plays, eating up nearly eight minutes of clock. And most of it was on the ground. Brady shoved his way into the end zone on a 1-yard rush and a statement had been made. The Pats can beat you in the air and on the ground. That will be a big help come January football.

And there will be January football ... again.

Now the focus turns to earning the coveted first-round bye and the even more-coveted home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Those won't be as easy to achieve as winning the AFC East. Houston sits at the top of the AFC after they pulled out a second-straight OT win early on Thanksgiving to get to 10-1. The Ravens are at 8-2 and with a game against the Chargers coming up will likely move to 9-2. And they have beaten the Pats so they actually hold a two-game lead for the second seed. The Pats have five games remaining, three of them at home. They play Miami twice and the Jags once. Very winnable games. It's the other two that will decide if the Pats will be resting on Wild Card weekend or playing at Gillette.

In a span of six days in December that Pats host the 10-1 Texans on Monday Night Football and then the 7-2-1 Niners on Sunday Night Football. As great as last night's win over the hated Jets was, it will be those two games in the frigid air at Gillette that will reveal just how good this Pats team will be in the playoffs. When you look at last night's game and the plays made by Brady, Welker, Ridley, Hernandez, Lloyd, Vereen, Woody, Spikes, Mayo, Chung, Gregory, Cunningham, McCourty, Love ... and especially Big Vince, there's plenty of reasons to believe that the Pats will be up to the challenge in those two big games ... and beyond.

J-E-T-S Mess Mess Mess

This blog is often about two teams. The New England Patriots and the New York Jets.

I root for the Pats. I root against the Jets. Which is more fun? Sometimes it's pretty close. Like this season.

The Jets fell to 3-6 this week and quarterback Mark Sanchez continued to be on a record pace for the worst statistics in the history of the game. The chants for Tebow continue to grow among Gang Green Nation. The media keeps asking Rex why he isn't using his secret weapon/backup QB more. Finally, a group of anonymous players decided it was important to tell the world that their backup QB/punt protector -- who averages about six plays a game -- was a terrible player and apparently a big reason the team was collapsing. The Jets completely imploded in the final weeks of the season last year and missed the playoffs. Looks like they are getting an early start on that this year.

The Jets beat Indy a few weeks ago 35-9 at home. Although it only made them 3-3 and the Jets had already lost some ugly games, Rex Ryan had this to say after beating the average Colts ... "We want to be a team no one wants to play. And, we're on our way."

We're on our way? As much as I love Skinny Rex for his entertainment value, this is why he will never have success as a head coach. You don't say "We're on our way" when your team is 3-3 and lost 34-0 the week before. Confidence is fine. Cocky is fine. But delusional is not. And Ryan often seems to be more delusional than cocky.

What have the Jets done in the three weeks since Skinny Rex said his team was on its way to being a team no one wants to play?

Lost to the Patriots in overtime 29-26 in a game they had but let slip away.

Lost to the mediocre Dolphins 30-9 at the new Meadowlands. That's a 30-9 loss at home against a division rival that you are convinced you are better than.

Lost 28-7 to Seattle in a game that wasn't even that close.

Three losses by a combined score of 87-42

Ya. No one wants to play the Jets.

Storm brewing

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

There's some rough weather bearing down on New York City. Not Hurricane Sandy. I'm talking about the media storm that is about to engulf Rex Ryan and his J-E-T-S ... Jets Jets Jets.

It was about two weeks ago that Skinny Rex stated "We know we're going to beat the Patriots and I want them to know that we know." The Jets have lost two straight division games since that boast. He will never learn. The Jets played a heck of a game in Gillette but came up short in overtime. It was a very tough loss. But not as tough as yesterday's 30-9 thrashing at the hands of the Miami Dolphins ... in the new Meadowlands. In front of the home crowd. Take a look at the Jets' fan above. He doesn't look like he enjoyed his Sunday as much as I did.

The Jets have lost five games and we're only halfway through the season. That is a recipe for a second straight playoff miss for Skinny Rex. And if that happens, the greatest defensive head coach in the game may find himself becoming the greatest defensive ex-head coach in the game.

