Same Old Steelers

It was the same old Steelers. Run the ball, run it some more, stop the run, make a big play on defense, and don’t make the big mistake. Terrible towels, the whole deal. Same crap every year. Big quarterback too, like Bradshaw used to be a little bit. But quarterback seems always to be just another position on the Steelers.

It never seems to matter who makes up the opposition. Yesterday it was the Jets who couldn’t stop the run early, who could never get on the field, who had the ball come out at the worst possible time, and who couldn’t score from the two in four tries.

I had said earlier that it would be motivation and focus that decided this game; that a game plan wouldn’t win or lose it. But I was wrong. I would have thought surely that containing Roethlisberger would be a focus. It wasn’t. I would have thought that stopping the run would have been a paramount matter too. But it wasn’t.

And I would have thought that a tough team, a ground and pound team, would have run that ball into the end zone from the two. They didn’t.

I was really angry with Schottenheimer after the Jets tried those two passes. Then, of course, there was the safety and regaining possession and eventually scoring but it just wasn’t the same from then on. And, even then, the Jets could have turned the game around if they could have just stopped the Steelers on that fateful last possession. But they couldn’t.

That was the real story of the game, I suppose. When the Jets needed to do something, they couldn’t do it.

The Jets made a bold statement early by electing to kick off rather than receive the ball. The gauntlet was thrown down, so to speak. The Steelers said ok, challenge received, now take that and that and that and that ad friggin’ infinitum all the way down the field for the score. I couldn’t think of a worse way to start a game. In my mind’s eye, I could see the albatross circling.

Then the Jets did nothing much but maybe more than could have been expected after sitting on the sidelines for as long as they had. They gained 30 yards and punted. Bryan Thomas later intercepted Roethlisberger to stop another Steelers drive.

Oh, what’s the use? The Jets couldn’t stop Mendenhall and they couldn’t run. Later on, Sanchez got stripped and all of a sudden it was 24-0. I was saying it was “game over”.

That the Jets made a game of it at all was heartening, very much so. That they couldn’t score from the two yard line changed the game though. Even though the Jets got the safety and then scored again, there was another five minutes or so burned up when time was of the essence.

From there on, it became just a matter of getting the ball back. They couldn’t do it. They let Big Ben get out of the pocket once again and he made that critical completion to hold the ball and finally sink Gang Green. It was at that point that Rex finally lost it and threw down his clipboard in disgust.

The Jets couldn’t tackle, especially early in the game. It’s that kind of inexplicable thing that decides games. To me as I watched, I remember thinking that the Jets looked as if they were playing on ice, that they were trying to tackle without leaving their feet, that the cold and the surface were really making them look like a bunch of old guys. And some of them are old guys. The Jets will have to deal with that.

So the Jets won’t be going to Dallas. I can deal with that. What I’m going to have trouble dealing with is the future. I just wish everybody’d stop thinking about the next AFC Championship and the next Super Bowl. Guess what? It’s a long hard road to get into the game at all.

There are Patriots looming, and Colts and maybe even the Raiders in the future. And none of them will be easy to beat, at least not as easy as they had been this year. The Pats were kind of young, the Colts were kind of hurt and the Raiders, well, who knows with the Raiders?

A lot depends upon what moves the Jets will be making, of course. So far, even though their General Manager Tannenbaum is probably one of my least favorite people in the world, their moves have been great. Nobody could argue with that. But will they be able to keep Braylon and Santonio, LaDainian and other established stars with less colorful names, like Jason Taylor and Calvin Pace and Shaun Ellis?

Darrell, D’Brickashaw…..they do have some great names, don’t they?

As I write this, Mike Francesa is lambasting Rex Ryan again. Rex obviously doesn’t kiss Mike’s flabby butt. Much to Rex’s credit, he hasn’t changed his behavior at Francesa’s behest. If anything, he’s totally disregarding him, which is probably the biggest slight of all to someone with Francesa’s huge ego.

Giants coach Coughlin hasn’t made that mistake. Coughlin kisses Francesa’s butt at every opportunity, much to his advantage. You won’t hear Francesa going after Coughlin, who perfectly fits Francesa’s image of the perfect football world, one in which only coaches speak, players don’t celebrate and players say nothing but “yes sir”.

Guaging the Jets organization’s success only on AFC Championships and Super Bowls plays right into Francesa’s hands though, and to all those who think like Francesa. Jets fans can expect only tough defensive football teams who win more often than not. You need luck as much as anything, with injuries and ball bounces, to advance any farther than that.

The Steelers are the standard though…same old Steelers. They’ll continue to be too. They’ll run the ball, stop the run, and have tough guys who can make plays.

Rex Ryan - The Right Guy !

