Collision Course: 46 D Alums Ryan and Fisher To Face Off Sunday

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

There are many story lines out there to follow for this Sunday's clash between the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans to feast off of, the obvious being New York coming off the ecstasy of walloping the New England Patriots 16-9 last weekend to improve the Badfellas (Jets) to 2-0 on the year.

Meanwhile, the Titans were just two or three plays away from being 2-0 and not 0-2. Tennessee's two losses to Pittsburgh and Houston were by a combined six points, making it quite clear that Tennessee has to win this weekend against the feisty Jets, if it wants to get its season back on track.

Yet, there are other story lines that are worth following, one of which has to do with the two coaches. Both Rex Ryan and Jeff Fisher hail from Buddy Ryan's famed 46 defense. Fisher used to play under the elder Ryan, when he was a safety for the Chicago Bears in 1985, the year the Bears went 15-1 en route to Super Bowl XX triumph.

Rex, was there as well, much younger, just out of college, watching his father create one of the most ferocious monsters in NFL history; a monster that has spawned off menacing clones in Baltimore, Tennessee, and, now, New York.

Therefore, one would have to expect that neither team should be very surprised in what they see from the opposing defenses;  this could be a total street brawl. Just look at last year's Divisional playoff game between the Titans and Baltimore Ravens as evidence, when Ryan was the defensive coordinator for Baltimore.

The score was 13-10 in favor of Baltimore, and the game was most famous for its violent hits and absolute mayhem, as neither the Titans nor Ravens' offenses could move the ball.

The score was tied at seven heading into the fourth quarter, with the kickers, Matt Stover for the Ravens and Rod Bironas for the Titans figuring to be the only difference on the evening.

The Titans couldn't muster much of a ground game against Ryan's 46 D. Chris Johnson, who had 284 total yards last week against Houston, was held to just 72 yards rushing by the Ravens that day, and, Kerry Collins' inability to handle the blitz played a big part in the Titans defeat.

It is also worth noting that Fisher's defense held its own as well. The Titans gave up only nine first downs and 211 yards of offense a good Ravens offense; one would figure that Ryan and his coaching staff used that Titans/Ravens game as a key source for their players to study.

Thus begs the question as to what should people expect this weekend, when Fisher leads his Titans into New Jersey to take on Ryan's Jets? Lets go inside this match up:

QUARTERBACK: Mark Sanchez has gotten off to a brilliant start to his NFL career. He has withstood the heavy blitz packages of the Patriots and Texans in the first two weeks, leading the Jets to two victories in the early season. Sanchez has thrown for 435 yards and has completed 60 percent of his passes, something that is very unusual for a rookie quarterback. Sanchez has a lot of promise, and like Joe Flacco in Baltimore, should only get better with time.

Kerry Collins on the other hand has been around a long, long time, and is making his return to the Meadowlands, the place he called home for five years, when he played for the Giants from 1999-2003. He is still the starter in Tennessee, if for nothing else, the blatant fact that the Titans still do not trust Vince Young after his hissy fit last September.

Collins is a mixed bag. Sometimes he is very good, and other times he is just awful. Last year he was a godsend for the Titans leading the team to a 13-3 record, but fell victim to Rex Ryan's blitz happy Ravens defense in the divisional playoff game. How Collins handles the Ryan's schemes this time around will go a long way in determining a winner here. EDGE: JETS.

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