Is Rex Ryan Overrated?

Problem with Being Foot-loose & Fancy Free

Rex Ryan is equally famous as the head coach of the NY Jets and for his foot fetish video that he made with his wife and posted on youtube. After Wes Welker of the New England Patriots found out about the video, he made several foot references throughout his press conference.

Rex Ryan is a very good foot-ball coach. There is no denying that. He is extremely confident and he attracts the type of players that feed off of that. Despite his New York Jets being de-feated in the AFC Championship game the previous two years, Rex Ryan is overrated and he has only himself to blame.

QB Mark Sanchez after finding out about his coach's obsession with feet "I now where socks even when I take a shower after games. One time, he asked our trainer about my issue with Athlete's foot. It kinda wierded me out"

If I was the owner of a consistently bad or mediocre team, I would consider hiring Rex as a coach. The reason for this is he can make an irrelevant team relevant. He knows how to motivate and incite to his advantage. He knows how to use the media as well. Unfortunately, he also doesn’t know when to stop. Rex Ryan is overrated because he has over-hyped himself. He consistently writes checks that he cannot cash and then expects his players to foot the bill. The most recent occurrence of Rex putting his foot in his mouth involved the Jets upcoming opponent; the San Diego Chargers. Rex was interviewed for the Chargers head coaching job in 2007. He was not offered the job. Instead, it was given to the present head coach, Norv Turner. With little provocation, Rex announced that had he been hired, the Chargers would have won several rings by now.

First, I assume that Rex was referring to Super Bowl rings and not toe-rings. Second, didn’t Rex guarantee a Super Bowl for the Jets upon his arrival? So what does this say about his own team? It implies that the Jets roster is not as good as the Chargers’ roster. And third, why would you want to incite your upcoming opponent and disrespect your own team in the process?

Gangrene can be caused by an infection of some sort, but more often than not, it is the end result of Rex Ryan's mouth sucking on your toes.

The worst part about this incident is that it is commonplace for Rex to say and do stupid things. His personality may have been enjoyable in the beginning, but he hasn’t delivered. The Jets now expect a Super Bowl and anything short of that is a disappointment. I will give Rex some credit. He helped make the Jets relevant. But unless he starts toeing the party line a bit more, I could see New York fans eventually running him out of town.

Is Rex Ryan Overrated?

The Art of Rexecution

Once upon a time in a barren meadowlands, there was a football team that tried year after year to be relevant. They had talented players like Gasinteau, Toon, Curtis Martin, Keyshawn, Chrebet, and my all-time favorite Browning Nagle, but they just never seemed to have the right leadership. They tried characters like Richy Kotex, Eric Manboobs, Al Groan, and Bruce Causes Losses, but they were more concerned about how good they looked in male Wonderbras and coke-bottle glasses.

"Would you like a hot apple pie with that order?"

From the Jets inception in 1963 until 2008, the franchise won a total of 8 playoff games. Then in 2009, the Jets tried something new and hired Rex Ryan, a coach who had the pedigree and cajones to make the Jets interesting. Rex learned a thing or two from his father Buddy, a man who once allegedly put bounties on players from opposing teams and was never afraid to speak his mind. Ryan and his bravado schtick have meshed well with NY fans who were starving for a coach who would deliver wins and would not be afraid of Darth Belichick and his son Tom Skywalker. In a recent interview, Ryan was asked what he thought of the Belichick/Brady bromance...

Ryan hasn't stopped talking trash since he started, but he has certainly backed up his smack-talk taking the Jets to consecutive AFC title games and winning 4 playoff games. Not to mention, these wins were all on the road with a young quarterback and Marge Shottenheimer as his offensive coordinator. This year has been a bigger challenge for T-Rex since the offensive line has lost some gritty veterans, the defense has not been as dominant, and Ryan has been consumed by his off-season loss to Andy Reid on the reality show the Biggest Gainer. Rex is making the most out of a team that lost some valuable experience and toughness in players like Brad Smith, Tony Richardson, and the oft-injured Kris Jenkins. In addition, Mark Sanchez has not progressed and continues to be a pocket pretty boy who is more concerned about his new UPN show, Baywatch: The Hamptons then becoming an elite quarterback.

I don't care about being the next Brady or Manning. I want to be the next Hoff!

