Rex Ryan Victim of Foot-In-Mouth Syndrome (No, Not That Way People)

I don't know what it is with Rex Ryan. Maybe he has short-term memory loss. Or maybe he is just plain stupid. I'm going to go with the latter, and for the New York Jets, their coach's mouth is only giving them less and less of a chance come this weekend against the Patriots.

You would think a 45-3 blowout loss on national television would be enough to shut up the exuberant Ryan. Or even the players. But no. While Bill Belichick and Tom Brady -- perhaps the most lethal coach-quarterback combo in league history -- sit back quietly, going about their business as usual, Ryan has been in front of the microphone once again. Last week he called out Peyton Manning, who traditionally has had his number, calling it "personal." At the same time, he took a shot at Brady by saying that Manning studies harder than anyone in the league, specifically calling out Brady by name and saying he's not on the same level as Peyton. Well, the Jets scraped by on a last second field goal, so I guess Rexy is thinking that route worked once, it could work again. On Monday he ranted that it's not Jets versus Pats this week in the AFC Divisional Round. It's Ryan versus Belichick.

"It's about him against myself," said Ryan. "That's what it's going to come down to." Apparently the reason the Pats won by 43 points in what many were calling the most important regular season game in Jets history is because Ryan was outcoached and Belichick took advantage of the lack of preparation on Ryan's part. In some aspects, it's respectable that Ryan tried to take the blame. And yes, Belichick had his Patriots infinitely more prepared than the Jets. But how exactly is trash-talking going to make New York more prepared? I hope Ryan remembers last time, when he said he wanted to "kick Belichick's ass."

45-3 Rex. 45-3.

And then there is Braylon Edwards, who said that he remembers the Week 13 beatdown, but that at the end of the day thinks the Jets are the better team. The Jets are talented, and they easily could compete. But remember who has the best coach and best quarterback in the league. Remember who have five capable receivers who could have a big game on any given Sunday. Remember who has lit into every team they've played since Thanksgiving. (Hint: It's not the Jets!)

For New York, this is monumental. The Patriots are the pinnacle. Once they beat them, they can beat anyone, at least in their minds (well, they think they could beat the Lakers at basketball and the Yankees at baseball, but that's besides the point). At the same press conference Monday, Ryan said Belichick will go down as either the greatest coach ever, or one of the greatest. But somehow, even that sounded a little condescending, if that's even possible. It's like he was saying "Well, Bill's the best there ever was, but still..."

I get that Ryan wants to do anything to get Belichick to pay attention to him and get into his head, but by now he should know it's not going to work. It never has, it never will. But because he needs to beat the Patriots -- needs to -- he'll try anyways. Idiot.

That's the problem with this "rivalry." It's one-sided. To the Patriots, the Jets aren't anything spectacular. Belichick is the the smart point guard: he knows the game better than anyone else. He may not have the best team around him, but he has a superstar to go to, and he makes everyone better. Ryan, on the other hand, is the big doofy center: lots and lots of talk, but not enough for the talent he has. Sure, the center led his team to victory in Week 2 (a 28-14 Jets win), but the point guard was playing with a major injury (Randy Moss was still on the team). Once they healed (dumped Moss), they became unstoppable.

Now, could the Jets go out and compete, and possibly win? Absolutely. That is, if the organization would shut up. Because although all this talking may fire up the Jets, New England is taking it all in. There is no better "Eff You" team in the NFL -- maybe in all of sports -- than the Pats. They rarely ever talk. They just sit back and take everything in, keeping it inside until game time. That's when New England strikes. They score. And keep scoring. Then the game appears over, and you know what happens? They score some more. Belichick will gladly keep Brady out there to score 50 points. He doesn't care.

I don't want to hear the reasons for Ryan doing this. Some say it's to take pressure off his players -- especially Mark Sanchez -- so the media won't keep asking them about the Week 13 dud Gang Green put up. If that's the case, then Sanchez needs a newsflash: He was the fourth overall pick, he's in his second postseason, and he's the quarterback. He needs to be a big boy and face the pressure.

I don't think Sunday's game will be a rematch of Week 13. But I don't think the Jets have a chance. It's not because they don't have the talent, because on any given week anyone in the NFL can win or lose a game, no matter the opponent. It's because the Jets are going out again, talking smack like they are undefeated and winning every game by 40, instead of preparing. Meanwhile the Patriots are doing their usual thing, keeping quiet, letting the Jets have their moment.

