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.

Ed is O-U-T Out Out Out

Just when it looked like things couldn't get any worse for the New York Jets ... the latest news is really bad.

Fireman Ed, the team's unofficial mascot and the head shouter of the J-E-T-S chants that are so important to the team's success, is resigning his post leading the cheers for Rex Ryan's "best team I've ever had." What's next?

Fireman Ed (a.k.a. Ed Anzalone) said he wasn't taking off his helmet because the team he roots for was on the verge of becoming a laughingstock. Nope. He said he was giving up his alter ego because of the crap he was getting from other, more disgruntled Jets fans. "It's about the nastiness," Ed said. "I just think society in general ... there's no respect at all. I don't want to put up with that from people taking it out on me anymore." You know the sound you are about to hear is your franchise hitting rock bottom when the big news is that your not-really-our-mascot mascot is quitting.

And it was big news in New York. Amazingly.

Kristian Dyer wrote a column on CBS/New York that you have to read to believe. Here's the best part... "Jets games will never be the same. In all of American sports, traditions like the one that Anzalone carried on at Jets games are hard to come by, as he made going to a game a different experience. He brought the crowd to life, creating moments that were iconic and inspired goosebumps, something very unique in the fishbowl stadium experience at the Meadowlands. What 'Fireman Ed' did was unite a fan base that only seemed too eager to jeer rather than cheer, to tear down rather than build up."

If the most memorable moment of going to a Jets game was some guy in a helmet barking at the crowd to cheer louder, well... that doesn't say too much about the action on the field. There were so many stories about Ed quitting -- pro and con -- that there are too many to list. It seemed everyone had an opinion.

Including, of course, Rex Ryan.

When asked about the big news during his press conference Skinny Rex had this to say ... "I love that guy's passion and the energy he would bring. If he could play linebacker or whatever I would use him." No. Really. He said that. And he wasn't really joking.

It made me wonder what Belichick would say if he was asked about something so trivial at a press conference just a few days after his team was humiliated on national television and had its playoff hopes pretty much snuffed out.

"I don't have any information on that. Our focus is on the Dolphins. We're not worrying about things we can't control, like if Fireman Ed is going to wear his helmet or not. We'll play with the fans who give us the best chance to win."

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.

Week 11 rewind

It's the dreaded short week for the Pats. Play (and win big) on Sunday and play (and hopefully win big) on Thursday night. Win two games in four days and you go from 6-3 to 8-3 and are in charge of your division. Lose two in four days and your season suddenly changes for the worse. The Pats took care of the first step Sunday with a convincing win over the surprising Colts. Is there much doubt they will take care of business against the Jets on Thanksgiving?

GOOD

• Offense, offense, offense. The Patriots are one of four teams that have a point differential of more than 100 points on the positive side. The other three teams -- Niners, Bears, Texans -- do it mostly with defense. Not that Pats. They put up lots of points. They have lots of weapons. Gronk (before he got hurt) had two more TDs. Edelman had a score. Ridley. Vereen. Throw in Welker, Lloyd, and a soon-to-return Hernandez and the offense with Brady at the helm is as good as it has ever been.
• Special teams. Julian Edelman's 68-yard punt return for a touchdown was the second big kick return this season. The other being McCourty against the Jets. Edelman had 117 yards in punt returns and McCourty added 94 yards in kick-off returns. Nothing like giving the best offense in the league great field position.
• Turnovers. The defense had four more Sunday against the Colts. They returned two of their three picks for touchdowns. The defense is still giving up too many yards and too many big plays, but the turnovers are offsetting that for now.

BAD

• Gronk broke his arm on the extra point at the end of the game. Now that's bad. There'll be lots of talk about why Belichick leaves his starters in games when they are out of reach blah blah blah. But really? Gronk breaks his arm blocking on an extra point? Has a guy ever broken his arm on an extra point? It's just bad luck. He could have just as likely broken his arm standing on the sideline.

