As a New York Giants fan, I have never been particularly concerned about the presence or general existence of the New York Jets. Just as most Yankee fans feel about the Mets, the Jets are just there and for eight games a year MetLife Stadium turns green. Otherwise, they really don't affect me in any way. Lately, though, it's been pretty hard to ignore just how ridiculous the franchise's act is at this point.
Throughout head coach Rex Ryan's run the Jets have been the picture next to the term "media circus" in the sporting lexicon. The circus was wildly successful early with back-to-back trips to the AFC Championship Game in the 2009 & 2010 seasons. Then the wheels came off the bus. GM Mike Tannenbaum and Ryan allowed several key locker rooms guys walk away and the chemistry that carried the Jets in 2009 & 2010 suddenly evaporated. Football is a bit different than other sports. The team dynamic is so important to the daily function of a football team that I believe it cannot be overstated. Letting guys like Tony Richardson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Jerricho Cotchery, and Shaun Ellis go makes sense from an age and declining talent perspective. But the Jets failed to replace their veteran savvy and locker room presence. What has followed since has been a disaster to say the least.
Quarterback Mark Sanchez has been a turnover machine. There's no consistent running game. Receiver Santonio Holmes hasn't been healthy. All-Pro corner Darrelle Revis held out, came back, got hurt, and was shipped to Tampa. Ryan favorite Jim Leonhard got hurt and was then released. The vaunted Ryan defense was hemorrhaging points. Special Teams guru Mike Westhoff retired and promptly ripped the organization. The Rex Ryan tattoo scandal popped up. There was the Tim Tebow fiasco...the Brian Schottenheimer fiasco...the Tony Sparano fiasco...you get the picture.
Tannenbaum was fired over the offseason. Former Seattle Seahawks' salary cap guru John Idzik was hired as the new general manager. Tim Tebow was set to be released. It looked like things were actually moving in a fairly positive direction for the Jets. And then, of course, owner Woody Johnson and company found a way to screw it all up. They denied that they wanted to trade Revis and then sent him to Tampa Bay where he signed a non-guaranteed contract. Instead of cutting Tebow immediately, they foolishly thought somebody would trade for him before finally cutting ties with the embattled former Florida Gator. Then there was the signing of quarterback David Garrard and the drafting of quarterback Geno Smith. Then, on top of that, the Jets announce that Idzik will have a say in naming the starting quarterback. This was a very public undermining of Ryan's authority. He was already a lame-duck coach with his contract situation but to publicly undercut him like that sends a terrible message to the locker room. If the front office doesn't trust Ryan, then why are they letting him hang around? What are the feelings of the front office towards others in the locker room or coaches' office? Will players even want to play for Ryan at this point? The Jets have also done a masterful, as in masterfully awful, job of handling the Sanchez/Smith quarterback competition. Oh, did I forget to mention that Garrard, who hadn't played in a game in nearly two years because of chronic knee issues, retired because of those same issues? Smith practices and plays on a badly sprained ankle when he should've rested for a few days of camp. Sanchez then plays in garbage time of a meaningless preseason game and hurts his shoulder. When you add in the way Ryan addresses the media afterwards, it's hard to tell which quarterback the Jets want to see take the job (or fail miserably) more.
I'm not a big Rex Ryan fan but I do feel for the guy a bit. It's hard enough to be a head coach at any level, much less in the NFL. And while he has screwed himself on quite a few occasions, I still think he's getting a bit of a raw deal from Idzik and the Jets' front office. Idzik has not spoken with the media during training camp, leaving Ryan to fend for himself and answer questions of which he is not the sole decision-maker. The more I look at this, I think back to Bill Parcells commenting on how if you want the coach to cook the meal you should at least let him shop for the groceries. It looks like we have the inverse going on here. Idzik shops for the groceries and wants a say in how the meal is cooked. Johnson is giving him that and then some. I will be stunned if Ryan makes it through the season as the head coach. He looks embattled and completely defenseless at times during his media sessions. That's something I never thought I'd see after all the bluster he's spewed from the podium over the course of his career. It looks like this circus is still going strong but I don't believe Ryan is the ringmaster anymore.
Speaking of things going south for New York/New Jersey sports franchises, the New York Mets suffered another setback when star pitcher Matt Harvey partially tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Harvey recently tweeted that he would be back April 1 next year, bypassing Tommy John surgery. Naturally, GM Sandy Alderson has said that no actual decision has been made and they're waiting on another MRI before making any decisions. Things just seem to keep going downhill. Every time a glimmer of hope appears, that light gets snuffed out at Citi Field. The Mets also finally completely threw in the towel on this season, trading John Buck & Marlon Byrd to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a prospect.
My WWE Summerslam prediction was pretty solid. While Ric Flair didn't make an appearance, Triple H did provide the assist to Randy Orton, making Orton a 10-time WWE Champion. Now, Triple H is touting Orton as the face of the company. How many chances does Orton get to be the face of the company? With John Cena out for the next 4-6 months rehabbing his torn triceps, Daniel Bryan has an opportunity to take center stage. It looks like he's getting the big face treatment with the way Triple H has been abusing him the last couple of weeks. But I still can't get past the fact that Orton is once again being pushed as the face of the company. He's got two strikes on the wellness policy and has been the subject of countless backstage rumors and frustrations over his decade with the company. It seems like when Trips isn't babysitting Orton, he's not doing much. Trips watched over him in Evolution then sent him to Smackdown where The Undertaker could take care of him. After that feud and a few shoulder injuries, Orton found himself right back on RAW with Trips. Orton then fell of the wellness wagon but he's got Trips watching out for him once more. Hopefully, Bryan can make his mark and Orton doesn't bury him. At least RVD will be getting a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity at Night of Champions.
The Cincinnati Bengals have been highly entertaining on Hard Knocks. They have been very open with the film crews and have quite the cast of characters, both players and coaches.
NBC's coverage of the Barclays Premier League is off to a great start. I'm loving the On Demand feature in which they allow you to replay the week's matches. I have been able to watch Tottenham's first two contests On Demand and not miss a beat!
One last note, if you can, give my friend Leo's blog on The Hockey Writers a read. It's some great stuff as he does a tremendous job covering the Albany Devils, the AHL affiliate of Jersey's Team. You can check it out here: http://thehockeywriters.com/albany-devils-day-jerseys-team-2012-13-highlights/
Until next time.
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