Rex Sanchez has documented three seasons of New York Jets football. Through these three seasons we have been honored to have Jets offensive coordinator, err, ex-offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, a.k.a, The Beautiful Mind, share his thoughts on play calling, Mark Sanchez and his dad, Marty.
Sadly, in the evening hours of Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, the Jets fired TBM, making it sound like a resignation so as not to murder his coaching career. It was a classy move by an otherwise...ahem..."classless" organization. While the media was unable to get a hold of TBM on Tuesday night, Rex Sanchez did.
So, for the final time ever, The Beautiful Mind shares his Jets insights with the blog.
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Say you buy a new washing machine. It's supposed to be one of the best on the market and it looks nice and smells nice. For the first two years everything goes incredibly well. The laundry detergent you use gets the job done, yet the washing machine naturally receives all the kudos. Then in the third year, the stains on your clothes get a little bigger, a little dirtier, and a little smellier. All of a sudden, your clothes aren't being cleaned. But why? Your washing machine was one of the most expensive on the market. It has to work. It does work. It must work. So the only logical conclusion one can draw from that is you need a new, stronger detergent to get the machine working again, right?
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I AM THE LAUNDRY DETERGENT. I gave six years of my life to the Jets organization. In that time I led this team to three playoff berths and two appearances in the AFC Championship Game with Chad Pennington and Mark Sanchez as my quarterbacks. Let that sink in, will you? I won FOUR road playoff games with a guy who is probably a career backup quarterback. And yet after one bad season in which I had a soft running back, one wide receiver who had been in jail for two years, another who blatantly quit on the team, a clearly concussed tight end, and WAYNE HUNTER as my right tackle, all the blame falls on me?
And then there's that friggin' quarterback y'all are obsessed with. When are you going to admit HE STINKS? Bring in Tom Moore. Bring in Tony Sparano. Exhume Bill Walsh for all I care. One day you will realize if he looks like poop, smells like poop, and plays like poop, he's probably poop. In my three years with the kid his completion percentage, passing yards, touchdowns, and quarterback rating went up every season. What more do you want from me? Oh, you want me to run the ball more? OK. But then when Shonn Greene starts fumbling and getting hurt every 20 carries, and then I dare try to, that's right, ESTABLISH LT, y'all freak out! So here's a thought...
Maybe it's the washing machine that sucks. Not the detergent.
And who picked out the washing machine? You guessed it. That pretentious dick Mike Tannenbaum. He's now gone through three quarterbacks, two head coaches and an offensive coordinator without reaching a Super Bowl, but do you ever hear him receiving any blame? Of course not. Y'all just blame me, The Beautiful Mind.
Why do you call me that anyway? You thought I was in love with the Wildcat and having Sanchez line up at wide receiver and running screens with Slauson as the lead blocker? Wait until you see the shit Sparano calls. The man invented the Wildcat for cryin' out loud! I was just a realist. I was dealt a shitty hand by a guy who is infallible in the press, and I made the best of it. Just how Marty did with Steve Bono in 1995. God I loved that Chiefs team. Man did Webster Slaughter and I go on a bender after we lost to the Colts...
Anyway, I went along with the nickname "The Beautiful Mind" because for the first two years I really was beautiful, just for reasons you couldn't understand. This season, however, the beauty was gone. I became a shell of my former self. I was told by the GM we needed to throw on every play to justify signing 'Tone and Plax, and even when I told him the plan was failing after the Week 15 loss in Philly, he demanded more passing. That's why I rode Mark into the ground against the Giants. It was a means to an end. I needed to get out of here.
Where do I go now? It's hard to say. My name has been so greatly sullied by the fan base that I may be blackballed Jim Fassel-style for years to come. Wherever I do land, though, please never forget the beauty of the play-action passes in Cincinnati, Thomas Jones on fourth-and-1 in San Diego, Brad Smith's pass to Jerricho in Indy, the fade down the sideline to Braylon the following season, and every beautiful call in New England.
Sure I may have called three passing plays and not used Shonn Greene on first-and-goal in Pittsburgh, but hey, there's only so much beauty to go around in this world. Enjoy what we had together. And remember, when the new detergent makes no difference, it was Schotty who told you it was time for a new washing machine.
Signing off. Beautiful no more.
