Is Chemistry a Real Issue?
by Ryan Alfieri on Jul 21, 2010 1:56 PM EDT
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PrintOn paper, the Jets look unbeatable. Their roster has as much talent as any in the league backed by a great coaching staff. They have a lot of players on 1 year contracts, and added several pro-bowlers to a roster that was just 23 minutes from a Super Bowl berth.
It's only natural that we look for faults on a team that has had so many things go wrong in so many once-promising seasons. The main issue "experts" have with this team is chemistry. Chemistry got the Jets through their 4-6 start to the AFC title game, and when you lose leaders like Thomas Jones and Alan Faneca, that disappears. Right?
Wrong.
Allow me to explain why chemistry will ultimately be a strength. It's a pretty simple answer: Rex Ryan. Player just love the guy. It's not by accident that the Ravens have been so consistent on defense. Thomas Jones and Alan Faneca were on the 2008 team that collapsed. Rex wasn't. While the Jet's collapsed that year, the Ravens, led by their #2 ranked defense, went to the AFC title. I wonder who coached that unit....
Defensively, you are talking about a unit that ranked #1 in it's first year in a new system. That is pretty remarkable, and the idea that they will have a new year under their belt means everyone will be on the same page; no more late game hiccups in coverage that cost us games. Players will be more instinctive and reactive; less thinking and more doing. You will see a more fluid defense, especially against the run.
For example, we saw a defensive leader go down halfway through the season, Kris Jenkins. The Jets were on a downward spiral and the d-line needed to step up. Well, to make a long story short, they did. Again, Rex is the constant here.
Offensively, will we see issues? Rex has instilled his "Ground and Pound" philosophy. Linemen LOVE to run block. I wouldn't expect our line to simply "try less hard" because Alan Faneca is gone. Shonn Greene is a tough runner. LT is a class act. It's hard not to go all out when you see Shonn and LT putting their bodies out there. Sanchez brought his wideouts to Cali for a week. Rex has called his preparation for the season "unmatched by any player he has ever seen. And yeah, I've been around Ray Lewis." Sanchez is pretty much the anti-Russell. Expect that to rub off on everyone else in the organization. Hell, expect the janitors at the facility to clean the bathrooms better because of guys like this.
Now, will contracts become a distraction? No. Players understand the business side of football. Reggie Wayne hardly ever comes to minicamp. Remember when Emmit Smith held out into the regular season? Oh yeah, they won the Super Bowl that year. The offseason is the time to figure these things out. Now, if a player brings this into the season, then you may have an issue. But let's be honest, if you're out there trying to block a 300-lb defensive lineman, is your first thought going to be, "Gosh, I sure wish Darrelle was a much richer man..." Let's be real here. Chemistry is only a problem is you lose. Just look at the Dutch soccer team.
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Agreed. Chemistry is a myth.
Players don’t need to like each other in order to perform well. It helps if theyre in tune with each other, and know what each other is going to do and where theyre going to be, but that, IMO, is more a product of coaching.
As far as loss of leadership goes… I think we’ll see guys like Sanchez, Mangold, Keller, LD, Greene, Cotchery, Edwards, etc. slide seamlessly into leadership roles. This team will not lack for leadership.
The only issues of concern this coming season will be whether Sanchez can take the next step and whether Greene can take the pounding. If we get both of those things, the sky is the limit for this team; we’ll have a good a shot as anybody.
"Berth"
is the word I believe you wanted
as opposed to “birth”
lmao Good call.
Contributing Writer - GangGreenNation.com
Marty Brodeur - Stealing Rangers' lunch money since 1990
by Ryan Alfieri on Jul 21, 2010 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions
'Chemistry Is Only a Problem if You Lose'
I don’t agree with this. Winning can bring the evil too. Two situations off the top of my head
A) Person A thinks Person B is getting too many touches or too involved in the offense, and Person A suddenly wants more of the limelight during the team’s victories.
B) Cockyness, Swagger, etc… which hurt the Jets last season after they started off the season excellent and got a bit complacent.
