GREAT post. this is peeling back the layers of something enormously complex and which can't be understood by outsiders, which is the personal and power dynamics of an nfl locker room. the importance is paramount. yes, if bart scott's skills aren't declining, maybe he has the will and the command to put holmes in his place. but scott is no longer performing at the same level, his confidence has slipped a little, and he protects himself by staying silent. so the players don't see/hear a respected voice relegating holmes, and a subtle correction, which might nip the problem in the bud early in the season, never happens. and the cancer grows. perfect example, and microcosm, of the fall of the 2011 jets. spot on.
Everybody is blaming Holmes but it seems to me there are a lot of people coming down against Sanchez and that goes along with what Mehta had to say..it wasn't just a few. I don't think anybody would have anything bad to say about Damien Woody who was an absolute leader on the team and even he says Sanchez is babied by the team. If he is saying it it is safe to say a lot of others, team leaders included, are feeling the same way.
don, there's a big difference between "being babied" and "being a cancer." it's how you're handled versus how you're behaving.
I wasn't defending Holmes, I was just making a point that there seems to be some animosity towards Sanchez by people other than Holmes..I don't know how else the comment by Woody could be interpreted.
Good post +1 I really think we have lost a lot by Bart choosing (as he said at the outset of the season) to tone down his talk and his act - he was one of the few in your face guys that you feel would have said something to someones face (Woody having been another one) previously but not this season. Off the top of my head its really hard to identify anyone that could act as a leader in the locker room that has both the manner to do it (which cuts out pouha, mangold, harris and revis IMO) and the skills on the field to demand respect (which cuts out Scott and Sanchez) Of our recent drafts, Wilkerson and Wilson both seem like quite quiet guys. Looking over the roster there is not one name that jumps out at you as a likely leader so I am hoping either Mangold or Revis step-up to the plate but I dont see it happening. Best thing that could happen would be for either Sanchez to start playing really well and take that spot - or bring someone in that can take hold of things (edit) or Rex starts acting less like a buddy and more like a drill sergeant.
Remember the article about how Saun Ellis and Abe used to Smoke Pot and do shots on a regular basis before Abe hit a hydrant...... That locker room might as well had Ziggy Marley running it..... As people said, it's up to the Team leaders in the locker room to see what really goes on.. Herm was a freaking Preaching Minister and he could whiff what was burning in his locker room. it happens..... The good thing is it's all out now and in the open. It all comes down to WINNING though... Winning makes every locker room a non-story.
We have a lot of confidence in him. We just have to get the right guys around him and just build around the guy.” This last line says allot . Think about it , he is saying sanchez is not the problem, it is the clowns we have been bringing in around him.
As far as NOT grabbing the locker room by the throat the one player that's getting off scot-free is Mark Brunelle. Hell, he's a 38 yr old 2nd QB on the team, in the locker room every day, in team meetings every day, AND A FRICKEN MENTOR to a young Mark Sanchez. Brunelle should have taken Mark aside and said "Son, let me show you how this is done", then opened a can of whoop ass on the offense (with Mangold standing close behind him, of course).
You typed all that nonsense and you still can't up with a single specific situation? You even told me where you could easily find one, ffs.
Yes, I questioned leadership and the head coach after seeing this team play flat in the Steeler Championship game last year. Where was Bart" can't wait" Scott the week prior to the game reminding his teamates that we have not finished. I tell you, he was busy copyrighting "Cant wait" . Where was our head coach, I tell you, he was busy patting himself on the back for beating the Pats and doing standup every day with the press. That was the beginning of the demise of this team, not this years Raven game. I am still pissed off about that game. That was our chance to do it, probably won't get another chance for 10 freaking years. Steelers were not that good and we blew it because leadership and the head coach let us down. I want Rex to get another year to balance his confidence with some humility and leadership and I want Sanchez to get another year or 2 to grow up and learn, but I don't think we will get that close for a long time, just like after we loss to the Broncos in 1998. It took us another 11 years. Dammit, the Giants get 2 wins in the last 4 years. Sucks to be us
I tend to agree with Brad's post above, insofar as it was probably, to at least some extent, a perfect storm last season of individual situations adding up to net result where the O had too few people there to step in and make a difference as team leaders. Two other considerations, both looking back and, more importantly, going forward: Rex Ryan. I think Ryan deserves something of a pass here. He may have been into his third year, and while I agree with what someone said above about how the flat performance in the first half of the Steelers CHamp Game should have set off more alarms in regard to this leadership subject, there is a greater body of evidence for the contrary perception. And that is that Ryan's approach in his first two years had led to great results. It is human nature for someone in his position to think what "worked" in the past will continue to work. On a pure, simple, pragmatic level, Ryan now knows that approach for some reason failed in his third year. He's on notice now in a way he was, in fairness, really not going into last year. From this it follows that we can and will expect him to deal with this situation going forward in a different way. I think Woody alluded to this already in his recent press conference. So, I disagree with those calling for Ryan's head. He gets a pass from me, as I am sure Woody has already given him. Sanchez. Unfortunately not all is sweetness and light. Revis may have spoken in support of Sanchez, but his words actually add further confirmation of a deep split on the team about Mark. To my mind this only makes more clear that the Jets need to bring in a Qb who is a real competition to Sanchez. Manning is too pie in the sky for me, and i don't want to digress further on this thread, but I think more than ever the Jets need to bring someone like Kyle Orton in just to give the team confidence that they will have adequate quarterbacking on the team next season.
Maybe I'm just forgetting because I smoke too much weed and my short term memory is shot, but where has Sanchez's response been in all this? Being that so much is being made about other players resenting Sanchez for being "coddled" and "babied" I would think we would have heard Sanchez comment on it by now. Not only that, but as the QB he absolutely has to have the respect and support of his teammates and has to eventually take on the role of a leader. Am I just missing something or has he basically been silent on this issue so far?
Rex now knows that he has a serious situation on his hands. I'm certain he'll deal with it quickly and in a positive manner. It's part of growing into the job as HC.
The Kid has pretty much been MIA since season's end. I had heard he was on vacation somewhere on an island. You're right though. He should have said SOMETHING about this situation considering he's in the center of it all. Its not gonna go away and if Mark truly wants to be respected as the leader of this team, he's got to man up and have his say about this. At least one interview or statement instead of being the invisible man or hanging the "on vacation" sign over his locker.
Ok, I'm glad it wasn't just me. I thought maybe there was an interview or press conference or something that I was just forgetting about. I hope that he's at least doing something to deal with this behind the scenes and not just hiding from the situation. This is exactly the type of situation where he needs to step in and squash the bullshit if he's going to be the leader of the Jets going forward (which as a 4th year starting QB he really should be).
If I was on and island with a half naked Kate Upton batting her eyelashes at me, I would throw my phone and laptop into the ocean. Especially after how this season ended and the ensuing media barrage.