-Brian Schottenheimer
Will 18 be in blue or green when the Jets and Colts meet next season?
Before we rehash everything that wrong over the past 4 months, let's fart out a quick, traffic-grabbing post, our annual "preview" of the Jets opponents for the following season.
I talked to Rex, and after a long, heartfelt conversation, we both agree the Jets will win the Super Bowl next season. Not this season, but next. Sounds good, right? Great. Here they are...
HOME AWAY
Patriots Patriots
Bills Bills
Dolphins Dolphins
Texans Jaguars
Colts Titans
Raiders Steelers
Rams Seahawks
49ers Cardinals
NOTE: "Beginning in 2010, a change was made to how teams are paired in the schedule rotation to ensure that teams playing the AFC and NFC West divisions would not be required to make two west coast trips (e.g. at San Diego and at Oakland), while other teams in their division had none.
Meaning, had the schedule rotation continued, the Jets would have played Seattle at home and St. Louis on the road, but no such luck. That stadium is super cool, though. Too bad it's so far away. I'm feeling a road trip to Tennessee. Rangers-Predators Saturday night, Jets-Titans Sunday afternoon? Get it done, schedule makers!
Who knew Brandon Jacobs so closely identified with Holden Caulfield, and who knew the Jets were capable of playing such a horrific game? Listen, we all knew this team was going nowhere. Even if they had snuck into the playoffs and even beat Houston in the first round, the New England-Baltimore roadblock awaited. Still though, for it all to come crashing down in Week 16, at home, against the team you constantly belittle, with your season on the line, hell, I didn't even think the 2011 Jets were that gutless. But it turns out they are. More so than we ever could have imagined.
The behemoth's words hit home for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the coach needs to shutup. There's a realistic chance the quote embroidered at the top of this site will never come to fruition (for football and non-football reasons). The bravado and the trash talk is cute and fun when you're winning, but now it must stop. He's made his point. The Jets are a big story, and they will be for the foreseeable future. Mission accomplished. But after three years of the same shit coming out of his mouth and the end result being the same---no Super Bowl ring---his team needs him to be quiet. The quarterback clearly feels the added pressure created by Rex's words, and for a dude who may not be the most mentally stable, fighting his own thoughts is a battle in itself. I LOVE that Rex expects and truly yearns for the best from his team. More so than any coach that has ever managed one of my teams, I feel I can relate to him. That's why there has not been a "Fire Rex!" campaign this season. Rex is a fan just like us. And while that does make him lovable, he has to remember his position is one of great responsibility, and when you repeatedly fail in your duties, you must adjust the way you pursue your goals.
Next, there is the quarterback. I know this is going to sound silly, but I felt bad for Mark Sanchez today. He usually elevates his play in big games, but today the spotlight was too big for him. He looked uncomfortable, nervous, hurt, and more than anything, scared. As soon as he saw his first read was covered on a play, he unleashed a violent display of happy feet, and started aimlessly running around the backfield. The game was moving way too fast for him. I know he was the victim of a multitude of dropped passes, namely from the clearly concussed Dustin Keller (his eyes look lost out there), but that still does not excuse his utter incompetency. Sanchez will play out his five-year rookie contract with the Jets. He will be the starter on opening day next season and likely the season after that. But if things are going to get better, there will have to be a serious change in the Jets offensive personnel, both on the field and off it.
We learned during Hard Knocks that Mike Tannenbaum is a pretentious dick. That's cool. A lot of people are pretentious dicks. But when that mentality governs how you put a football team together, you are destined to fail. No right-minded GM with Super Bowl aspirations would start the season with Wayne Hunter at right tackle and have zero backups for the offensive line. Nor would he completely neglect the team's kicking game. Nor would he allow Eric Smith to be the team's starting strong safety. Tannenbaum will keep his job (much to my chagrin), but if he really knows how to BUILD a team rather than make just newspaper headlines, he will have to give this group a serious makeover in the offseason. Can he swallow his pride, admit the errors of his way, cut ties with aging veterans, not waste draft picks on "projects," and give his quarterback some protection? We'll find out.
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As for today's game, you get the feeling that the lasting image of this season will be Eric Smith chasing Victor Cruz down the far sideline. Yes, Cruz was not Smith's responsibility on the play, but there was just something about Smith's futile effort to knock Cruz out of bounds that made you cringe. It was an all too familiar image that doomed the Jets throughout the season.