It very well could be a close game, but if New England gets off to a fast start, don't be surprised if it gets very, very ugly, very, very quickly. And if that is the case, Rex Ryan has only himself to blame, for teasing the caged lion and not expecting it to attack once it's let loose.

You could say he would be putting his foot in his mouth (assuming it's not already there to begin with). Yes, I had to.

Darrelle Revis Has More Leverage Than You, And He Knows It!

Vegas oddsmakers start early in guessing who will win the Super Bowl. Perhaps too early. Because shortly after the Super Bowl the New York Jets were a 14-1 shot to lift the Lombardi Trophy this February, and as of May 3rd they were at 10-1. But there's an issue with these relatively high odds. Vegas included the fact that the league's best defensive player, Darrelle Revis, was actually going to play, instead of deciding to hold-out for what looks like to be a very long time. Revis wants to be the league's highest paid cornerback. The Jets do not want to pay him $17 million a year. Both sides have legitimate arguments, which is why little to no progress has been made since January. Ultimately, though, it is Revis who will win out and get what he wants, because he is the one with all the leverage. If the Jets want a shot at winning a title, they can't do it without him.

There is no denying Revis's importance. He makes the league's best receivers look insignificant. Last year he took on six of the best in the NFL, and none could survive the wrath of Revis Island:

• Andre Johnson (best receiver in the game): 4 catches, 35 yards
• Randy Moss* (one of the top 5-10 greatest receivers ever): 9 catches, 58 yards, TD
• Marques Colston (should have been a Pro Bowler): 2 catches, 33 yards
• Terrell Owens (still dominant when he wants to be): 3 catches, 13 yards
• Mike Sims-Walker (sleeper WR of 2009): 3 catches, 49 yards, TD
• Roddy White (Pro Bowler): 4 catches, 33 yards

*in 2 games

The fact that Revis was not Defensive Player of the Year was an aberration, even more so because another cornerback, Green Bay's Charles Woodson, won the award. He is the best corner in the league. And although New York also has Antonio Cromartie, who is a solid defensive back, he is probably more well known for his 109-yard return or his one-handed interception of three years ago. Or some of you might even get him mistaken with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a cornerback for Arizona. Yeah, he's made a Pro Bowl, but he is not the playmaker Revis is. Facing off against Moss and Wes Welker, knee problems or not, twice a season -- plus seeing the likes of Sidney Rice, Greg Jennings/Donald Driver, Calvin Johnson, and Andre Johnson -- Revis will be needed. He's too much of a difference maker for Gang Green to survive without him for a long period of time. Revis knows this. The Jets probably have more pressure on them to perform than any team this season. It will only be a matter of time before the front office has no choice but to give in and give Revis the money he wants. It could be any of a number of things: an injury, a slow start (Baltimore, New England, Miami to start the year), pressure from places unknown. In terms of importance, Revis Island has all the leverage.

Then there's the part where the Jets shoved a Shaq-sized foot deep in their own mouths. On Tuesday coach Rex Ryan told the Associated Press, "You're taking the best corner in the league out of your defense." The front office has repeatedly given Revis the same title. So basically the team is willing to call Revis the best at his position, but they won't give him the money that goes along with the accolades. Seems a little unfair to me. I can see where the Jets would be unwilling to pay him $17 million a year, which would be $1 million more than the Raiders' Nnamdi Asomugha, because that is extremely high (blame Al Davis for that, because the top cornerback would probably be around $10 million without that crazy old man). If Oakland wasn't paying that amount, this probably would not be an issue. But that is not the case. The best cornerback in the league deserves to be the highest paid cornerback in the league. The Jets themselves called Revis the best, so they should have acknowledged that they are willing to pay him the most. This is in a lot of ways their own fault. If they kept their mouths shut, or at the very least if general manager Mike Tannenbaum and his front office did, then they would have more leverage in this situation. Oops.

There's no telling when Darrelle Revis will agree to a contract. It could be tomorrow, it could be during the pre-season, it could be in Week 5. Who knows. However, the longer the Jets argue and fight over money with someone who has a lot more power than them, the more detrimental it will be to the team. And for a team who is expected to challenge Justin Beiber's wannabe and the Patriots for the AFC East title, abandoning Revis Island and letting receivers roam free will most certainly stall the Jets' engines.

