Author Archives: Angie Kozak
An open letter to New York Jets’ owner Woody Johnson
Dear Mr. Johnson,
Like most New York Jet fans, my obsession with the team started long ago. For me, it was when I was a child. I come from a family of Jet fans. I am pretty much genetically programmed to love the Jets. I can’t even remember a time in my life when the Jets weren’t a big part of it. I have naturally become so passionate about this team that I am able to form a strong opinion on virtually any subject.
The latest subject to consume me is well, you Mr. Johnson—you as a team owner.
Jets 2012 schedule: The good, the bad, and the ugly
The New York Jets scheduled opponents for the 2012 NFL regular season went a combined 126-130 in 2011. With the 2012 opposition combining for a .492 winning percentage last season, the Jets 2012 strength of schedule is ranked 20th in the NFL. Not the worst, but certainly not the best. Here is a game-by-game prognosis of the Jets 2012 regular season.
Crash landing: The immediate consequences of Tim Tebow
With the unexpected and questionable decision to add Tim Tebow to the New York Jets roster, Jets’ general manager Mike Tannenbaum set in motion a series of consequences that they may not have been able to foresee.
New York Jets fans must rally behind Sanchez
It’s no secret that this past season was a very difficult one for fans for the New York Jets. The team as a whole struggled and fell very short of all expectations. Jet fans’ frustration over this and much more became quite evident when some decided to boo Mark Sanchez when he came running out of the tunnel. Not only were we angry at the situation, the team, and the coaches, but we were angry and fighting with each other. This now infamous booing incident divided fans.
On one side, fans were upset that our first round draft pick hadn’t progressed as much as we all expected and hoped he would. They see him as the biggest problem player on this team. Their opposition, those who support Sanchez, see many problems on the team and Sanchez is not even close to being the biggest one. I am on the side of the Sanchez supporters.
Can Peyton Manning physically play?
Peyton Manning getting released by the Indianapolis Colts is not by any means a shocking revelation. It is something that was anticipated in the weeks leading up to the 2012 NFL Draft where the Colts are expected to take Andrew Luck. But with this release, Peyton Manning Watch 2012 has officially started—and everyone and their mother are theorizing where this man will end up playing.
New York Jets must address these 5 offensive issues
The New York Jets’ offense had many problems and fell severely short of expectations this past horrific season. Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan must be smarter during this off season than they were last off season in order for the Jets to not have a repeat of last season. Offensively, in order of importance, these are the top 5 issues that must be addressed.
New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan should be unemployed
While doing press in Indianapolis, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson reiterated his seemingly blinding support for head coach Rex Ryan, even though it seems that Rex may not know the right path for the Jets to take. Woody believes that this disastrous past season can serve as a cautionary tale for Rex, who he described as “so good as a manager. He’ll take these experiences and be a much better coach. He’s an exceptional coach as it is, but I think he’ll be even better.”
Although it is always a good thing for a team owner to support the head coach and by extension the entire team, but realistically, we have to wonder about Rex Ryan as a head coach. There is no doubt that he is a defensive genius. But regarding the additional requirements that come with being a head coach, he may fall a little short.
First of all, he has had three whole seasons to get the Jets their much-needed and much wanted Super Bowl win. He has failed to even get the team to that game. While back to back AFC Championship game appearances is great, failing to win that game is unacceptable. It just isn’t good enough. The Jets might as well have gone 0-16 because the result is the same: no Super Bowl victory. At least a terrible record allows for a better draft pick. This season, the jets have the number 16 pick and they have so many holes to fill. Rex and general manager Mike Tannenbaum need to hire a draft consultant, because frankly, these two are not getting it done. After all that talent that left the team during this past offseason, hiring a professional is definitely suggested.
Second, Rex has guaranteed a Super Bowl victory twice and he failed to deliver both times. If you make this kind of promise and then do not follow through, there should be some kind of consequence. At least after making that promise the first time, the Jets did nearly make it to the Super Bowl. But after the second time, the Jets went a pathetic 8-8 and infamously failed to make the playoffs. This is an average record because the team performed at an average level with average players with average coaching. Rex significantly overestimated the talent he had on his hands. He is either delusional or just isn’t good at his job. Both these options suck and are not the mark of a good head coach.