At his post-game press conference Ryan looked ready to cry. The not-so-big guy said he was shocked by his team's awful performance. The calls for Tebow have now hit critical mass even though he missed a block on punt coverage that led to a blocked kick. Mark Sanchez looks like he is just about done in New York. He threw another bad pick yesterday. The team looked disorganized and unmotivated ... much as they did during their season ending implosion last year. The "fire Ryan" stories have already begun.

I've said before that the trouble with a loudmouth for a head coach is that it only works when you are winning. Then he can be the cocky, funny, know-it-all. Problem is, if the loudmouth's team starts to lose then his boasting looks ridiculous. He looks like Nero as his team burns. And when his team completely collapses -- as the Jets did last year and are on the verge of doing again -- the loudmouth just looks like Biff after he was smashed in the mouth by McFly. Done.

That's why Belichick is the same win or lose. It's the smart thing to do.

That's Ryan's problem now. All the tough talk is worthless if his team goes out and gets whipped. As Ryan stood on the podium yesterday looking defeated, I kind of missed the bigger, brasher Rex raising a fist in the air and guaranteeing that his 3-5 Jets were still going to win the Super Bowl. He's not only not as big as he used to be, he's not as defiant too. And not as fun. Is it because his team is a mess or because he's not as big as he used to be? Maybe he should start eating some goddam snacks again. Maybe then he'll get his swagger back.

Reading material -- Jets' edition

It's shaping up to be a very entertaining NFL season. It sure helps that the Patriots are still putting up 30 points a game. It won't last forever. Just ask Jets fans.

This "reading material" post could find some interesting articles on the Saints finally winning their first game. Or the Falcons and Texans still not having lost a game. But there's just so much good reading on our green neighbors to the south that the rest of the league will have to wait.

• Mark Sanchez is on his way out as New York Jets quarterback. That's the headline on the post by Adam Schein on NFL.com. I figured that headline would be written at some point this year, but I didn't think it would be this soon. How great is that? Schein says Skinny Rex should take a lesson from the benching of ARod by Yankee manager Joe Girardi and send the Sanchise to the bench in favor of Tim Tebow. How great is that? Schein says Sanchez is "inaccurate," "average," and has the "wrong attitude." And Schein begins by saying he used to be a Sanchez backer.
• Also on  NFL.com, Kimberly Jones says that the Jets are already at the point of desperation, so why not throw Tebow out there? It's a good question. She says the Jets are trying trick plays (onside kick against the Texans that didn't quite work out) and using players in different roles due to injuries but they still don't know what to do with Tebow. When asked after the Jets lost their second straight to fall to 2-3 if he understood his role with the team, Tebow answered a simple "no." Doesn't seem anybody in N.Y. does.
• Terrell Owens added to the New York theater scene by tweeting during the Jets' loss Monday night that he was available and better than what they had on the field. Rex Ryan responded, of course, by saying "never say never." As a Pats' fan, I can't think of anything better than T.O. joining the train wreck that could become the Jets' season. As a Jets' fan, Gary Myers of the New York Daily News doesn't think it's such a great idea. 
• For all the attention being given the quarterbacks, not enough has been paid to the defense. That's the defense run by the self-anointed best defensive mind in the league. The Jets defense is ranked  31st against the run, giving up an average of 172 yards per game. Hmmm. The Jets are next to last against the run, the Pats are third in the league in rushing. I can't wait for kickoff at Gillette in just more than a week.

Shooting blanks

It's a rare thing in the NFL these days when a team gets shut out. Especially at home.

San Francisco 34, NY Jets 0. How you feeling about "the best team I've ever had" now, Rex? Not too good.

The "Tee-bow! Tee-bow!" chant should start before next Monday night's clash with the unbeaten Texans even begins. The Jets may have the same 2-2 record as the Patriots but they are in big trouble. Mark Sanchez completed just 13 passes for 103 yards with zero touchdowns (of course, since they didn't score) and one pick. The Niners have a great defense but those are ugly numbers.

