This article is about the most negative I have seen on the Jets. Big-name acquisitions might carry Jets or sink coach Ryan April 13, 2010 By Clark Judge CBSSports.com Senior Writer The heat isn't on the New York Jets. It's on their head coach. Rex Ryan would want it no other way, but when you look at what the Jets have done lately -- which is to collect players others couldn't wait to discard -- you have to feel for the guy. No longer is he expected to get the Jets to the Super Bowl; now it's Super Bowl or bust. Of course, that's what happens when you reach the conference championship game your first season, then run out and acquire the league's single-season touchdown leader (running back LaDainian Tomlinson), a former Pro Bowl cornerback (Antonio Cromartie) and a Super Bowl MVP (wide receiver Santonio Holmes). With those moves, the Jets believe they're locked and loaded for a run at the New England Patriots in the AFC East, and, more important, the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC. And maybe they are. But look closer, people. The talent they just acquired was someone else's detritus, which makes you wonder just how much they ... and Ryan ... benefit by their additions. "The Jets obviously think they're a couple of inches away from the Super Bowl," one NFL general manager said, "and that's their prerogative. I don't happen to agree with them. But now they think they have the talent to put themselves over the top." They must after making the Holmes deal. At face value, it looks like a steal -- with the Jets getting him for a fifth-round draft choice. Holmes is young (he's 26), was a first-round draft pick and was the MVP of Super Bowl XLII. He's the perfect complement for Braylon Edwards and a big-play receiver who gives the Jets a three-pronged attack at a position where they were short last season. Holmes might do for the Jets what former Pittsburgh wide receiver Plaxico Burress did for the New York Giants, but he sure looks like trouble waiting to happen. The Steelers reportedly couldn't wait to get rid of the guy, with the organization embarrassed and infuriated by off-the-field behavior it finally considered intolerable. "This is all about character," said an AFC general manager, "and the Steelers were fed up. But this isn't about the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's clear what they're doing. This is about the New York Jets and what they're doing. "They had two games given to them at the end of the season (Indianapolis sat down its starters in Week 16 and Cincinnati did the same in Week 17), and if that didn't happen ... if they lose those games this year instead of win them ... you want to tell me what that locker room looks like? It'll be coming apart at the seams." Ah, but that's where Rex Ryan comes in. It's the coach's job to prevent that from happening, and good luck. By his own admission, Burress was fined 20 to 30 times by the Giants for failing to show up on time for meetings. When he failed to show up for a team meeting in 2008, no-nonsense coach Tom Coughlin suspended him a game -- a move that cost Burress $117,500. Then after Burress was arrested for discharging a loaded gun at a nightclub, Coughlin and the Giants had enough. First they suspended him. Then they cut him. In essence, Burress defied Coughlin -- just as the combustible Terrell Owens defied coach Andy Reid in 2005, and Pacman Jones defied the Dallas Cowboys in 2008. Assuming a character risk is tricky; assuming more than one at a time is downright dangerous -- and the Jets have more than their fair share in Holmes, Cromartie and wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who allegedly was involved in an incident outside a Cleveland nightclub last year. "What are the Jets doing?" asked our AFC GM. "I don't know. I really don't know." I do. They're trying to get to the Super Bowl by upgrading their roster. They needed a second running back, so they convinced themselves Tomlinson had another season of productive football in him. They needed a second cover corner, so they convinced themselves Cromartie could be the player he was in 2007, not 2009. They needed a big-play wide receiver, so they convinced themselves Holmes could do for them what he did on the field the past two years. At least, that's the plan. The reality is that Tomlinson is a 31-year-old running back who just produced the worst season of his career and that Cromartie was such a poor tackler last year one head coach I trust said, "If you watched him the entire season -- and not just that playoff loss to the Jets -- he ran away from plays. The guy's a coward." Now they have a wide receiver who can't seem to stay out of trouble, and the message is clear. Just win, baby. It won't be as easy as it sounds. Throw in Cromartie's off-the-field conduct where he fathered seven children by six women in five states and Holmes' four-game suspension for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy, as well as arrests from 2006-08 for possession of marijuana, domestic assault and disorderly conduct (with no convictions) and an investigation into an incident last month where he allegedly threw a drink in a woman's face, and you have the Jets soon starring in an HBO series that a New York Post columnist termed closer to Animal House than Hard Knocks. "We're not going into this with our eyes closed," Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said. "We understand what we're dealing with here." Good thing. All I know is that Rex Ryan better win. The Jets made bold moves they and their fans believe put them over the top, but they couldn't have made them unless the players they assumed didn't come with baggage others got tired of carrying. If the roof collapses and the Jets crater, it won't be the players who are blamed; it will be the head coach who had to control them.
rex ryan has done enough in one year, that even if this doesnt work out, in no way am i placing the blame on his shoulders. I hate all these bullshit articles coming out. damn right we have high expectations.