The Giants and the referees gave the Jets every opportunity in the world to come back and win the game, but they simply could not make a big play on offense. I honestly do not know enough about football to tell you if the Jets crap passing game was the result of a clueless quarterback or lazy wide receivers, but I sure as hell know the Giants shit secondary wasn't responsible for Sanchez's struggles (see: Rex Grossman). I don't expect Plax to be back next season. Yes, he helped in the red zone, but whatever speed he had clearly evaporated in prison. As for Santonio and his pea-sized brain, maybe he was discouraged or maybe he's lost a step or maybe it's something just as simple as he got his big payday and lost his motivation, but either way, 'Tone Time looks to have been a one-and-done deal.
And then there's The Beautiful Mind. TBM was oozing with aesthetic value today. If you ever needed a reason to fire Schotty, take a look at today's box score. In a game that was tightly played and field position was crucial, the Jets threw 59 times with a struggling quarterback and ran only 14 times with a bruising running back. I truly do not understand how the man keeps his job. I pray that the Jaguars pick TBM to be Blaine Gabbert's mentor. It's nothing personal, Blaine. I just can't see this man ruin Sanchez's career. It's beyond the point of joking. His marriage with Sanchez has clearly failed. Maybe TBM will be a good offensive coordinator somewhere else, but he certainly is not with the Jets.
***
You know what would be hilarious? If the Jets won next Sunday, and the Bengals, Titans and Raiders lost, the Jets made the playoffs, beat the Texans, then the Patriots, then the Ravens, and then won the Super Bowl. How bizarre and awkward would reading this post be in retrospect? I wouldn't worry about it, though. It's all over now. The Patriots loss ended the Jets season from the standpoint they weren't winning a Super Bowl after it, but today's loss ended any hopes of ever rekindling those hopes...ya follow?
Or as Brandon Jacobs might say:
"I don't care if it's a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I'm leaving it. If you don't, you feel even worse."
Right on, Brandon, err, Holden. Today was a "good-by."
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Say what you want, but these two men, forever linked, have put the Jets in Super Bowl striking distance...again.
Jets Trivia Time!
What do the dates December 20, 2009, December 12, 2010, and November 17, 2011 all have in common?
Waiting...
Tick tock.
Time's up!
Your answer: The Jets season ended.
Confused? Think about it. Rex Ryan said himself the Jets couldn't make the playoffs after losing to the Falcons on 12/20/09. Every football pundit across America declared the Jets dead after they lost to the Dolphins at home on 12/12/10. Deion Sanders even famously declared, "Team built for now. Quarterback built for later." And of course the Jets season went down in flames on 11/17/11 when they were Tebow-ed in Denver.
Yet despite these annual pre-January season funerals, the Jets somehow managed to sneak into the playoffs in '09 and '10, and currently control their postseason destiny in 2011. Why does it always have to go down like this? Why can't they play a strong 16-game season and win a division title and host a playoff game? It's hard to say. You can blame the Patriots, the quarterback, or injuries, but in the end, the Jets have simply not been good enough to play at home in January.
***
For the second straight year the Jets find themselves in a eerily similar situation.
Check it out.
-If they make the playoffs they will (likely) end 2011 with the same record as 2010: 11-5.
-If they make the playoffs they will be the same playoff seed as 2010: 6.
-If they make the playoffs they will have to play with the same shitty, incompetent right tackle from 2010: Wayne Hunter.
-If they make the playoffs they will likely have to follow the same Super Bowl path as they did in 2010: Beatable AFC South foe, the Patriots, and an AFC North team in the AFC CG.
-If they make the playoffs they will be missing the same starting safety they lost in December 2010: Jim Leonhard.
-IF THEY MAKE THE PLAYOFFS IN 2011 AS THEY DID IN 2010: NO ONE WILL PICK THEM TO WIN.
Is this year's team as talented as last year's squad? I'd argue no. But that doesn't matter much. There is great parity in the AFC this season. You cannot identify the best team in the conference yet. It's way too early. I am of course in no way inferring the Jets will prove themselves to be the AFC's elite team, but to choose the Packers Super Bowl opponent would be premature. Shit, the Jets might not even make the playoffs. My point is, just like last year at this point, the Jets still may not have played their best game(s) of the season. The 2011 Jets are not a finished product.