Third, Rex is not an ideal leader. He certainly does lead the team, but not in the way that one may expect a head coach to do so. Rex is the king of the trash talk and having a big mouth. The players seem to be following his example…TALK, TALK, TALK. They have become really good at that. The players see him doing that and then they emulate it, kind of like when children see their parents act a certain way and then they copy it. But as entertaining as it may be for them, it has hurt the team. Rex’s big mouth has turned this team into every comedian’s punch line in their lame joke. The organization as a whole suffers because of it.
Finally, and most importantly, this unprecedented post season implosion has taught us just how bad Rex is at uniting his players. In a time of crisis, it is within the scope of human nature for people to pull together. We have seen this all throughout history on many different levels. But in Rex’s locker room, events unfolded that just defied millions of years of human nature. It would have been great for the football community to see that even though the team crashed and burned and disappointed everyone greatly, well, at least they all stayed together as a team. That clearly didn’t happen.
So one must wonder, where are Rex Ryan’s strengths? As a head it doesn’t seem like there are many. As a defensive coordinator, he was brilliant. He built the Baltimore Ravens defense and then brought some of that mojo over to the Jets. His first two years, the Jets had very high-ranking defenses. He should just focus on what he’s good at–being a defensive coordinator—and not where he is weak—being a head coach.
Angie Kozak is the New York Jets writer for The Penalty Flag. Angie was raised in New Jersey and has had NY Jets season ticket for 12 straight seasons and counting. She moved to Pennsylvania for college, and graduated from Penn State University in 2010 with a degree in Communications. Although a lifelong diehard Jet fan, Angie writes from a critic’s point of view. Follow her on Twitter @Angie_Kozak or email her at AKozak@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com.
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What LaDainian Tomlinson’s Revelations Mean for the Jets?
LaDainian Tomlinson appeared on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” on Wednesday night in an attempt to shed some light on the recent issues the New York Jets have had on and off the field. In doing so, he definitely dropped a few bombshells that shocked even the most cynical Jet fans.
First, LT stated that the issues in the locker room started in Week 3 or Week 4. That has got to be the most surprising of his revelations. In Week 17 against the Miami Dolphins, we saw Santonio Holmes get benched by former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. An obviously angry Holmes seemingly checked out and had no interest in the game in front of him. It is easy to surmise that the Super Bowl MVP was frustrated with the offense’s performance—both that day and the weeks leading up to that all important game. Up until LT’s interview, Jets’ nation had assumed that the issues between Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes had been more recent and had not been taking place throughout the majority of the season. LT described the situation between the two players as “it’s as bad as I’ve ever been around” and is not sure if they could be around each other in the future. Furthermore, LT seems to place the blame of this situation on Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum because they have a “brash, in your face type of style.”
Second, LT described Mark Sanchez as “pampered” because there is no legit backup quarterback that could potentially take his job. He also dispelled the idea that Sanchez is lazy, which was of course planted in our minds by that now infamous “Unnamed Jets Player.” The idea that Sanchez does not have the type of pressure to perform well to keep his job is a valid argument. At one point this season and last, Rex gave a few snaps to No. 2 quarterback Mark Brunell during practice. But let’s be real here. While it may have frustrated Sanchez to lose those reps, he is smart enough to realize that Brunell is no threat to him. Brunell has an even harder time making completions than Sanchez does. At this point, Brunell’s part on the team is to be a role model for Sanchez and to help talk him off the ledge. No one has any expectation that he would perform at a reasonable No. 2 backup quarterback level if some disastrous injury were to happen to Sanchez during the season.
As shocking as LT’s interview was, it has some serious implications for the team. The first one being that when asked if he would return to the Jets next season, he sort of laughed it off. Who could blame him, really? Being a professional football player is stressful enough, and then couple that with playing in the harshest media market in the country, New York, and then add the fact that the locker room is a toxic environment. This is a recipe for disaster. No one would want that. This then flows into the second point. During this offseason when hopefully Rex and Tannenbaum make some trades to try to fill our roster with great players, what new players would want to come to this team? If a player is torn between two teams and one is the Jets, well, he might reconsider playing in an environment where the players can’t get along and the coach can’t control them.