Ryan is far from overrated based off his coaching performance in his first 2 years. His team is competitive every week and rarely loses to a team they are supposed to beat (also known as Giantitis). The argument that his act is wearing thin also loses merit. For example, this week Rex came out with some crazy comments that if he had been coaching the Chargers over the last few years they certainly would have won a Super Bowl. Ahead of a big game against the Chargers, Rex thrust all the attention on him and deflected the media attention away from offensive players bickering and the fact that Sanchez just stinks. Did you know the recently benched Done and Gone McNothing has a higher QB rating than Sanchez and that Sanchez ranks 26th in completion percentage??? Take a look at the scrutiny that Tony Romo faces every week and he is ranked in the Top 10 in nearly every QB category. They both play for high profile teams, the difference is Rex knows how to play the media game so that his team can focus on playing the games on the field. The real issue is that Rex may need to pull the plug on his offensive coordinator and Marky Mark needs to step up his game or it might be time to bring back Chad and his girly arm.

Did you know that Erik was once the quarterback for the Jets before a bad case of night vision cut his career short!

Bigger Disappointment - 2011 Phillies or 2011 Eagles?

The City of Losers

As a die hard fan of the Evil Empire with nothing to root for this October, I take great joy in seeing that sad city of Philly endure the losing efforts of their two marquee teams. I am not a Phillies hater as I enjoy the playing style of the Flyin' Hawaiian, find the Philly Phanatic quite entertaining and Ryan Howard's nose quite remarkable. In fact, our next blog will be a debate on whether the Phanatic or Howard has a bigger schnoz.

Howard's wife has special breath-right strips made for him out of duct tape.

"George, I know it doesn't sound right, but we actually spell Filadelfia, with a PH. By the way, you and Cheney still playing hide and seek with those WMD's?"

I am, however, an Eagles hater for multiple reasons: they once tried to kill my team's kicker, they cheered as my star receiver lay motionless on the field (you're right...he deserved it), and they have the NFL's Most Valuable Punk on their team (DeSean Jackass). Despite my distaste for the Eagles and their cheesy fight song, I still maintain that the Phillies are the bigger flop this year. I know the Philadelphia Beagles and their trainer Mike Vick are choking like A-rod in a big spot, but the reality is they still have 11 games to play. Their season is far from over and they have the talent to get back into a weak NFC East race. Please remember the other 3 NFC East teams have quarterbacks named Eli, Romo, and Grossman. Not exactly, Brady, Rogers, and Brees. I, of course, will be rooting against this scenario but I can at least recognize they have a pulse.

"Desean Jackson, Get in my belly!!!"

The Phillies, however, have no pulse. They were ousted by the underdog Cardinals and are now watching Dancing with the Stars and playing Hungry Hungry Hippos with their kids. This team finished with the best record in baseball at 102-60 and wielded one of the best pitching staffs in recent memory. In fact, they only gave up 529 runs for the whole year. The next closest team was the Braves at 605 runs. The expectations were World Series title or bust for this team. So, where do I place the blame. To start, this team had a roster full of All-Stars and two of their biggest stars, Ryan Howard and Hunter Pence, displayed some of the skills they learned at the Alex Rodriguez Clutch Hitting Baseball Camp by going 6-for-38 (.157). Umm, that's not good. Second, their vaunted pitching staff surrendered 19 runs in 5 games and many fans were screaming for Jamie Moyer and his 43 MPH fastball, especially after Cliff Lee's Game 2 performance (6 IP, 12 Hits, 5 Runs). Third, why did Charlie Manuel not employ a 3 man rotation of Halladay-Lee-Hamels? Roy Oswalt is just not that good and he proved me right in Game 4. Throughout the series it also seemed that Jimmy Rollins was more concerned about his hair and who might portray him in his upcoming A& E Biography.

Or, how inappropriate was it that Manager Charlie Manuel participated in a wet t-shirt contest called "Grandpa's Gone Wild."

"If you want my body and you think I'm sexy,
come on honey tell me so."

But despite all these possible reasons why they failed to win the championship, the only true reason was that God is not a Phillies fan. In fact, God is really not a fan of Philadelphia at all, especially after the many classless acts their fans have committed (ex. ice balls at Santa), the many un-Christian like activities of their players (ex. Iverson, Vick, Dykstra) and the inappropriate taunting of the Philly Phanatic at the beginning of the postseason. As all good teams and athletes know, you really want the Big Guy on your side going into the Big Games. I guess it's not always so sunny in Philadelphia these days!

