Rex Hopes To Meet Ravens in Playoffs
Former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator and current New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan said he’d love to face his former team in the playoffs.
“There are a lot of guys on that team that I think the world of, and an organization that I’ve been proud to be a part of for 10 years,” Ryan said in a conference call Tuesday via ESPN. “The ideal situation would be that you meet [the Ravens] in the AFC Championship, then you beat them, and you go on.”
The odds are stacked against both teams. Baltimore (9-7) and New York (9-7) are the two lowest seeds in the AFC, which would mean both would have to win two road playoff games in order to battle in the postseason.
The Ravens have done it before. They stole two games on the road in last year’s playoff march with victories in Miami and Tennessee. As for the Jets, they would have to rely on the NFL’s top-ranked defense to make an AFC Championship run.
As Sports Illustrated’s Kerry Byrne pointed out, “That unit is almost singularly responsible for lifting a [Jets] team with a dysfunctional rookie quarterback and an odd duck rookie head coach into the playoffs.”
Ravens fans are familiar with Ryan’s defensive genius and know who likely deserves the credit for the drastic changes in the Jets’ defense from 2008 to 2009. Courtesy of Sports Illustrated, check out a comparison of the two:
- The 2008 Jets ranked 22nd in Defensive Passer Rating (88.1). The 2009 Jets are No. 1 (58.8).
- The 2008 Jets ranked 23rd in touchdown passes allowed (23). The 2009 Jets are No. 1 (8).
- The 2008 Jets ranked 16th in total defense (329.4 YPG). The 2009 Jets are No. 1 (252.3).
- The 2008 Jets ranked 18th in scoring defense (22.2 PPG). The 2009 Jets are No. 1 (14.8).
- The 2008 Jets ranked 13th in points allowed vs. quality opponents (22.7). The 2009 Jets are No. 1 (13.7).
- The 2008 Jets ranked 29th in pass defense (234.9 YPG). The 2009 Jets are No. 1 (153.7).
- The 2008 Jets ranked 18th in passing yards per attempt allowed (7.0 YPA). The 2009 Jets are No. 1 (5.4).
- The 2008 Jets ranked 15th in third-down defense (61.4%). The 2009 Jets are No. 1 (68.5%).
Willis McGahee’s Future
An inquiring fan asked if rumors about the Ravens releasing Willis McGahee still hold true. The question comes after the veteran running back notched a career day in Oakland last week and head coach John Harbaugh praised him for his excellent work ethic and attitude.
The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston weighed in on the matter:
“I’m not sure the Ravens are willing to pay McGahee the kind of money his contract warrants to be a backup. Basically, every team needs two good backs, but you don’t want to overpay. I’m sure McGahee would like to move on and play for a team where he is the No. 1 starter as well. It took him a year, but McGahee has found his niche and accepted his role. But he still has plenty of juice left and can be a prime-time starter somewhere else.”
Casserly Stands By Report on Brady
Former Texans and Redskins GM Charley Casserly admitted he is aware of the comments Patriots coach Bill Belichick made regarding his report that quarterback Tom Brady has three broken ribs (most notably that Casserly was “100 percent wrong”).
“The only thing I’d say is that I stand by the story,” Casserly told The Boston Globe’s Albert Breer. “And if I have anything else to say, it’ll be on Sunday’s show.”
Apparently, this isn’t the first time these two have clawed at each other.
The Globe pointed back to 2006 when Casserly reported that the Patriots had been warned by the league about illegally taping opponents’ signals, nine months prior to “all hell breaking loose on the matter.” At the time, the Patriots said they hadn’t been contacted by the league.
Belichick fired back at Casserly when asked a question about the league’s rules on protecting quarterbacks.
“Talk to the guys who make the rules,” he said. “There are plenty of people on that committee and they love to talk about the rules that they’ve made and how great they are and all that. The Charley Casserlys of the world, that have all the answers to everything. Talk to them.”
Anyone else going to be watching The NFL Today before the Ravens-Patriots showdown?
Eric DeCosta a GM in Seattle?
NFL.com’s Jason LaCanfora tweeted, “Seattle has begun contacting four finalists for GM job. Baltimore’s Eric DeCosta and Green Bay’s John Schneider among them.”
Sandra Bullock and ‘Blind Side’ Make History
Sandra Bullock has accomplished a box office feat that her fellow A-listers Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie and Reese Witherspoon have never succeeded in doing. She’s cracked the $200 million mark at the domestic box office, said MSNBC.
Over the weekend, the movie based on the life of Ravens rookie Michael Oher hit $208.5 million. The only other female-centric film to ever achieve the $200 million status was 2002′s “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” which starred then-unknown Nia Vardalos.
