Rex Ryan predicts SB run

[cincyhokie]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/sports/football/05jets.html

Jets’ Ryan Is Planning on Four More Games

Published: January 4, 2010

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Less than 17 hours after the Jets’ most dominating and important victory of the season, Coach Rex Ryan stepped purposefully onto a platform Monday, grasped the sides of a lectern and said they had merely earned the right to keep playing football.

Rex Ryan after the Jets' 37-0 win Sunday over the Bengals. They meet again Saturday.

Making the playoffs seems to be a huge accomplishment for the Jets, who have a rookie coach in Ryan and a first-year quarterback in Mark Sanchez, and have lost two key players to season-ending injuries. Ryan, however, did not sound interested in reflecting on much of anything. He had not even talked to many friends or his father, Buddy, a former N.F.L. coach.

“I got the usual criticism from my mom out of the way early this week,” Ryan said with a smirk.

The Jets won five of their last six games to finish 9-7 and squeeze into the playoffs. On Saturday at 4:30 p.m., they will play the Cincinnati Bengals (10-6), whom the Jets manhandled, 37-0, on Sunday night before a delirious capacity crowd at frosty, wind-whipped Giants Stadium.

The victory was nice, Ryan said, but he pointed out that the Bengals had already earned a playoff berth and could afford to give some of their players some or all of the night off, including quarterback Carson Palmer, wide receiver Chad Ochocinco and running back Cedric Benson, and three defensive starters.

“We’re going to face a different team, even though it’s the same team,” Ryan said.

Besides, he said, Saturday’s game will be played in Cincinnati, where the Jets will not have the luxury of playing in front of 79,000 fans energized by Fireman Ed. But there was something else. As tough as he expects the Bengals to be, this is the first of four games Ryan is planning to play in the next five weeks.

“We’re trying to win this thing,” he said. “That’s our goal. To get to this point and not have that as your ultimate goal, you’re not going to be successful.”

Ryan knows he may sound audacious — “I think people hate me, which is fine” — but he says the Jets, the final team to reach the playoffs, are capable of going to the Super Bowl for the first time in 41 long years.

He believes he has a team built to win in January; the Jets had the No. 1 rushing offense in the N.F.L. and the No. 1 overall defense, allowing an average of 252 yards per game, or 32 fewer than the Green Bay Packers, who finished second.

“Even though we had a shutout yesterday, there were still a lot of things we didn’t do defensively,” Jets defensive end Marques Douglas said in a conference call. “We didn’t need to show all of our cards. They have a very explosive passing game and running game. They didn’t want to show their hand, and we didn’t want to show our hand also.”

Ryan said Monday that he was “definitely concerned” about middle linebacker David Harris, who sprained his ankle in the second half of Sunday’s victory. And Harris’s backup, Ryan Fowler, took a blow to the head. But Ryan said he hoped both would be fine by Saturday.

The Jets have already shown they can be resilient, he said. Running back Leon Washington and nose tackle Kris Jenkins were lost to injuries, but the Jets were still able to run the ball and stop other teams from running it. Their record sank to 4-6 after a 31-14 loss to New England on Nov. 22, but they never counted themselves out.

“For whatever reason, we’re kind of the team that everybody loves to hate, but that’s fine,” linebacker Calvin Pace said. “Everybody’s not going to like you, but you’ve got to keep on pushing.”

Sunday’s game, Pace said, was the best he had ever played in. As he came out of the tunnel at Giants Stadium, he saw the crowd swirling white towels, and he said he whispered to himself, “This is what you play for.” Needing only to win to make the playoffs, the Jets overwhelmed the Bengals.

The playoff game Saturday will be the first for Pace and several other members of the Jets. Ryan says he thinks his team will be fine. The Jets will not take the Bengals lightly Saturday just because they routed them six days earlier. They have not earned that right, Ryan said.

Guard Brandon Moore said: “As far as playing the game, we just have to be prepared for them to come out and play a really tough game. It’s the playoffs and a new season. You have to expect that it’s not going to be as easy as it might have looked on Sunday.”

The season ended for 20 N.F.L. teams over the weekend, and the Jets were not one of them. Ryan is already insisting that the Jets’ season does not have to end next weekend, either. As good as Sunday’s victory felt, there are bigger victories to attain.

“We’re all competing for the same prize,” he said.

[Stripes]

Eh, I wouldn't call it a prediction. He says they're capable and I agree. I think any playoff team is capable.

[cincyhokie]

Eh, I wouldn't call it a prediction. He says they're capable and I agree. I think any playoff team is capable.