In a recent press conference, Rex stated that he had no idea of a feud between Holmes and Sanchez. Now, according to LT, this started 14 weeks prior to Holmes’ benching. How could any head coach worth his paycheck not know of this type of situation? We must all wonder the competence of Rex Ryan as a head coach. He has surely proved himself as a defensive coordinator and has quite an impressive resume when it comes to that. But, he seems to not be able to handle his team when things don’t go as planned. His first two seasons, the Jets were playing a lot better and seemed to have had better chemistry with each other on and off the field. But this season, where Murphy’s law prevailed and anything that could go wrong definitely did, where was his control? It was nonexistent and that is completely unacceptable. How a coach is able to handle his team when times are tough is a test of a good head coach. And this season, it was a test that Rex failed miserably.
Angie Kozak is the New York Jets writer for The Penalty Flag. Angie was raised in New Jersey and has had NY Jets season ticket for 12 straight seasons and counting. She moved to Pennsylvania for college, and graduated from Penn State University in 2010 with a degree in Communications. Although a lifelong diehard Jet fan, Angie writes from a critic’s point of view. Follow her on Twitter @Angie_Kozak or email her at AKozak@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com.
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Peyton Manning Will Never be on the Jets’ Roster
The New York Jets’ offseason started less than two weeks ago and it has been very interesting/pathetic/annoying to say the least.
If we have learned anything in the past two weeks, it is just how little control Rex Ryan has on his players. These soulless cowards that are anonymously going to the media and talking about the atmosphere in the locker room or the alleged work ethic of their quarterback, well it is doubtful that anything like that would ever happen with Bill Belichick’s regime.
This brave soul who preferred to be referred to as ‘one player’ stabbed his quarterback in the back by describing Mark Sanchez as “lazy” and “content because he knows he’s not going to be benched.”
In the same interview, ‘a Jets source’ stated that he wanted Peyton Manning as starting quarterback for the Jets and would easily trade Mark for a healthy Peyton.
Well look, not to be some kind of bubble buster, but that is not going to happen. Today, tomorrow, the next, this will never happen. Peyton Manning will never be on the Jets roster and it’s hard to believe that these words are even leaving the mouths of Jet fans, let alone a ‘Jets source’, who one would think has more inside knowledge on the subject.
First of all, the man will be 36 years old by the time the 2012 season rolls around. He is coming off of this very scary neck surgery. So the sports world doesn’t even yet know if Peyton is healthy enough to play or if he would want to risk injury. Although old for pro football, 36 years old is young in real life and he might want to not live in pain or have migraines for the rest of his life.
Second of all, we need to consider many financial questions such as: how on earth are the Jets supposed to be able to afford Peyton Manning? Where is that money going to come from? Are the Jets going to sacrifice other expensive players on the team in order to make room for Peyton’s salary? If so, what will that accomplish…destroying one area of the team just so that the Jets could have a potentially strong quarterback?
And finally, all these theories of Peyton coming over to the Jets rests on the idea that he will even want to. No one remembers that aspect of this idiotic pipe dream. He has had an amazing career over in Indianapolis and throughout this career, he has maintained a classy demeanor. It is hard to picture a class act like Peyton over on the Jets bench. These past 10 days have been anything but classy. With Rex Ryan, it seems as though he has no problem with the Jets running their mouths. It’s easy to believe when he himself has such a big mouth. It would be a safe bet that Peyton doesn’t want anything to do with this type of atmosphere where loyalty is clearly not something that is instilled in these players.
Wanting Peyton on the Jets is one thing, but believing it will actually happen is quite another. So grow up and get over it.
Angie Kozak is the New York Jets writer for The Penalty Flag. Angie was raised in New Jersey and has had NY Jets season ticket for 12 straight seasons and counting. She moved to Pennsylvania for college, and graduated from Penn State University in 2010 with a degree in Communications. Although a lifelong diehard Jet fan, Angie writes from a critic’s point of view. Follow her on Twitter @Angie_Kozak or email her at AKozak@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com.
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Jets Attempt to Make 2011 Season Worse
The New York Jets’ season has been over for less than a week and it is getting really ugly in the media. Every day, article after article appears online that shows just how much this team has unraveled. Our season was pathetic and disappointing, and to add insult to injury, it seems as though everyone has turned on each other. It’s a very sad thing and I fear that it is just beginning and will only get uglier.