The Gronk-less Pats head to the new Meadowlands for a Thanksgiving night clash with their enemies. It's a game all Pats fans couldn't wait for when the schedule came out. With or without Gronk, the Pats will be ready for this one.

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.

It never gets old

WEEK 7
Patriots 29, Jets 26 OT (10/21/'12): I love the walk into Gillette before a big game. There's a buzz -- literally -- in the crowd as thousands of Gronks, Bradys, and Welkers make their way to their seats or the taps. You can feel the anticipation in the air as the loudspeakers blast Creed or U2 or Springsteen. Especially on a near-perfect fall day like yesterday.

The start of the day was a lot of fun. Mark and I were the first ones into the Enchanted Forest and cocktails were served shortly after 11. The end of the day was a lot of fun. A sack of Sanchez and fumble recovery by Ninko for the overtime victory and a tailgate dinner of roast pork with homemade apple sauce. In between the tailgates? There was sure a lot of fun. And a lot of frustration. But that's sports.

The Blabosphere will be in full "Pats suck" mode this week. Guaranteed. The Pats pull out a thrilling 29-26 back-and-forth overtime win -- stealing a victory right out of the mouth of Skinny Rex and the Jets -- and everyone's unhappy? Sure, the team has problems. What team in the NFL this season doesn't? And don't say 6-0 Atlanta because they do. The Pats coughed up another lead. Gave up too many yards passing. Made some key mistakes. But they battled all the way and when it looked like they had handed the game to the Jets (which prompted Ryan to yell "Oh ... my ... God!" so loud you could hear him across the field) they pulled themselves together and marched down the field to tie the game with no time left on the clock. If you can't enjoy a game like yesterday's then I'm not sure why you are watching. And no doubt about it, if they lost it would have been a crusher. But it still would have been a great game ... and a great day.

Tailgating just never gets old. I was up at 8:30 in the morning for the 4:25 kickoff. I picked up Mark and his portable cooler loaded with pulled pork and homemade coleslaw at the train station in Providence. A stop at Seven Stars bakery for the bread for the pulled pork sandwiches and we were on our way to the Enchanted Forest lot south of the stadium. We pulled in and headed to the very back behind a large rock formation we have dubbed Rock Ridge. Shep and Matt soon joined us and we were enjoying the beautiful weather and the pulled pork that came up on the morning Amtrak from New York. There's nothing like a nearly five-hour tailgate to get you ready to watch some football.

And we sure got some great -- and bad -- football to watch. The Pats got the ball and were moving with the no huddle but a drop by Lloyd stalled the drive and the Pats punted. The Jets then took the ball and drove 76 yards on 11 plays, getting five first downs along the way. It was impressive. The crowd was not happy. The Pats offense had punted and the defense had allowed a touchdown. Apparently the Jets had nothing to do with it. It was all mistakes by the Pats.

There was a real "uh-oh" mood in the crowd. And then the Pats responded by scoring the next 16 points and, of course, everyone was happy again. First came a 104-yard kickoff return by Devin McCourty. A kick return for a touchdown is one of the most thrilling plays to experience in the stadium. You can really see the play unfolding because you can see the whole field. As the hole opened up the crowd began to roar and when McCourty burst through that hole the place erupted. McCourty passed in front our seats at midfield and it looked like two Jets were going to catch him. It was at that moment that he turned on the jets and left them in the dust.

The Jets got the ball at their own 10 and went three-and-out as big Kyle Love got Sanchez for the first of four sacks for the D. Brady got the ball at the Pats 42 and went right back into the no huddle. This time there were no drops and Brady and Gronk finished it off with a great 17-yard touchdown pass. Brady's throw under pressure was perfect and Gronk's juggling catch was outstanding. The teams exchanged punts and Mesko pinned the Jets deep again. On first down Big Vince smashed through the line and forced a fumble and Sanchez had to kick the ball out of the end zone for a safety. A kick return. A great touchdown pass. A great punt. A safety. 16-7. Ya. The Pats aren't making plays.