Apparently, God was not thrilled with the taunts of a fuzzy mascot with bad eye-brows!

Little known Bible verse: "And God doth bellow, I hatest the Phillies." Malachi 1:3

Bigger Disappointment - 2011 Phillies or 2011 Eagles?

If I Am Dreaming, Please Wake Me

First and foremost, I am an Eagles fan but not a Phillies fan. So if you are concerned that I cannot be impartial, you are absolutely correct and probably on the wrong website. Second, I am going to change the question to a better one:

What is the biggest disappointment in Philadelphia sports history?
A.) 2011 Philadelphia Phillies
B.) Rocky V
C.) Shawn Bradley
D.) 2011 Philadelphia Eagles

Life's filled with disappointments. The worst ones are the ones you never see coming, like being tasered  in the back of the neck.

If you guessed A, you are way off. Yes, the Phillies were picked by Vegas to win the World Series before the season began. Yes, the Phillies assembled the greatest pitching staff of this generation to go along with a very solid lineup. And yes, the Phillies had the best record in baseball and should have cruised into the World Series. There is, however, a reason why the 2011 Phillies are not the biggest disappointment in town: the best team in baseball rarely wins. Since the invention of the Wild Card in 1995, the team with the best overall record has won the World Series 5 out of 17 times. To make matters worse, at least 1 Wild Card team has made it to the Series 8 out of 16 times with the chance for one more this year. Therefore, it shouldn't come as a shock that the Phillies lost.

If you guessed B, you are getting warmer but you are still wrong. In Rocky IV, Rocky Balboa not only avenged his friends death by beating Ivan Drago, but he also won over the hearts of the Russian people. He almost single-handedly brought down the Iron Curtain himself! Then, Rocky V happened. It was beyond terrible. You couldn't understand half of Rocky's lines. Even still, although it was a disappointment, no one really expected much from it.

In the movie Space Jam, Shawn Bradley was one of five NBA 'stars' whose talents were stolen by space aliens. I'm sure the alien that received Shawn's talents was sorely disappointed.

If you guessed C, you will be awarded half a point for being so close. Shawn Bradley was drafted by the Philadelphia 76'ers with the second overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft. Fresh off his 2 year Mormon mission, the Salt Lake Tribune declared "The 76'ers have just received the greatest thing that Mormons have ever produced. He will assuredly bring Philadelphia to basketball's equivalent of exaltation." Unfortunately, Shawn was a bust of monumental proportions. Although 7'6", Shawn was softer than a marshmallow. He eventually was traded for a guy (Derrick Coleman) that retired 11 games later. The only reason why Shawn 'the Mormon Tabernacle Crier' Bradley does not make it as the biggest disappointment ever in Philadelphia sports history is because those drafted around him never lived up to their potential either. Shawn Bradley could have been the next Sam Bowie had Chris Webber and Penny Hardaway won championships.

'Mikey, remember our promise? I will give you this banner in exchange for a plate of nachos grande with some of that extra con queso cheese" 

If you guessed D, you are correct! The 2011 Philadelphia Eagles are the greatest disappointment in Philadelphia sports history. In 2010, the Eagles almost beat the Packers. The Packers then won the Super Bowl. Andy Reid was left with two thoughts: A) We are almost as good as the Super Bowl champs, and B) I could go for a Super Bowl filled with chili and cheese. The Eagles, motivated by that loss, proceeded to sign everyone in the shortened off-season. It seemed like they were signing Pro Bowlers every day. They even signed stars to be backups. Guys started taking less money to come to Philadelphia and in no time the Eagles became Super Bowl favorites and a 'Dream Team'. Sure the Eagles didn't fill every hole, but they were all in.  It was an embarrassment of riches.

What we all failed to realize at the time is that the Eagles made some critical mistakes.  First, they promoted their offensive line coach to run the entire defense. Now does that sound like a good idea? That's like promoting a Governor of Alaska to become the Vice President of the United States. Second, they signed the second best cornerback in the NFL (Nnamdi Asomuogha), a man known for shutting down the games best receivers, only to have him play zone defense. The equivalent of that is having Tom Brady as your Quarterback but not allowing him to ever throw the ball. And third, the Eagles gave a $100 million dollar contract to Michael Vick to be the team leader. This is a man who blew his first $100 million dollar contract on a dog fighting company named Bad Newz Kennels and then spent a year and a half in federal prison.

