Tavern Talk: A Toast to Rex Ryan and the New York Jets

National Football Post

I’M BUYING A ROUND FOR THE HEAD COACH OF THE WEEK…

Rex Ryan, New York Jets

Ryan has been talking the talk since he arrived in New York, but Sunday he backed it up with a very Jets-shut-down-Brady-Patriots-in-win.html" target="_blank">creative but sound game plan against the Patriots. Yes, the Patriots—a team the hometown faithful had not seen the Jets beat firsthand since 2000.

Ryan couldn’t care less what people around the league think and made no bones about debriefing former Patriot Kevin O’Connell, now a fourth-string quarterback for the Jets. In fact, he even made O’Connell an honorary team captain—even though O’Connell didn’t dress for the game.

For the record, the Jets are one of only two NFL teams carrying four quarterbacks on their active roster. Ryan is brash, he’s cocky and he’s a good football coach. He has his team believing his every word, which is half the battle in the NFL.

I’M BUYING A ROUND FOR AN ASSISTANT COACH OF THE WEEK…

Mike Zimmer, Cincinnati

The words “good defense” and the Bengals have not often been used in the same sentence, but since coming to Cincinnati last year, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has changed that notion. The Bengals are for real on defense: They play hard, they play fast and they’re physical.

They feature two very talented young corners in Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall, both former first-rounders. Six of the 11 starters come from the draft, and Zimmer has done a good job blending in the players who know his system with what was already in Cincinnati when he arrived. When you look at their statistical numbers, they don’t stand out, but as we know, statistics seldom tell the whole story.

RAMBLING THOUGHTS

1. New England had 16 third downs last week at home and another 15 on Sunday, which means the Patriots are not making any down-the-field plays. New Orleans has had 26. In the Super Bowl, the Giants forced 14. To beat the Patriots, teams must tackle well and not allow the big play.

2. We all know the red zone is key to winning as the Patriots, Chargers and Chiefs were 0-for-the-red-zone and the ‘Skins won despite being 0 for 5. Close games always come down to which team has the most success in the red zone. You have to go back to 2006 to find a game in which the Patriots were held without a touchdown.

3. This is not the first time the Jets have been accused of tampering, going back to Bill Parcells and then Bill Belichick. But what I find interesting is that the 49ers lost a third-round pick for tampering with Lance Briggs of the Bears, so they must know what’s needed for proof in the commissioner’s court.

I’m not saying the Jets tampered; all I’m saying is that the 49ers have experience in this area. Trust me, the Jets will not be the only team accused of tampering with Michael Crabtree if his holdout goes into the offseason.

4. Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports reported that Browns coach Eric Mangini fined a player more than $1,700 for taking a bottle of water from the hotel. You have got to be kidding me. There are more pressing problems in Cleveland than the absence of water. Mangini needs to figure out what’s urgent and what’s important. Give me a break on this one. Is it any wonder why everyone is unhappy in Cleveland?

5. Can everyone thank Joe “The Tippper” Fortenbaugh for his sage advice on Johnny Knox, the wideout for the Bears? He’s killing my phone looking for praise. Knox is very good, and Tipper was on it early this year. Well done, Joe.

6. Losing Albert Haynesworth to the ‘Skins is not the reason the Titans are 0-2, but in Texans-win-shootout-in-Nashville.html" target="_blank">the game against the Texans, they did miss his push, his presence inside and his ability to make Matt Schaub play in a tight pocket. Schaub needs room to throw, and with a clean pocket, even though he doesn’t zip the ball, he’s very effective. The Titans had mental breakdowns that also hurt.

7. Mario Manningham is averaging more than 16 yards per catch so far this year, and his big body has been very effective making tacklers miss, thus advancing the ball. Speed is important at wideout, but quickness and balance make a player effective, and those are two areas of strength for Manningham.

8. The New York football Giants have won two big NFC East divisional games already this season, Cowboys.html" target="_blank">including last night without some important players on defense. Based on the first two weeks, they look like the best team in the NFC East—but it’s early.

APThe Raiders won in spite of JaMarcus Russell on Sunday.

9. The Raiders should not apologize for their win Sunday, but they need to find a way to increase JaMarcus Russell’s accuracy percentage. It’s going to be tough to beat many teams completing only one-third of your passes. Ugly wins still count as wins.

10. Running back Rashard Mendenhall looks to me like he’s going to be the main back in Pittsburgh now. Yesterday, he finally looked like a first-rounder, and this might be the last time we see Willie Parker.

11. Falcons-worst-fears-confirmed.html" target="_blank">Losing defensive tackle Peria Jerry for the season will really hurt the Falcons’ defense as they need all the healthy bodies they can find. They’re tough at home, but can they win with that defense on the road? There was no quit in the Panthers.

LET’S HAVE A TOAST TO…

Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, whose team lost, but whose stadium is flat-out amazing.

Follow me on Twitter: michaelombardi

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