These are the type of things that happen when you have an all-star roster like the Jets do.
Gang Green Nation
If Chemistry was a myth
The Redskins and Yankees would win every year.
Well written article, but I think you can look back at past Superbowl winners and continuously competitive teams, and see that they clearly have more chemistry than talent on most rosters…. They have a few Big Names, but not a plethora.
Sometimes the chemistry issues aren’t even the players faults….often times its Player A’s agent, getting in his ear because Player B or C is getting more focus.
With a room full of inflated egos some are going to pop.
So there I was.....asleep when it happened.....the buzzing of the blackberry woke me up....still groggy, I rubbed my eyes, and read the incoming email.
BRANDON MARSHALL IS A DOLPHIN!
Then I had a beer....took the day off work, and bought a box of condoms.
Its going to be a long night for my wife.
I’m not saying chemistry is a complete myth, it exists…but when teams start losing, it’s easy for chemistry issues to “suddenly” arise. For example, even though the Jets in 09 had a lot of bad losses because of one or two bad plays, if they never recovered, people would have blamed bad chemistry for the losses. But because of guys like Rex, he kept the team together.
This is more of an individual analysis on the Jets chemistry than chemistry in sports in general.
Contributing Writer - GangGreenNation.com
Marty Brodeur - Stealing Rangers' lunch money since 1990
by Ryan Alfieri on Jul 21, 2010 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions
You assume incorrectly that, automatically , the more money a team spends will equate to more talent. That simply is not the case. Overspending for talent doesn’t mean a team lacks chemistry; nor does it make a team more talented than another.
The team with the most chemistry doesn’t always win. Sometimes its the team with the most talent, sometimes its the best-coached team, most times its the team that gets hot at the right time (i.e. just happens to have the breaks go their way for whatever reason).
I really don’t think that chemistry exists in reality. Its just something that sounds cool and is easy to write about because its so ambiguous that it can’t be proven or disproven. I mean how do prove that, of the two teams that reach the big dance, that one is more chemistrious (my word) than another?
As for the Yankees… they may not win it every year but they’ve won more than anybody else has, and they do make the playoffs every damn year. The greatest franchise in the history of American sports must be doing something right.
Have you ever played organized Sports? I ask because
there is always players on the team that you don’t necessarily like. And its not uncalled for teams to not exactly embrace practice as hard, when that particular player is running a play. A lineman might not block as hard, so a LB can make a bigger hit in practice to “shut him up”….etc…
As for the Yankees….. I picked them for a couple reasons. a) They are in NY so you guys can relate, and b) Despite their continued playoff appearances, they have 2 World Series wins in the last decade, despite having the highest payroll for 8 out of 10 of those years. And one of those WS wins, they didn’t have the highest payroll….
Just an example.
So there I was.....asleep when it happened.....the buzzing of the blackberry woke me up....still groggy, I rubbed my eyes, and read the incoming email.
BRANDON MARSHALL IS A DOLPHIN!
Then I had a beer....took the day off work, and bought a box of condoms.
Its going to be a long night for my wife.
I have played organized sports...
And i’ve played football at the college level in particular. And liking a guy, in my experience, has had little to do with playing hard out of personal pride and for the team. I would think that that sentiment would be even more poignant with NFL players who are playing for contracts and would be more likely to guard their reputations. Usually its only the very good players that take liberties with their reps, bc theyre that good. But for the most part guys are careful about being perceived as disruptive forces.
That is unless we’re talking about diva receivers throwing temper tantrums and having certain “altercations” with their girlfriends.
As for the Yank… again, they are virtual locks for a post-season appearance. Actually winning it all calls for certain ducks to be lined up exactly in a row. Things have to go right. Winning the big one is a combo of talent, coaching, and things breaking your way (see the tuck rule, Saints onside kick, Morneu’s fair ball ruled foul, Ron Artest’s game-winning 3… etc).
Good point about teams spending indiscriminately for great players and still not winning. And chemistry is, of course, the reason. Seriously, what NFL team has ever won a Championship without it?
by nationalist88 on Jul 21, 2010 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I am sorry the Yankee mention might hold water to some people, but the Redskins?
