Rookie Coaching Hubris: Rex Ryan and the Jets Fall to the Miami Dolphins

This is my first piece for Bleacher Report, and unfortunately it is an angry, even reactionary one.—JB

The Jets' loss to a talented, well-coached Dolphins begins and ends with Rex Ryan on the defensive side, and with Brian Schottenheimer on the offensive side.  Having said that, perhaps our head coach—who claims to know little about the offensive playbook—should now take a closer look.

Ryan admits he didn’t prepare the defense properly for this game. Well coach, why the hell not?  Did you think this matchup was a gimme?  Perhaps it happened because you’re a rookie too. We have a talented team—very talented, but it won't get done with talent and attitude alone.  So roll up your oversized sleeves and get to work!

And another thing.  After the game, you said that the our defense was “horrendous,” but that our offense was “fantastic.”  Wrong.  On both counts. 

The defensive front seven were indeed in disarray, and without guidance, but the secondary played their hearts out and almost succeeded.

The offense played nice, safe, let’s-not-have-any-turnovers football.  I could have sworn I saw the ghosts of Eric Mangini and Chad Pennington stalking the Jets’ sideline.  The time for conservative football is near the end of a winning season, when you have the playoffs locked up, not in the fifth game!  Time for you to take an interest in offense, coach.

Brian, Brian, Brian. Some of your playcalling was either so conservative, or so dumb that it’s a wonder we lost by only four points. Your organization took a risk by trading up to draft a quarterback to be their starter, and trading for a wide receiver to be “a game-changer,” but you decided not to take a chance on them—not even when you saw that these two players could get it done.

Third and long, and you called a Seminole formation play? The Jets are pretty awful at these spread offense plays. And they’re awful because you don’t believe the spread in the NFL is “real,” and so you don’t practice them much. I hope Miami opened your eyes last night. If not, we’re royally screwed.

Former Jets’ offensive coordinator Dan Henning—whom the Jets and their loudmouth fans ran out of town—made our defense look inept. Learn something from that.  If you can’t do it, I would be willing to bet that Mike Westhoff has a few ideas on offense.

I would much rather see the Jets go down in flames this year, than have us dink, dunk, and run for two-and-a-half yards, into obscurity.