Interesting Mets Preview

A friend of a friend has a nice preview of the upcoming Mets season here. Check it out.

Here's a little tidbit about the power of mid-majors

In the six Final Fours from 2006 to 2011, the CAA (two) and Horizon (two) have each sent more teams than the Big 12 (one). The Horizon also has more Final Four victories (one) in that span than the Big East, which hasn't won a game at the event since Connecticut's 2004 national championship.

Link

Of course, the one Big 12 entry did win the whole enchilada, Kansas in '08.

I would add that the ACC has had 3 FF entries (UNC x 2, Duke), 4 FF victories, and 2 titles in that stretch (UNC '09, Duke '10).

I. Don't. Like. UConn.

The end.

Independence Day

Read the good news here.

Johnnies angling for a high seed

They're on track for a 3. If they win out, and make deep run in the B.E. tourney, a 2 is certainly possible.

How many?

How many F'in Top 10 teams does St. John's have to beat before they are ranked? Ranked! I'm not even asking for a top 10 ranking, I'm just asking for any ranking!

They have the #3 strength of schedule, 5 super quality wins, and as of last week had BARELY cracked the "Others receiving votes" category. What a crock. All I know is this team better be top 20 when the new polls come out.

Under New Management

Grown-ups are back in charge of the clubhouse, with the Alderson/Collins era underway. At least if we act like professionals, I can bear the losing.

With pitchers and catchers set to report tomorrow, the manager gave his first press conference of the spring.

Interesting tidbits:

• Asked to identify the areas of competition on the team, Collins named second base, the final two spots in the rotation behind Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey and Jon Niese and the bullpen, which he said the organization needs to "recreate."

Collins acknowledged projected rotation members Chris Young and Chris Capuano are "up there" in the competition, but he also identified Dillon Gee, D.J. Carrasco, Oliver Perez and Jenrry Mejia as candidates. The manager added that Mejia is likely ticketed for Triple-A to work on his secondary pitches.

• Asked for "slam dunks" for the bullpen, Collins mentioned K-Rod, Bobby Parnell, Carrasco (if he's not a starter), Tim Byrdak and Taylor Buchholz.

He also said he planned to have a long man, with Pat Misch a logical candidate and Ollie perhaps in that mix.

• Collins did not dismiss Luis Castillo as a second-base candidate, but this comment was telling: "I do believe today second base has become an offensive position." That bodes well for Daniel Murphy, who should be on the team in some capacity, as well as Rule 5 pick Brad Emaus.

Collins expressed full confidence in Murphy as a second baseman, noting how Wally Backman and Tim Teufel were among the coaches working with him Wednesday. "Somebody is going to teach him to turn a double play," Collins said.

Great win for Johnnies

Always a bit torn in these Duke-St. John's games. I'm always rooting for Duke, but I'm glad to see the Johnnies resurrection underway. Lavin has his team playing well and they're a great matchup for a team like Duke that likes to run an overplay man-to-man D.

If this can build some momentum for the Storm and they can string together a few wins, a return to the NCAAs may well be in the cards...

Can't Wait Fail

"Bart Scott, the one who couldn't wait to get to Pittsburgh, the one who talks like his pro wrestling heroes, kept whiffing on tackles and playing as if he was ordered to lose by some WWE script."

-Ian O'Connor

Rex's Stalingrad

Well, I think this article perfectly encapsulates my reservations about the Rex Ryan era.

Here's Ian O'Connor's take at ESPNY NY:

"After pushing all the right human buttons in Rounds 1 and 2, inspiring his Jets to knock out Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, Ryan suddenly lost the pulse of his team. The stunning disconnect between coach and player allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to score the first 24 points of the game, and ultimately guaranteed that a second-half rally would save face, but not the season.

"We played a good half," an emotional Ryan said. "We just never played a good game."

Rex has to take the fall for that. His chief responsibility as head coach is to have his team ready to play, and yet the Jets were a lifeless mess in the first half, finding inspiration in absolutely nothing...

The Jets' defense was playing flag football out there, lunging and grabbing for air, looking like a unit prepping itself for the Pro Bowl instead of the Super Bowl.

I've said time and again, that a players coach who spends as much time cheerleading his players as drilling them can end up with a team that lacks focus and discipline. A team that doesn't want to work for 60 minutes, but thinks it can turn its effort on and off like a switch.

This Jets team has loads of talent, but for what was seemingly the 7th or 8th time this year, played about 30 minutes of football. We still pulled out some of those games against mediocre opponents. We almost pulled out last night's game, against the AFC's best, in their own stadium.

