Memo to Rex Ryan: Shut Up and Just Coach!

“This is tough, because we’re obviously out of the playoffs. We thought we had a great chance to make it to the playoffs. This is hugely disappointing.” – Rex Ryan following the Jets Week 15 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Rex Ryan has been a walking sound byte since becoming head coach of the New York Jets. He has not been afraid to talk a big game, and his players have been more then willing to follow suit.

Of course, Ryan and the Jets only tend to run their mouths when they are on winning streaks.

The trash talk was very loud in East Rutherford, New Jersey when the Jets started the season with their quick 3-0 start. Of course all that fire and venom quickly dissipated when the team began to struggle with rookie Mark Sanchez under center.

The Jets had an up and down season with their rookie head coach and quarterback, but were able to right the ship and had some fortunate breaks to qualify for the postseason.

With the playoffs just around the corner, and the Jets on a modest two-game winning streak, Ryan felt it was appropriate to cause a stir when he proclaimed that the Jets should be favorites to win.

By win, Ryan does not mean just upset the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend; Ryan feels that his Jets should be the favorites to win the Super Bowl.

“I wasn’t aware of that, but to me we should be the favorites, so that’s fine.”

When asked to clarify this comment Ryan followed with this;

“I mean in the whole tournament.”

Now, of course any fan would want the coach and the players to be confident that the team will perform well during the playoffs, but this is bordering on the insanity.

First, it was only two short weeks ago that Ryan had publicly threw in the towel and told the fans that the Jets would not make the playoffs.

Now, he has the gall to say with a straight face that the Jets should be favored to win the Super Bowl.

The Jets should be commended for being able to rally from that awful home loss to the Falcons and win their last two games to qualify for the postseason.

Having said that, the team was fortunate to draw the Colts and the Bengals when both teams were resting the majority of their starters.

There is no denying the Jets do have some momentum as they head into their game against the Bengals, and personally I would not be the least bit surprised if they won that game.

However, from an unbiased opinion, the Jets are the fourth best team, in the AFC!

While the Jets do own a victory over the Colts, let’s not kid ourselves; that was against the JV Colts. If Peyton and the starters were playing that entire game I think we know how that game would turn out.

The San Diego Chargers are the hottest team in football, and might be the most complete team. Now I understand the Jets have the number one ranked defense, but I just don’t see how they can cover all of the Chargers tall and athletic receivers.

Yes, these aren’t the Patriots of 2007; and yes they did lose Wes Welker for the playoffs. However, Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches of all time and has one of the best quarterbacks of this generation, I still give the Pats the edge if the two teams were to square off.

In all honesty, I don’t think the Jets could beat any of the NFC playoff teams; save for maybe the Jekyll and Hyde Arizona Cardinals.

The Jets do have some talent, and with the number one running game and number one defense in football, the team could win a game or two along the way.

However, to say that the team should be the favorite to win the Super Bowl is more absurd then Tom Brady winning Comeback Player of the Year.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I sure can’t wait to hear what Rex has to say after the Jets lose.

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NFL Drops The Ball With Chad Ochocinco’s Tribute To Chris Henry

Chad Ochocinco is not stranger to criticism and controversy. In fact, you could say Ochocinco strives to make himself the center of attention during each and every football season.

He is constantly being fined by the National Football League for his over the top touchdown celebrations.

Likewise, he is constantly chastised in the media for performing these “immature” celebrations.

Some fans tend to enjoy these antics, while others feel that his act as grown stale and old, and that he needs to grow up.

When Ochocinco’s teammate Chris Henry died last Thursday, Ochocinco took the news very hard .

The two teammates we very close and Ochocinco went so far as to refer to Henry as his little brother.

Now, everyone grieves differently when it comes to the loss of a loved one, and Ochocinco planned to wear Henry’s number 15 jersey in this past Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers to honor his fallen friend’s legacy.

When Ochocinco asked the NFL for permission to wear Henry’s jersey he was met with a firm “No.”

Now, of course the league has rules when it comes to uniforms, and as such they should be enforced regularly. Having said that, the NFL dropped the ball here by not allowing Ochocinco to wear Henry’s number.

This was not a case of Ochocinco looking to cause trouble and make a spectacle out of himself and the sport, he was dealing with the loss of a close friend and he though this was the best way to honor him.