The Jets mounted two long field goal drives to cut the score to 16-13 with nine minutes to play in the third. Sure, the Pats D failed to make the stop. But Sanchez and the Jets' offense also made some pretty impressive plays. The Jets may have been 10 1/2 point underdogs (which seemed crazy), but they are a good team and they were playing good, tough football.

Brady and the offense got the ball at their own 17 needing to respond. And respond they did. A nearly seven-minute, 15-play drive that mixed the run and pass beautifully and ended with Gronk catching his second touchdown. The Pats offense can't make the big drive when they need it anymore? 15-plays. 83 yards. Nearly seven-minutes. 23-13.

The Jets answered back. How did they do it? Well, the last time I checked they have NFL caliber players on offense too. How come when the Pats score it's because the offense is unstoppable? But when the other team scores its always because the Pats' D is incompetent? Sometimes the other team makes plays too. Sanchez led his team from his own eight-yard line and drove 14-plays for a huge touchdown to cut the score to 23-20 with just 5:44 left to play. What a crazy 5:44 it was.

The Pats got the ball back and had another chance to make the game-closing drive. They couldn't do it. It started off well when Brady hit Lloyd for a quick first down, but a late flag from the ref 20 yards away called Lloyd for pushing off and put the Pats in a 1st-and-20. There was no replay at Gillette (Why Mr. Kraft? Why?) but I have since seen the replay and it was a crap call. The penalty killed the drive and the Pats punted. The Jets got the ball with 4:19 left at their own 35. OK. Another chance for the defense to make a game-closing stop. They couldn't do it. The Jets drove for the tying field goal. The Jets were making all the plays. The Pats needed to make something happen to save the game. As McCourty took the kickoff out of his end zone Mark said "Hang on to the ball, son." Two seconds later the ball went flying across the field and the Jets recovered. Ryan almost choked with delight as he ran around yelling "Oh ... my ... God!" That's what everyone in the crowd was saying too. Just quieter. 23-23 with 2:01 to play and the Pats had just coughed it up at their own 18. Talk about a crushing defeat.

Tebow came on to the field and took a direct snap and ran for two yards and was stuffed. Two minute warning. The Pats still had three timeouts. The crowd started to realize that if they could hold the Jets to a field goal that Brady would still have a chance to tie it up or win it. It was right about this moment that the Pats began to make all the plays. That's right. With two minutes to play the Pats pulled themselves together and made play after play after play in all three phases of the game. It was as clutch a finish as the team has had in a while. If your response is they shouldn't have been in that position in the first place you are disregarding the fact that there was another team on the field making plays too.

The Jets got stuffed for a yard on second down and then on 3rd-and-7 rookie D'onta Hightower chased Sanchez out of the pocket and then chased him down for a sack. Big play on D. The Jets kicked the field goal but Brady and the offense still had 1:37 left to play and a timeout. The Pats have run the two-minute offense maybe better than anyone the last five years. But mostly at the end of the first half. This time they did it at the end of the game, when it really counts.

Brady to Gronk for 15 yards. It took eight guys to stop Gronk. Brady to Gronk again for 12. Brady to Woody on a short pass that Woody took for 20. It was Woody playing the role of Kevin Faulk to perfection. Brady to Woody again for seven to the Jets' 25 with just five seconds left. Timeout. Now it was time for Gostkowski -- who missed a game-winner in the homer opener -- to step up and make a 43-yarder to send the game into overtime. He nailed it. The crowd cheered with an equal amount of excitement and exhaustion. 

The Pats won the toss and Gillette got its first look at the new overtime rules. Score a touchdown and the game is over. Score a field goal and the Jets get a shot to win it or tie it and keep overtime going. (It's not as complicated as it sounds.) The talk in the crowd was do you risk going no huddle in OT? No huddle is great but it can sometimes cause mistakes and turnovers. What to do? Belichick and McDaniels knew what to do. No huddle. Brady to Woody. Brady to Branch. Woody run. Welker for 13 on 2nd-and-9. Brady to Hernandez. Woody run. Brady to Welker for 12 down to the Jets' 34. Brady to Woody for four. Brady and Hernandez couldn't connect on third down so Gosty came out to hit another huge field goal. This time a 48-yarder in overtime. He nailed it.