But we're not the AFC champions. Champions bring discipline for 60 minutes. Last year's Duke NCAA championship team was probably the 6th or 7th most talented team in the country. But they brought 40 minutes of tenacious defense every night, and selfless, intelligent play on offense to most possessions. This Jet's team is probably, on paper, the best of the 4 teams that were left standing on Championship weekend, but aren't getting to the final game. To me, that's the difference between the GOAT (Coach K) and Rex. Rex is fun. Rex is a character. Rex makes the player's happy. Rex makes reporters happy. The GOAT wins championships.

This team, and this coach, will probably have one more run at the SB in them. But if they fail to advance beyond their high-water mark again, I think questions will definitely arise over whether this team, with its character and approach, is capable of getting it done against the league's best. And once those questions start to creep into the psyche of the Jets players, it's over. You turn into the Buffalo Bills of the 90's.

After failing to defeat the Red Army at Stalingrad, the Wermacht still controlled Europe from the beaches of Brittany to the suburbs of Moscow. On paper, the German army still appeared a formidable force. But their guts had been eviscerated on the banks of the Volga, and their aura of invincibility destroyed.

While I hesitate to use a military metaphor for something as trivial as a football game, the analogy captures how this game might be looked at, a few year's hence, when considering the Ryan era in retrospect.

Jets v Steelers

3 burning questions:

1) How do the Jets DBs matchup with Pats WRs? Put Ward on Revis Island? Or Wallace?

2) Will Sanchez be able to make his throws and keep his poise in 10 degree windchill conditions with the swarming Steelers D?

3) Will the Jets continue to play 3-3-5 defense, with only 5 in the box, as they have with regularity (and great success) the past two weeks?

Patsies

From DC: As much of a d-bag as Belichek is, at least he's smart enough to keep his cheating behind the scenes and not get caught on national tv in the middle of a game.

Oh, if only that were true. Unfortunately for the Patsies, both Fox Sports and CBS ran footage yesterday of the Pats in week 2 doing the same thing as the Jets. They also set a wall, and had the last guy try to trip a Jets player out of bounds.

Pats SB record with Spygate: 3-0. Without Spygate: 0-fer. Suck it, Pats. 0-3 in their last 3 playoff games, 2-3 against Rex Ryan and the Sanchize.

You can't be Sirius

Of all the things I look forward to tomorrow, listening to Steve Phillips eat it on the morning drive to work is perhaps #1. Sirius added him to the morning show on Mad Dog's channel a couple of months ago, and that guy has been hating on the Jets for weeks. He is such a Brady and Pats fanboy for some reason, and Jets hater. I can't WAIT to hear him have to eat it tomorrow from all the callers.

SHK on Jets/Pats

I'd also note that as crappy as the 45-3 loss was, the Jets are 2-2 against Pats under Ryan. With the notable exception of Brady, I believe the Jets players are better than their equivalents on the Pats across the board.

Thus, if Jets lose, they have only their under-performance or poor game plan to blame, IMO.

-SHK



You're crazy, man.

27-24

That's my call for Jets win over Pats on Sunday.

Look for some very physical play on both sides of the ball. I am curious about three game tactics: (1) Will Jets go with the conventional wisdom and blitz Brady or will they sit back like they did against Manning? (2) Will Jets go run heavy as against the Colts, or will they try to exploit Pats' 30th-ranked pass D and inexperienced secondary? (3) Will Pats come up with a new wrinkle on offense, or will they stick with their usual (attack middle under routes, with occasional deep fly pattern to Branch or deep slant to TE)?

I'd like to see Jets D try a tactic they did under Mangini one time he beat the Pats. Have the guys not settle into position and instead swarm around until the ball is hiked. Don't let Brady get a clear read on our D scheme, especially who (if anyone) is blitzing.

Road to the SB

Well, if the Jets want to make it the SB the road is @Colts, @Pats, and probably @ Steelers or Ravens (I'd guess Steelers but who knows). Certainly a tough road, although we split with Pats, won @Pitt and lost 10-9 to Ravens before our offense got going. Colts are a much weaker team this year, with a lot of players out. That said, I'd probably rather have gone first round against running Chiefs than passing Colts. Our pass D is still highly suspect.

I say we win @Colts, after that it's a crap shoot. AFC is very tough this year.

Nice start to league play for the Johnnies

Beating Thuggins' squad down in Morgantown by 10. A quick look a the box score is startling: SJU shot over 60% from the floor (all from inside apparently, as the Storm only attempted 6 threes), and killed WVU on the glass. That's feeding Thuggins his own meds.

Rex on the Jets D

Courtesy of the Post:

Rex Ryan will handle his defensive crisis the same way he handled Mark Sanchez a few weeks ago when Sanchez was struggling mightily. He's ordering the defensive players to go back to basics, concentrate on fundamentals so they can stop someone -- something they've had big-time problems doing of late...

"We talked fundamentals and his technique. We really focused on it and he got better. Now, he's looked like a different quarterback these last couple of weeks. That's what you have to do [with the defense]. There are no excuses. We need to get back to who our defense is, we need to practice. We're going to go back to individual drills [and] fundamental drills and really hone that in."