Roger Goodell has been a firm, but fair, commissioner during his time with the NFL and he does not take crap from anyone who looks to cause trouble. However, when it came to this decision, he ruled unfairly.

There is precedent in both basketball and baseball for players wearing different jersey numbers during the course of the season.

Michael Jordan was allowed to change his jersey number from 45 back to 23 upon return from his first retirement.

Baseball honors Jackie Robinson’s legacy each and every year by allowing players to wear his retired number 42 for one day.

What would be the harm of allowing Ochocinco to wear 15 for one day?

Now some might say those are extenuating circumstances, in that those sports are honoring two of their greatest players. That should not matter though.

Chris Henry’s death was an extenuating circumstance, and while it is against the rules, we have learned time after time in the sports world rules are made to be broken.

Sensing that his planned tribute might become to much of a distraction to the team, it was Chad Ochocinco who ultimately took the high road:

“It’s becoming more of a distraction for myself and my team,” Ochocinco texted. “Chris wouldn’t want it to go the way it is.

“It can turn into a big negative if we don’t perform the way we should. I’ll have his jersey in hand throughout the entire game. His jersey is also 4 times bigger than my normal one.”

For a man who has been constantly criticized during his career for being selfish, self-absorbed, and immature, it certainly appears that Chad Ochocinco is more of a man then we all thought he was.

When all was said and done Ochocinco decided to let his play pay tribute  to his “little brother”.

 

 

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Baltimore’s Little Big Man Continues To Overcome Obstacles

When Ray Rice was drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft in 2008, the move was highly criticized. The so-called experts claimed that Rice was too small to be a successful running back in the NFL, and that he would probably be nothing more then a third down or change of pace back.

 

This was just another obstacle that Ray Rice has overcome during his life.

 

Rice was one of four children that were raised by a single mother after his father was killed in a drive-by shooting when Rice was only a baby.

 

As if that was not enough tragedy for a young child to endure, Rice also had to deal with the loss of his older cousin, who had served as his father figure.

 

The strength of his mother helped shape Rice into the football player he would eventually become: fearless.

 

“I was taught that I cannot back down to anything. I was trained never to be scared.”

 

With a 5’9, 200 pound frame, Rice would have to be fearless playing the running back position, because none of the other leviathans that play the sport would go easy on him.

 

Rice would go on to find great success with his high school team at New Rochelle, winning the state title his junior year and leading the team back to the title game his senior year.

 

His great and fearless play would not go unnoticed, as he began catching the attention of several Division I schools. After reneging on his commitment to Syracuse due to a coaching change, Rice would eventually decide to play his collegiate football at Rutgers.

 

Now for those of you that are unaware, the Rutgers football program was not one of the stronger programs at the time, so signing Rice came as a bit of a shock.

 

Not too much was expected of Rice when he got to Rutgers. The team seemed as if it was destined to perform at a low level and never win more then three to four games a season.

 

Rice would not accept these low expectations.

 

He would team with Brian Leonard to provide a devastating one-two punch that would propel Rutgers to success the school had never known before.

 

When Leonard left for the NFL in the 2007 Draft, many thought that Rice would not be able to live up to the expectations he and Leonard had created by himself.

 

Rice would go on to have a very solid season, culminating with him winning the MVP of the International Bowl, which saw Rutgers defeat Ball State 52-30.

 

During his time at Rutgers, Rice would go on to amass 4,926 yards rushing to go along with 50 total touchdowns. At the time of his declaration for the NFL Draft, he was the second-leading rusher in Big East history as well as the all-time leading rusher in Rutgers history.

 

With nothing left to prove at the college level, there was only one stop left for Ray Rice: the NFL.

 

Rice didn’t exactly impress the scouts at the pre-draft combine, and in addition to his small frame, most “experts” predicted Rice would be a fourth round pick at best.

 

Then the Baltimore Ravens shocked many by making Ray Rice the 55^th selection of the 2008 NFL Draft.

 

So Rice had finally made it to the NFL. The only problem was that he was now in Baltimore’s crowded backfield along with Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain.

 

Baltimore would use the three backs interchangeably and ride them to a surprising playoff run.

 

Rice would end the year with only 107 carries, but he was able to prove what he could do in his Week Nine start against the Cleveland Browns when he ran for 154 yards on 21 carries.

 

Even after that big game, Rice would still cede the majority of the carries to the more established backs. Rice kept positive and continued to work hard in practice.

