Who are we, and is it good?

Schitty's out of the picture, Thank GOD! And as all of us know, we're nowhere near ready to hit the field. But before we even look at the on-field product, we have to ask ourselves who we are, and if we even like it.

For the first two years, the bold, brash style that Ryan brought to the Jets was fresh and invigorating. It gave new life and identity to a team that was in desperate need of one. In his first two seasons, his outspoken ways were seen as a big reason for the teams success: he was a player's coach, a guy who you would put your butt on the line for, because he would do it for you. When the team hit the field, you could see them playing with the same passion that Rex brought every day. Those first two seasons, were everything a jets fan could hope for: we reached two AFC Championship games, and established ourselves as a premier defense.

This past season, and more recently, these past few weeks however, have begun to clear a bit, the opacity of the locker room. Rex at the post season press conference pointed primarily to his inability to get in touch with the vibe of the team, as the reason the team underperformed. However, if we step back from all of the yelling and screaming coming from the clubhouse, it all becomes clear; there is too much slack. Rex is a fun-loving character who wants his players to be themselves, but when they make "mistakes", and those "mistakes" are not punished thoroughly, they realize there is no leash only a dog collar. Santonio Holmes plays the role of the pit bull in this analogy. His disruptive, and egomaniacal attitude was never contained. Instead rather he was allowed the luxuries of a captain badge, and a top salary contract. It becomes hard not to think that with such freedoms will create the occasional player that will manipulate and exploit the system. This time it was Holmes, but with the way the front office decides to conduct business, we could be dealing with another bone-headed playmaker ready to take Holmes' spot.

The real story here, is that this is on Rex. It isn't on Schotty, it isn't on Sanchez, it isn't even on Holmes. Rex needs to learn that bold and brash aren't expressed through smack-talk, and second chances, but can be shown on the field, in the way you hit, run, block, pass, dive, everything. In the press conference, Ryan said that he wants to stay true to himself as a coach. But if "staying true" to yourself means being unwilling to change to win, then there will have to be some changes made for him. It's not about pride, it's not about winning your way, it's about winning, PERIOD.

I leave you on this note. Is this the type of team you want to root for?