Jets need Rex to be at his best

[JetNation]

Last season, Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan led his team to an improbable 8-8 finish.  Improbable for a myriad of reasons.  He had a rookie quarterback who wasn’t ready.  He had a rookie cornerback who wasn’t ready.  He converted Quinton Coples, who was supposed to be one of  his best pass-rushers from DE to OLB on short notice. That, and an ankle injury during the pre-season meant that Coples also wasn’t ready.  His best receiver, Santonio Holmes was coming back from a major injury and when the games started, and he too wasn’t ready.  The pundits called the Jets the worst team in the NFL and said that a three win season wasn’t out of the question.  Ryan used those predictions to light a fire under  his team, and somehow managed to scheme the Jets’ to a .500 finish.  That was good enough to convince owner Woody Johnson to bring  Ryan back for another season. However, as challenging as last season was for Ryan, this season may prove to be even more difficult.

General Manager John Idzik improved the offense by adding wide receiver Eric Decker, quarterback Michael Vick, and running back Chris Johnson.  He also drafted a pass-catching tight end in Jace Amaro.  However, despite those upgrades, it’s the defensive side of the ball that has the fans worried for a change.  Injuries and a bizarre incident with CB Dimitri Patterson that led to his release leaves the Jets with a patchwork secondary and only one week of practice to break in a couple of last-minute additions (CB’s Phillip Adams and Leon McFadden).

Ryan has built a reputation in the NFL as a defensive genius.  Since taking over as co-ordinator for the Baltimore Ravens in 2005, last year was the first time a Rex Ryan defense finished out of the top-10 when the Jets came in 11th overall.  Even with that on his resume, and despite his public support for his players, Ryan knows that the Jets’ beleaguered secondary is going to have their work cut out for them.  From weeks 2-7 the Jets will face Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning, and then on four days rest, Tom Brady in New England.  Ryan doesn’t know when second year CB Dee Milliner will be back, and he doesn’t know how converted safety Antonio Allen is going to hold up in  his place.  This could also be the first extensive action at CB for Darrin Walls depending on what Ryan does when Milliner finally does return from his high ankle sprain.  All of this, with the Jets’ schedule, is going to be a monumental challenge.

So with all of the uncertainty already surrounding the Jets, and with time running out before 1p.m. on Sunday, one of the few things we do know, is that the Jets need Ryan to be at the top of his game to face the week 2-7 gauntlet, and unlike last year, the youngsters better be ready.

 

 

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[JustInFudge]

Rex homerism aside, how is this different than any other season other than 2010? 

 

He took over the worst offense in the league, lost his best player on both sides of the ball and won 9 games and went to the AFC Champ Game.  They finally fielded an above average roster in 2010, the only time in his career and with that solid of a roster, he  took that win total to 11 and beat two HOF'ers on the road to get back to the AFC Champ game.  From there on, his teams have sucked, he's had the worst starting QB in the league and its been all on him to get the most out of it.  Here were are in 2014 and nothing has changed.  The team sucks and Rex needs to work his magic.

 

The dude has been doing more with less than anyone else in the league.  Unfortunately for him, 3 straight seasons with no playoff appearance means nothing short of the playoffs saves his job and this roster is far from a playoff caliber roster.

[RutgersJetFan]

That is certainly one adjective to use to describe an 8-8 season. Improbable.

[AFJF]

Rex homerism aside, how is this different than any other season other than 2010? 

 

He took over the worst offense in the league, lost his best player on both sides of the ball and won 9 games and went to the AFC Champ Game.  They finally fielded an above average roster in 2010, the only time in his career and with that solid of a roster, he  took that win total to 11 and beat two HOF'ers on the road to get back to the AFC Champ game.  From there on, his teams have sucked, he's had the worst starting QB in the league and its been all on him to get the most out of it.  Here were are in 2014 and nothing has changed.  The team sucks and Rex needs to work his magic.

 

The dude has been doing more with less than anyone else in the league.  Unfortunately for him, 3 straight seasons with no playoff appearance means nothing short of the playoffs saves his job and this roster is far from a playoff caliber roster.

 

The biggest difference IMO is that this time, due to the injuries  in the secondary, concerns on the defensive side of the ball seem to  have surpassed the concerns on offense.  I think the offense will be solid.  Good enough RB's to chew up clock, and more reliable targets for Geno to throw to.  If he improves even a little bit, which I think we all expect him to, the offense will be better than years past.  If Milliner can't get back to 100% and the #2 CB stinks it up, Rex is going to have to live up to his billing as a defensive genius.  Agreed 100% too...give most other coaching staffs what Rex has had in his time here and they'd be a dozen games under .500 if not worse.