So here we are again. You and I. The Jets. Rex Sanchez (back from its hiatus). In December. Controlling our Super Bowl destiny. History tends to repeat itself with the Jets. They've been given incredible breaks the past two years. Curtis Painter in '09. The 5-9 Redskins beating the Jaguars to give the Jets get the backdoor clinch in '10. And in 2011...we'll see.
There's still a long way to go until January, but after a rollercoaster season that has seen the darkest days of the Rex Sanchez era, we find ourselves in a similar December situation. Win out and you're Super Bowl champs.
Let's try this again. no comments
The body language of a champion.
Well that's that. The 2011 Jets had a myriad of fatal flaws entering the season, and they all reared their ugly heads Sunday night. An offensive line with Matt Slauson and Wayne Hunter was doomed to fail. A wide receiving corps with an unmotivated Santonio Holmes, a guy who had been in prison for two years, and a Ravens castoff was doomed to fail. And to make matters worse, their three young offensive weapons who were all primed to have breakout seasons---Sanchez, Greene and Keller---have all greatly regressed.
The defense was painfully thin on the line, the linebackers were aging and slow, and Eric Smith was in the starting lineup.
But the defense wasn't the problem tonight. Yes, Tom Brady had their number in the second half, dinking and dunking with a fluid no huddle operation, but when you're on the field the entire game, you're bound to be burned by one of the game's greatests. The offense is really where the Jets lost tonight's game. Without watching the film, I honestly do not know if the blame lies with the line, quarterback, receivers, or running backs. Or The Beautiful Mind. In all likelihood it's a mixture of each. How do you fix such a massive problem? Well, maybe you can't. Maybe they're simply not that good.
As for the game itself, if you want to point to one moment where the game slipped out of the Jets grasp, you can look to Mark Sanchez's decision to call timeout with 1:24 remaining in the first half. The Jets had third-and-goal with the clock running, meaning they could wait until the 45-second mark to run their next play. Instead, Sanchez inexplicably stopped the clock, allowing Brady to respond with a knockout touchdown drive before halftime. Rex Ryan called it "the stupidest play in football history."
For once, Rex was right.
The Jets have a quick turnaround this Thursday night playing the Denver Tebows. They'll probably win. Although I honestly believe they should give Revis the night off. Cromartie, too. They don't need a secondary. The Broncos completed two passes and attempted eight today. Why risk injury? Anyway, the Jets will probably get that 6-seed, travel to Oakland or Houston in the first round and maybe even win. But what's the point? Do you really expect this team to win in back-to-back weeks in New England and Baltimore/Pittsburgh? And then beat the Packers?
Sigh.
Lots of good clubs never win a championship because they play against historically great teams. The Malone-Stockton Jazz ran into Michael Jordan. The Buddy Ryan-Reggie White Eagles ran into the Aikman-Smith-Irvin Cowboys. And the Rex Sanchez Jets ran into Brady and Belichick.
That's how the Jets 2011 obituary will read.
And the worst part? There's no saying when it will change. no comments
As drab as it is, this is the Jets best chance to reach Super Bowl XLVI.
The Jets have been one win away from playing in the Super Bowl the past two seasons. In 2009, they held an 11-point first half lead, and in 2010 they were one defensive stop away from having a chance to score and win the game. Both years they lost. Both years they came up short.
Now, in 2011, the Jets boast a modest 5-3 record and are tangled in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East. Yet despite their modest standing, the Jets are as close to reaching the Super Bowl as ever. They play the Patriots at home on Sunday night, with an opportunity to take an outright lead in the division they have not won since 2002. While a victory would not clinch the AFC East, it would put the Jets in prime position to win it, with games against the Broncos, Bills, Redskins, Chiefs, (Eagles?), and Dolphins remaining---all very winnable games. A home date versus the Giants may be their toughest match following this Sunday. A division title would not ensure a Super Bowl berth, but it would guarantee at least one home playoff game. And that's what the Jets need to win the Super Bowl.