I agree. He does seem a bit cocky. Or maybe off? He cried and on a separate occasion declared his team was "out of the playoffs" all in one season.

His comments on the LB Harris seem to me as if he has more of a high ankle sprain or something more severe than just a "normal" ankle sprain.

[cincyhokie]

“Even though we had a shutout yesterday, there were still a lot of things we didn’t do defensively,” Jets defensive end Marques Douglas said in a conference call. “We didn’t need to show all of our cards. They have a very explosive passing game and running game. They didn’t want to show their hand, and we didn’t want to show our hand also.”

Interesting.

[gregstephens]

Um...is this the same Rex Ryan that, what, two weeks ago, mistakenly thought the Jets were eliminated from the playoffs and publicly stated their season was over?

[derekshank]

Even though we had a shutout yesterday, there were still a lot of things we didnt do defensively, Jets defensive end Marques Douglas said in a conference call. We didnt need to show all of our cards. They have a very explosive passing game and running game. They didnt want to show their hand, and we didnt want to show our hand also.

Interesting.

I don't think the Jets could have showed their hand if they wanted to. Palmer was only on the field for like 10 gametime minutes, right?

That was really the only thing that irked me about this game. If you're going to go vanilla, fine. But don't play so poorly that you learn virtually nothing about their gameplan. Had the Bengals just been able to run the ball a little and held on to the ball and run down the clock, the game would have stayed close and the Jets would have been forced to show more of their hand. But this game was over long before halftime, and the Jets didn't have to show anything with O'Sullivan in the game.

I'm fine with the loss. I'm not as okay with the fact that I feel like the one thing the Bengals could have done to try to get an advantage this week was ruined by a ridiculous number of dropped passes, and what seemed by complete lack of heart and effort when it came to playing physical football.

[cincyhokie]

“Even though we had a shutout yesterday, there were still a lot of things we didn’t do defensively,” Jets defensive end Marques Douglas said in a conference call. “We didn’t need to show all of our cards. They have a very explosive passing game and running game. They didn’t want to show their hand, and we didn’t want to show our hand also.”

Interesting.

I don't think the Jets could have showed their hand if they wanted to. Palmer was only on the field for like 10 gametime minutes, right?

That was really the only thing that irked me about this game. If you're going to go vanilla, fine. But don't play so poorly that you learn virtually nothing about their gameplan. Had the Bengals just been able to run the ball a little and held on to the ball and run down the clock, the game would have stayed close and the Jets would have been forced to show more of their hand. But this game was over long before halftime, and the Jets didn't have to show anything with O'Sullivan in the game.

I'm fine with the loss. I'm not as okay with the fact that I feel like the one thing the Bengals could have done to try to get an advantage this week was ruined by a ridiculous number of dropped passes, and what seemed by complete lack of heart and effort when it came to playing physical football.

Offensively they showed more than defensively, agreed. The Bengals have played well against top 3-4 defenses all year and IF they did in fact play a "vanilla" offensive scheme, they should fair much better on Saturday.

I'm not as concerned with the cold as much as the wind. If there is little to no wind, it plays into the Bengals favor concerning the passing game.

[semiotter]

Yeah he is going make a few more runs at the "Buffet" LoL

[jjakq27]

I kinda like the guy actually. Sometimes I wish our coach was a little more brash and a little less diplomatic or PC. The only issue I had was when they challenged the spot later in the game. I felt like the game was already over at that point so it was a little unnecessary.

He knows us and we know him from Baltimore. Both coaches profess to be good friends from their days in Baltimore and playing each other since Marvin took over here, so I doubt that there will be many surprises. It will come down to basic execution. If we can force Sanchez to throw more than they want him to then we have a good chance. If we are unable to stop the run, it will be more of the same that we saw Sunday night. Sustained drives on offense will also be a major key.

[Ickey44]

That's basically what it boils down to. They need to get the Jets in third and long situations and make Sanchez beat them. Cotchery is really their only good receiver unless they put stickem on Edwards' hands.

They need to get creative on offense and find a way to get a lead then kill the clock and keep the Jets offense from getting the ball.

Also, judging on the way Scott returned the ball last week, we might have a return TD from him as well.

[walzav29]

I just have a hard time buying that the Jets are the greatest running team of all time and the Bengals who have been phenomenal vs the run all season will suddenly fail.

[Ickey44]

I just have a hard time buying that the Jets are the greatest running team of all time and the Bengals who have been phenomenal vs the run all season will suddenly fail.

I don't know that anyone said they were the best of all time, but they were the best during this season.

[HairOnFire]

The Jets are who we think we are.