[AFJF]

That is certainly one adjective to use to describe an 8-8 season. Improbable.

 

Sad as it may be, eight wins is improbable when you look at the roster he had to work with.

[nycdan]

Problem is, Rex isn't half the man he used to be.

[RutgersJetFan]

Problem is, Rex isn't half the man he used to be.

 

[dbatesman]

Someday Rex will get a front office and assistant coaches and players and media and fans that don't hold him back, and then you'll see. You'll all see.

[AFJF]

Someday Rex will get a front office and assistant coaches and players and media and fans that don't hold him back, and then you'll see. You'll all see.

 

We will see?  I think we've already seen.  Rex takes some pretty weak rosters and gets more out of them than anyone expects him to.  So it would stand to reason that if he had better than terrible players on offense, he'd be special.  My greates fear, is that he'll become the next Dungy.  Jets will dump him, and a team with an average to above average offense will bring him in and he'll win one, if not many rings.

[Jetsfan80]

Rex is very good at taking a 5-11 or 6-10 roster and making them 8-8 or 9-7.  But making that jump and taking a 7-9 (or so) roster to 11-5 is what we need from him now.  That's an enormous leap in the NFL. 

[Sperm Edwards]

We will see?  I think we've already seen.  Rex takes some pretty weak rosters and gets more out of them than anyone expects him to.  So it would stand to reason that if he had better than terrible players on offense, he'd be special.  My greates fear, is that he'll become the next Dungy.  Jets will dump him, and a team with an average to above average offense will bring him in and he'll win one, if not many rings.

 

I never feared lovable/huggable Rex would become Tony Dungy. It is now, so thanks for that. 

[JohnnnyBONES]

More hinges on Geno's performance than on Rex's performance.  Although, I guess one could argue that developing Geno is a product of Rex's performance.  

[T0mShane]

We will see? I think we've already seen. Rex takes some pretty weak rosters and gets more out of them than anyone expects him to. So it would stand to reason that if he had better than terrible players on offense, he'd be special. My greates fear, is that he'll become the next Dungy. Jets will dump him, and a team with an average to above average offense will bring him in and he'll win one, if not many rings.

Dungy is a franchise-builder, though. Rex has shown zero ability to identify talent to the point where his acknowledged draft picks (Boyd, Conner, Scotty McKnight) become punch lines. I'm sure if Rex got the Dallas job where all he had to do was fix the defense, they'd be scary for two years, but the same problems would develop there as did here. Young players would fall by the wayside, Dez Bryant would murder a school bus, and veterans would age with no one behind them to replace them. He'd have a spicy DL, though.

[T0mShane]

More hinges on Geno's performance than on Rex's performance. Although, I guess one could argue that developing Geno is a product of Rex's performance.

+1,000,000

[T0mShane]

Rex is very good at taking a 5-11 or 6-10 roster and making them 8-8 or 9-7. But making that jump and taking a 7-9 (or so) roster to 11-5 is what we need from him now. That's an enormous leap in the NFL.

+1

So many good posts today.

[Hitman Harris]

Problem is, Rex isn't half the man he used to be.

Last year's finale job saver has revitalized him and has helped him channel his inner fat man. Now he gets to prove it, as he likes to say.

[RutgersJetFan]

It appears that this article is spurring new thought and discussion on topics that we may not have considered before. Jetnation bot saves the day yet again.

[Jetsfan80]

+1

So many good posts today.

 

Yeah but I'm not winning any POTW honors with Hitman Harris around.  Jesus.

[T0mShane]

Yeah but I'm not winning any POTW honors with Hitman Harris around. Jesus.

This is POTW:

[JustInFudge]

The biggest difference IMO is that this time, due to the injuries  in the secondary, concerns on the defensive side of the ball seem to  have surpassed the concerns on offense.  I think the offense will be solid.  Good enough RB's to chew up clock, and more reliable targets for Geno to throw to.  If he improves even a little bit, which I think we all expect him to, the offense will be better than years past.  If Milliner can't get back to 100% and the #2 CB stinks it up, Rex is going to have to live up to his billing as a defensive genius.  Agreed 100% too...give most other coaching staffs what Rex has had in his time here and they'd be a dozen games under .500 if not worse.

 

I agree to an extent.  At the end of the day, all concerns that really matter start and end with the QB if the position is not 100% solidified.  So for me at least, I'm still more concerned with QB than CB's.  You can occassionally scheme to cover for bad corner play.  You cant hide you QB for an entire season.