Although it has been done in recent years, including the Packers last season, winning three straight road playoff games is a TALL order, especially in the AFC. Pittsburgh, Baltimore and New England are damn hard places to win, and if the Jets don't win the division, they'll likely have to win games in all three venues (assuming they're a 6-seed). The Jets did Yeoman's work for the rest of the NFL last season, slaying the Manning-Brady monster in consecutive weeks. Unfortunately for them, it physically and emotionally drained them. Their tank was damn near empty by the time they reached Heinz Field. They never had a chance.
But this year, despite a rough, ROUGH three weeks following a 2-0 start, the Jets have set themselves up nicely for a huge second-half run that will hopefully carry them into early February. But there is still one more hill to climb , and that's Mount New England (Goldmember reference voice: Howie Rose). It's fitting, really. If the Jets are going to win the Super Bowl they've talked about for almost three years now, they are going to have to go through their biggest rival, the team that has prevented them from a hosting a playoff game since Richie Anderson ran roughshod down the Colts sideline in January 2003. And in this "division title game," if you will, they will get to play at home. It should be absolutely insane at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night. Between the magnitude of the game and, well, the amount of alcohol that will be consumed before kickoff, Jets faithful will be at their loudest and rowdiest. If I was a Patriots fan I'd either stay home, or at least not bring my children. That's not a threat, it's just sage advice. Neither The Likely Lad nor I will be there Sunday night, with the former in the Bayou and me in Bumblefuck, USA. Our poor mother is going to have to take one for the team. She must really love our dad.
To say a win Sunday night would put the Patriots AFC East dynasty to bed would be naive, as Tom Brady will probably play until the day we all die, just how I'm convinced Mariano Rivera and Martin Brodeur will outplay and outlive us all. Still, he is getting older and their defense seems to get worse every season. This is the Jets' time. They've had three years to earn that elusive home playoff game. In '09 they were a Cinderella story, in '10 they had a historically great team in their division (whom they beat twice, mind you), but this year they are the class of the division.
They'll have a chance to prove it Sunday night.
At home.
RS QUICK HITCHES
-Lost in Sunday's victory was how Stevie Johnson owned Darrelle Revis, at least by 24's standards. Maybe the Bills should have paid him, not their bearded journeyman quarterback.
-Joe McKnight and Nick Folk remain the Jets most consistent offensive weapons. How the hell did we get here?
-Maybe Dustin Keller's disappearance has to do with his lack of intelligence, not TBM's poor playcalling. Watching his mindless sideline leap brought back memories of Wayne Chrebet's "I was just trying to make a play" leap and fumble in Champagne, Ill. in 2002. The Jets did win the division that year, though.
-Speaking of The Beautiful Mind, he's doing his best to eradicate the sarcasm behind our wonderful nickname for him. He's due for a triple reverse with Slauson throwing a 50-yard bomb to LT this Sunday. I'll be disappointed if he doesn't.
-It's good to have Shonn Greene back. Now run him into the ground! He has more tread on his tires than any running back in the NFL. RUN!!!
-I still have no idea what to make of our quarterback's celing for this season. He'll make mistakes like that first quarter interception in the end zone, and then he'll play lights out like he did in the second half. You can't say he's predictable!
No wonder The Sports Guy gave up writing articles in favor of recording podcasts! Speaking your mind rather than writing your mind---if you will---is so much easier!
Take a listen as I discuss the Jets season, the Bills honoring Scott Norwood, and a preview of Sunday's game with Joe Pinzone of Buffalo Wins, who like the Bills, has stepped up his game in a big way this season.
Try not to vomit during the opening montage and try not to stick sharp things in your ears as Pinzone takes my podcast virginity! It was a bit uncomfortable at first, but I found my groove as we went along. Don't worry, he was very gentle!
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Take a listen as I discuss the Jets season, the Bills honoring Scott Norwood, and a preview of Sunday's game with Joe Pinzone of Buffalo Wins, who like the Bills, has stepped up his game in a big way this season.
Try not to vomit during the opening montage and try not to stick sharp things in your ears as Pinzone takes my podcast virginity! It was a bit uncomfortable at first, but I found my groove as we went along. Don't worry, he was very gentle!
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Sweet jersey, bro...
I consider myself a very knowledgable football fan, but if you asked me why the Bills are 5-2 and sit atop the AFC East entering the second half of the 2011 season, I'd respond with crickets. Yeah, I know Ryan Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson have played well, they have Stevie Johnson---although I can't respect a grown man named Stevie, and they have that defensive tackle guy with the really generic name who may or may not be hurt right now (yup, he's hurt, I just checked), but what makes them so much better than the Bills team who went 4-12 last season? They have the same head coach. Same general manager. Same crappy, old (but fun) stadium.