Sandwiched around the 22-17 win in Pittsburgh, the Jets defense allowed 45 points to the Patriots and 38 to the Bears Sunday. This has become a serious source of concern and embarrassment for Ryan.

Ryan, who prides himself on his defenses and constantly boasts about how no defense of his has ever been ranked worse than sixth in the NFL at the end of a season, conceded taking this tact "is kind of unusual at this time of year."

But desperate times call for desperate measures. The Jets defense, which couldn't stop the run and was carved by Bears QB Jay Cutler for three touchdown passes in the third quarter, is lost right now.

Playoff scenarios

Jets are the 6 seed, with an outside shot at the 5. To get the five (and make Pittsburgh the 6), all of the following need to happen:

1) Jets beat Bills
2) Ravens beat Bengals (@ Baltimore)
3) Steelers lose to the Browns (@ Cleveland)

There is a big difference between 5 and 6 seed--especially if the Jets win the opening game of the playoffs, and the 6 seed beats the 3 (pretty possible if 6 is Pitt and 3 is KC).

In this case, in the 2nd round, Jets would go to Baltimore and Pitt would go to NE, instead of Jetties having to play NE in round 2.

Pretty unlikely though. More likely Jets path: through KC, through NE, and then through Pitt/Balt/Indy.

Win percentages (IMHO): Jets @ KC 40/60. Jets @ NE: 20/80. I'll stop there.

This just in...

The Lions are good.

Win and They're In

Well, that was the idea anyway for the J-E-T-S today. Didn't quite work out like that as apparently the D decided not to show up (excluding a Lowery pick six).

Jets still clinched a wild card spot though due to Jacksonville loss and can make their plans for the playoffs. Somehow not as satisfying to make the playoffs on someone else's loss when you could've gotten in with your own win, though.

Going from 9-2 to possibly ending 10-6 (although I imagine we'll beat the Bills to hit 11-5) is underwhelming. Going 1-4 or 2-3 to end the season is not really the strong showing you'd like heading into the playoffs. As a wise man once said, fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life; and ending the season 1-4 is no way to close things out.

Playoffs reset the clock to 0-0 though and if Jets get it together they could make another run this year. Both O and D need to seriously sharpen up their game though.

Can't Wait

Psyched to see what gags the Jets try to pull out of their hats this week.
As much of a d-bag as Belichek is, at least he's smart enough to keep his cheating behind the scenes and not get caught on national tv in the middle of a game...and when the Pats cheat, they also manage to win the game.

More Mets Wisdom

courtesy of Beetz

Life as a Mets Fan

Phils to pwn forever

Halladay
Lee
Oswalt
Hamels

Wow.

AFC playoff predictions

1. Pats 14-2
2. Steelers 13-3
3. San Diego 10-6
4. Indy 10-6 (i think they get tiebreak over 10-6 Jax, but cant tell)
5. Ravens 11-5
6. Jets 11-5

I believe seeding goes divisional and then WCs, not by record, correct?

That would leave the Jets going through, in order, SD, Pitt, and New England (or Indy/Baltimore) to go the SuperBowl. SD will be hot, and looking for revenge from last year. I honestly think we pull the upset and lose in Pitt. The most optimistic, crack pipe smoking possibility, is that Baltimore takes out Indy and N.E., and the Jets play an improbable all W.C. Championship in Baltimore, a rematch of our week 1 squeaker. I think Ravens and Colts both matchup better against NE then any other team in the league, so N.E. can't be too happy if it plays out the way I'm figuring. Tho theyre not too worried about anyone

In reality, I'd be happy with Sanchez having a good game or two in the cold to build on, conitniue making progress, and knowing that QBs usually make a big leap in the league between yrs 2 and 3. Bring back Holmes, add a pass rushing DE and go get a stud NT, and this team could well make noise next year. However, the Pats will continue to pwn for the forseeable future unless someone cuts off Brad's hair.

And now for a little baseball news

Red Sox get Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford (sorry DC, the dream is dead), and the Mets get.......another steaming pile of nothing.

Not so quotable

“Well, they are going to find out if we are a great team or not, I can tell you that much.”

-Rex Ryan on the Jets/Pats game

Through one half the answer has been pretty clear.

Coming up next...

An absolute monster of a game in 2 weeks on MNF, Dec. 6. Jets vs. Pats for AFC East. I was hoping the Colts would've shown more today and taken down the Hatriots - we really could've used that loss in their schedule. But Manning looked off all game, and Pats scored too much too early to overcome.

In other news, Mets apparently selected Terry Collins as manager.

"The Catch"

Can't say enough good things about Cotchery laying out for a must-have 3rd-and-10 after having torn his groin. The Post tries. Even without the injury it was a ridiculous catch.