 

Rex is very good at taking a 5-11 or 6-10 roster and making them 8-8 or 9-7.  But making that jump and taking a 7-9 (or so) roster to 11-5 is what we need from him now.  That's an enormous leap in the NFL. 

 

He's done it before when had the roster do it. 

[Jetsfan80]

I agree to an extent.  At the end of the day, all concerns that really matter start and end with the QB if the position is not 100% solidified.  So for me at least, I'm still more concerned with QB than CB's.  You can occassionally scheme to cover for bad corner play.  You cant hide you QB for an entire season.

 

 

He's done it before when had the roster do it. 

 

I'd say that 2010 roster was better than 7-9 caliber and better than the current roster.  We had Revis and Cromartie playing at a high level, a terrific offensive line, the full compliment of "Fly Boys" performing nicely, plus Tomlinson.  Taking them to 11-5 was still impressive given Sanchez, but him taking this team to 11-5 would be much more impressive. 

 

It would also mean Geno is "the guy".  This is especially crucial, since there's probably no chance Rex gets another shot with a 2015 rookie QB.  If it's come to that its time for Idzik to handpick the offensive-minded HC he wants to pair with his rookie QB.  Option C:  If its determined that Rex should still be the HC but a QB change is needed, it had better be a veteran.

[JustInFudge]

I'd say that 2010 roster was better than 7-9 caliber and better than the current roster.  We had Revis and Cromartie playing at a high level, a terrific offensive line, the full compliment of "Fly Boys" performing nicely, plus Tomlinson.  Taking them to 11-5 was still impressive given Sanchez, but him taking this team to 11-5 would be much more impressive. 

 

It would also mean Geno is "the guy".  This is especially crucial, since there's probably no chance Rex gets another shot with a 2015 rookie QB.  If it's come to that its time for Idzik to handpick the offensive-minded HC he wants to pair with his rookie QB.  Option C:  If its determined that Rex should still be the HC but a QB change is needed, it had better be a veteran.

 

I'd say that 2010 roster was better than 7-9 caliber and better than the current roster.  We had Revis and Cromartie playing at a high level, a terrific offensive line, the full compliment of "Fly Boys" performing nicely, plus Tomlinson.  Taking them to 11-5 was still impressive given Sanchez, but him taking this team to 11-5 would be much more impressive. 

 

It would also mean Geno is "the guy".  This is especially crucial, since there's probably no chance Rex gets another shot with a 2015 rookie QB.  If it's come to that its time for Idzik to handpick the offensive-minded HC he wants to pair with his rookie QB.  Option C:  If its determined that Rex should still be the HC but a QB change is needed, it had better be a veteran.

 

True...I actually read your post wrong. I thought it said he couldnt take 8-8/9-7 to 11-5 or better. 

 

Rex isnt getting another chance in 2015, period.  This isnt a playoff roster, so it wont be a playoff team and thats what its going to take for Rex to save his job.  Sad but true.  Its a shame because he's a great HC but you cant ask him every single year to overachieve and coach up a sh*t roster. No coach is capable of that year after year.

[AFJF]

Dungy is a franchise-builder, though. Rex has shown zero ability to identify talent to the point where his acknowledged draft picks (Boyd, Conner, Scotty McKnight) become punch lines. I'm sure if Rex got the Dallas job where all he had to do was fix the defense, they'd be scary for two years, but the same problems would develop there as did here. Young players would fall by the wayside, Dez Bryant would murder a school bus, and veterans would age with no one behind them to replace them. He'd have a spicy DL, though.

 

For all the moaning that goes on around here about Rex's inability to address the offensive side of the football, I'd encourage you to watch Dungy's TB teams.  He tried to beat everyone 6-3 and always played scared on offense.  I remember watching their first game after acquiring Keyshawn from the Jets.  They'd just given up two first rounders and huge money to get him, and the thing Keyshawn did better than anything was go up for a jump ball.  He could pull it down in a crowd as well as anyone.  On their opening drive, the Bucs get the ball inside the five yard-line, and Dungy runs it right up the gut three times, stuffed all three times, and kicks a FG.  Dungy's offensive philosiphy in a nutshell.

[AFJF]

I agree to an extent.  At the end of the day, all concerns that really matter start and end with the QB if the position is not 100% solidified.  So for me at least, I'm still more concerned with QB than CB's.  You can occassionally scheme to cover for bad corner play.  You cant hide you QB for an entire season.

 

 

He's done it before when had the roster do it. 

 

Agreed 100%.  It just seems that right now, the majority of the talk has centered around how our CB's are going to get murdered and the Jets will be terrible because of it.  If Geno is bad again, none of it matters, but I think he'll be improved and Rex will have to get  his defense to play at a high level despite losing multiple starting CB's.

