Photo courtesy of bostonherald.com. Rex Ryan (pictured above) is not the happiest of people as we begin 2012. Has he learned any lessons over the course of the past year?
By Josh Kramer
2012 has already begun with a bang. Football, football, and more football. Plus some hoops and hockey among other things sprinkled in. Who else is in BCS Heaven and hyped for the NFL playoffs? Here are the items that have caught my attention
Rethink your priorities Rex
–Rex Ryan has admitted to possibly not having the “pulse” of his team this season. Maybe he should have thought about this type of thing before running his mouth. Rex Ryan has quickly become one of the most villainous figures in football. If you are not a fan of the New York Jets, you are not a fan of Rex Ryan. There are not too many people who are neutral towards Rex Ryan. Every sports fan has a pretty definitive stance regarding the New York football coach.
-Well here is mine. Rex led a team this year that severely underachieved. Now I realize that these guys were not the “Dream Team,” but they were a team coming off of two consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances. A team that many expected to possibly take the next step this year. Instead, the mighty Jets took a step backwards. In actuality, they took multiple steps backwards. The real question is has Rex Ryan learned a lesson from all of this?
-If you are going to run your mouth, you better back it up. Rex Ryan always runs his mouth. He will talk trash at opposing coaches, opposing players, and even his own players. This man is the anti-bashful. Well this off-season is going to hurt two times as bad as it would have due to his looseness with the tongue. And rightfully so. Here is a thought for Rex. Do not guarantee a Super Bowl next year to the media. Be confident with your team behind closed doors. But do not put your guys on the spot. In addition, do not talk trash to guys like Brandon Jacobs. He would pummel you. Enjoy the off-season. Maybe it is time to talk to Charles Barkley about getting on the Weight-Watchers program.
Big Ten/SEC Challenge
-Yesterday was an epic day in sports. There were six outstanding bowl games, and the always exciting NHL Winter Classic. Outside of the nail-biting finishes, the one thing that caught my attention was the games featuring Big Ten and SEC teams. The Big Ten was once the proudest football conference in America. Yesterday was by no means one of it’s proudest days (1 and 4 record on the day). It is known for its conservative nature and renowned tradition. Over the past decade though, the SEC has taken over in regards to football. The SEC has been a conference defined by raw speed and unrivaled athleticism. Well yesterday, the two conferences went head to head in three of the six bowl games.
-Not surprisingly, the SEC came out victorious in two of the three matchups (they should have won all three). South Carolina won a fairly evenly matched game against Nebraska thanks to some error-free football. Michigan State shocked Georgia in one of the best games of this bowl season due to Georgia’s ineptitude in the kicking game. And Florida handled Urban Meyer’s new employer (Ohio State) due to some outstanding special teams play.
-I think yesterday demonstrated one key thing though. The SEC East is not nearly the SEC West, but it is still pretty solid. And the Big Ten, well, there is work to be done if they want the glory days to return. The SEC East took two of three (should have been three of three) from some of the Big Ten’s best teams. Though I agree that the SEC East was down this year, down in the SEC is still pretty solid. Just ask the Big Ten what they think.
Quick Thoughts:
I thought we were past the nose bleed days
-HBO’s outstanding 24/7 show had me extremely excited for yesterday’s 5th annual Winter Classic. And the game lived up to all of the hype and more, as the Rangers defeated the Flyers for a third time this season in a thriller. But how could the people at Citizen’s Bank Park really see the game? Granted I was not there and cannot speak definitively, but the seats seemed awfully far away.
Black Monday
-I can’t say I did not see it coming. As is usually the case, the New Year was not too friendly to many NFL employees from around the League. Namely, the Head Coaches. Guys like Steve Spagnuolo, Raheem Morris, and the Polian family were shown the door. Any player who has played for the Rams for five or more years will get their fourth Head Coach in the very near future (likely Jon Gruden). And as for Raheem Morris, I cannot remember a coach losing control of his team as badly as this guy did in recent memory. The Buccaneers were 4 and 2 once upon a time this year. They finished the year at 4 and 12 yesterday. Ten game losing streaks typically result in firings, unless the owner of your franchise is named Mike Brown. Also, if I was Norv Turner, I would start packing my things.
Just some “Food for Thought.”
Let me hear your thoughts though. Please comment below with any questions or insights that you may have or shoot me an email at contact@thesportskraze.com.
Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.
TheSportsKraze 
To add further embarrassment to The Big Ten, Houston beat up on Penn State pretty good yesterday as well.
Gooch,
This is very true. Case Keenum looked like he was playing a video game out there. Happy Valley is not going to be a “Happy” place anytime in the near future sadly.
-TheSportsKraze
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