In his new book, “Play Like You Mean It,” which will be released this Tuesday, Rex Ryan does what he does best. He talks. A lot. Not just about Darrelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes and the Patriots, but about the team the Jets share a stadium with.
“When people ask me what it’s like to share New York with the Giants, my response is always I am not sharing it with them – they are sharing it with me. Some people like to say the Giants are the big brother team and the Jets are the little brother team. I know it’s going to (tick) off every Giants fan to hear this, but here you go: I really don’t care. We came to New York City to be the best team in the NFL, not just the best team in New York City. And I have news for you: We are the better team. We’re the big brother….It seems clear that right now we are the better team and we are going to remain the better team for the next 10 years. Whether you like it or not, those are the facts and that’s what is going to happen.”
The Jets and Giants meet for real on Christmas Eve. Should be fun.
The 2011 NFL Draft got underway Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Formerly a Saturday/Sunday event, the draft is now spread out over three days and broadcast both on ESPN and the NFL Network. With the labor unrest of the past seven weeks, this year’s draft has had a different feel to it, especially with the lockout developments this past week.
In the first round Thursday night, the Jets used their 30th pick to select Muhammad Wilkerson, a 6-5, 305-pound defensive lineman from Linden, New Jersey who played his college ball at Temple. Reading up on Wilkerson the past couple of days, I’m impressed with the kid’s loyalty and the work he put in to get to this point. The only question about him heading in seemed to be concern over the fact that he didn’t play at a big-time football school in college. However, against Penn State last season, Wilkerson had nine tackles and a fumble recovery. In total, he had 16.5 sacks and 131 tackles the past two years for the Owls. The Times’ Dave Caldwell has the story.
The last time the Jets drafted a player from Temple was back in 1977. A defensive tackle named Joe Klecko would become part of the New York Sack Exchange. That pick worked out pretty well for New York.
The Jets didn’t have a second round pick but took Kenrick Ellis, an athletic, 346-pound defensive tackle from Hampton, at No. 94 in the third round. ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini has a story on how this pick is a major gamble for the Jets. Ellis is scheduled to stand trial on July 12 for a felony assault charge that could land him in prison for 20 years. He was also kicked off the South Carolina football team for multiple failed drug tests. I encourage you to read Cimini’s piece. It’s an informative and honest critique of the pick.
Interestingly enough, as much as Rex Ryan is a defensive coach, prior to this year the Jets had only selected one defensive player (Kyle Wilson) in the draft since Ryan took over as head coach.
Rex Ryan's "Play Like You Mean It: Passion, Laughs, and Leadership in the World's Most Beautiful Game," due out on May 3rd.
Rex Ryan’s “Play Like You Mean It: Passion, Laughs, and Leadership in the World’s Most Beautiful Game,” co-written with Don Yaeger, is due out on May 3rd. You can read an excerpt in this week’s Sports Illustrated.
The excerpt focuses on the holdout of star cornerback Darrelle Revis. Because I can’t seem to find a way to link to that article directly, here’s ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini:
Late in the process, about a week before the season opener, Ryan blows a gasket, letting the front office know he’s none too pleased with the delay. He’s told they’re working on a four-year contract, and that there are unresolved technicalities that are holding up the process. To which Ryan replies, “I don’t care about any of that, because if we don’t win, I’m not going to be here in four years.”
Remember Revis’ fake hamstring injury from the off-season? Ryan reveals that it got under his skin more than he let on at the time. He refers to it as “the injury stunt.”
“Well, he came into my office afterward and must have apologized 50 times,” Ryan says. “I told him, ‘You put me in a bad way. I love you, but you understand I’m not going to have this. I’d rather that you just stay home instead of us going through this. You’ve got to understand something: We’re going to plan on winning either way.’”
Ryan admits that “getting involved directly in a contract situation isn’t a good idea for a coach,” but yet most of the excerpt is centered around a 2 a.m. meeting at his home with one of Revis’ agents, Neil Schwartz. The meeting, reported at the time by the New York Daily News, takes place in Ryan’s kitchen. Schwartz drapes a Revis jersey over an empty chair, and it remains there for the entire conversation.
“It’s 2 a.m. on Sept. 3, 2010, a Friday, and it’s time to get serious,” Ryan says. “I finally get home after our last preseason game, in Philadelphia, and I am hoping to get a couple of hours of sleep, but I can’t. The only thing on my mind is that we’re 10 days from opening the season, and we’re pretty much screwed. Why? My best defensive player … is still holding out.”
As soon as the link to the excerpt becomes available, I’ll post it here.
The Jets have talked a lot and they’ve backed it up with solid play. New York has knocked off two future Hall-of-Famers – Peyton Manning and Tom Brady - while winning consecutive road playoff games. The Jets beat Pittsburgh, 22-17, in Week 15 and New York is a better team today. With a win, Mark Sanchez will become the first quarterback in NFL history to win five road games, and this is only his second year. With a win, the Jets will return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 44 years. New York is covered in Jet green. New York is about to become even greener. JETS 13, STEELERS 10
The cover of this week's Sports Illustrated says it all. Bring on the Steelers!
Some interesting facts from The Wall Street Journal:
- The Jets have the most Twitter followers of any team in the NFL.
- Despite ranking 27th in the league in national popularity, the Jets were the most “buzzed about” team in the NFL this year. This includes blogs, blog comments, boards, groups, Twitter, and video/image sites.
- The Jets have recorded more than one million internet mentions since August 1. The Dallas Cowboys were second with just over 600, 000.
- Ten percent of sponsorships included a social media component this year. Next year, the Jets would like to increase that number to 50 percent.
- An estimated 20 percent of Jets’ fans have friended the team on Facebook.
Plenty more on the Jets’ web success. Click here for more.
Shaun Ellis has been with the Jets longer than anyone on the team. Ellis, 33, has spent all 11 seasons of his pro career in New York after being selected by the Jets with the 12th overall pick in the 2000 draft.
He’s one of the best defensive ends in the game and he’s one of the most durable players in the sport. Ellis has never played fewer than 13 games in a season and has played at least 15 games in 10 NFL seasons.
He’s played for Al Groh, Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini, and now Rex Ryan. He’s played on good teams and he’s played on some not-so-good teams.
This year, Ellis has a legitimate shot at getting to the Super Bowl. A win Sunday over Pittsburgh and the Jets are in.