[FloridaJetsFan]

 you cant ask him every single year to overachieve and coach up a sh*t roster. No coach is capable of that year after year.

 

But, that's what the media says Bill Belicheat does every year ...

[Hitman Harris]

But, that's what the media says Bill Belicheat does every year ...

Yep. It becomes easy with help from the refs as well... When have you EVER seen them make a big conversion on their own, at a critical time, without a flag??

Almost never. And it's ALWAYS questionable.

[JustInFudge]

But, that's what the media says Bill Belicheat does every year ...

 

The cheater has Brady and the cheater was nothing before him and he thank the Jets for that.

[T0mShane]

For all the moaning that goes on around here about Rex's inability to address the offensive side of the football, I'd encourage you to watch Dungy's TB teams. He tried to beat everyone 6-3 and always played scared on offense. I remember watching their first game after acquiring Keyshawn from the Jets. They'd just given up two first rounders and huge money to get him, and the thing Keyshawn did better than anything was go up for a jump ball. He could pull it down in a crowd as well as anyone. On their opening drive, the Bucs get the ball inside the five yard-line, and Dungy runs it right up the gut three times, stuffed all three times, and kicks a FG. Dungy's offensive philosiphy in a nutshell.

I think Dungy is one of the most overrated coaches in the history of the game.

[sourceworx]

But, that's what the media says Bill Belicheat does every year ...

It's easy to look good when you have a Hall of Fame QB.

[Larz]

well, if he goes 8-8 with the worst QB in the league, then 8-8 with the worst secondary in history......

 

coach for life baby !!!!

[AFJF]

I think Dungy is one of the most overrated coaches in the history of the game.

 

Yep, he needed Manning to win a ring...Rex would just need an above average QB.

[jack48]

Rex homerism aside, how is this different than any other season other than 2010? 

 

He took over the worst offense in the league, lost his best player on both sides of the ball and won 9 games and went to the AFC Champ Game.  They finally fielded an above average roster in 2010, the only time in his career and with that solid of a roster, he  took that win total to 11 and beat two HOF'ers on the road to get back to the AFC Champ game.  From there on, his teams have sucked, he's had the worst starting QB in the league and its been all on him to get the most out of it.  Here were are in 2014 and nothing has changed.  The team sucks and Rex needs to work his magic.

 

The dude has been doing more with less than anyone else in the league.  Unfortunately for him, 3 straight seasons with no playoff appearance means nothing short of the playoffs saves his job and this roster is far from a playoff caliber roster.

I actually think Rex does NOT have to make the playoffs. He cannot have a losing record, but I think Woody keeps him 8-8 or better. Not saying I agree, but that is what I think.

[pedro55]

Rex homerism aside, how is this different than any other season other than 2010? 

 

He took over the worst offense in the league, lost his best player on both sides of the ball and won 9 games and went to the AFC Champ Game.  They finally fielded an above average roster in 2010, the only time in his career and with that solid of a roster, he  took that win total to 11 and beat two HOF'ers on the road to get back to the AFC Champ game.  From there on, his teams have sucked, he's had the worst starting QB in the league and its been all on him to get the most out of it.  Here were are in 2014 and nothing has changed.  The team sucks and Rex needs to work his magic.

 

The dude has been doing more with less than anyone else in the league.  Unfortunately for him, 3 straight seasons with no playoff appearance means nothing short of the playoffs saves his job and this roster is far from a playoff caliber roster.

 

  He took over a Jets team who was 9th in the league in offense and they went 9-7 after Mangini and crew choked away an 8-3 start. And Favre was injured.   So yeah there was no Favre and they pushed to draft and start Sanchez,  but people act like he took over a 4-12 team.  The Jets were an 8-3 team the season before and looked like a team rolling into the playoffs.       And then it all collapsed.    But to say Rex took over one of the worst teams and offense in the NFL is ridiculous.

[T0mShane]

Yep, he needed Manning to win a ring...Rex would just need an above average QB.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SancMa00/gamelog/post/

[T0mShane]

He took over a Jets team who was 9th in the league in offense and they went 9-7 after Mangini and crew choked away an 8-3 start. And Favre was injured. So yeah there was no Favre and they pushed to draft and start Sanchez, but people act like he took over a 4-12 team. The Jets were an 8-3 team the season before and looked like a team rolling into the playoffs. And then it all collapsed. But to say Rex took over one of the worst teams and offense in the NFL is ridiculous.

JiF is ridiculous 24/7. I'd love to kick his ass.