The Jets got the ball. The conversation in the crowd returned to the OT rules. "How does it work, again?" So like I said ... if the Jets score a touchdown they win the game. If they get a field goal then overtime continues and the next team that scores any points wins. If the Pats stop them on downs or get a turnover ... Pats win. Sanchez (with the help of a holding call on 3rd-and-5) moved the Jets to their 40-yard line. On first down Big Vince stopped Joe McKnight in his tracks, creating a 2nd-and-10. Sanchez dropped back to pass, Jermaine Cunningham broke through the line and grabbed at Sanchez's feet making him stumble backwards. Just before he hit the ground Ninko blasted him and knocked the ball loose. Ninko rolled over Sanchez and got the ball. Fumble! It's over! Pats win it!

Wait. All turnovers have to be reviewed. Was it a fumble? I thought for sure it was but others weren't so sure. Since it's Gillette it takes a while for the replay to come up if it ever does at all. We looked at the giant screens that Kraft spent millions on but never really uses except for Dunkin' ads. We waited and waited and ... Finally the replay showed. Sanchez falls in slow motion ... Ninko whacks him ... the ball comes loose before Sanchez is down. Fumble! Pats really do win! The replay was so obvious that the two teams were shaking hands, holding a prayer circle, and walking off the field before the ref could come back out to announce the obvious.

A day that started at 8:30 in the morning ended when I dropped Mark (and his empty container of pulled pork and coleslaw) in Providence for the 10:20 p.m. Amtrak to Penn Station. "Great tailgate. Great win," Mark said. "Great day all around."

It sure was. 25 years and nearly 300 games and still never gets old.

 

 

Goodnight moon

Goodnight Bill. Goodnight Rex. Goodnight Gronk. Goodnight Wes.

Goodnight 2001 banner. Goodnight overtime win. Goodnight 2004 banner. Goodnight tonic and gin.

Goodnight McCourty the hero. Goodnight late flag from ref. Goodnight McCourty the goat. Goodnight traffic mess.

Goodnight Brady touchdown. Goodnight Sanchez sack. Goodnight Gosty game winner. Goodnight near heart attack.

See Timmy Run

The big story out of New York this week (other than the Yanks' season imploding in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Tigers in the ALCS) was the news that the Jets plan on using Tim Tebow -- their secret weapon -- as a running back against the Pats Sunday. That Rex Ryan is so smart. Having your backup quarterback run the ball instead of Shonn Greene, your actual running back who rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns in the team's best game last week.

Take a look at this Tebow pass against the Panthers from a preseason game. Hmmmm ... maybe putting him at running back isn't such a bad idea.

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.

One game at a time

The Cowboys and Giants meet tonight to kick off the 2012 NFL season. Even if the Sox weren't staging their own version of "The Poseidon Adventure," I would be psyched for this weekend. I don't paint my face (Not that there's anything wrong with that. No, of course not.) or throw things when the team I root for loses, but from September through (hopefully) the first Sunday in February the Pats and the NFL are a big part of life. It is the best entertainment I get all year. Even better than "Game of Thrones."

The Pats start another run at Lombardi #4. They have come soooooo close a few times. And as long as Brady and Belichick are in place, Pats fans will continue to get the best show around. We know it will end someday, so we enjoy every second of it.

Predicting at the end of summer what a team's record will at the start of winter is mostly folly. You may know what the team you root for is capable of, but it's impossible to know how good or bad other teams will be. Who thought the Niners would be so good last year? And who knows what Buffalo or Indy can do this year? But that's the fun of predicting. Everyone is right before the games begin.

Two years ago I thought the Pats would go 13-3. (Yes, optimistic after they got smoked by the Ravens in the playoffs, but if you can't be optimistic in September then when can you be?) The Pats went 14-2. Before last season I thought the Pats would go 12-4. They went 13-3. I see a trend.

