MMQB Review: Rex Ryan Ruins the Jets Season Even Though It Was Already Ruined Edition

Peter King tried to help Chuck Pagano search for motivation through tragedy in last week's MMQB. Peter also slightly bemoaned the Ravens trading Anquan Boldin, yet again, and told us what a productive awesome offense the Rams will have this season. Unfortunately, the running back and offensive line positions aren't exactly a sure-thing to be even above average, but---

(Peter King breaks in yelling) "Look! Something shiny!" 

What was I writing about again? I can't remember. Anyway, Peter gave us a rundown of the NFL camps he visited and talked about how Jon Gruden (gasps in surprise) still wants to be an NFL head coach. This week Peter asks if Arian Foster's (I always accidentally spell it "Fister" everytime I write his name...what's wrong with me? Don't answer that) workload is catching up to him, talks about ESPN and Frontline (isn't Frontline a type of anti-tick cream-ish thing for cats?), and offers us an exclusive chance to be in his daughter's Fantasy Football league, which sounds like a weird prize to me.

Battle of the heavyweights here Sunday. When it was mostly first-teamers versus first-teamers through the first half, the score was the rejuvenated Saints (with some frisky new pups on defense) 17, Texans (minus J.J. Watt and Arian Foster) 16. If the Saints can play defense, they have a chance to play deep into January.

Fortunately the Saints have Rob Ryan as their defensive coordinator. He has turned so many defenses around, but only in his head, I can't see how the Saints aren't a top-5 defense this year.

If the Texans can get 16 games out of the idled Foster, they can win the Super Bowl.

The Texans have gotten 16 games out of Foster twice in his career and neither time did they win the Super Bowl. The Texans "could" win the Super Bowl if they get 16 games out of him, so I guess this statement isn't exactly Peter going too far out on a limb.

The bizarrely undrafted Foster, of course, has been an incredibly productive back over the past three years,

It's been discussed widely why Arian Foster wasn't drafted of course, so I'm not sure why Peter is still confused. Very few people immediately after the 2009 draft were saying it is odd Foster wasn't drafted, but now it is "bizarre" Foster wasn't drafted...or at least is bizarre to those like Peter who won't do any research as to why Foster wasn't drafted. Here are the reasons why Foster wasn't drafted:

1. Running backs are being devalued. It's just the simple fact of the matter the NFL is a passing league now. Foster was around the 20th rated running back in the 2009 NFL Draft. 22 running backs were chosen in the draft.

2. Foster was a part of a running back by committee in his senior year at Tennessee which resulted in him only putting up 570 yards on 131 carries with one touchdown. Those aren't numbers that really entices the NFL to draft you.

3. To add into Foster's sub-par senior year, there were also issues with Foster fumbling (but only in key times, which makes the fumbles stick out more) and pass-protecting. Add into the fact the Phillip Fulmer Tennessee coaching staff did not give rave reviews about Foster to NFL scouts and it made it hard for the NFL to justify drafting him.

4. When it came time for the Combine, Foster had a pulled hamstring so he couldn't run. That's not enticing for NFL scouts either. If you are a running back who had a sub-par senior year performing well at the Combine is a good way to catch an NFL scout's eye.

5. Then at Foster's Pro Day he ran a 4.71 40-yard dash. That's not exactly fast for a running back.

So Foster was a non-productive running back who had a college coaching staff that clearly didn't believe in him and found him hard to coach. To make matters worse, Foster was injured at the Combine and didn't put up good numbers on his Pro Day. The only thing "bizarre" in this situation is that Peter King thinks it was bizarre for Foster to go undrafted. It doesn't make sense in retrospect, but it made sense at the time.

He returned to practice last week amid concern he might be ready for the start of the season but not ready for a 325-carry grind. (Plus, of course, however many times he’d have to carry the ball in the playoffs.)

Foster had 650 carries in college. He's a workhorse when healthy.

“I’m fine,’” said Foster. “My body feels great. I actually think all this time [off] might help.”
 
“Why?” I said.

Why would time off from playing football help a football player's body feel better? Really, Peter? You don't understand why rest might make a person's body feel better?

Foster was treated with injections to relieve pain in his back, and he said he’s pain-free now. His doctors cleared him to resume all football activity, and he said, “They think it’s over, but you never know.”

If Arian Foster was Robert Griffin he would call a weekly press conference to update everyone on how his back is feeling and then do as many interviews as possible updating us on how his back is feeling. Foster would also make sure there was a camera on him at all times in order to let everyone know exactly how his rehab is going in order to make sure his name stays in the news.