 

His hard work would finally pay off this year, as he was officially named the starting running back for the Ravens. Of course that was not met without some obstacles as he would still lose goal line touches to McGahee for the first half of the season.

 

Rice’s real coming out party came Week Six against the Minnesota Vikings, when he went off for 194 total yards and two touchdowns. Since then he has become the focal point of the Ravens attack.

 

Along with Maurice Jones-Drew, Rice has proven that the smaller back can still find success in today’s NFL.

 

What makes Rice different from so many of the other smaller backs in the league, such as Leon Washington, Darren Sproles, and Warrick Dunn, is that Rice will look to initiate contact and runs effectively between the tackles.

 

Rice has been able to prove all the doubters wrong, as he has become not only an every down back, but he is also a complete running back.

 

While he runs fearlessly between the tackles, Rice also has excellent hands that make him a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield. Additionally, Rice does a tremendous job of blocking and protecting Joe Flacco from blitzing linebackers.

 

It was no coincidence that in the Raven’s biggest game of the season this past Sunday against the hated Pittsburg Steelers that Ray Rice made one of the game’s defining plays .

 

Some people were surprised that Rice was able to perform so well against the vaunted Steelers defense; but for Ray Rice this was just another obstacle for him to overcome.

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Will the Buccaneers Go 0-16? Why a Winless Season Is a Very Real Possibility

Typically, many 0-5 teams do not face “must win” games. These types of games are usually reserved for teams on the brink of playoff contention or trying to save a lost season.

Make no mistake about it, though: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are facing a must win game this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

As just mentioned, this is not a game that will have a profound impact on the Buccaneers’ playoff chances. Their fate was sealed a very long time ago.

This is a must win game in the sense that if the Bucs do not win this Sunday, they might not win at all this season.

That’s right—the 2009 Buccaneers may very well finish the season 0-16.

I tried to be optimistic at the start of the season, I really did. I figured the team could pull out five or six wins this year. As the season has progressed, it has become painfully obvious that the team is simply dreadful.

There are a few bright spots.

The team plays hard for coach Raheem Morris, which for a young team in transition is a good sign moving forward. Cadillac Williams has bounced back from his second major knee surgery and been as productive as one can be on this team. Josh Johnson has proven to be at least a competent starter in the NFL.

I don’t really know where to begin with the negatives.

It seems every time I have watched a game this season, the Bucs spot the opposition a two-touchdown lead to start the game. The once proud defense can no longer stop ANYONE. With a team that doesn’t have that much talent to begin with, you can’t be forced to play from behind in every game.

Offensively, the running game has not been as effective as one would hope, mostly due to injuries on the offensive line. The Byron Leftwich experiment was a complete failure. Antonio Bryant (the nine million dollar man) also cannot stay healthy, and Michael Clayton has successfully robbed the team of 10 million dollars in guaranteed earnings.

Even with all these shortcomings, you would think that the team would be able to get it together to win at least one game. However, the schedule makers were not very kind to the Buccaneers this year, as they face one of the toughest schedules in the league.

After this week’s game at home against the Panthers, they must travel to London to play the New England Patriots before they have their bye Week Eight. To put it nicely, there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell the Bucs beat the Pats.

After the bye week, they get the Packers, Jets, Saints, and Falcons at home and have to travel to play the Dolphins, Saints, Panthers, Falcons, and Seahawks.

Now maybe I’m just being a tad pessimistic, but I really don’t see the Buccaneers winning any of those games.

If the Bucs are unable to beat the struggling Carolina Panthers at home this week, then they may indeed be heading for a winless season.

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Buccaneers’ Strong Running Game Will Be the Focus in 2009

Since the Buccaneers cleaned house back in early January, the football pundits have claimed that they will be one of the worst teams in football in 2009.

Foxsports.com went so far as to mention the Buccaneers as one of three teams with the potential to go winless this season.

While I do not disagree that this season will bring more than its share of struggles, I do not think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be as terrible this season as has been predicted; the reason for that will be a very strong running game.

Coach Raheem Morris has already said that the Buccaneers will be much more physical than teams from prior seasons, with a heavy emphasis on the running game and play action passes.

The running game will be especially important considering the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position, as well as the change in philosophy on defense.

At first glance, the Buccaneers’ running game doesn’t appear to be anything special, seeing as how the team ranked in the middle of the pack last year in all the major team rushing statistics, but those numbers are very misleading.