I kept waiting for Tebow to come in and run some Wildcat plays but the highest paid backup QB in the league did nothing. The Niners backup -- Colin Kaepernick -- came in and showed Ryan, Sparano, and the Jets how the Wildcat is done. Kaepernick -- no, he didn't sink the winning putt for Europe in the Ryder Cup -- ran the Wildcat option in for a touchdown. He finished with 50 yards rushing from the QB spot. Tebow? He had two rushes for zero yards.

Zero. That was a big number for the Jets today.

The Sparanos

As a Patriots' fan, now may not be the best time to poke fun at the Jets' offense. Brady and the other Pats' starters haven't looked too sharp yet. But they have scored touchdowns. As have the Pats' second and third units. Several touchdowns. Through three preseason games in New York however, the revamped, Wildcat, smash-mouth, explosive, scary offense that new coordinator Tony Sparano has brought with him has produced exactly zero touchdowns. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

When asked about the lack of production, Sparano answered in his usual style. "We want touchdowns, not field goals," he growled. "Make sure you put that in the headlines."

Touchdowns. Got it. That should make all Jets fans feel better.

Sparano and Rex Ryan together would make for great reality TV. If the NFL Network started a "T Rex" show chronicling the weekly curse-fests, meltdowns, comedy acts, and chaos that these two coaches are almost sure to provide I would be a regular viewer. Who wouldn't? The Jets will have a good defense. Not great. But good. It's the offense that will decide whether Gang Green can get back to the playoffs. An offense that has yet to score a touchdown.

"Starting" QB Mark Sanchez had led the offense on fifteen possessions -- a decent test sample -- and has not been able to lead the Jets into the endzone. Not once. But overall he has looked good from what I've seen. I think Sanchez could have a very good season. I thought the Jets thought that too when they gave him a big contract extension. But then a few weeks later they traded for "back-up" quarterback Tim Tebow.

Ah, Tim Tebow. He too has led the offense for 15 possessions and he too has no touchdowns. But the talk out of New York is still all about him. The back-up. Soon to be the subject of an episode of "A Football Life" on the NFL Network. Tebow is quite a story and a guy I rooted for in college and with Denver. Now he's a Jet. I can't root for him anymore. Skinny Rex says Tebow's going to give the offense a dangerous dynamic that it didn't have last year. It just might work. As long as he doesn't throw the ball...

It's only preseason

Turns out the Jets really do have a quarterback controversy. As in, are either of their highly paid signal callers good enough to lead Gang Green back into the playoffs? If you're looking for some entertainment while waiting for tonight's Pats-Eagles MNF preseason game, this 14 minutes from Saturday's Giants-Jets game should do it. Unless you are a Jets fan.

Both Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow had their moments. Sanchez completed 9 out of 11 passes but for only a total of 59 yards. And, as you will see in the video, he threw a pick-six to kill a good drive. Vintage Sanchez.

Then, as you will also see, Tebow took over in the second half and he also led a decent drive but badly under threw a WIDE open receiver in the end zone, forcing the Jets to settle for three points. The offense's only three points of the game. The Jets have been outscored 43-9 in two preseason games. It's only preseason, but that's not good. And by the end of the game Tebow was yelling at his offensive lineman after getting sacked. That's not good either.

There was a lot of worry expressed in the Sports Blabosphere last week over the state of the Pats' offensive line. Of course, all those concerns were preceded by the "I know it's only preseason" statement. Tonight's game will be a good test of how much progress has been made since the Saints game almost two weeks ago. Logan Mankins is back and that will surely help, although it's uncertain if he'll be ready to play. The Eagles have very fast outside rushers so keeping Brady -- if he plays -- upright will be one of the keys of the night.

Other keys will be what Shane Vereen can do with a chance to start and if the young guys on defense can build on their solid performance against the Saints.

Oh, and how many margaritas I can drink on a warm summer night at the stadium. Time to get in game shape.

The Jets get their man

Well it doesn't look like the Jets want Peyton Manning to lead their team for the next few years after all.

Reports are that Mt. Ryan and his crew have decided to re-sign Mark Sanchez, a.k.a the Sanchize, to a brand-spanking new three-year contract extension.