“My body feels great,” he said. “It’s because I haven’t had the grind of camp. 

Think about it: During the season, you never play football six days in a row. You get your body tired and worn down during training camp. When you don’t have that on you, you feel fresh.

I think this is basic common sense, but what do I know? I'm not sure why Peter's reaction to learning Foster feels fresher was "why?"

Let the debate between old and new school begin. Don’t tell Mike Tomlin this; he thinks you have to toughen up your players in camp in order to play tough during the season. But all of you out there prepping for your drafts—you’ll have to ask yourself if you’ve got the third or fourth pick and are thinking seriously of Foster, “Do I feel lucky?”

Great fantasy football advice from Peter. When I join his daughter's fantasy football league I will consider this advice very seriously.

The Eagles could run 1,200 plays.

If Andy Reid were still the head coach of the Eagles, then 200 of these would be screen passes.

Now, Vick threw two brainlock passes during the game—one an interception, one while he was going down for a sack that was the classic careless Vick we’ve seen at times in his star-crossed career. And this was probably his worst offensive performance of the three preseason games, though his numbers were good. “The thing I’m most proud of is I didn’t approach this preseason the way I approached the last three or four years. I came to play,” Vick said.

I'm not a big Mike Vick fan. I have never have been and probably never will be, but the current Eagles offense seems perfect for him. Still, didn't we hear that Vick didn't always practice hard while he was with the Falcons, he was the last person there and the first to leave and that sometimes he didn't seem motivated to improve? Then when he re-joined the NFL after doing his stint in jail I remember him stating that was going to change and he was a new type of player with a new work ethic. Now it appears over the past couple of seasons Vick really hasn't had anyone pushing him for the starting job that hard and he apparently wasn't "coming to play" during the preseason. Once Foles pushed him for the job, he started "coming to play" and working hard again. I guess my question is what will happen once Vick has locked up the starting quarterback job again? Will he again not entirely be dedicated to improving himself as the Eagles starting quarterback? 

Two impressive things about the Saints. One: their rookie class. Kenny Stills, the fifth-round receiver from Oklahoma, made a great catch against the Texans down the left sideline on a bomb, 

A Saints receiver caught a really long pass in a preseason game! Clearly this is proof the team is going places. Peter thinks this Saints offense is going to be one to watch.

Two: defensive end Cameron Jordan, who had a sack and was buzzing around Matt Schaub for much of the first quarter.

Jordan wasn't actually trying to sack Schaub, but as he was buzzing around Schaub he accidentally tripped him and got rewarded with a sack. Otherwise, Jordan prefers to just run around the quarterback creating a sort of invisible barrier to where the quarterback knows there is pressure around him, but Jordan prefers not to sack the quarterback. He prefers just buzzing around the quarterback in circles.

Jordan and J.J. Watt were the best big ends in the 2011 draft, and he looked to have some of Watt’s quickness, spin moves and strength Sunday.

Because it seems all defensive line comparisons automatically go back to J.J. Watt. Is the defensive lineman like J.J. Watt or not? That's all that Peter cares about.

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan plans to move Jordan—son of former NFL tight end Steve Jordan—around on the defense.

How can you not trust Rob Ryan's decision-making give his record as a defensive coordinator? So clearly this is a brilliant decision.

“I was a Swiss Army knife last year,” he said after the game.

I think it's fair to say Cameron Jordan buzzed around many spots on the Saints defense last year.

The head coach of the Jets, Rex Ryan, committed career suicide Saturday night in New Jersey. On the 52nd play of a preseason game, with 11:21 left in the fourth quarter (a point of the game when no starting player plays in August), behind an offensive line full of backups, when his opening-day quarterback appeared to have no idea he was going to play, with undrafted free agents Joseph Collins from Weber State and Ryan Spadola from Lehigh running down passes, Ryan inserted Mark Sanchez into the game.

I think it's obvious why Rex Ryan did this. He hates Mark Sanchez and wanted to watch Sanchez get hurt. Maybe he wanted to pay back Sanchez for playing so poorly last year. His plan worked. But...the Jets are Ryan's team and as the head coach he can insert whichever players into the game that he wants to. Of course there are ramifications and repercussions for injuring Sanchez, but Ryan was going to be fired after this season anyway if the Jets failed to play well, so he probably just expedited the process.

“Why compete, period?” Ryan explained after Sanchez, leveled by Giants defensive tackle Marvin Austin on his ninth play in the game, went out with a shoulder injury. “We put him out there with guys. We’re there to win.”