WEEK 1 @ Tennessee
The Pats start on the road again. It worked out well last year with a big win in Miami. This time they take on the Titans, a team they haven't seen in a few years. Jeff Fisher was the coach back then. He's gone. As is a lot of the Titans' swagger. Tennessee finished 9-7 last year even with a very subpar performance by RB Chris Johnson, so they are no easy win. Quarterback Jake Locker starts his second season as the starter. If he rolls up more than 300 yards against the Pats D then I'll be worried. It's an interesting first week matchup. Still, it's an opener the Pats should win.

WEEK 2 vs. Arizona
Not the most exciting of home openers. But it will be the first tailgate and that's all that matters. And it will be my first chance to yell "Nice throw to Welker, Tommy!" And it will be the first home win of the year. The Cardinals are worse than the Titans. Much worse. Again, it's a team the Pats aren't very familiar with. But, again, that should not be a problem. Pats should start off 2-0. Hope it's a perfect September day.

WEEK 3 @ Baltimore
Now the fun begins. A rematch of the AFC title game that ended with the Ravens kicker missing an easy game-tying field goal. Ray Lewis and co. are still pissed. This will be a big early test for both teams. A Pats road win against Baltimore would be huge. And would give them the advantage come playoff tie-breaker time. (Yes, Week 3 is not to early to think about that stuff). T Sizzle won't be on the field terrorizing Brady. The Ravens D is old. Gronk and Hernandez are not. I like the Pats here.

WEEK 4 @ Buffalo
The Pats blew a 21-0 lead against the Bills on the road in Week 3 last year. The Bills fell apart after that while the Pats went to the Super Bowl. Buffalo landed the big free agent in Mario Williams and will enter the season with one of the best pass rushes in the game. Bill Belichick's team very rarely -- as in never -- has letdowns after big wins. But I think that happens here. Bills hand the Pats their first loss for the second year in a row.

WEEK 5 vs. Denver
I had hoped the renewal of the Manning-Brady battle would be on a beautiful early October night. Perfect for football and tailgating. Close. It's at 4 in the afternoon on Oct. 7th. That works. Tailgating begins at 9 a.m. There's no way of knowing how well Manning will be playing this early into the season. Probably pretty well. But not well enough to beat the Pats at home in the game of the week. Manning might be ready for that but the rest of the Broncos showed in the playoffs last year that they aren't. Pats get to 4-1.

WEEK 6 @ Seattle
The fourth road game in the first six weeks takes New England on their only voyage out west. Waiting for them will be old pumped-and-jacked friend Pete Carroll. Why do I think Belichick will run the score up in this one? The Pats are one of the few teams that have had some success going out to Seattle to play. This year should be no different against a weak version of the Seahawks. Something like Pats 52, Seahawks 13.

WEEK 7 vs. NY Jets
Let me start practicing... Teee-bow! Teeee-bow! Teeeeee-bow!. The beauty of it is the Foxborough fans can start chanting that while Sanchez is in the game to annoy him and then turn it into a mock cheer when Tebow comes in and throws a pick. Thanks Rex. Tebow aside, this will be a great game. Belichick and the Pats reasserted themselves against Ryan and his gang last year. Ryan will be doing a lot of talking before the game. Not after. Pats go to 6-1.

WEEK 8 @ St. Louis
I love the NFC West. Cardinals and Seahawks and Rams. Oh my. Another place the Patriots play well even when the Rams are good. This time they aren't. But they aren't playing it in St. Louis. For the second time in a few years the Pats are headed to London to play a real game. I don't think the NFL is really serious about this expanding the game to Europe nonsense. If they did they would have the Pats-Broncos game in London. Pats vs. Rams. A game only a Pats fan could love. Blowout. 7-1.