Since the face been revealed the game got real
Why the Redskins?
Because Dan Snyder is notorious for spending huge amounts of money in the offseason to try and find a winner.
As a matter of Fact the 2000 Redskins were the first team to have a salary cap over $100 million, and thats due to them spending indiscriminately on talented Free Agents.
The ended up 8-8….thats why I bring them up. Its also why every year, every analyst always mentions how the Redskins are always in the mix for the top players….because they spend.
So there I was.....asleep when it happened.....the buzzing of the blackberry woke me up....still groggy, I rubbed my eyes, and read the incoming email.
BRANDON MARSHALL IS A DOLPHIN!
Then I had a beer....took the day off work, and bought a box of condoms.
Its going to be a long night for my wife.
The problem here is that the Jets did not do the same thing, they found bargain trades and made them. They did not at any moment splurge on a free agent just because he was good. The biggest free agent contract the Jets have given recently was to Faneca and I really doubt anyone would call that move boneheaded.
Jets green since 1997
I wasn't implying the Jets had overspent....
You guys got a lot of “damaged goods” per se at a bargain because noone else really wanted them.
Although to be honest, Holmes had to garner more attention than LT, and Cromartie combined….. so how you got him for a 5th I’ll never know. But teams weren’t exactly lining up for Cromartie or LT.
I was just saying that there are teams in the past who throw money at the problem and they never seem to win.
So there I was.....asleep when it happened.....the buzzing of the blackberry woke me up....still groggy, I rubbed my eyes, and read the incoming email.
BRANDON MARSHALL IS A DOLPHIN!
Then I had a beer....took the day off work, and bought a box of condoms.
Its going to be a long night for my wife.
Chemistry is the excuse all Jet haters are using
according to most of the haters, this team has character issues and its just a matter of time before the locker room explodes. Bullsh_t, they just need a reason to hate.
a) Haters is the most idiotic term in the world...
b) Anytime you get a lot of big names in one place, everyone questions “chemistry”
c) And this is the most important. Chemistry isn’t an issue…..until it is.
So as of now, its not an issue, and everyone can relax and breathe easy.
So there I was.....asleep when it happened.....the buzzing of the blackberry woke me up....still groggy, I rubbed my eyes, and read the incoming email.
BRANDON MARSHALL IS A DOLPHIN!
Then I had a beer....took the day off work, and bought a box of condoms.
Its going to be a long night for my wife.
Assuming you live in Miami
I’m sure you’re not the least bit worried about CHEMISTRY with the HEAT this year… If I remember correctly, there is just one ball in Basketball also..
http://www.charlottejetsfans.com
Basketball? Boooooo
Sorry, I hate basketball, so I don’t really have an opinion.
But, you are correct….there is just one ball in basketball.
So there I was.....asleep when it happened.....the buzzing of the blackberry woke me up....still groggy, I rubbed my eyes, and read the incoming email.
BRANDON MARSHALL IS A DOLPHIN!
Then I had a beer....took the day off work, and bought a box of condoms.
Its going to be a long night for my wife.
Chemistry is not really the issue we should worry about.
Chemistry is important (Seattle Mariners fan, and last year the Mariners proved chemistry can win games), but more important is matching types of players together. Another Mariners example being this year, great chemistry but too many similar players equals the losing season that is happening now. The Jets just brought in a bunch of players so the chemistry issue will obviously come up, however the more important issue is whether their skillsets compliment what we already had.
by Nobody Anonymous on Jul 21, 2010 8:09 PM EDT reply actions
Good article
Is passionate to a fault. Very good, however. Chemistry Is being questioned not only because of Faneca and Jones leaving, also because of the character issues from the three major adquisitions. Holmes, Edwards and Cromartie have had a few incidents, we know about them. The “Experts” simply believe that they could create havoc within the locker room if they continue acting up.
There is also the issue of the contract disputes, those can really steer up some trouble.