If I had to guess, I'd say it's their new uniforms. The Drew Bledsoe Bills uniforms were ATROCIOUS. In the same way the Jets transition from their original unis (their current ones), to the forest green unis, to the kelly green unis coincided with their precipitous downfall through the NFL hierarchy, the Bills changing of uniforms has led to less and less success, as well. Buffalo's lone championships came when they were wearing uniforms very similar to the ones you see today. The unis of the '63 and '64 AFL Champ Bills, with Cookie Gilchrist and Jack Kemp are essentially the unis of Jackson and Fitzpatrick, only the buffalo on the helmet hails from the Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly four straight AFC Championship days. It's really a brilliant design.
So, yeah, it's the uniform, right?
Well, for a more educated opinion, we bring back Queen's own Joe Pinzone, a lifelong Bills fan and writer for Buffalo Wins, a Bills and Sabres blog. His answer makes a little more sense than mine.
RS: Y'all gave Ryan Fitzpatrick A LOT of money. Is he worth it?
BW: Yes. It's the going rate for NFL starters these days. If you look at his deal, he's making less than Kevin Kolb and Matt Cassel, and I'd rather have Fitz than those two guys. The thing I harp on about Fitzpatrick is that he's gotten better every year he's been with the Bills. He was below average in 2009 when he started 8 games. That year, he only completed 55% of his passes and only had two games in which he passed for over 200 yards. Last year, Fitz got better as he passed for 23 touchdowns in 13 games. He also passed for 200 yards or more 9 times during the season. This year, he's been lights out. He's on pace for over 30 touchdowns and he's passed for over 300 yards in two games this year. He's thrown a touchdown or more in 6 of his 7 games this year. In his last three games, he's faced the Eagles, Giants and Redskins, all three teams were in the top 3 in sacks. And yet, he still completed over 70% of his passes. He's legit. Does he make bad throws here and there? Yes. What quarterback doesn't though?
RS: Fred Jackson. Why has he been so good?
BW: Fred has always been that good. The problem with him is that he was never the every down back like he is now. For his career, he always played behind Marshawn Lynch, but after Lynch went to Seattle, the Bills gave Jackson the rock exclusively. He's been lights out this year. He's on pace for over 2,000 yards in total offense. He makes this offense works. He's the complete package. He can block, he can catch, he can run over people and his vision is superb. He kind of reminds me of Curtis Martin. In Fred's last 15 games, he has gone over 100-yards in total offense 11 times.
RS: I know most of the players on the Bills defense, but why have they played so well? Is there a formula to beat them?
BW: Eh. I wouldn't say playing "well." The Bills defense has caused the most turnovers in the NFL this season, but they still have issues with stopping the run and stopping the pass. I know they just shut out the Redskins, but when you guys face Washington later this year, you'll realize that anyone can shut out the Redskins. Their offense is a disaster. Up until last week, the Bills gave up over 400 yards in total offense in five straight games. If they don't force turnovers, they are kind of useless. I will say that I've been really impressed with Marcell Dareus (their first round pick in 2011; 3rd overall). This past week, the Bills played him at nose tackle for the injured Kyle Williams, and he was a MONSTER. He pushed the Redskins center right into John Beck's lap on almost every play. I also like the play of our safeties George Wilson (5 picks this year) and Jairus Byrd, both of whom are growing into all-around safeties. Nick Barnett has played exceptionally well. He's ranked 17th in tackles in the NFL right now and brings athleticism to the position that we didn't have with Paul Posluszny.
RS: If I told you two years ago Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey would save the Bills franchise, how hard would you have laughed? Would a change of underwear been needed?