Stephon Marbury after the loss to Puerto Rico "I don't know why we played them in the first place. Ain't them a state?"

Michael Vick's backup, Vince Young, bought into the hype and dubbed the Eagles the 'Dream Team'. We all assumed he was referring to the '92 team with Jordan, Bird, and Magic. Unbeknownst to us at the time, he was actually referring to the '04 team with Marbury, Iverson, and Carmelo. The '04 Dream Team lost 3 games en route to receiving the Bronze Medal. Well Vince, I guess you were right after all. This apt comparison involves two teams with incredible talent, no heart, and no leadership. Thanks for the disappointment.

What is The Sports Divide?

The Sports Divide is unlike anything you have ever seen. Two guys, with clearly nothing better to do, have a revolutionary idea regarding sports and this new thing called a 'blog'. We plan on presenting two diverging viewpoints on a current sports topic in a style that will make you think and hopefully laugh a little.  

We are two close friends who met over 20 years ago when nobody else wanted to be friends with us. Our love of all things sports is central to our relationship and we plan on retelling all of our sports glory moments. Erik’s sports career peaked back in middle school when he was an All-World little league pitcher, but refused to take PED’s going into high school and quickly became another average red-headed hurler. Joe was a decent bench soccer player in high school. Unfortunately, his sensitive stomach forced him to retire and join the drama club and other clubs that were near a bathroom. Joe eventually graduated and went off to Montclair State University, where he doubled his friend totals. After high school, Erik matriculated at Arizona State University where he gained notoriety for his efforts as being Sparky the school mascot. Unfortunately for Erik, Sparky is required to do push-ups after every score. After an early 3-0 lead, Erik was unable to complete the 3 push-ups and subsequently quit.

People don't realize how heavy that costume is.

Erik currently lives in northern Virginia with his wife and 6 month old daughter and works for the U.S Government. In his spare time, Erik has begun writing a biography on the Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid.

'Andy Reid and the Challenges of Being a Mormon Sex Symbol' is slated for completion in 2012 

Joe lives in the 51^st state of North Jersey with his wife and 6 month old daughter. He works for a major retailer and can recite every line from Mr. Belvidere. He too has been writing in his spare time. Please check out his Twilight blog at www.AllThingsEdward.blogspot.com

Please note that this site is not for those who prefer Jacob over Edward.

We hope you have as much fun reading our posts as we do writing them. Please comment on our posts and feel free to tell us how crazy we are.

Did Jose Reyes do the Right Thing by Sitting?

The New York Mess

I couldn't have said it any better myself, thanks Nelson

Oh the New York Mets. Is there an organization more screwed up than you?  In 2007, the Mets blew a 7 game lead with 17 to play and missed the playoffs. In 2008, they choked again after blowing a 3 1/2 game lead with 17 to play. In 2009, the Mets learned that Bernie Madoff had fooled the Mets organization in his Ponzi scheme. The Mets owner lost upwards of $700 million dollars (which was nothing compared to the contract that they gave Mo Vaughn). In 2010, yet another disaster struck. They received the worst endorsement of all time! This picture explains it all:

Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi is a Met fan. I swear I couldn't even make this stuff up even if I tried!

As if this wasn't bad enough, the worst event of them all occurred in 2011. No, I'm not referring to the $18 million given to Ollie Perez and Juan Castillo after they had already been released. No, I'm not referring to the Mets employee airing the audio clip from this Family Guy episode over the voice of announcer Gary Cohen:

No, the worst event occurred on the last day of the season while the Mets were at home. This was their third consecutive year of finishing in fourth place. Surprisingly there were some Met fans that still showed up to the game to watch their favorite players. Jose Reyes was in the lead for the batting title but Ryan Braun was close behind. After a bunt single in the first, Jose asked his manager if he could be pulled from the game so that he could virtually lock up the NL batting title. Although manager Terry Collins didn't like the idea of removing a healthy Reyes after one at bat, he acquiesced. Reyes admitted afterwards that he wanted the batting title so his home country could throw him a parade.

