Are You Ready For Some Football?
By Joe Barnes
I am. This is the most excited I have ever been for a preseason game. With that said, I’m still not very pumped up, but I digress. In case you have been sleeping under a rock for the last 6 months or so, Rex Ryan, former Ravens defensive coordinator is the Jets’ new head coach. He has stolen two defensive players loved by Ravens fans (Bart Scott, Jim Leohnard) and has said some pretty weird stuff (just this week he said that he didn’t like Paul Kruger wearing Mike McCrary’s 99 jersey). Normally you would be excited to see how your team produces head coaches when you face off with them. That’s why whenever the Ravens play the Bengals, the 49ers and the Jaguars, I’m interested. They represent more than just an opponent, they represent a branch of the Ravens, if that makes sense.
Ryan has turned the Jets into what I call “Ravens North.” He signed our players, he used John Harbaugh’s practice philosophy in camp, and has even incorporated a contest previously only held by the Ravens. He has tried to change the “Raven Way” to the “Jet Way.” Sure, maybe all of this isn’t that much to get disgruntled over, but it seems disloyal for some reason. You didn’t see Marvin Lewis signing former Ravens. The Browns stole them first. Ahh, a link from out of nowhere. Nick Mangini, former Jets head coach is now the #1 on the staff in Cleveland. And they signed former Raven Corey Ivy this season, a guy who succeeded in his role as a Raven, a pass-rushing, havoc-creating nickel back.
So, what does that paragraph mean? If Ryan has a long tenure with the Jets, expect a rivalry to break out, very quickly. We’ve hated the Browns for years, mostly for being bitter about getting their team (tee hee!), but also for signing Ravens we liked, for being on the schedule twice every year and possibly having those games be deciding factors in the division and playoff race. Well, the Jets are soon to be the new Browns. Anytime the Purple Birds face the New York Jersey Jets, we’ll see that crazy buffoon on the sidelines, see Mad Backer and Fast Jimmy running around, making tackles, and see a team that will probably be competitive every time they play.
Stay tuned on here, be back around 8:00, give or take a few minutes, for live game coverage. Have a nice Monday.
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