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| Yeah Mark, you should just keep on runnin', runnin' out of New York. |
Four offseasons ago the New York Jets made a bold move, hiring a loud-mouthed, hard-nosed, "no b.s." defensive guru as their head coach. They then drafted a talented, raw USC quarterback who looked like the second coming of Joe Namath, both on and off the field. With a focus on the defensive side of the ball, they brought in guys like Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard and Lito Sheppard. What they were building, was the makings of an old school powerhouse nicknamed "Ground & Pound." New changes abound, the Jets produced two trash-talking, high performance, hard-hitting seasons reaching the AFC Championship Game twice in a row all riding a monster defense and Rex Ryan's loud but, contained and effective words. But then things went south, fast.
Here we are in 2012 with a vastly different Jets squad. While they're still loud-mouthed, they've gone soft, are engulfed in b.s., and have a steadily aging defense. Mark Sanchez's wonder years have worn off badly, sort of like Joe Namath. "Ground & Pound" has disappeared and now they're stuck spinning their tires in a deep mud that might require a major tow truck.
That tow truck? A complete overhaul. The New York Jets need to completely revitalize this team, and that comes with major change. Sanchez, needs to go. Rex Ryan, see ya. Santonio Holmes, why is he even still here? Shonn Greene, experiment failed. Tim Tebow, don't even get me started. This team went from serious contender into a scintillating circus in just two years. All the glitz and glam of the first two campaigns under Rex Ryan have dissipated as the team has underwent recovering drug addict status. The Jets have become Lindsey Lohan, a quick stop at the top and a hard fall to the bottom.
ESPN hasn't helped the Jets either. The 24/7 Sal Paolantonio coverage has only helped drip the heroin back in this recovering drug addict's arm. Tim Tebow signing? Worst thing that ever could have happened. This team needed to stay far out of the limelight. They need to go to rehab, get fresh, figure out how to get back to "Ground & Pound." But the Barnum and Bailey show continues and actually becomes even more ridiculous. Tebow's the first backup in the history of sports to have a camera on him at all times and it is nothing but a distraction. Yes, it is Mark Sanchez's huddle as he says, but when you've got ESPN around consistently nagging and pulling at Sanchez's fragile psyche with all this Tebow crap it's a problem. That fragile psyche will shatter once Sanchez's first two interception drives turn the green-clad crowd into a frenzied "TE-BOW" chant and then the Jets organization can take the blame for bringing the circus on themselves.
The one thing that can save them is their defense, but that has increasingly become a victim of old age. They ranked 5th in the league last year, down from their even better 3rd ranking in 2010. Not like that is a major decrease, it's simply a downward trend (1st in 2009). Oh and back to the age thing, Bart Scott is 32, Sione Pouha is 33, Bryan Thomas is 33, Calvin Pace is 31, Yeremiah Bell is 34, simply put, that linebacking core isn't getting any younger. And that "Ground & Pound?" It fell from 3rd to 13 from 2010 to 2011. Shonn Greene has gotten fat and doesn't run with the sort of menacing "I want to hurt you" style that he did back at Iowa. The team is a broken down version of itself two years ago.
I have to keep going back to the drug addict reference, but it's like they're just becoming so addicted to the trash talking and drama that it's no longer enjoyable, it's just absolutely necessary. I can't wait for them to release the Tebow-cat in Week 1 and it be a complete dud, come on, you know you're thinking that too. But honestly, this team has disaster written all over it, and maybe it will be the best that they do go 3-13. Hopefully for Jets fans it'll trigger major moves, changing not only this team's roster but its attitude. The arrogance and malcontent is so deeply woven in the fabric of this squad that I'm not sure it's a candidate to be re-born. Rex Ryan would have to be a damn miracle worker if he's going to turn this loose ship around. I just don't see his loud-mouth demeanor as an approrpriate solution.
It's absolutely impossible for the Jets to look in their backyard and mimic what the Giants are doing, because the G-Men's success is so overwhelming that it's hard to match it even when you appear in back-to-back AFC Championships. But that's exactly where they need to look. Yet, instead of trying to imitate one of the NFL's best organizations, they'd rather just make headlines. Any press is good press right? Ha.
The Jets need change, and not like some hollow word that politicians throw around. I'm talking about a complete review of the team, a total address of the team issues and dramatic alterations. For one, get rid of the media lightning rod that is Tim Tebow, then maybe let "It's over, he's not good" Mark Sanchez go too. Greg McElroy should go as well for talking all that smack about Sanchez. Guess it's time for Mark Simms to take over...
Enjoy your circus Jets fans, but it's time for serious change.
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