Records mean something in baseball while people like Ted Williams who despite having a .400 average, decided to play a complete double-header to end the season. He finished at .406 for the year. When asked afterwards why he risked losing the incredible .400 batting avg, he stated "If I'm going to be a .400 hitter, I'm going to be a .400 hitter all the way."

"If I knew that Red Sox fans would turn out to be such obnoxious douches, I never would have played for them. Give me a fan base of Jerry Seinfeld, Snooki, and Chris Rock any day over Ben Affleck and his lover Matt Damon". - Ted Williams on why the Red Sox suck

It's easy to criticize Jose Reyes for being selfish. His stats mattered to him more than the team. Even his own fans booed him after he was removed. But all this doesn't surprise me. Jose has never been a team guy or a clubhouse leader. What does surprise me is that manager Terry Collins allowed this to happen. After all the negativity that has surround the Mets over the last 4 years, Terry Collins failed to do the right thing. He let one player's selfishness upstage the entire team. Jose will probably be gone next year, but Collins will return along with the majority of the current players. Unfortunately for Met fans, the culture of losing and selfishness will be back as well. Oh, and so will Snooki. She never seems to go away.

Did Jose Reyes do the Right Thing by Sitting?

Jose Can You Sit?

Motivation Mets Style

I’m having trouble understanding why everyone’s “going Guillen” over Jose Reyes’s decision to take himself out of the season finale. First of all, it’s the Mets so they needed a little something to get excited about (other than Ron Darling’s Emmy) and a batting title was a major accomplishment for a minor league team. Second, Reyes was just playing by MLB rules and had already satisfied the 502 minimum at bat threshold, as well as the Met’s team rule of at least one extended DL stint. He went into that last, meaningless game, got his hit, and then took a well-deserved rest as I’m sure he was fearful of pulling his hamstring again. Jose was just employing some strategy for a guy that will most likely never win another batting title and is looking to cash in this off-season as the most sought after position player (next to some guy named Pujols). I love the arguments that people have surfaced around Ted Williams playing in both ends of a double-header when he was already hitting .400. Guess what McFly, it’s not 1941 any more and Reyes will never be able to carry Teddy Ballgame’s jockstrap. Let’s face reality, the majority of players today are more concerned about their stats and banking accounts (i.e the accounting firm of Barry, Manny, and Sammy) then the sanctity and honor of the games they play. Third, do the Met’s even know what protocol is in these kinds of situations, since they have never before had a batting champion before and have spent more time fielding questions about Bernie Made-Off then the team on the field. Next, if Reyes’s esteemed counterpart in the Bronx had done the same thing would there have been this kind of uproar or  would we just chalk it up to Captain Intangibles needing a break after getting his 3000th hit or that he always hustles to first base, yada, yada, yada. I vaguely remember Mr. Jeter skipping the All-Star game so he could help Minka Kelly move out of his Florida palace. I didn't hear half the fuss as this situation.

You're hot in all Minka but I'm not making the same mistake that Tiger did. Would you like an autographed ball for the road?

Finally, what’s the difference between what Reyes did and an NFL team running out the clock after they built a 4^th quarter lead or to keep it consistent, with an MLB team who’s already clinched first place and decides to rest their starters before the play-offs. It’s a long season in baseball (unless you’re a Mets fan when you know it’s over in April), so Reyes got his hits, built his small lead, and decided to put the pressure on Ryan Braun. Jose, congrats on your achievement, take the summer to rest your braids, and good luck next year in San Francisco. Oh by the way, I hear Victor Conte has a great new “clear” product for hamstring injuries. Check it out!

Gee Davey! I'm going to miss those Abercrombie & Fitch photo shoots!

Was Firing Terry Francona a Good Move?

A Tale of Two Epic Collapses

There isn't much man-love going on right now in Beantown (when did the Red Sox sign Sonic the Hedgehog?)

