Jets Vs. Patriots: 15 Reasons Rex Ryan Will Outcoach Bill Belichick
The way Rex Ryan is talking, you would think this weekend's game with the New England Patriots is on par with Ali vs. Frazier.
The New York Jets coach will get one more crack at New England and Bill Belichick in this weekend's AFC divisional round game in Foxboro. The two teams have split their regular season games, the last being a 45-3 Patriots win at home.
Ryan praised Belichick during his Monday press conference, but also embraced the opportunity to face off against a man he knows will be in the Hall of Fame someday.
"This is going to be about me raising my level against Bill Belichick," Ryan said. "I recognize he’s the best, but I’m just trying to be the best on Sunday. I plan on being the best coach on Sunday. That’s what it is, I recognize that my level has to come up and he’s going to get my best shot. He’s going to get everything I have on Sunday. If he slips at all, we’re going to beat him."
Could it happen? Could Ryan possibly out-coach the legend? Here are 15 ways it could happen:
15. Get Aggressive, But Don't Overdo It
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You're not reinventing the wheel, but if you're Ryan, why not use a handful of trick plays during the game? If the Patriots win the coin toss at first and elect to receive, couldn't you just see Ryan going for an onside kick? Or if the Jets get the ball first, why not go for a big play on the first snap?
"We have to do a great job of making it, whether it’s a complex plan or not, it has to be simple," Ryan said. "We have to play fast and physical. That doesn’t mean we’re going to dummy it up. If you dummy it up against them, you’ll get crushed. We have to find that balancing act and I have to find the balancing act while keeping our team physical."
14. Enough About Brady
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When you hear Ryan talk about Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, it borders on being over-the-top. Brady has said before he hates the Jets, and while Ryan has praised him for his accomplishments, he's also called out Brady for his celebrations after touchdowns and taunting the sideline.
Here's the thing: If Brady sense that annoys him, he'll use that to his advantage. It's just like in poker, though. If your opponent gets a good hand, you can't flinch. Ryan needs to stay calm and not let one touchdown get to him.
13. Motivation Won't Be a Problem
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Rex Ryan certainly is a master of motivation. He does use foul language, but he also will use any ploy he can to fire up his team. Players love it, and you know they'll be hyped to play on the road. Belichick, on the other hand, is the Master of Monotone. Listening to him is like watching paint dry.
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12. Talk to Rob
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What do you bet Rex makes a call to his brother Rob Ryan, the Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator? Both the Ryan brothers have beat New England this year, and you have to bet Rex is asking his brother if he saw any other weaknesses when the Browns beat them 34-14 on Nov.7.
Coaches always talk, and you can bet that happens especially when those coaches are close brothers.
11. Take It By Quarters
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New England is talented enough; they just can go out and play their game, but New York could help itself with a strong start, then building off that momentum each quarter. If Ryan can get the Jets to play at their maximum level each quarter, this game gets interesting, but the slightest letdown or gaffe could be just the thing New England uses to begin another blowout.
In many ways, the approach is just like in a championship boxing match: Keep winning each round, and by the championship rounds, you're set up for victory.
10. Cut Down On Penalties
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The Jets will have a big enough challenge trying to contain Tom Brady and the Patriots offense. The last thing they need is to commit careless penalties and make the game even harder. Here's a look back at their losses and New York's penalties followed by their opponents':
Baltimore (L, 10-9) - 14-125 / 5-38
Green Bay (L, 9-0) - 7-55 / 3-15
New England (L, 45-3) - 4-56 / 1-10
Miami (L, 10-6) - 6-50 / 5-36
Chicago (L, 38-34) - 3-34 / 6-31
9. Brad Smith
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If I'm Rex Ryan, I make sure the Jets receiver gets plenty of touches, whether it's on returns, receptions or even using him in the passing game. Smith is a playmaker, and the Patriots have no one like him they can counter with.
8. Remember the Second Half
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Down 14-10 at halftime in their first meeting, the Jets outscored New England 18-0 in the second half as they went on to win 28-14 on Sept.19.
"We couldn't do anything in the second half," Tom Brady said then following the loss. "We had a hard time gaining yards. We didn't do anything on third down, we couldn't gain anything on first or second down. We couldn't run it. We couldn't throw it. We just [stunk]. That's what it comes down to."
In case they forgot, Ryan should be able to remind his defense they've got what it takes to shut down New England.
7. Grind Away
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It's Football 101: Best way to stop an opposing offense is to simply keep them off the field. New York is fourth in the NFL in rushing at 148.4 yards rushing per game and will be facing a Patriots defense that is 11th in the league against the rush, allowing 108 yards per game.
In their 17-16 win over Indianapolis last week, New York rushed for 169 yards, and 38 of their 70 plays were runs.
6. Give Them a Chance
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The stakes are higher, but Ryan needs to make sure his team's prepared as well as it can for this weekend's game.
"They made all the plays physically," Ryan said of their last game with New England. "They were prepared to do that. When I look back on it, we don’t need to trick them, we need to outplay them. We have to give our guys a chance. Obviously, there are chess matches involved every week, but it was checkmate. (Belichick) definitely out-coached me."
5. Watch Sanchez
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Ryan needs to keep working with Sanchez and do what he can to get his quarterback in a rhythm quickly. Sanchez can often be feast or famine, but he also showed what he's capable of last week against Indianapolis when he led New York downfield on a game-winning drive that set up Nick Folk's field goal.
4. Revis Island
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Cornerback Darrelle Revis has 32 tackles and 10 pass deflections on the season. Not only is he a prototypical shutdown corner, but he's also just the type of player who could make Brady's day miserable if he gets a chance.
3. If It's Close Late
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Ryan should remind his players they've succeeded plenty of other times this season, winning games against Cleveland, Houston, Detroit then last week against the Colts. Sure, they've made some games tougher than they should be, but this could come back to help them if they're in a tight game with their rivals.
2. Play Rough
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There's a way to do it without costing yourself, and getting stupid penalties, but the Jets need to attack all of New England's playmakers and keep making hard hits. Pittsburgh and Baltimore have made this into an artform, and it's also why it's so tough to score on their respective defenses.
1. Loose and Easy
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The biggest advantage Ryan has is that all the pressure is on Belichick, who has his best team since New England reached the Super Bowl and lost to the Giants.
Ryan knows his approach in their last game with New England was way off base.
"The plan may have looked good on paper, but it wasn’t realistic," he said. "When we had to make the adjustments, we couldn’t execute them. They did a great job and were prepared. It really came down to coaching more than playing. It was obvious that Belichick was that much better than I was (during) that last game."
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