You play to win the game! Though I guess if Rex Ryan was trying to win the game that still doesn't explain why he put Mark Sanchez in the game. Because see, Sanchez isn't very good and the best way to win is to not have Sanchez on the field. Well, that is unless the backup quarterback for your team is a rookie who isn't ready to start in the NFL.

The fourth quarter of a preseason game is no place to strut his manly stuff and repeat the silly mantra, “We’re there to win.”

I am sure Peter thinks if the Jets had just kept Darrelle Revis this never would have happened. You trade Revis, you invite franchise destruction.

Next year, Ryan’s either going to be on a network set doing some pregame show, or coordinating some defense somewhere. The Adam Sandler movie star-turn? A souvenir of a time long past.

Just like Adam Sandler is a souvenir of the past! In fact, the only way Adam Sandler could further ruin his movie career is if he cast Mark Sanchez in his next painfully unfunny film. So I would say Rex Ryan appearing in an Adam Sandler movie sounds about right.

Can the Jets do some ticket deal like six-for-the-price-of-one? Six: in honor of their needlessly fallen quarterback’s number, of course.

I realize this is a big story because it deals with the Jets, but is Sanchez being injured really that big of a deal to the Jets chances this season? It's not like he is even an average quarterback. It's not like he was even a slightly below average quarterback last season. He was awful. So Peter trying to squeeze some more mileage out of this story by acting as if the Jets are going 4-12 because of their fallen quarterback's injury is silly. Sanchez was going to win the starting quarterback job backing into it. He didn't suck as badly as Geno Smith sucked, so that's how he was going to get the starting quarterback job. Let's not act like this injury took the Jets out of playoff contention. This took them from a 5-11 team to a 3-13 team.

Observations from a third preseason game in Jacksonville:

1. There is a team in Jacksonville? Peter didn't know that.

2. Why didn't the Jets sign Tim Tebow? Didn't Tebow go to Florida State? It makes sense for Tebow to play in Jacksonville in that case.

3. Brett Favre always liked Jacksonville.

4. The Jaguars should have drafted Tavon Austin.

1. Jacksonville’s optimistic about Blaine Gabbert being ready to play against Kansas City in the season opener, and maybe he can play 22 days after cracking a bone at the base of his thumb against the Jets last week. But I shook hands with Gabbert on the field before the game, and his right thumb is casted, with the cast due off, tentatively, four days before the opener.

Imagine being a Jaguars season ticket seller or ticket holder. Can they offer some kind of six-for-the-price-of-one deal? Six of course in honor of Gabbert's yards per attempt in 2012. This injury takes the Jaguars from having a 4-12 season to probably not changing that record at all.

2. The Jags are serious about wedging Denard Robinson into the game in as many as five spots—wide receiver, slot receiver, running back, quarterback and kick returner.

Gregg Easterbrook is still confused as to why the Jaguars just didn't sign Tim Tebow. After all, Tebow can play zero positions as effectively as Denard Robinson plays five positions.

On Caldwell’s magnetic team depth chart board, right next to the quarterbacks and running backs, was a category labeled “OW.” For “offensive weapon.” That’s the label Robinson gave himself after Jacksonville picked him in the fifth round last April.

But Gregg Easterbrook wants to know why you would spend a fifth round choice on Robinson when you have Tebow's ability to play zero positions available to you? He's vexed.

I wouldn’t trust Blackmon after his track record of alcohol abuse.

Peter doesn't trust anyone who has a history of alcohol abuse since he heard Bernie Kosar make negative comments about the Rams. That was a betrayal that cut very deep.

And to hear the Jaguars insiders talk glowingly about opening-day starters Cecil Shorts III and Ace Sanders—the Pedroia-sized Jag version of Tavon Austin

Who had $500 in the "Peter King will make a Dustin Pedroia comparison in the same sentence where he mentions Tavon Austin" pool? No one? There should have been a pool for this.

5. I have no idea who’s going to rush the passer.

Denard Robinson?

I have no idea who’s going to cover Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne or Kenny Britt.

Denard Robinson?

Gus Bradley’s always been good at figuring ways to invent pressure, and he’d better be this year. This sets up to be one of the worst pass defenses in football this year.

I hate to break it to Peter, but there are limits to inventing pressure. A coach can't invent defensive pressure if there aren't guys on the team who can pressure the other team. Bradley had two really good corners to play with in Seattle so that made things a little easier for him in inventing pressure.

Bray learned a hard lesson in the realities of the relationship between the NFL and Big TV on Thursday, a few days after commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL Network president Steve Bornstein and two ESPN executives clashed over the reporting of the issue by ESPN and Frontline. The league believes the reporting of the story has been one-sided, showing team doctors often ignoring players’ best interests to return them to games when they weren’t physically fit to do so.