Terry Francona was fired. Let's get that settled first. I know Boston is saying that he walked away, but it's just like when Joe 'quit' from his first job at Stewarts Root Beer. It doesn't count when you say 'I quit' two seconds before your boss says 'You're fired'. Second, I must say that I am thrilled that Tito was given the axe. There is no doubt that Francona is a great manager. After all, he was the manager that broke the curse of the Bambino in 2004 and then led the Sox to another World Series in 2007. Just as the Yankees showed Joe Torre the door in 2007, the Red Sox had to do the same. Going four years without even making it to the World Series with that payroll is bad enough, but missing the playoffs consecutive years is even worse. These two reasons are cause enough to debate the manager’s firing. What makes the decision easy is the manner in which the Sox folded in 2011. They now own the dubious title of owning baseball’s greatest collapse. They were ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays by 9 games as of September 3^rd. They wound up finishing 7-20 in the month of September. If this is not reason enough to convince you, I remind you of the 2007 New York Mets and their historic collapse of their own.

'Even I can't believe that the Mets hired me' - (internal dialogue from Jerry Manuel)

The Mets held a 7 game lead over the Phillies with just 17 games remaining. After they lost on the last day of the season like Boston this year, many called for the firing of the Mets manager Willie Randolph. Needless to say, the Mets went into the 2008 season with Willie as the manager. Unfortunately for the Mets, the culture of losing stayed with them. While they struggled with a .500 winning percentage, ownership eventually decided mid-season to fire Randolph; something they should have done at the end of the 2007 season. I’m not blaming everything on the manager, because the players are just as much to blame. Unfortunately for Francona, it is much easier to fire a manager than it is to turn over a 25 man roster. A message needed to be sent to the entire organization that losing will not be tolerated and firing Francona was the first step. The next step should be selling Jacoby Ellsbury to the Yankees just like they did with Babe Ruth. Whether that happens or not, Boston will be looking for a new manager: This is my suggestion:



Since the real Ron Washington is currently managing the Rangers, I say the Red Sox hire the next best thing: lil' Ron Washington. At least he doesn't have a cocaine addiction... that we know of.



Was Firing Terry Francona a Good Move? -

The Curse of Tito

Go ahead! Take your best shot!

So what do two die hard Yankee fans decide to write about in their first blog? You guessed it...the Red Sox. No, were not going to dedicate a whole blog article on their epic collapse (at least not yet) or why Kevin Youkilis just needs to be beaned in his grotesque jaw every time up. It's time to talk about the Sox's brilliant decision to let their beloved skip Terry Francona go. So let me get my facts straight here...Francona guided the Sox to 2 titles in his 8 years, was 28-17 in the postseason, is the second winningest manger in franchise history, and put up with Manny's antics for 6 years. Remember, this poor excuse for an organization went 86 years without a title until this guy took over, winning the World Series in his first year on the job.  Does the name Grady Little ring a bell?

Thanks for the memories Grady!

I'm not campaigning for Francona to get a 5 year extension, but he certainly deserved another year to prove his worthiness. After all, Torre managed the Yankees for 7 years after his last championship. Ok, he did lead the Sox to the biggest choke since Tony Romo's last game (can you sense the frustration of this Cowboy fan). But the last time I checked the managers don't play the games, it's the out-of-shape, broken down players like You-K and Buttholes or the overpaid, hypersensitive players like Lackluster and Crawfish. The issue with the Sox this year had more to do with team chemistry (no fun guys like Millar/Damon to break up the tension), injuries (I think the Sox hired the Mets training staff last off-season), and no clutch pitching in September (it seemed like Grandpa Wakefield was the best starter). Remember, Francona was the guy that people were talking about back in June as a candidate for manager of the year after turning their dreadful start into first place. This guy never had less than 89 wins, handled the media perfectly, never gave up on Papi last year, and secretly hated the song "Sweet Caroline." As a Yankee fan, I always admired Francona for the way he lead his team, his baseball IQ (I just wanted to say that) and his willingness to pitch inside (something Girardi could do a lot more). I'm sure boy-wonder Theo checked his computer to confirm the decision and will be implementing his new theory that guys with a high OBP also make great managers. Maybe the Sox are planning on bringing Don Zimmer back to relive the golden years of the late 70's, only this time he's bringing Pedro as his pitching coach. If you think Dave Martinez or Phillies bench coach Phil McCracken is an upgrade, then you might as well interview Wally the Green Monster and see if he can bring the San Diego Chicken out of retirement as his bench coach. Regardless of who they select, the only certainties that will come from this decision is that Ted Williams is still dead and Boston needed a new curse.

Introducing the 2012 Boston Red Sox Management Team!