Poor Jets fans. They didn't even get to enjoy the "we might get the other Manning" fantasy for 24 hours. Don't get me wrong. I like Sanchez. He took his team to the AFC title game in his first two seasons. Not bad. But -- like the whole Jets team -- he took a big step back in 2011. How big? Just check out this replay on NFL.com. It's one of my favorite moments of last season. I look forward to many more just like it.

Jets to the MAX

I said to my nephew Pete as we were driving to Gillette on a beautiful New Year's Day morning... "If I could choose between the Pats winning today and getting the top seed and the Jets making the playoffs, or the Pats losing and getting the second seed and the Jets losing and not making the playoffs... I would chose the Pats losing,"

That's what you call being an irrational sports fan. Rooting more against another team than you are rooting for your own team. But I knew the pleasure I would get this week from the completion of the Jets implosion. Or at least I thought I knew. Turns out I way underestimated just how much fun it would be.

It actually started before the game even ended. Team "captain" Santonio Holmes, a malcontent his entire career, got into an argument in the huddle with teammates who had finally had enough of his act. In the huddle! In the fourth quarter of a game the Jets had to have. With everything on the line. Holmes was benched for the final few minutes. He didn't have a catch in the game. The Jets wilted in the Miami heat and lost 19-17. No playoffs. No Super Bowl.

And then the fun really began. First Ladianian Tomlinson chimed in on the Holmes argument and his captain's body language. "I'll tell you what," LT said. "It's tough for guys to follow a captain that kind of behaves in that manner. You're a captain, guys looking to you. You've got to lead by example. You've got to play your tail off until the last play." This from LT. The "leader" of the Chargers who left the AFC title game against the Pats a few years ago and sat sulking on the bench, buried under the hood of his giant winter coat, as his team's championship dreams faded yet again.

Give L.T. credit for facing the media. His teammate Bart Scott just flipped off the reporters, but not before saying "All I know is I have a $4 million guaranteed contract next year." The Jets say that isn't actually true.

Mt. Ryan then got his chance to speak and, once again, came off looking mostly like a buffoon. He talked about how he was not sorry that he spent more time predicting his team would win the Super Bowl and talking smack about the opponents than he did making sure his team was ready to play. He pretty much predicted -- again -- that the Jets would win it all next year. Eventually the questions turned to the Holmes argument in the huddle and his benching.

Here's what the Super Bowl champion coach had to say... "I looked out there and was wondering why he wasn't out there. I did not bench Santonio." Hmmm... Can you imagine Bill Belichick saying that? Maybe Ryan should take a few press conference lessons from him.

Things really got entertaining later in the week when the team's injured, rookie, fourth-string quarterback decided he too should talk. That's what Rex Ryan's players do. They talk. A lot. Greg McElroy (I googled him. He actually does play for the Jets) had this to say about his first year in the NFL...  "This place is a zoo. It's the first time I've ever been around extremely selfish individuals. There were people within our locker room that didn't care whether we won or lost as long as they really had a good game individually. It's going to take a lot to kind of come together next year."

Ryan did a little post-mortem during the week and summed it up very well..."Normally, I'm a guy that really has the pulse of the team," he said humbly. "I don't think I had the pulse of the team the way I've done in the past."

So many great quotes from a great collapse. But my favorite came from an unexpected source... the director of the Jets very unfortunate Pepsi MAX commercial that's been playing the past week or so. (Wonder how the execs at Pepsi have felt watching the Jets collapse knowing they were the focus of their new ad campaign?) The director describes working with Ryan and the Jets... "They're the best group of people I've ever worked with. Ryan has put together a fabulous team. The guys are harmonious."

I guess he should stick to making commercials and not judging team talent and chemistry.

Just as Ryan and the Jets should have stuck to studying game film and practicing instead of opening their mouths and making commercials.

Reading Material - Jets' Edition

MT. RYAN: Have another doughnut.

There was a lot of good reading after this holiday weekend of football. Drew Brees broke the record for passing yards in a season. The Lions clinched a playoff spot for the first time in decades. The Giants and Cowboys set themselves up for a winner-take-all NFC East battle next Sunday. God let Tim Tebow lose on Christmas Eve. Lots of great stories.