It's almost like the NFL has a vested interest in these types of reports and won't allow their partners to participate if they don't like the type of reporting that will be shown on the program.

The project both sides were working on, a two-part documentary called “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis,” will still air on Oct. 8 and 15, just not without the ESPN imprimatur. But much of the reporting on the show was done by ESPN reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru, who have a book coming out about the league’s failings as a watchdog for scores of former players suffering from head trauma.

This is sort of like how ESPN all of a sudden decided they didn't want Bruce Feldman to publish a book even though they knew what the book was about beforehand.

Did ESPN have to do anything? No. The network holds rights to NFL games through 2021, and the NFL had no leverage here. The only thing the NFL might have been able to do here is fudge with future ESPN schedules, though that’s not in anyone’s best interests, because the NFL wants the TV ratings to be as good as the networks want them to be.

So basically ESPN just pulled out because they wanted to support the NFL, fully knowing if they didn't support the NFL there wasn't a ton of leverage to where the NFL could punish ESPN for not complying with their wishes. This almost makes it worse that ESPN pulled out since they didn't have to be afraid of what the NFL could do to them.

But look what’s happened here. Now that the story has broken that the league leaned hard on ESPN, the public has lashed back hard at the NFL for trying to curtail the network’s reporting—whether that’s exactly what happened or not. (And surely the league wanted the ESPN reporting to take a different tack.) So the result is going to be that the two Frontline stories will have far bigger ratings now. Think about it. You’re a football fan. You see the headlines about the NFL reportedly pressuring ESPN to report the concussions story differently, or not at all. You had no idea before this happened that any such documentary was even in the works. But now, admit it: You’re now might actually watch this two-part show. I would have anyway, but now it’s an urgent watch.

I hate to agree with Peter on this, but I tend to 100% agree. I didn't even know there was a documentary that would have been shown on this issue and there was no chance I was watching it. Now, I may DVR it just to see what is reported and what the NFL had such an issue with being reported.

It’s unrealistic to think that if the NFL was so strident about its objections to the reporting, ESPN at a corporate level wasn’t going to do something to smooth things over.

It's not unrealistic, especially given the fact ESPN is in the business of entertainment and hard-hitting journalism when possible, but they are certainly aren't going to risk billion dollar relationships for the sake of hard-hitting reporting.

“You listen to our strength and conditioning guys. I asked them the other day from top to bottom if you can rank our guys, and Michael was our number one in terms of his attitude, work ethic, helping other players, everything in terms of weight room, off‑the‑field things.

 —Eagles coach Chip Kelly on Michael Vick, two days after naming him the Eagles’ starting quarterback.

Again, being jaded like I am, I can't help but believe Vick is great off-the-field, but on-the-field is my issue with him. It's Vick's motivation in terms of work ethic that seems to show up only when he is competing for a spot, but his motivation seems to wane as he gets closer to being named the starting quarterback or already knows the position is his for the taking. Good for Chip Kelly to motivate Vick this offseason. It was a smart move to force Vick to compete for the starting quarterback position.

“You know what the greatest honor I’ve ever received as a player is? In my fourth year and my fifth year, I was named team captain. That is to this day the single greatest achievement of my career as a football player, because the men in this room chose me to lead them.” 

—New England quarterback Tom Brady, speaking to the Michigan football team in Ann Arbor Thursday morning at the invitation of coach Brady Hoke.

Just as a side note, one of the criticisms heard from Panthers fans in regard to Cam Newton is that the team hasn't elected him a team captain yet and that's why he isn't a leader. It took Tom Brady until he had won a Super Bowl to be named a team captain, so it doesn't always happen overnight. This is important to know when judging any player who hasn't been named team captain yet. Sometimes it takes time.

Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week

Delta to Jacksonville, Saturday morning. Front door closes. You know the drill. Cell phones off. Female flight attendant to me, firmly: “Sir, please power down your cell phone.” Which I did. Flight attendant to white-haired man in the seat behind me, “Sir, please power down your cell phone.”

Notice how Peter says "You know the drill," yet HE HAD NOT TURNED OFF HIS CELL PHONE YET EITHER. He had to be told by the flight attendant to turn off his phone. So yes, we know the drill, but do you know the drill Peter? This story isn't about Peter, but I can't help but laugh at how he had to be firmly asked by the flight attendant to power down his phone.