In A Gang Green State of Mind

Last weekend the Colts and Saints punched their tickets to Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, making for what is the biggest offensive juggernaut game since 1998, when the Packers and Broncos met in Super Bowl XXXII. But I’ll go into more depth on this game next week. This week I’m concentrating on one of the losers this weekend – the Jets – and how their performance against Indy showed why Gang Green will be a force in the AFC for years to come.
Sure, in the second half of Sunday’s game Peyton Manning picked apart the Jets defense with relative ease, but how many times have we seen Manning make good defenses look mediocre? But pointing out the good things from the game has to have other AFC East teams (that means you Pats fans) a little worried. Mark Sanchez played is best game of the year, throwing for 257 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. His 80-yard TD pass to Braylon Edwards was perfectly executed, complete with a pump fake that looked like it came from a 10-year veteran, not a shaky rookie out of USC.

At 23, the Sanchize has a bright future ahead of him, and the cast around him isn't too shabby either, especially in the backfield. Rookie Shonn Greene showed signs that he’s ready to take the reigns from Thomas Jones in the coming years in what is already the league’s best running game. He was taking the bulk of the snaps before missing all of the second half with a rib injury. In the two games before he compiled 263 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. His 53-yarder against San Diego ended up being the back-breaker in the team's 17-14 win. The Iowa alum might be the best 3rd-round pick since the 49ers took Frank Gore with the 65th pick in 2005 . And on defense the team’s top 6 tacklers were under 30, and they are led by Bart Scott, a disciple of Ray Lewis and the relentless Ravens defense, so you know the Jets, with former Ravens coordinator Rex Ryan as head coach, will basically be Baltimore East on defense. Oh, and they have Darrelle Revis, by far the best defender in the league who should have been Defensive Player of the Year (not sorry to Charles Woodson). Excuse me for thinking the corner who held these receivers to the following stats deserved the award:

(NOTE: An ESPN statistician went back and looked at all the plays where Revis covered the #1 receiver. So these stats include times when Revis wasn't covering them.)

• Andre Johnson, the most underrated WR in football: 4 catches, 35 yards
• Randy Moss ,arguably one of the top 5 greatest receivers ever: 9 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD in 2 games
• Marques Colston, who should have been a Pro Bowler: 2 catches, 33 yards
• Terrell Owens, who's still dominant when he wants to be: 3 catches, 13 yards
• Mike Sims-Walker, the sleeper of 2009 (kudos to Zack for picking him up in fantasy. Too bad Rolls Joyce was just too much in the ESPN league): 3 catches, 49 yards, TD
• Roddy White, Pro Bowler: 4 catches, 33 yards

There is no doubt that no one is as valuable to their defense right now than Revis is to the Jets. Troy Polamalu of the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers (I can only say this until February 8th, so I'm trying to get it in as much as possible) is a close second, though.

(Random tangent: How is it that the absence of one player turn a defense from historically good to incredibly mediocre? I mean this year's Steelers defense lost one starter from last year's Super Bowl team, Larry Foote, who was replaced by a young, talented Lawrence Timmons. They still had reigning Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, Brett Keisel, and Aaron Smith. You're telling me that with Polamalu the D can be one of the Top 5 all-time historically, yet when he's out with a leg injury they make Jay Cutler, Bruce Gradkowski, Matt Cassell, and Brady Quinn (Brady freaking Quinn!) look like Marino, Elway, Unitas, and Montana?? And they won the Super Bowl?? Name 2 other players who had that kind of effect on a defense. Ridiculous...)

Anyways, the cornerstone of all this is head coach Rex Ryan. Eric Mangini was a pure Belichick disciple: quiet, intimidating, sucked to begin his career. He didn't fit into the New York-style. Ryan, though, carries a swag and passion that gives the team a “We can beat anyone” attitude. He'll talk trash and act like his team is the greatest ever, but deep down all coaches think they're team has the talent to win the Super Bowl, except, of course, the Lions. Can they be relegated to the UFL? Is that allowed?

I love what the Jets are doing with their organization. They have the combination of talent, youth, and attitude to be a force in the always loaded AFC for a very long time. So while 2009 wasn’t the year of the Jets, New York fans should have plenty of reasons to cheer.