But none more entertaining than all the stories about the New York Jets after their loss to the Giants. Gotham is all a twitter about their men in green. For good reason. The Jets are plummeting. Their coach Rex Ryan has become Nero. The team that he guaranteed would be playing in their third straight Super Bowl still hasn't made it there yet. And unless the seas part perfectly for them next weekend they won't even be making the playoffs this time around.

The whole Rex Ryan shtick is wearing thin. He can talk a good game. But it's becoming less clear if he can coach a good game.

• Mark Sanchez passed 59 times in a game that was close most of the way. The Foot Doctor is not getting a lot of love for that. 
• Ryan spent the week before the game challenging the Giants. A pretty good football team. A team that one might not want to give extra motivation too. Ryan just can't help himself. 
• The Sanchize -- a.k.a. quarterback Mark Sanchez -- is suddenly not looking like he has a long Pro Bowl career ahead of him in the Meadowlands. I've been a Sanchez fan -- four road playoff wins in his first two seasons will do that -- but his star is definitely starting to dim. Next year will be a key one for him -- and his coach.

Of course it's the coach that all the talk is about. It always is when it comes to Rex Ryan. He is always credited with taking the pressure off his team and putting it all on him. That's media B.S. Pressure is created by poor play. Bad coaching. Throwing games away. Pressure is created on Sunday. Not on Tuesday at a press conference. The media doesn't create pressure -- although Felger sure wants to think it does. The opposing offense or defense creates pressure. All Ryan's act does is put more pressure on his team to live up to his ridiculous predictions and guarantees. And when they don't... trouble. Ryan gets praised for showing confidence in his team. Every coach is confident in his team. Belichick sure is. Talking about it is not as important as coaching it. Ryan talks. Belichick coaches.

The Boston media started this season with predictions of the Jets taking over the AFC East. Many said Gang Green had already surpassed the Pats with last year's playoff upset at Gillette. It was a huge moment for Mt. Ryan. The biggest in his career. Look what he's done since. Not much. Meanwhile, Belichick and the Pats are working on another #1 AFC seed. Some day the Jets will beat up on the Pats again. It's inevitable. It might even happen with Ryan as coach. But I doubt it.

I love the big guy. He's brash. He's entertaining. He's larger than life. He's also a great football guy. But he's not a great football coach. At least not at NFL level. Not yet anyways.

I watched the replay of the Jets-Giants game on Game Rewind on NFL.com. The replay starts with the coin toss. All the Giants captains are out there. But Plaxico Burress (former Giant) is the only Jet captain to come to midfield. A mind-game move by Mt. Ryan. The announcer says "Rex Ryan is unbelievable. He's always got something to get that other team thinking at the beginning of the game." Next shot is Giants coach Tom Coughlin getting ready for the kickoff. He doesn't seem too concerned with how many Jet captains show up for the coin toss.

That's the thing about Ryan. Trash talking all week. Professing your team is the best in the league even in the face of embarrassing loss after embarrassing loss. Trying to psych the other team out at the coin toss. That's not coaching. That's not leadership. That's just grandstanding. And that works just fine when the team is winning. But when things go bad, a grandstander has nothing else to fall back on. You can't go from being boastful and obnoxious to humble and reasonable. It just looks like weakness when you do.

Rex Ryan is looking pretty weak right now.

That's so offensive

I heard a voice on sports radio as I was driving home Thursday night say he thought the Jets-Broncos game would set offense in the NFL back 20 years. He was only off by about 90 years. The forward pass was made legal in 1906. If they could have looked into the future and watched last night's game they might have had second thoughts.

The passing performances of Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez were sick. As in nausea inducing. It was that bad. Sanchez threw his second pick-six in five days. The one against the Pats helped seal defeat. The one last night helped give away a win. He gave Denver a touchdown when the Broncos offense couldn't even get a first down. Sanchez missed open receiver after open receiver. Tebow missed everything. It was ugly.