WEEK 9 Bye
As if the schedule wasn't setup perfectly enough, the Pats get the ideal middle-of-the-season week off. They'll get a chance to recover from their trip overseas and get a chance to prepare for a second half schedule that will be a little tougher than the first eight. And  I'll get a chance to gather my layers for five cold-weather home games down the stretch. Unless this global warming thing continues.

WEEK 10 vs. Buffalo
An extra week to prepare didn't work out last year when the Pats lost their next two games after the bye. A rarity in all ways during the Belichick years. The coach will be able to drive that point home and the Pats will be ready to go. Avenging their only loss up to this point, Brady, Welker, Lloyd, Gronk, and Hernandez take it up and down the field. 8-1.

WEEK 11 vs. Indianapolis
After the bye the Pats get back-to-back home games. Against Buffalo and Indy. How nice. The Colts will be in the middle of their first year with Andrew Luck as the new Peyton Manning. The Colts weren't too pretty in Manning's first year and that team had more talent around him. I don't care how much Luck the Colts have, this game should be an easy one. Yes, Pats get to 9-1.

WEEK 12 @ NY Jets
I will be staking out my seat in my sister's basement up in Maine around 7 p.m. with pie and beer in hand. I want a good view of this one. It doesn't matter if the Pats come into this Thanksgiving night game at 9-1 or 6-4, this will be another epic chapter in the rivalry. (They won't be 6-4). The Jets will either be battling with the Pats for the division lead or battling among themselves. Either way, I still (barely) give Skinny Rex enough credit to think that his team will show up to play and win at home. If they can't, then that will be the best beer and pie I've ever had. Pats slip to 9-2.

WEEK 13 @ Miami
The Pats will get a trip to South Beach to take their mind off of a tough loss. It should be just what the schedule-maker ordered. I don't know who will be playing QB for the Dolphins. I'm not even sure if they have a coach at this point. The Pats get Miami twice in the final month of the season and that's a good thing. Pats win another division game and get to 10-2.

WEEK 14 vs. Houston
The Texans are a tough team to predict for 2012. They won their first division title last year and should have taken out the Ravens in the playoffs but were on their third- or fourth-string QB and lost a tough one. Then they lost Mario Williams to the Bills. So are they still a top contender? I think so. The D is still very good and if Schaub can get back to form the offense is too. Good enough I think to sneak into Gillette and steal a game. If that happens the Pats will have lost two of their last three and the Blabosphere will be all lathered up. Pats 10-3.

WEEK 15 vs. San Francisco
The Pats will give all those lathered up blabbers and bloggers a big "calm down" the following Sunday night in a prime-time matchup with the 49ers. Another great home game. Another great December tailgate in the Enchanted Forest. And another great home win. Like last year, I expect the Pats D -- if healthy -- to begin to really figure it out right about now. Old friend Randy Moss will be among the Niners testing them. I think the Pats will pass this test with a big win. 11-3.

WEEK 16 @ Jacksonville
12-3. The Jags won five games last year and Maurice Jones-Drew had a great season. And stayed healthy. That may be asking too much from him again. The Jags should be stumbling around the NFC South basement with the Colts while the Pats should be locking up the AFC East penthouse yet again. Pats go to 12-3 and clinch another division title. Hats and T-shirts.

WEEK 17 vs. Miami
For the second year in a row the schedule makers send Miami up to Foxborough as the New Year approaches. They really don't like the Dolphins. But the Pats do. There will be lots of talk about what players should rest before the playoffs. I can tell you who will rest... no one. Belichick will start them all and the Pats will wrap up another top seed at 13-3.

Optimism. It's so easy in September. Actually, with Brady and Belichick it's pretty easy in October, November, December, and January too.

He's gggggggreat!

I was listening to a radio interview with Jets coach Rex Ryan the other day. He was talking about how he thinks this is the best Jets team he's had. Listening to him roar I started thinking about who he reminded me of. Something sounded so familiar. Then Ryan said "I know I'm a great coach. It's hard for me to look at myself as not being successful. I don't even see (being fired) as a possibility."