WTF? Win them??? Who gave this junk a job? He is supposed to be a columnist or a writer? I mean, its not even a typo. Its the wrong form.
They act like we grabbed TO or Marshall. We got a guy who smokes weed, and a guy with lots of kids. Big fricken deal, we didnt get big ben the rapist Plus if Holmes and cromo dont work out we lose a 5th and 3rd. BUT then we get a 3rd compensatory pick (I believe) for losing Holmes. So the downside of all of this is near non existent. Where as if Marshall goes bust for Miami, theyre completely screwed.
FJM Time!!! He must have sweated off at least 40 lbs! No longer are the Jets expected to get to the Super Bowl, they're expected to get to the Super Bowl! If they're expected to make the big game, than it is already supposed to be a massive disappointment if the team fails. Is he trying to say that Ryan is going to be fired if he doesn't make it? Clearly the Jets are over-valuing touchdowns and good receivers and corners who aren't injured for over a quarter of the season... What is an opposing GM going to say? "My team is screwed! The Jets are better than everyone else in the league. We should just stay home and play ping-pong." Let's look at the malcontents, me-first players, and all-around dipshits the Jets picked up: Santonio Holmes - last year on his contract Antonio Cromartie - last year on his contract Ladanian Tomlinson - two year contract that'll pay him about $1.5mil next season. They literally cannot be a problem in the locker room next season becuase as of right now, only one of them is given a spot on the roster next season. If that locker room is "coming apart at the seams" then the problems can easily be kicked out of the locker room. Of course all of this requires you to assume that every player who has spoken about Rex in an interview has straight up lied when they said that they enjoy playing for him. As well as the fact that Rex managed to convince the most vocal rival of the team to eventually join. Anyone else think this is a horribly constructed paragraph? Phase 1: establish Rex Ryan as subject of the paragraph. Phase 2: start next sentence with pronoun while Ryan is still the assumed sentence Phase 3: continue the paragraph without referring back to Rex at any point Communications degree served! . Cromartie's character risk: Fuckin' w/o condoms. So far, all the girls seem to be saying "yes". Nothing illegal there. Holmes' character risk: A string of arrests from his rookie season and weed. I'll give him the first season's problems As for the weed: Santonio, meet Shaun. He's going to explain somethings to you. Next problem! Edwards character risk: Violence induced due to hatred of living in Cleveland. No longer lives in Cleveland, zero cases of violence. Holy shit, the monster!
This article was published around the time of the Holmes acquisition. Judge and Prisco at CBS have been negative about all of the Jets moves so far, but failed to adequately analyse any of them. It's shoddy work.
There will always be pressure on a Rex Ryan team b/c he always talks big, they backed it up year 1 and now they try to take that next step. I'm not worried about the pressure getting to these guys. How come when indy layed down for ten a few years ago no one minded? or when they did it for Denver a few years earlier no one said a word? Now they dod it to us(even though it was a close game midway through the 3rd) and people try to use that against us. I also love that it's 2 games even though we smoked Cincy's starters then smoked Cincy again a week later on the road in the playoffs. I like how they mention how tough the giants and cougling were w/ Burress- notice how they finally got rid of him AFTER he helped them win a SB? a SB they wouldn'thave been in w/o him. Who knows? we could have injuries, some of our problem guys could divide the locker room? I don't know what will happen but I know we have strong leadership, I know we have an excellent coaching staff and I know we have elite talent so i feel pretty damn good heading into 2010.
Every coach's goal is Superbowl, but if he collected a bunch of players 'others couldn't wait to discard' then why would it be superbowl or bust? Makes no sense... Holmes smoked a lil weed jesus christ. If you wan't to argue that go ahead. I'll be nice and say '1' game was handed to us. Obviously you can see what happened in Cincy. And we fucking held our own in Indy. 'Peyton Manning' figured out the defense when he saw Donald Strickland get hurt, and Lito Sheppard played like a bum. Figuring out the defense must mean throwing at a 4/5th string CB 'Drew Coleman'... how the fuck do people have jobs in the media writing about sports? Yeah it was easy to convince ourselves with LT since we have the best rushing O-line in the league, and plus LT can catch something TJ couldn't. We need to help Mark all we can, and if that means dumping the ball to the RB I'll take it. Now Cromartie...I guess this guy never watched what the Dline was fucking doing in San Diego. They aren't the same DLine asshole. Revis is amazing, but our Defensive scheme is a big part in his success, and Revis is a big part in the way we run our Defense. With the pressure on the QB by our D Cromartie will have more aid..something he didn't have with the Chargers the past 2 years. Never heard of Corner's being able to lay out huge hits. Oh BTW Cromartie wanted to get the fuck out of the Chargers, and yeah it worked welcome to the number 1 defense. ------------------------------ Rex please put this article in the locker room.