PS: Njdevil7 I know you feel strongy about the naysayers and their nonsense but can you edit the post so it doesnt have so many grammar errors? I hate to see Dolphin fans using stuff like that to start a fight.
Jets green since 1997
If a Dolphin fan picks on something grammatical in this article...
He’s an idiot. And as you know, I am a Dolphin fan.
I think its a good article, well thought out, and presented. I don’t necessarily agree with all of it, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to knock a well presented article. Too many people just make fan posts (even over at Phinsider) that have no real substance….. This one has substance, hell I’ll even ’rec it….
So there I was.....asleep when it happened.....the buzzing of the blackberry woke me up....still groggy, I rubbed my eyes, and read the incoming email.
BRANDON MARSHALL IS A DOLPHIN!
Then I had a beer....took the day off work, and bought a box of condoms.
Its going to be a long night for my wife.
I wasn’t talking about all Dolphin fans, there are also Jets fans that are as hard headed and stupid as the worst of any team. But, as you know, in this blog as well as the Phinsider blog people are going to hate for meaningless reasons, I just hate to see a good article inundated with trolling comments just because.
Jets green since 1997
I can agree with that.
So there I was.....asleep when it happened.....the buzzing of the blackberry woke me up....still groggy, I rubbed my eyes, and read the incoming email.
BRANDON MARSHALL IS A DOLPHIN!
Then I had a beer....took the day off work, and bought a box of condoms.
Its going to be a long night for my wife.
Good article. Chemistry is one of those things that you can quantify. Do you win because of good chemistry or do you have good chemistry because you win? IMO as long as the players come to play every week and everyone focuses on doing their job then the chemistry will be fine.
I think the '04 Patriots is a good example of Chemistry.
Not loaded on talent (good defensively), but pulled out a win.
So there I was.....asleep when it happened.....the buzzing of the blackberry woke me up....still groggy, I rubbed my eyes, and read the incoming email.
BRANDON MARSHALL IS A DOLPHIN!
Then I had a beer....took the day off work, and bought a box of condoms.
Its going to be a long night for my wife.
It’s about having a complete sense of confidence in the guys around you in any team sport. It’s understanding how they’ll react in any given situation based on experience. Knowing what they excel at and where their game is lacking. And caring about them enough to put your ass on the line for them. Chemistry is why the most talented team does not always win. And when teams get hot and start playing out of their minds, that’s chemistry on display. I don’t care who we got this offseason, if the 2010 Jets don’t find a way to gel we aren’t winning anything. Remember the ’06 Chargers? Best record in football at 14-2, absolutely LOADED top to bottom, and beaten in their own stadium, in their first playoff game, by the most cohesive team in football.
by nationalist88 on Jul 22, 2010 2:01 AM EDT up reply actions
But doesn’t cohesion and unity of purpose and clearly defined roles stem from coaching? Sorry, but that just seems like good coaching to me.
Good coaches can contribute to team chemistry, and poor coaches can detract from it. But at the end of the day, it’s the guys on the field who have to pull together and gut it out to make it all happen.
This is one of the reasons I wouldn’t even consider a guy like Haynesworth. Or guys like T.O. and Chad Johnson (or whatever his name is this year) because you know there are guys on the team who want to say “Dude, STFU already” or “Get over yourself and act professional like the rest of us”. It’s hard to win when you have players who create division like that, because at some point they’re relying on teammates who don’t even like them.
by nationalist88 on Jul 23, 2010 12:40 AM EDT up reply actions
Just thought I would add this from Brondey Pools questionnaire on the star ledger:
One thing I can say is that I have fun every day coming up here. I enjoy being around these guys; it’s a good group of guys, so that’s been the easiest part. Once you have guys you like being around and like working with, all the other stuff is easy. The football part I’ve been doing for a while, so it’s just still learning communication and just learning the ins and outs of the defense.
Just thought that was relevant to the discussion you guys were having.
Writer/Assistant editor
Eternal optimist
New York Jets
Gang Green Nation
www.ganggreennation.com
Jets/Knicks/Rangers
That’s exactly what I’m talking about : )
by nationalist88 on Jul 23, 2010 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions
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