BW: Yeah, I would have LOL. I think more of the credit goes to Chan Gailey. Buddy Nix's drafts are still a little questionable, especially his 2010 Class. The Shawne Merriman experiment was a joke. However, he has found some nice players in Barnett and found undrafted guys like David Nelson and Donald Jones. But, he's still a work in progress. It has been Gailey who is the moneymaker. If you look at the Bills personnel on offense, your QB and #1 WR are carryovers from the Jauron era. Stevie Johnson had something like 11 career catches before Gaily got his hands on him. Fitz was a nobody. The whole offense is a bunch of nobodies. Only Eric Wood (1st round), Andy Levitre (2nd round), Scott Chanlder (4th round) and Kraig Urbik (3rd round) were drafted below the 7th round. The rest of the starters on offense are either 7th round picks or undrafted free agents. We've had a ton of injuries to our wideouts and the offensive line, and yet, we haven't missed a beat. Gailey calls the offensive plays and he is really a master of game planning.
(Editor's Note: Yes, THAT Chan Gailey. I don't get it either.)
RS: Is this Bills season a harbinger of things to come? Is their success sustainable?
BW: It is still early. The Bills are 5-2, but they have a 11-year reign of incompetence to make fans worry. I think they have a nice trio with Fitz, Jackson and Stevie, but two of those guys, Johnson and Jackson, want new deals. The Bills have to re-sign/extend them, or this will kind of be for naught. It was good to see Marcell Dareus dominate like he did last week, because he was the first Buddy Nix draft pick to actually be the best player on the field for the Bills. It's still a work in progress, but I feel a lot better about the future than I did in August.
RS: In 10 years is it the Buffalo Bills or Toronto Air Canadas?
BW: 55/45 they stay in Buffalo. I'm always worried about the LA people because Ralph Wilson says the team will go up to auction when he dies. By law, the franchise would go to the highest bidder. So, you don't know if the rich douche bags in LA, who have been fighting to build a stadium, could pounce on it. Toronto worries me as well. However, I do know that a lot of rich people want the Bills to stay in Buffalo. The one example I can give is Terry Pegula who just bought the Sabres. No one knew who the hell he was before he bought the team, but he was a diehard fan of the team and is worth over a billion dollars. He bought the team and that was it. In other words, there are rich people with Buffalo connections who can buy the team that we may not know about.
RS: Who wins Sunday and why?
BW: This is going to be fun. I hate the Jets. I hate them more than any of the other teams in the AFC. As a Buffalo transplant who lives in Queens, I have to put up with too many of you guys! (Editor's Note: Mongos!) Anyway, I don't think highly of the Jets offense. Too many injuries to the line (Editor's Note: No injuries, actually. Wayne Hunter really does starts for us. It's shocking, I know) and Mark Sanchez is too inconsistent. They looked alright against the Chargers, but I think San Diego just choked. Tony Romo handed you guys the season opener. And if Miami had a QB, who knows what would have happened on Monday Night. But hey, the Bills could easily be 2-5. So, those are the breaks.
I still worry about our defense against your offense. In the last four meetings, the Bills defense has allowed an average of 250 yards a game against the Jets. It didn't matter if it was LT, Thomas Jones, Joe McKnight, Greene or Blair Thomas. We sucked. Also, Fitz's struggles against you guys in the first meeting last year, still rings in my head (44% completion and only 128 yards). However, now I think things are different. I think this will be a slugfest. I think the key for this game is Fred Jackson. With the Jets having the 25th ranked run defense and me not being confident about the Bills trying to have Stevie go 1-on-1 with Revis, Jackson needs a huge game. Look for a ton of screen plays to slow down the Jets pass rush. It will be close, I got the Bills, 17-14. no comments
Three Super Bowls or not, he CANNOT be let off the hook for this. Why has The Post never had this on a backpage?!? Look at the goat's face! You can see him laughing!
As you may have heard in recent days, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was chastised by team owner Robert Kraft for taking shirtless photos with porn star BiBi Jones during his bye week (he was shirtless, not her). Allthough there was no explicit nudity, and Jones denied sleeping with him (but admitted she wish she had), Gronkowski still got shit for it from Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick. He issued a public apology on Wednesday afternoon.
Huh, right? What did he do wrong?
If Gronkowski played for the Jets he likely would have been lauded for making good use of his free time and staying out of trouble. Hell, Rex probably would have quipped he was surprised it wasn't Sanchez taking a shirtless picture. But that's just how the Jets and Patriots roll, and in this scribe's humble opinion, the Jets roll in a much more fun way.
So with that said, let's find out what some of our favorite boys are doing with what is hopefully their last free Sunday until mid-February.