It started with Santonio Holmes checking out of the final game of the season against Miami, advanced to Antonio Cromartie throwing the offense under the bus, then some ‘unnamed Jet veterans’ threw their 2 cents in on the alleged feud between Holmes and Mark Sanchez, which then progressed to injured rookie backup quarterback Greg McElroy tearing into his teammates on an Alabama radio station.
If I could say one thing to the New York Jets team as a whole, it would be these 2 words: CALM DOWN. Seriously. I know that we are all really angry and we want blood and we want answers. I get it. I am livid at how our season unfolded also, but we need to be a little logical at this point. All of this naysaying in the media and turning on each other is not going to help our future or change the outcome of this season. A lot of these guys are stuck with each other for better or worse and it would be great if our locker room didn’t turn into World War III next season. For example, after McElroy’s harsh words for his teammates, how could he possibly face the guys that he just called out? There’s no way. Keeping him on the roster is a good way to ensure that he gets his ass beat. It’s unlikely that he will be back next season and after all that he said, it seems as though he does not want to be involved in that so called “corrupt mindset”.
The Jets not being able to keep their mouths shut seems to be an ongoing disability for this team. It looks like that we are stuck listening to trash talk when we are doing well and that we are stuck with a war of words when we are doing badly. If Rex Ryan is going to be back next season, he is going to have to get more control of his players. Look at the Patriots, we never read about those players embarrassing the team. I hate to admit it because I hate the ground that Bill Belichick walks on, but he is definitely doing something right there and it would be great if Rex could learn a thing or two from them and follow his lead on this one.
So I am making a pathetic plea that will probably go unfulfilled…please Jets, stop running your mouths. I understand that when you are emotional and frustrated that talking it out can relieve that pain. Except for the fact that it is a temporary relief, especially doing it so publicly. It is making an awful situation worse for everyone involved. The players are setting themselves up for some tense situations in the future and are pouring salt in the wounds of loyal Jet fans everywhere.
Angie Kozak is the New York Jets writer for The Penalty Flag. Angie was raised in New Jersey and has had NY Jets season ticket for 12 straight seasons and counting. She moved to Pennsylvania for college, and graduated from Penn State University in 2010 with a degree in Communications. Although a lifelong diehard Jet fan, Angie writes from a critic’s point of view. Follow her on Twitter @Angie_Kozak or email her at AKozak@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com.
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A Quick Reflection on a Heartbreaking Jets’ Season
I would just like to start with a half sarcastic/half serious question: What did New York Jets’ fans expect? We lost how many amazing players during the off-season? Damien Woody, Jason Taylor, Kris Jenkins, and Jerricho Cotchery to name a few. Yes, we signed some great new talent in an attempt to compensate for the losses, but as we learned this season, the new faces on our team, most notably Plaxico Burress and Aaron Maybin were very hot and cold. Plax had a game with three touchdowns and he also had games where he did not have a single reception. Maybin had some great games where he sacked the hell out of the quarterback and forced fumbles, but he also had games where he was nonexistent. Inconsistency seems to be the theme of this season.
But we did have high expectations. Why? Well because of Rex Ryan. This guy, this big mouth, know-it-all promised us a Super Bowl and we bought it. We bought his delusions because, well, we are a bit delusional. We want that Super Bowl so badly that I think that when some guy comes to New York and gives us hope in a hopeless time, that we just automatically bought it. It has taken three seasons, but we can see him for what he is: an excellent defensive coordinator who is maybe in a little over his head as head coach. I have definitely snapped out of my delusion because I now view him as a snake oil salesman and a faith healer that preyed on the down and desperate. Yes, those are some harsh words for a guy that coached us to two AFC Championship games in a row, but we need to realize that he promised us a Super Bowl multiple times and the AFC title is not the Super Bowl.