Woody Johnson mentioned things like “straightforward”, “expertise” and “instincts”. He could have added honest, aggressive, confident, smart and tough. Rex Ryan! I’m impressed! After Ryan’s hard-hitting opening press conference in beautiful Florham Park this morning, I’m ready for some football. And so is he!

What a difference from Mangini! Rex imparted more information in ten minutes than you’d extract from Mangini in a year. That’s for openers. Anybody interested in following the team and the league has to be happy about that alone. Ryan didn’t say “process” once. What he said was “full speed”, “aggressive”. “team”, “physical”, “run the football”, “opportunity”, “challenge”, and “take a swipe at one of ours, we’ll take a swipe at two of yours”.

Oh BABY!!

But he’s not an animal either. He showed his style and class. He opened his remarks with a reference to maybe meeting the new President, breaking the ice nicely, then showed some humility by expressing his thanks to the ownership and management. Best of all, he thanked his wife and cracked everyone up with his observation that there are only two kinds of coaches wives, ex-wives and great wives. Then he totally ad-libbed that he had probably “outkicked his coverage”.

The overwhelming feeling I get is that he’s Buddy Ryan’s son, but he’s a little more conscious of style, those rough edges honed down to glass. Everything he said made sense, and he used words that painted pictures in your mind. Much as a teacher would.

He laid out his immediate plans, emphasizing that he’d first surround himself with good people. Before he does anything else, he’s going to decide on a coaching staff. He mentioned Callahan and Mike Pettine, who’s joining the team from the Ravens.

Then he talked about providing his players with all the tools they’d need for success, and “KILL” or keep it likeable and learnable. He stressed that everything would be full speed, that they’d be aggressive and they’d play as a team.

He talked about the importance of preparation, and how it all starts on the practice field; they’d play “physical” and hit things head on. They’d let opponents know “The Jets are comin’” . His team would have pride and all three units would be involved.

But he likes Favre. Rex was very impressed by a thrashing Favre had given his Ravens back in 2001, and wouldn’t mind having him back at all. But when asked when he’ll talk with Brett, he said he’d be talking to all his players, and that “when we get around to the “f’s”, I’ll talk with Brett”.

When asked specifically about the 2 TD’s and 9 interceptions Favre produced to end 2008, he said he hadn’t reviewed the tapes of those games, and after he did, he and his coaches would take appropriate action then.

If his team does show pride, it’ll be a reflection of the coach. Rex is justifiably proud of his “consistent” personal coaching record and laid out the success he has had all along the way, in Cincinnati, then in Oklahoma for a year before he moved along to Baltimore, where his defense finished 1st or 2nd every year for about ten years. What could say it better than his parting shot on that topic, “you got the right guy”!

On the subject of Brian Schottenheimer, Ryan once again showed his humanity by empathizing with the Jets existing offensive coordinator, relating his feelings last year when he was bypassed by John Harbaugh for the Ravens top job, saying he “knows the sting”. But he “got over himself” and recognized it as an opportunity to become better prepared for the head coaching job himself.

Upon being asked about the “same old Jets”, he stressed that he’s taking over a good football team that had won nine games. But the style of play will be different, with an emphasis on defense, and that “that read and react stuff is for somebody else”. His players would play through the whistle.

If he likes his style, he seems to honestly like his content too, mentioning his “edge rushers”, guy in the middle, his linebackers and his “best cornerback in football” (Revis).
On Jets #1 pick Vernon Gholston, he related that situation to that of his Ravens Terrell Suggs, and how he changed perceptions from being a bust to being Rookie of the Year.

Ryan was sure to mention the fans too, and how he can’t wait for those home games with those great Jets fans out there, and that it’d be “rough on people”. And he’s legitimately proud that his Ravens hadn’t allowed more than 13 points in any home game all of last year.

He seemed a little Parcells-like when replying to a question about Mangini and the possibility that he’d irritate players with a ‘gee, I hope I don’t irritate ‘em’ kind of response, but then softened it by saying he wouldn’t last long if he irritated his players.

For a guy who maintains he doesn’t have a silver tongue, he surely did a nice job of parrying the questions he got this morning, and they weren’t softballs either. He honestly and intelligently handled all the questions on Favre, Schottenheimer, Mangini and the “say” he’d have in the organization with aplomb, saying not too much or too little. He honestly appreciates his new job and team and appreciates the limits of his place in it.

Ryan did make it clear that personnel is Tannenbaum’s job but that that function too would be a joint effort among coaches and scouts, but that he has never had pressure from above to hire a coach and that any speculation to that effect was not true.

Woody Johnson by all accounts wanted somebody who could fire guys up. He would seem to, as Ryan says, “have the right guy”. I know I’m fired up already, waddaya kiddin’ me? A fiery guy with a good record, a guy with brains, a guy who’ll answer your questions? What’s not to like?