Due to injuries over the course of the season, the team was stretched very thin at the fullback position—so thin, in fact, that top running back Earnest Graham volunteered to play fullback at several points during the season.

All the extra hits that Graham took while filling in at fullback eventually took their toll, and thus Graham was only able to appear in 10 games last year.

In addition to Graham’s injury, Carnell “Cadillac” Williams also missed a large portion of the season recovering from a torn ACL injury suffered during the 2007 season.

Warrick Dunn would lead the team last year with 786 yards rushing with a modest 4.23 YPC and two touchdowns. Those numbers don’t seem all that amazing, but when you consider Dunn was viewed as a third down back entering the 2008 season, those numbers are much better then they initially appear.

This article isn’t about looking at the past. Rather, its focus is on the future, and the future looks bright for the Buccaneers’ running game this year.

So who are the key players that will prove vital to the success of the running game?

Let’s start up front with the offensive line. The Buccaneers will be bringing back an offensive line that, with the exception of Jeremy Zuttah, started every game last season.

2008 big ticket free agent acquisition Jeff Faine returns at center to anchor this emerging group. He will be joined by Pro Bowl right guard Davin Joseph, who continues to improve each season. Also joining them up front will be tackles Jeremy Trueblood and Donald Penn and Zuttah at left guard.

This group really began rounding into form around midseason last year, when Zuttah began seeing more playing time. Bringing back the entire group certainly bodes well for the Buccaneers’ chances in 2009.

Now, let’s focus on the running backs.

Earnest Graham returns as starter “1-A.” He has proven himself to be a legitimate running back since saving the Buccaneers’ season back in 2007. Since that time, he has scored 14 touchdowns and compiled over 1,400 yards rushing in just over a season’s workload.

One problem with Graham is that with his bruising style of running, he is more susceptible to injuries, and thus his durability is a concern.

Enter Derrick Ward, or starter “1-B.”

Ward was the Buccaneers’ big free agent signing this past offseason. Coming off a career season last year with the New York Giants, Ward amassed 1,025 yards rushing with an impressive 5.6 YPC to go along with two touchdowns.

What also makes Ward appealing is his pass-catching ability, as he caught 41 balls last year for just under 400 yards and two touchdowns. Ward will provide the perfect complement to Graham and should also enable Graham from taking too many extra hits.

There is one more player in the Buccaneers’ rushing attack this year. Cadillac Williams is the forgotten man entering this season due to all the injuries he has dealt with over his career, but I see him as a wild card this season. If he is able to stay healthy (a huge if) and regain his 2005 form, then he adds an extra dimension to the Buccaneers’ offense.

If his injuries continue to linger, his time in Tampa will eventually run its course.

Many people see the Buccaneers as a three or four-win team this year, and with this tough schedule it is easy to see why. However, I think that if the running game lives up to expectations this year, this could very well be a team that wins seven or eight games and really turns some heads this season.

Brett Favre: The Never Ending Story Continues

There are few things in this life you can count on happening: you will grow old, the seasons will change, and Brett Favre will have his annual unretirement party.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Brett Favre officially came out of retirement for the second (or third, who knows at this point?) time. This time, he’ll suit up for the Minnesota Vikings.

Now I, for one, have no problem with Favre wanting to continue to play football. It’s his career, and he should keep playing as long as he wants. Sure, he might tarnish his legacy by going the way of players such as Joe Namath by sticking around for a season or two too long, but he has earned that right.

I DO have a problem with the way Favre has conducted himself for the last several offseasons. Going as far back as the 2005 offseason, it seems as though Favre has been contemplating his retirement from the NFL.

This obviously creates a distraction for those around him. Favre had built so much goodwill while he was in Green Bay that the team allowed him the time to think about his career and whether he wanted to come back. This was a noble act by the team, but it created a precedence that has continued for far too long.

Favre was basically allowed to question his future with the team for as long as he deemed fit, mostly to miss part of training camp, ultimately to return. Finally, the Packers grew weary of this act. After the 2007 season ended, they demanded an answer sooner rather then later.

Everyone knows how that story played out: Favre retired, and Aaron Rodgers was handed the reins to the Packers franchise. The only problem was the old gun slinger wasn’t ready to call it quits yet.

