NFL Musings: Rex Ryan Takes a Shot at Tom Brady
Saturday, January 08, 2011
With the NFL playoffs set to kick off today, here’s your NFL 6-pack for the weekend:
1. Root for the Jets: After much deliberation, I have finally decided that it is best for we Patriots fans to root for the Jets to beat the Colts tonight. Not because we like them in any way shape or form. Far from it. It’s because of Rex Ryan’s comments about Tom Brady yesterday.
While trying to praise Peyton Manning, Ryan showed again that he has no filter between his brain and his mouth when he called out Tom Brady. When asked about Manning, he said, “there’s nobody like this guy in the league. Nobody studies like him and all that. I know Brady thinks he does and all that stuff, but I think there’s a little more help from Belichick with Brady than there is with Peyton Manning.”
Now I really want the Jets here in Foxboro for the divisional playoff game on January 16th. Why? Because I know how Tom Brady will handle that dis from Ryan. He will probably hang 50 on the Jets defense and won’t be satisfied if the Patriots don’t score a touchdown on every possession. That’s why I want to see the Jets here next weekend. Because I want to hear what that loud mouth Ryan has to say after Brady and the Patriots dismantle his Jets.
2. Dolphins Damage Control: After spotlight-seeking owner Stephen Ross swung and missed not once, not twice, but three times, now he wants Tony Sporano back.
Ross and the Dolphins sent out feelers and either had formal or informal discussions with Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden and Jim Harbaugh about becoming their new head coach and all of them turned him down.
What was so despicable about Ross’ actions were that he did it while Sporano was still his head coach. Now, after being spurned by all 3 coaching candidates, he apparently wants to keep Sporano and even extend his contract for another season or two. What a great guy!
Anything short of, “I am deeply sorry for handling this situation in the manner that I did and for emasculating a good man in Tony Sporano. I hope that he can forgive me and will accept this contract extension to coach my franchise,” from Ross would be unacceptable at today’s press conference.
The funny part is that the Dolphins under Ross remind me a lot of the Patriots under Victor Kiam, which is to say a laughable organization.
3. Harbaugh No Sure Thing: Former Stanford and current San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was the hot coaching commodity this offseason. Why? I’m not so sure.
Harbaugh and the Cardinal had a great season going (12-1) and winning the Orange Bowl 40-12 over Virginia Tech. But his previous 3 seasons in Palo Alto produced records of (8-5), (5-7) and (4-8).
Harbaugh may very well turn out to be a great coach in the NFL but if I had to wager my hard earned money, I would lean the other way. The NFL has been littered with great college coaches who were never able to make it big in the pros. Steve Spurrier and Butch Davis are just a couple of the more recent ones that come to mind.
The other thing about Harbaugh is that he rubs me the wrong way for some reason. From the way he responded to questions about his coaching future immediately before and after the Orange Bowl to his introductory press conference in San Francisco yesterday, there’s something that just doesn’t seem right.
Not that I think Harbaugh is a bad guy. There’s just something about him that I cannot seem to connect with.
4. The Young and the Restless: Tennessee Titans owner has decided that his head coach Jeff Fisher is more important to his organization than QB Vince Young is. I agree.
The strange thing is that Adams publicly admitted that the organization was going to part ways with Vince Young.
It’s no secret that Fisher and Young were not going to coexist in Tennessee, but did Adams have to admit that publicly? All that did was assure the Titans that they will not be able to get anything for Young by trading him. Pretty dumb if you ask me.
5. Overtime Rules Still Flawed: In an effort to make overtime in the NFL more fair, the league implemented a rule last offseason that will take place for the first time this postseason.
The rule states that if the team that has the ball kicked to them to start the overtime kicks a field goal, that the other team will get a possession as well to try to either match it or beat it.
There are a few problems with this, not the least of which is that if the team that receives the ball to start overtime scores a touchdown the game is over. Why is that fair?
It also may force teams to coach and play differently in overtime. If, for instance, you have the ball on your opponenets 20 and it’s 4th and inches on the opening possession of overtime, you may try to pick up the first down and eventually score a touchdown to end the game right there and not give your opponent a chance to get the football.
Something tells me that this rule will eventually be tweaked again.
6. More Miami Madness: Just when you thought things couldn’t get more ridiculous in Miami, think again!
Apparently Ross set up a meeting with Eric Mangini for Friday in Miami because Mangini “has intimate knowledge of the AFC East.”
Sounds like a desperate and confused man if you ask me.
Obviously lacking in confidence that his organization can compete with and beat the New England Patriots and the New York Jets, Ross was hoping he could pick Mangini’s brain to help him come up with the right formula for Miami to be a top team in the AFC East.
After the debacle in San Francisco where Miami was turned down by Harbaugh, Ross returned to Miami to find out how upset Sporano was and apparently cancelled the meeting with Mangini yesterday.
Even if you tried, you couldn’t make this stuff up!
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It