I know that it’s been only four days since our season officially ended and that really isn’t a long time to accurately reflect on the tragedy that was this season, but I saw this coming since Week 3 when we couldn’t beat the Oakland Raiders. I thought to myself that if we were that sloppy against the Raiders, there was no way that we could possibly beat a good team for the Super Bowl victory that we all crave so badly. So I think that I have a lot less anger and disappointment than my fellow Jet fans because, frankly, I expected this kind of implosion. It’s not being disloyal to the Jets or not being a ‘true Jet fan’, it’s being realistic and I’m sorry if that reality sucks. I agree, it does suck. I just happened to have accepted it a few months ago.
Angie Kozak is the New York Jets writer for The Penalty Flag. Angie was raised in New Jersey and has had NY Jets season ticket for 12 straight seasons and counting. She moved to Pennsylvania for college, and graduated from Penn State University in 2010 with a degree in Communications. Although a lifelong diehard Jet fan, Angie writes from a critic’s point of view. Follow her on Twitter @Angie_Kozak or email her at AKozak@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com.
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Rex Ryan, You Have Got To Be Kidding Me
“And as far as Brian Schottenheimer’s concerned, we’ll just keep working side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and we’re trying to find a way to beat Miami. I have confidence in him. I have confidence in all of our coaches. It’s just that we have to find a way to get it done.”
When I first read these words, I thought that they were the ramblings of a mad man. After all, how could anyone that is sane or even remotely knowledgeable about this sport honestly say these things? Clearly, they had to be the words that belonged to be someone who escaped from some sort of institution or at least belongs in one. Upon further investigation, I was very troubled to discover that this was said by none other than the biggest mouth in New York sports, Rex Ryan, during his Monday conference call.
I quickly formulated my next theory…that Rex dipped into some leftover holiday spiked eggnog. So to confirm this, and frankly for my own amusement, I decided to listen to the conference call myself. Nope, he was sober and his inflections implied that he was not being sarcastic at all.
So after living through this season, watching all the games, I still cannot understand how someone could stand by Brian Schottenheimer. Just based on Saturday’s loss against the Giants (a team that is mediocre at best), how can anyone think that way? The Jets’ offense had 59 passing plays and 25 rushing plays. The play calling was atrocious. It is like some kind of annoying broken record with Schottenheimer. Passing the ball worked at first and then we did a do-si-do and the football was getting tipped left and right. But he wouldn’t give up on it. The Jets have been successful with Ground and Pound, but for some reason, Schottenheimer decided that a notoriously weak passing offense would be the way to go.
With one game left in the New York Jets’ horribly disappointing season, Rex has to play this game. This game, like we still have a chance at winning the Super Bowl this year. He can’t state the obvious, that we are done. We are a broken team. We aren’t officially eliminated, but are we going to the post season? Probably not.
In the unlikely event that we do make the playoffs, (if the Houston Texans beat the Tennessee Titans, the Baltimore Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos/ San Diego Chargers beat the Oakland Raiders, and of course we beat the Miami Dolphins) the Jets will most likely go one and done. For the record, my prediction is that we will not beat Miami, so all the other games’ results will be moot. There are of course people out there that don’t feel the way I do. I like to refer to them as those who live in denial, whereas I am someone who lives in reality. For whatever reason, (cough, Schottenheimer, cough) things just aren’t clicking this year and that prevents us from being a Super Bowl winning team. That is the reality and it really sucks. And to be brutally honest, it was written on the wall during Week 3 when we couldn’t beat the Oakland Raiders.
I am hoping that Rex is just trying to save face by publicly standing by his colleague. He figures that they still have another week to work together so he wants civility and he doesn’t want there to be any more infighting. And obviously stating that the offensive coordinator is a failure would really prevent that. But if he really does believe that Schottenheimer has been doing a good job for this team, we are in a lot of trouble. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: the Jets cannot win a Super Bowl with Brian Schottenheimer on staff. It is simply an impossibility. But also, if our head coach cannot see this no-brainer, we need to further question Rex Ryan’s intelligence and competence.
Angie Kozak is the New York Jets writer for The Penalty Flag. Angie was raised in New Jersey and has had NY Jets season ticket for 12 straight seasons and counting. She moved to Pennsylvania for college, and graduated from Penn State University in 2010 with a degree in Communications. Although a lifelong diehard Jet fan, Angie writes from a critic’s point of view. Follow her on Twitter @Angie_Kozak or email her at AKozak@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com.
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