Then it hit me. Rex Ryan is Tony the Tiger. Always walking around roaring "They're ggggreat!" Only in Rex's case it's "I'm gggggreat!" Ryan's gut may haven't gotten a lot smaller (good for him). I can't call him Mt. Ryan anymore (bad for me). He's now Skinny Rex. His gut is smaller. But his mouth sure isn't.

The verdict is still very much out in whether Ryan is a great coach or not. The jury is still very much out on if he is a good motivator. A great defensive coach. Yes. But a great coach? The thing about great coaches is that they don't have to tell you they are. The great coaches in my football watching lifetime -- Noll, Shula, Landry, Cowher, Johnson, Walsh, Belichick -- never talked about themselves. Only about their team. And they didn't even talk about their team all that much. Ryan has done more talking in just more than three years in Gotham than all those hall of fame coaches combined. Great coach? No. Great mouth? Oh ya.

Ryan isn't worried about his job? Hmmmm. His Jets have gone 9-7, 10-6 and last year disintegrated into an ugly 8-8 and out of the playoffs. Most coaches would realize they are on the hot seat. If the Jets miss the playoffs again, all the bravado and boasting in the world won't be able to save Skinny Rex. Four years is a long time in the NFL without results. Too long.

Ryan said during the offseason that he was going to talk less. He just can't help himself. And whether you are a Jets fan or not, that's what makes him so fun.

Keep talking Rex. Keep talking.

You're ggggggreat!

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...

Top secret

The Jets made headlines today by running some Wildcat plays in practice. No. Really. They did.

With excitement in their voices as if they had just seen Springsteen, the football reporters on the NFL Network and ESPN1-30 reported that it was Tim Tebow's birthday today and skinny Rex gave him a gift by letting the offense go wild at training camp.

Sal Paolantonio reported from the Jets training facilities, stating the he was among the media members who were allowed to watch the Wildcat plays but, he added, "reporters were told that they could not divulge any of the formations or any of the players used in the formations." What? Reporters can't report on what they saw? And they agreed to that? What are the Jets doing? Coming up with a plan to reduce the deficit and save Social Security?

Nope. They are just practicing the Wildcat.

Here's what skinny Rex said after the practice... "We'll have an offense and the Wildcat will be a part of it. The great thing is you don't know if we're going to run it once. You don't know if we're going to run it 20 times, 50 times, whatever. That's up to us. If you're not prepared for it, why wouldn't we run it?"

The "you" Ryan is referring to there is Belichick and the Patriots. He seems to think that Belichick is twirling his whistle at practice because he is so nervous about facing the Jets and the Wildcat. Ryan feels the Wildcat is such a secret weapon that reporters can't even talk about what plays the team is practicing. Once again Rex doesn't get it. There are no secrets with the Wildcat. That's the whole point. When the Wildcat package (a.k.a Tebow) comes on the field everyone knows it. Everyone is prepared for it. The question is ... can you stop it? With the Patriots (and the rest of the NFL) the answer was no ... for about three months.

Way back in 2008 Tony Sparano (now the Jets offensive coordinator) unleashed the Wildcat against the Patriots and scored a ridiculous five touchdowns from the formation for a ridiculous 38-13 upset. Sparano and the Dolphins rode the Wildcat to a surprise AFC East title and a playoff berth. They then got crushed by the Ravens 27-9 in the first round. The Ravens had figured out the Wildcat. As did most of the NFL the following year. Eventually Sparano and the Dolphins gave up on the trick offense when Ronnie Brown -- the key to the whole thing -- got hurt and the plays started to create more turnovers than points.