As ugly as the 5-5 Jets' playoff prospects. Mt. Ryan said "Our playoffs start next week." That's a problem because his offense is not ready for the playoffs. It's not even ready for preseason. In a matter of five days the Jets made a season's worth of mistakes, both physical and mental. A loss to the Bills and the Foot Doctor can start making his Super Bowl predictions for next year.

The Broncos are also 5-5 but they are a lot happier about being .500. It's all a matter of expectations. The hero of the game was rookie Tebow -- known for his ability to pass on the word of the Lord and his inability to pass anything else. Tebow was coming off a game in which he completed just two passes. Two! But one of those two was for a long touchdown to win the game. And he can run. Actually, running -- at this moment -- is pretty much all he can do. He won the game with a 20-yard touchdown scamper through the vaunted Jets D. It was a heck of a play by Tebow. And a heck of a collapse by the Jets

I added Tebow to my fantasy football team to replace Michael Vick who has been a huge bust in both the real and fantasy worlds. I didn't do it because I thought Tebow would score me a ton of points. He won't. I did it because after drafting a dog killing jerk I thought it might be a good idea to replace him with a man of God. I felt a need for atonement.

J-E-T-S

The NFL Network has been ranking the 32 teams in the league heading into training camp in less than two weeks. The Pats came in at #9. I think that's a fair spot for them. It's the first time in quite a few years that they aren't ranked in the Top 5. They were a 10-6 team that got stomped at home in the playoffs and they still haven't completely addressed their big weakness -- all together now -- the lack of a pass rush. So #9 fits.

A team that did make the Top 5? The New York Jets. They are the hot pick to make the Super Bowl out of the AFC. They came in at #4. (Top 3 haven't been named yet). The Jets the fourth ranked team in the league? With that defense, yes. Just ask Rex Ryan.

The Jets coach talks loudly and carries an even bigger stick. It's an approach that doesn't often work in the world of the NFL. I can't really think of a cocky coach who has had success. John Gruden certainly was cocky and he won a title. But he did it mostly with Tony Dungy's team. Maybe Brian Billick is the closest in attitude to Ryan but even he didn't go around predicting Super Bowl titles in preseason. That's Ryan's style. It's fun to watch. We'll see if it works.

The Jets did make it to the AFC title game last year and that's where much of the expectations for this year were built. But the Jets were a 9-7 team. If it wasn't for the Colts gift wrapping a game for them at the end of the season the Jets wouldn't have made the playoffs. Ask any Jets fan who was paying attention and they will tell you the team lost several games last year that they could have, and should have, won. They had a great running game but often chose to let rookie QB Mark Sanchez pass. They have one the best defenses in the league but often didn't play nearly as aggressively as they talked. The jury on Ryan as head coach is still very much out.

The Jets went 1-3 against the Dolphins and Patriots last year. 1-3. And both teams are at least as good as they were. So the Jets have added some interesting pieces to the roster for their run at the AFC East and ultimate greatness. Veterans LaDainian Tomlinson and Jason Taylor joined the team in a quest for a title before their time runs out. Taylor is a good addition to an already stacked defense. He should create serious problems for the opposing quarterbacks. LT should create serious problems for his own team. Tomlinson is one of the most talented running backs of the past 10 years, but he is always on the verge of a meltdown and when the Jets hit a rough patch -- and they will -- he is the kind of player who makes things worse by sulking and whining. Certainly he could be what Corey Dillon was to the Pats in 2004 and have a great season. But he could just as likely get hurt and be found sitting with his jacket over his head alone at the end of the bench. He can single-handedly drag the morale of a team down. Just ask Phillip Rivers.

If the team plays poorly -- and remember Sanchez threw 12 TDs and 20 picks last year even though I thought he showed he will be a solid starter for years to come -- the pressure will build unreasonably for a 9-7 squad. If the Jets improved on their nine wins and made the playoffs that should be seen as a success and a continued step in the right direction. But Ryan has set the expectations so high that anything less than a Super Bowl will be a failure.

That's the danger of being a loud mouth. You run the risk of someone knocking you around and making you look foolish. Belichick and the Pats have to be looking forward to their chance to do just that. I think the Pats will finish somewhere in the top 10 teams this year. Probably higher than 9th. I expect the Jets to be right behind them.