What transpired over the next several months was a media circus that would make T.O. jealous. Favre was portrayed the victim of a coup by the Packers coaching staff and front office as a way to get Rodgers on the field. Football analysts across the nation defended Favre, feeling he was forced to retire.

The Packers were unfairly painted the villain in this story by no fault of their own. They had been very understanding and accommodating to Favre for years, and now it came back to bite them in the ass.

The Packers held their ground, but so did Favre, and he was eventually traded to the Jets. After a hot start to the season, the Jets would fall apart by the end of the season and miss the playoffs due to Favre’s poor play.

Lesson learned, right?

Well…not exactly.

This offseason was filled with questions about whether Favre would sign with the Vikings. After wavering on the issue and holding countless media outlets hostage for several months, Favre announced his retirement from football in July, and the world was a much better place.

Or did he?

After getting in contact with the Vikings this past weekend and telling the team he felt good enough to play, he was signed to a two-year contract and was on the practice field yesterday.

Favre has somehow been able to get what he wants two years in a row. He was traded away from Green Bay last year, and this year he signed with the team he wanted to play for all along: the Minnesota Vikings.

Brett Favre is an all-time great quarterback; he’s also an all-time headache. Good luck, Minnesota, he’s your problem now.

Tampa Bay Should Start Rebuilding With Josh Freeman’s Strong Rookie Arm

Change is inevitable, especially in the world of professional football. Players and coaches come and go so quickly sometimes that it is hard to keep track.

This past off season the Tampa Bay Buccaneers experienced a house cleaning that wiped out everyone from the old regime except for some accountants, a few interns, and Ronde Barber.

Out with the old and in with the new.

Now with the Raheem Morris regime about to begin there are many questions surrounding the team; with perhaps the most important question being; who will be quarterbacking the team come opening day?

There are three men on the roster who are competing to be “the man” for the Bucs this coming season.

First there is Luke McCown. He is one of the few holdovers from the Gruden era. He does not have much experience as a starter, but has shown flashes when given the opportunity to play.

Next there is Byron Leftwich. He was drafted several years ago by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the hopes that he would be their quarterback of the future. He has not had what many would call a stellar career, but he has proved himself to be a serviceable quarterback and does have experience as a starter.

Finally, there is Josh Freeman. The Bucs spent their first round draft pick on the quarterback from Kansas State because they envision him as the quarterback of the future. Morris is also very familiar with Freeman as he served as Kansas State’s defense coordinator during Freeman’s freshman year.

When Freeman was drafted, many felt he would ride the pine this year and it would be a two horse race between Leftwich and McCown for the starting job. However, a combination of less than stellar performances from Leftwich and McCown in OTA’s and training camp thus far and a strong showing by Freeman over that same time has many people reassessing Freeman’s potential to start this year.

I was hesitant at first to want Freeman to see any action this season, but after hearing about the weak performances of Leftwich and McCown, I have started to change my mind.

Being perfectly honest, not many people expect the Bucs to be contenders this year; in fact people within the organization have admitted that the team is clearly in rebuilding mode. I think that makes the transition for Freeman that much easier.

There will not be much pressure on Freeman because the team is still a few years from being a contender. This allows him time to grow within the offense will at the same time gaining real game day experience. Of course there will be struggles, but the team needs to see how much potential Freeman really has.

This is also not like David Carr starting as a rookie for the Texans. While the team won’t factor in the playoff chase this year, there is plenty of talent on the team.

The Bucs have one of the better offensive lines in football, and when you combine that with Freeman’s mobility, he should avoid taking too many big hits.

The Bucs also have a good collection of running backs at their disposal. Derrick Ward, Earnest Graham, and hopefully a healthy Cadillac Williams will be able to keep defenses honest by pounding the rock consistently.

There are also playmakers at the wide receiver and tight end positions. Kellen Winslow is a beast and will catch almost anything that is thrown his way. The same can be said for Antonio Bryant. The injury to Bryant hurts because it does not allow him and Freeman to build a rapport; however, there will be time for that when Bryant returns for the regular season.

In fact, you can argue that Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco were able to succeed last year with less offensive talent then the Bucs have heading into this season.

It is vital that Freeman receives a fair amount of reps with the first team during training camp. If he was able to close the gap on Leftwich and McCown significantly during OTAs, there is no reason to believe that Josh Freeman cannot pass them during training camp and the preseason and be on the field against the Dallas Cowboys on opening day.

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