So skinny Rex is hoping to rekindle the Wildcat magic with Sparano and Tebow. Problem is Tebow is a quarterback. He's fast... for a quarterback. He's shifty and elusive... for a quarterback. He's tough to bring down ... for a quarterback. Quarterbacks like Randall Cunningham and Michael Vick can run the Wildcat. Why? Because they can scramble and then stop and throw the ball 60 yards right on the money. Tebow can't do anything like that. The '08 Dolphins used running backs Brown and Ricky Williams to run their Wildcat. Mostly Brown. Ronnie Brown is fast. Really fast. Miami pretty much ran it as the Option offense from college. There was very little threat to pass. The question was would Brown keep the ball and run or pitch it to Ricky and let him run. For a few weeks defenses (especially the Pats) were frozen where they stood trying to figure it out. Then they did what all defenses eventually do against the Option or Wildcat. Just go after the darn ball. Once defenses get that in their head, the Wildcat is not so scary.

But don't tell skinny Rex that. The Jets didn't run any Wildcat plays in their preseason opener against Cincy. Rex volunteered -- as is his way -- after the game that the reason he didn't run the trick plays is because Cincy coach Marvin Lewis asked him not to. "I know nobody's worried about the Wildcat and all that stuff. It's real easy to stop," he said as the media lapped it up. "That's why I got a call at 7 a.m. the day before by Marvin not wanting to see the Wildcat. I guess I'm the only one who thinks it has a place in the NFL."

Classic Ryan. His logic is often flawed. The problem with using Marvin Lewis as his example of the power of the Wildcat? Marvin Lewis is afraid of facing the Wildcat? No kidding? Marvin Lewis is afraid of doing anything. That's why his team has consistently beat itself year after year with him leading the way. It's not like it was Tom Coughlin or Mike Tomlin making the call.

The Wildcat can be scary when run by a weapon like Ronnie Brown. When run by Tim Tebow it's just a quarterback who can scramble. Look at what the Pats did to Tebow and the Broncos twice in the span of a month near the end of last season. In Week 15 the Pats went into Denver and beat them convincingly 41-23.  Tebow rushed for nearly 100 yards and two touchdowns, but he only completed 11 passes and was mostly held in check in the second half. Turn the calendar ahead to the playoffs and a January game at Gillette. This time Tebow only complete nine passes. Nine! In the playoffs. And this time he only ran for 13 yards. Why? Because Brady was running a real NFL offense and crushing Denver 45-10. You can't run the Wildcat when you are down three touchdowns.

So Rex says he's going to keep the Wildcat a big mystery so that Belichick has a lot of sleepless nights. Will the Jets run 20 Wildcat plays? 50?

I bet I know what Belichick is thinking. Please let them run the Tebow Wildcat 50 times. Please.

A blabbermouth!

Rex Ryan says he and the Jets are gonna tone down all the talk this season.

Ya. Right. As Ralph Kramden would say, Ryan can't help himself. He's a blabbermouth!

Ryan said recently that he's not going to make any brash predictions this year. He's not going to talk as much trash. He began each of his first three seasons as HC of the NYJ by saying "We are winning the Super Bowl." Now it shouldn't come as a surprise any time a coach or player says they think the team will win it all. (Unless we're talking the 2012 Red Sox). Especially before the season even starts. What's the point of stepping on the field if you don't think you are going to win? It's "the promise" to win that gets people into trouble. People like Rex Ryan. Blabbermouths.

Ryan said he has realized that guaranteeing a championship may have put too much pressure on his players to back that boast up. It only took him three years to figure it out. Of course the Jets came pretty close in Ryan's first two seasons, making it to the AFC title game both years. But both times it was a matter of a slightly above average team sneaking into the playoffs and then getting hot. That's not really a recipe for long term success. Last season proved that, as Ryan's team failed to even make the playoffs, collapsing on the field and in the locker room. It was beautiful to watch.

Ryan says he has learned his lesson. Shut up and coach. Shut up and play. Problem is, when you make your name as a guy whose confidence and braggadocio are bigger than your pants size you really can't turn humble. You just look weak. That's the dilemma facing Ryan. A bully has only one thing going for him ... tough talk. Once that doesn't work he's toast. A slimmer (half of Mt. Ryan is gone) and gentler Rex Ryan doesn't work. And he knows it.

After saying he's going to coach and not talk, Ryan added "I look at myself as the best defensive coach in football."

That's right. He just can't help himself.