Joe McKnight and Nick Folk: Getting full body blood transfusions. We didn't think the league was going to test for HGH this season. Now these stupid politicians may screw us. We decided that our only way of making the team this year was to juice...and look how well it's worked! Plus, who are we hurting? Jets fans love us now! We knew this season was too good to be true.
Mark Brunell: Buying a new pair of binoculars. I see my smokin' hot daughter getting into some rich guy's car every night, but I can't tell who it is and she keeps giving me this fake name (I know it's fake cos they're not Facebook friends...that shit's accurate right?). Anyway, last night I saw his bumper sticker had a Mexican USC Trojan on it so I'm thinking it's Mark. It was only a matter of time...
Darrelle Revis: Hangin' out with mah boy Tannenbaum. I really like the way he talks down to people. It rubs me the right way. See, everyone thought it was OK that I hung up on Francesa cos he has a bigger ego than I do, but if you listen to that interview objectively---meaning, you forget who's asking the questions---and you'll realize I was the one being rude and disrespectful! And all that garbage about some PR mook telling me to hang up, that was Mr. T! He was sitting there with flash and cue cards telling me exactly what to say. I couldn't have done it without him!
Aaron Maybin: Bringin' the Mayhem! down to Happy Valley. We've got a game Saturday versus Illinois and then at night I'm gonna head over to the G-Man. That's where the nickname originated. When the line gets insufferably long everyone starts chanting, "May-hem! May-hem!" and then I take a running start and sack their jack ass bouncers, especially that balding one with the red hair. Everyone then storms into the bar and mayhem ensues. It's a great tradition.
Shonn Greene: Looking for cartilage infusions for the back of my head. The reason my helmet falls off at least once a game is because my head is in the shape of a toaster. No helmet fits it properly. I wear that skull cap so no one can see its true shape. Wait, why am I talking? I don't speak to the media.
The Beautiful Mind: Having a RAGER at my house! Oh, you didn't hear?! Marty won the UFL championship last week! It is his first ever championship of any kind! We're celebrating it! I'm so proud of Dad! So what if he failed miserably with Super Bowl-caliber teams in Cleveland, Kansas City and San Diego, he created me, the most Beautiful thing to ever grace an NFL sideline. Earnest Byner's going to be there. Steve Bono, too. You know, all the guys who starred on his teams who choked in the playoffs. Oh, and that's right, LT is going to be there, too!
Since I feel so guilty about not Establishing him this season, I have a present waiting for him. It's a paper statue of him, made out of every play from last year's playbook that involved Establishing him, sculpted into one magnificent edifice! He's going to love it! It truly is the most Beautiful thing I have ever created! And as we all know, that's really saying something...
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Just like Teddy KGB once said about quick and joyless endeavors...I feel so unsatisfied.
The Jets won 24-6. The defense looked great. Revis had an MVP performance. Sanchez threw for 200+ yards and a touchdown. The offensive line did not allow any sacks (minus the LT sack...boy was that Beautiful!) The Jets had a solid pass rush. Nick Folk continued his perfect play.
And what does it all mean? Nothing. Steve Young said it perfectly after the game..."It was like the sixth graders beating up the kindergartners."
In other words, if the Jets think their problems are solved, they are sorely mistaken. Using Young's analogy, the Jets play a high school team (Chargers) next week, and if they expect to play the same game and win, they are going to get whooped.
Maybe this game will buy the Jets another week to get their shit together. Maybe it will get the media and the fans off their back, but until the run defense can "stop a nosebleed," and Shonn Greene and Dustin Keller and Plaxico Burress start performing up their capabilities, the Jets offense will be utterly LAWST! (Revis had more catches than Plax for cryin' out loud!) This game may have saved the Jets season, but next week's game will determine if the season goes anywhere.
If you're 3-4 going into the Bye with a 2-4 record in the conference, and you play in a division with the Patriots, that's not going to cut it. On the other hand, if you're 4-3 with some momentum and just defeated a team you're competing with a for a wild card, then hey, you've got as good a chance as anyone.
That's all I have to say about that. Sorry if this post bored you. Blame the game.
Oh, and don't be surprised if the Jets make a big trade tomorrow. If there's anything our pretentious, two-faced, pompous jerk off of a GM does well, it's mortgaging the future for talented players with expiring contracts. no comments