Sad Ending, New Beginning

Despite the wonders of NFL ticket, I really was only interested in a few games yesterday. All the games paled in interest when compared to the Jets game. I had looked forward to Chad’s kicking the Jets butts since around Week 10.

So it was mostly a good day for me.

I used to be a Jets fan. That was before the Jets played hardball with one of their best offensive linemen last year. That was before Mangini started testing players on their assignments during the week. That was before Tannenbaum finally acquired some really good free agents - guys who would finally make it possible for the loyal Pennington to lead the Jets into the playoffs.

Then in the Jets’ infinite wisdom, they acquired Favre. They held Pennington in such low regard that they just gave him his release. Parcells got him.

At that moment I became a Dolphins fan. Not a diehard Fish enthusiast certainly, but someone who kept an eye on what the men in those crazy teal and orange and white uniforms were doing each week.

And they did mostly good things, smart things. They got Joey Porter and Ricky Williams, and they took a chance on a hard-working coach from Connecticut. They beat the tar out of the Patriots by pulling out their Wildcat, and I watched with glee as the Pats were swiping mostly at air all afternoon.

So it was great watching Favre be himself yesterday and throw INT after INT --and Pennington be himself by throwing two TD’s and no interceptions. What can you say? They needed to win but the Jets lost again. I totally expected it. I anticipated the interceptions and reveled in Chad Pennington’s performance. I enjoyed watching the Fish run their Wildcat again and again against a Jets defense that looked slow and confused. And leaderless.

And now Mangini has been fired. So now the Jets can move forward again. They can start over with a new head coach, and hopefully new coaches. They certainly need a different scheme on defense. It doesn’t seem to work. There’s never any real pressure on the opposing qb’s, something that so many other good teams do successfully. The team just looked totally lifeless. Maybe it was Favre’s ridiculously low-key televised “pep talk” to the team.

It’s probably the best thing for Mangini at this stage of his career. Maybe he went too far too fast. The speed of the firing makes me think Mangini knew he had to win that last game in order to be retained. His physical reactions at his last press conference would seem to confirm that, or at least a suspicion of that.

I wonder now if pulling the plug so quickly on Mangini will save Tannenbaum his job. Somebody should pay for dumping Pennington so unceremoniously, and worse, from a business standpoint, giving him away.

But Tannenbaum has made some good moves too, though. Sure - he had Woody’s budget, but at least he recognized where his team needed help. Most of his moves were more positive than negative. The offensive line moves and the linebacker move he made worked out, by all accounts, so he must be doing some things right. And Jenkins helped them until mid-season. QB is a big place to make a mistake though. Geez.

Maybe I can even become a fan again, but it’ll be tough if Favre’s still the quarterback. They at least have to start developing somebody else long-term, somebody in addition to Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff, somebody who has a reasonable expectation of succeeding.

With or without Favre, the Jets have problems. The Dolphins certainly had their problems last year. But the good leaders found answers for them all. They got people with character. Sparano, Pennington, Porter, and even a kid from Jersey named Fasano.

But a team has no chance without good leadership…..any team. That was obvious in Philadelphia yesterday as the Cowboys got mutilated by the Eagles. It was “Fly, Eagles, Fly” time in Cheesesteak-land. Dallas seems to need some leadership skills too, somewhere. Could Tony Romo alone be the cause of such ineptitude?

Romo looked bad yesterday, bad enough to really warrant a re-inspection of their quarterback position. His fling down the sideline was so poorly thrown and so ill-advised that it made the whole team sick, I think. They lost heart….and then continued to lose heart. What a beating!

Wade Phillips will be kept, according to Jerry Jones’s first remarks after the loss. He sounds as if he’s tired of blaming coaches. I think he should reexamine his position. Wade seems to be another non-starter as a leader, maybe Romo too, but I think there’s still a lot of hope for him.

In a way, Romo’s biggest problem is his elusiveness. He holds the ball too long. He always needs a checkdown guy, but there weren’t any in sight yesterday.

Jones needs to get some guys without character issues too. T.O. wouldn’t be my team’s spokesman. I know he loves it but get a grip, Jerry. Stop picking up big names; they don’t always have big games.

It’s almost unbelievable what the Dolphins have accomplished. Now that situation just reeks of leadership. Sound operations from the top brought a good, maybe great, head coach. His guys played motivated in every game. They were good defensively and good enough on offense. Everything was balanced. Everything seemed well-organized, even when they ran a wildly-imaginative offense nobody had used for a long long time, maybe never.

So leadership seems to mean a lot. A new head coach in New York, even with total uncertainty at the most important football position, quarterback, will be a good start.

They need somebody who’s coached before, somebody who can handle people and be pretty good as a bench coach too, somebody with honest-to-God football instincts who can inspire a good performance or at least an honest one. It’s a tough game and you need tough people at the top.

Let’s go Jets.