As a Jets fan, the fear I have is that they are just so emotionally drained. Yes, they've beaten Pittsburgh and I don't see this game, by any stretch, as a David vs. Goliath matchup. Every team still alive has battled injuries and fatigue, but each game for the Jets is like its own Super Bowl for them. I'm sure Rex has a great game still in the tank, I'm just concerned the players are just wiped out from all the talking, media coverage and reveling in taking down the game's best 2 QB's in consecutive weeks.
I think what Dr. Rob is saying is that momentum can go only so far. Look at how Bart Scott was after the game. Think he can keep that hype and anger up for another month? Question to all you Chargers fans: does it upset you to see LT and Cromartie in the AFC Championship? Any bitterness, since a whole lot of you were so quick to dismiss them after they left? Because I'll be honest: that's how I feel about Jay Cutler.
I didn't dismiss either of them when they left. And when the Jets started building their team through killer acquisitions in the offseason, I was happy for them that they'd have a shot. That's something people seem to have forgotten along the way. Before the season started, the Jets were favored to make a deep playoff run. Most of the friends I have in San Diego feel the same way. If the Chargers aren't in it, at least LT maybe has a chance to get the ring he deserves. Cromartie we really don't care that much about.
I feel bitter about Cromartie having success. I found it borderline suspicious that he missed so many tackles in the playoff game against the Jets last year, gets cut, and winds up there (/tin foil hat on). All the Chargers fans I know feel the same way about LT though; we failed to get him a ring, so we'll be happy if he gets one, even if he's on a really gay team.
So no hard feelings or any of that "you weren't a team player" nonsense that went his way after he left for NY? That's cool. I just get the impression that a majority of SD fans are in that category. The Chargers blog I read is rampant with that mentality, and it's kind of depressing/pathetic.
Right after he got to NY, he got a Jets tat on his calf. A bit of resentment flared up around SD for about two days until we all remembered that he has a Chargers tat on his other calf.
It was funny to hear Bill Simmons argue on his Podcast with Aaron Schatz, who has forgotten more about football last weekend than Boston Billy will ever know. They're both Patriots fans, but Schatz stated that both teams were locked in and playing hard, but the Jets flat-out played better, due to a combination of great, outstanding defense, and clutch play by Sanchez and the wide receivers. Meanwhile, Billy Boy kept saying the Patriots were "flat", and that the reason they lost was because they hadn't had a "real punch in the mouth loss". When Schatz brought up the blow-out loss against the Brown, Simmons whined that it was almost two months ago. Anywho, I'm not football expert, but I thought the Jets looked terrific, and they managed to defeat a great team.
Looking ahead to the future, I don't see the Jets having any problem shutting down the Steelers offense. They aren't nearly as good as the Patriots. Scoring points on Pitt is another story, of course. If the Jets do manage to win, I really really hope they end up facing the Pack in the Super Bowl. Packers still don't have much of a running game and the Jets seem especially excellent at shutting down the pass. Packers do have an underrated defense but there isn't much to stop the run other than BJ Raji and of course Clay Mathews who excels in all portions of the game. If it turns out to be the Bears in the Super Bowl, there is no way Cutler doesn't through at least 2 picks and that would probably be enough to swing the game in their direction. I'm liking their chances...
Holy fucking shit whatta weekend!!!! The Ravens taken out. Too bad, I would have much rather seen them move on then the bane of my existence otherwise knows as the motherfucking Bears. Shit, I hate them almost as much as Pitt and their GOD DAMN TERRIBLE TOWELS, which I now have to see even more of. That bugs the fuck out of me. A towel, seriously? It makes me grit my teeth and try to resist the urge to pluck out my eyelashes. The Packers looked like they would have rolled over any of the teams that were left. The Jets? Wha? They beat the machine. I am still amazed. Sad part is we only have 3 more games and it's over, again. I know there's a probowl but that's not a real game so I don't count it. Also, on that topic, anyone know why they ever changed the date to before the SB rather than like it was, being after? It makes no sense to me.
Jim Mora Jr. is on the verge of becoming the Broncos' new DC. Can anyone weigh in on his abilities? Last time Denver ushered in a new DC from outside, I was skeptical, based on Nolan's history as the 49ers HC, but was told that he's a fantastic coordinator, and the following season proved to be true. Can the same be said about Mora at all? Obviously, there's only one way to go but up when your defense finishes dead last in the league, but how much of an improvement would Mora be?
The players will love him, he's a rah-rah, up-tempo type players coach, sometimes to a fault. When he coached the Falcons he was well criticized for hopping in D'Angelo Hall's Ferrari on the way to a charity event instead of riding with the team. I can't comment on his abilities as a coordinator, but as a head coach his tendencies to get too friendly with the players was his ultimate downfall.
Seems like that mentality could be used as a strength rather than a weakness, since coordinators naturally have a more intimate working relationship with the players than the head coaches do. It's the same reason guys like Rex Ryan are so popular, and Josh McDaniels are not, simply because of how well they gelled with their players when they weren't the top dog in the locker room.
My nearest guess is that they moved the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl to try and grab some more ratings before the grand finale of the season. Who would revert from the greatest spectacle in sports to some half ass football game which holds no meaning? This way there's at least some football during that off weekend and more viewers will tune in. Not me, however.
I have a very close friend that is a Bears fan from Chicago. He just sent me this picture. It's gonna be a long fucking week of trashtalking and smexting (Smacktexting=smexting).
shegirl: "im gonna eat your cheese bro! lol" shegirlfriend: "lol naw were gonna give u diabeetus lmao" I can't wait. Or perhaps he, like her, is an internet dork and will use their native tongue: "our diabeetus is teh sex lulz." Don't all you NFC North people do that shit?* (See what I did there? Inter-division, inter-conference burn, baby! Fuck yeah. *sigh* How much longer until the draft...?) And when it rains, it pours: Maroney gets busted with weed and weapons. File that one under "O" for "obvious shadowing."
From ESPNNewYork: "The Pittsburgh Steelers, who allowed six sacks Saturday to the Baltimore Ravens, aren't a good pass-protecting team. Their tackles, Jonathan Scott and Flozell Adams, are shaky at best. If Ellis & Co. can pressure Ben Roethlisberger with four-man rushes, it will allow Rex Ryan to be more creative with his coverage schemes." Thoughts? Is this possibly the key to the Jets winning/losing?
This interview is simultaneously awesome and hilarious; Hey Interview Man, I know a large black athlete fired up over an emotional victory scares you for some reason, but that doesn't mean you just abandon your questions and let him go. If an Ariel Helwani can openly talk shit and ask insulting questions to an MMA fighter arrested multiple times for assault, you can probably sack up and ask Mr. Scott how the defense was able to stop Brady or what their gameplan was.