To be a part of a New York sports team you must play well under pressure or have a big personality. Last season the Jets drafted QB Mark Sanchez and hired Head Coach Rex Ryan landing them one of each.
Ryan easily has the big personality under control. Not only has he become the best quote in the NFL, he also has the big part down, weighing slightly less than a baby elephant.
The guy they call “Sanchise” helped lead the team to a 9 – 7 regular season and a second half away from the Super Bowl.
The Jets season ended in the AFC Championship game, since then both have made headlines in a negative way.
How will this affect their image among Jets fans? Is it possible that these headlines have only made them more beloved bad seeds in the Big Apple?
The New York State Bird
From the moment Rex Ryan took over as the Jets head guy, the classic statements started to fly. Ryan has said stuff like he is not there to kiss the Patriots rings, called out Miami LB Channing Crowder to a fight, and declared his No. 5 seed Jets the team to beat in the playoffs.
Rex is the son of former fiery NFL coach Buddy Ryan. So anyone who thought we would get less than this out of him was fooling themselves.
At a recent MMA fight for Hershel Walker in Miami, Ryan was involved in a heated encounter with some Miami Dolphins fans. Ryan was quoted as saying “I want to just tell everybody in Miami, hey, we’re coming to beat you twice next year.”
After exchanging more words Ryan finished the spirited encounter by “flipping the bird.” Ryan was caught doing this on a camera phone by a fellow Dolphins fan, the picture circulated faster than Ryan’s second trip to the buffet line.
Immediately Ryan’s actions were swarmed with negative press and he issued an apology. There was talk of a fine by the NFL, as there should be since Titans owner Bud Adams was fined 250,000 for “flipping the bird” during a game this season.
The minimal fine will mean nothing in comparison to the amount of credit he will receive from Jets fans everywhere, especially New Yorkers. As for Kansas City soccer moms and Midwest conservatives who may be looking down upon this action, Jets Nation could care less, and kindly offers you “the bird”.
Smoke’em If You Got’em
Mark Sanchez proved all of his critics wrong by leaving USC after only one season as the starter. Former coach Pete Carroll who seemed to be extra critical of his decision didn’t know that he would be playing with No. 1 ranked defense.
Sanchez was pegged as a pretty boy coming out of college and Jets fans didn’t know if he was tough enough to deal with the harsh winters and even harsher fans. They had good reason to doubt him since he looked like a surfer and posed topless with his hair blowing the wind while sailing on a yacht.
Recently Sanchez went to Birmingham, Alabama to visit with orthopedist Dr. James Andrews. While on this supposed business trip “Sanchise” decided to mix in a little pleasure by going to a place called “The Nick” and listening to some music.
Eyewitnesses say that they saw him signing some autographs and later on that evening smoking a cigarette at “The Nick.” Apparently Sanchez had a “Nic Fit” and needed to blow off some steam in his first off season as a pro.
Like Coach Ryan this too received negative reactions from people following the NFL. New Yorkers probably love the idea of cheering for their whisky shoot’in, stogie smok’in QB.
I think this is great! If Sanchez wants to sneak in a couple of smokes after having a couple of cocktails, fine by me. It’s not like he is going to be on the sideline next season baking a cig during a game against the Pats.
Although you and your overly judgmental perception that all athletes only live to entertain you has a problem with this, that is not how the average NFL fan and Jets fans feel. Who knows, next year at this time he could be the new “Marlboro Man” with big billboards in Time Square.