Mike Francesa: No Friend Of Jets Nation

As an avid sports radio listener, I have grown accustomed to hearing various radio personalities criticize Rex Ryan and the Jets throughout the season. After all, Ryan and several of his players have made many an ill timed remark, especially following key losses. That being said, no talk show host has gone out of their way to lambaste this coach and his team more than Mike Francesa. With the exception of star cornerback Darelle Revis, Francesa has been hellbent on reminding everyone that Mark Sanchez is the reason why the Jets have lost, along with a defense that does not make big plays when they have to. As for Rex Ryan, this is where the harshest of criticism is levied.

Rex Ryan is a bigger than life personality who is providing a team with no identity, a much needed attitude. Has big Rex gone overboard and at times sounded ridiculous (most notably following the Colts win), absolutely but why does Francesa constantly harp on this? Coaches like Ryan make it easy for the media to do their job.
During the season Francesa has made it a point to scrutinize every Jets loss in excrutiating detail and in the process, come across as an angry old man.

Yesterday when a caller suggested that the Jets would have lost but kept it close Francesa went into another one of his rants "you don't know what you are talking about, Manning would have put up 30 points on that defense in the second half if he stayed in the game". How does he know this? Francesa's disdain for the Jets severely impacts his ability to have any objectiveness with regard to the team. It would be one thing for Francesa to dismiss the Jets and their fans in a jocular manner, however there is such an anger in his voice it seems as if  he is about to have a heart attack on the air.  Let us breakdown the criticisms and see where the contradictions lie.

Rex Ryan. Here is a guy who yesterday big Mike claimed to "be pulling for", despite the fact that he has done nothing but blast him throughout the season. Rex's cockiness seems to bother Francesa, which is the ultimate in irony. Francesa has pontificated to his loyal fan base for years and has acted like a pompous jerk. At times it appears Francesa is engaging in some classic self loathing.

The Jets defense. Even without Kris Jenkins this unit has been among the league's top ranked defenses and managed to shut down several high powered offenses during the year. The fact that a few teams, Atlanta and Miami have managed to score on late drives, doesn't mean this Jets unit is a fraud. At some point a defense will fall down when they are forced to protect a lead while the offense finds itself. Throughout NFL history, there have been many a good defense that suffered lapses that were a direct result of having to shoulder too much of the load. As a disgusted Giants fan and lifelong season ticket holder I would switch defenses in a New York minute if given the opportunity. 

Mark Sanchez. Ever since day one Francesa has been itching to light this guy up. When the Jets started 3-0, it was Francesa who refused to praise the play of the young rookie and instead remind us of how "stupid and selfish his diving all over the field, making plays was".

Once the inevitable came and Sanchez suffered from miscues Francesa was on him and judging his play as if this was a veteran starter. Only the comments of Phil Simms and others who happen to like Sanchez, have been able to temporarily stop the negative rants. Look at Matt Stafford or other quarterbacks in their rookie seasons. While Sanchez has a running game, he also was without a number one receiver (and at times even a legitimate number two) and plays under the glare of the New York media. If you hate the fact that Sanchez is crushing it with the ladies, then get over it. Francesa routinely makes comments about "the guy is too Hollywood". There have not been any stories of Sanchez doing anything off the field so if you know of any, please tell.

In summary, a Jets win over the Bengals equals a 9-7 record and a wildcard appearance. How can you criticize making the playoffs with a rookie quarterback and first year head coach? Furthermore, a win would exercise many a demon of prior Jet collapses. This is not the end game but an important step along the way. Meanwhile, for non Jet fans like myself, please win this game if for no other reason than to keep Francesa from spending all next week ripping this coach and his team.