The man, maybe 67, says, “I have it in airplane mode. It’s okay.”
Flight attendant: “Sir, it has to be powered off for takeoff. Completely off.”

The man turns into Dr. Evil,

He started telling a long story about his odd upbringing and then began rapping "It's a Hard Knock Life" with his midget sidekick?

spewing about his dog dying of cirrhosis of the liver, and how can she do this to him, and the phone takes a long time to power off, and, well, he was spewing so fast I missed some of it. But lots of verbal bile spews.

This guy was basically doing the same thing Peter does to a cab driver who doesn't know his way around the city or when the coffee at the hotel isn't ready at 6am.

Also, I can't believe that Peter really missed part of the verbal bile spews. He writes down the conversation of complete strangers who are across the room on the phone but he couldn't get the transcript of an argument on a plane? Peter must be out of practice in writing down people's conversations. Look for a long, transcribed conversation in next week's MMQB.

2. I think, after this weekend, the Jadaveon Clowney Draft Sweepstakes has three leading contenders: the Raiders, the Jets, the Jaguars.

What's going to be hilarious is that all three of these teams could need quarterbacks after this season as well. So when a college quarterback blows up this year I think it will be hilarious if one of these teams overthinks the draft and takes one of the quarterbacks over Clowney. Obviously a lot can change in the next eight months, but at this point Clowney looks like the #1 overall pick. Defensive end isn't as sexy of a position to draft #1 overall as quarterback would be though.

3. I think if E.J. Manuel can’t play in Week 1 against New England, I vote for Matt Leinart. Always thought he deserved one more shot.

I did too and then I stopped thinking he deserved one more shot because Peter King thought Leinart deserved one more shot.

4. I think the toughest thing about making my picks this year—you’ll see them in Sports Illustrated this week—is how I simply couldn’t find that worst-to-first team that happens every year. I just couldn’t find one. I hate the fact that my picks are mostly predictable, but this was just one of those preseasons.

It's a good thing the point of preseason predictions isn't to be shocking, but to attempt to correctly pick the records of each NFL team.

6. I think I’m just not feeling Hard Knocks: Return to Bengaldom this year. No buzz. No real excitement. I do like the inside stuff, and the control I see Marvin Lewis showing over his team, but there’s not a story that tugs at me.

What "Hard Knocks" needs in Peter's opinion is more Meryl Streep. She is such a gem.

8. I think the best play I saw all weekend was Ben Tate’s terrific block on the onrushing Will Smith, taking him out before he could clobber Matt Schaub. That’s the kind of play coaches notice more than great runs.

Great play by the Texans backup running back here. This coming from Peter in the same MMQB where he basically said the Texans Super Bowl hopes ride on Arian Foster being healthy for 16 games. Maybe if Ben Tate can block and run with the football the Texans won't be in such bad shape for a few games without Foster. Either way, Peter is wrong. The Texans Super Bowl hopes ride on Matt Schaub more than anyone else on the Texans roster.

10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

c. Larry David, for once, did a clunker with Clear History. To me, it plodded. Got through about 50 minutes and said, “Enough.”

It definitely could have used some more Meryl Streep. What a gem. She is a national treasure who deserves to be in an Adam Sandler movie at least once.

f. Happy 30th birthday, Laura King! Many more! Like, 70 of them!

I'm sure Peter's daughter will be thrilled this takes the place of a card for her birthday.

g. All I know is, after the Jake Peavy performance Sunday night at Dodger Stadium—he threw a complete game against a good lineup—I want him to be on my team in pickup anything.

Peter had never heard of this Jake Peavy fellow before he joined the Red Sox. It's amazing to Peter how many good baseball players are out there that he just hasn't heard of before.

h. Hey! pay attention to my Twitter feed this week. You’ll have a chance to win a spot in my daughter Mary Beth’s fantasy football league up in Seattle. I’m in it. So there’s ninth place to battle for—with me.

This probably has to be the weirdest award that could be given out by Peter. A spot in his daughter's fantasy league? I know people play public leagues all the time with strangers, but for Peter to be giving away a spot in his daughter's league is a little weird. Maybe a spot in one of Peter's fantasy leagues, but why would I want to be in a league with his daughter?

The Adieu Haiku
Rex Ryan. Hot seat.
Jon Gruden studies Geno
down there in Tampa.

Because sportswriters are contractually obligated to tie Jon Gruden's name to any potential head coaching job in the NFL. I'm starting to believe part of the reason Gruden will be so highly sought after is because sportswriters keep telling us that he is going to be highly sought after by constantly mentioning his name for open (or not open) head coaching vacancies.