Interesting analogy from the sportswriters and fans at BaltSun.com: There were people there who felt vindicated in wanting/choosing Harbaugh over Rex Ryan for the Ravens job in 2008. The reason that Rex wasn't favored for the job and lost out to Harbaugh was believed to be that Rex was too chummy with the players as in his DC days. He didn't coach the whole team and was not a guy who would designate leaders on the team to impose discipline. These are the problems we saw this year in 2011 with the Jets. Did you see Ray Lewis at the end of yesterday's crushing loss ? Totally class....refused to blame any 1 individual or the team....would not feel sorry for himself.....he didn't sound like a 36-year old with time running out on getting back to the SB, he sounded like a 21-year old rookie who was told by a fortune-teller he'd be playing in 10 more AFC CGs, no problem. Ray Lewis comments yesterday made me think about the lack of leadership on the 2011 Jets. And about why Biscotti and Newsome passed over Rex for Harbaugh. Ironically, the same things being said about Rex were said about Buddy in Philadelphia (except that team had no locker room cancers).
Quite interesting, have to think there is some validity to that. Almost makes you wish we would have signed Ray Lewis instead of Bart Scott 3 years ago. Lewis is still a beast and is always a leader.
No argument from me, but I thought the comments were interesting. The Baltimore beat writers said that Rex was loved by Biscotti and Newsome but they thought his 'style' -- not his tactics -- would be a problem as HC. That's why Harbaugh (a ST coach) got the job over a DC who had led a top defense. Again, listen to Ray Lewis' post-loss speech......I have NEVER seen a more gracious and 'dont feel sorry for us' speech in my life for ANY team in my 40+ years of following sports. I am just shocked someone like Ray Lewis said it. lol
RAY LEWIS On whether this was the toughest loss of his career: "Absolutely not, been in this business way too long to be the toughest loss ever. Is it a tough loss? Absolutely. As a team, the way we came out and we fought, we fought, we fought and for the game to come down the way it was going to come down, we knew that because we?re built for 60 minutes. I take my hat off to my team because there?s so much else going on and the way we came in here and fought all year. Up and down, up and down. Injury here, injury there and the way we fought back to get back to this opportunity and then in the last seconds of the game, to come out and have an opportunity to tie that game up, to win the game, whatever it was, you can?t ask for anything else. God has never made a mistake, ever. Somebody is going to feel like this tomorrow. Somebody is going to feel like this in two weeks in the Super Bowl and whoever wins it, that?s their year and that?s a fact. It is nothing that nobody else can do about it and that?s the irony of sports. There?s a winner. There?s a loser and when you lose, you?ve got to suck it up like a man and say, ?You know what Father? If it?s your will, then so be it.? As a man, you?ve got to keep moving and as a team. We?ve got to keep moving, keep building, keep building and remember this taste no matter how many times you go through it because when you finally get it, you appreciate it more." On almost celebrating when Lee Evans had the ball in his hands at the end of the game: "If you weren?t celebrating, you weren?t a Raven fan. When you saw the catch ? once again, that?s the irony of sports. It?s a game of inches. That?s just the way it comes down. Trust me, I?ve been a part of a lot of those same games to where the inches didn?t go somebody else?s way. I mean you could take last week, the Houston Texans, inches away from beating us. But guess what? It didn?t happen and now, it?s the next step. San Francisco and the Giants, somebody else is going to go through the same thing. And that?s the thing, you learn from it and move on.?
one bad year when his team completely implodes, trashes each other to the media, throws their QB under the bus, rips the coaching etc... show me another team that fell apart like this? I've never seen it happen. what happened with the jets is a direct reflection of the HC, and it goes way beyond an 8-8 season.
Remember the giants back before their first superbowl run? Kinda similar....bashing the coach, eli sucked, locker room problems, tiki talking shit about players, etc. and then they won the superbowl...LOL
am i paranoid, or was Ray rubbing Ryan and jets organization's nose in it showing the team chemistry vs jets debacle. i thought he felt ryan dissed him by taking bart.
lol for what? you're that afraid of divergent views? jesus go live in a bubble or something. everytime another player comes out and rips the jets org you can rock yourself to sleep and pretend it isn't happening.
Wait a minute--so Rex gets hired and goes to 2 straight AFCCGs and somehow Harbaugh is a better hire? Did you like the way he failed to call a timeout to let his team get properly set up for a tying field goal? Harbaugh is no genius, either.
