Page 2 Dis from Bill Simmons (merged)

[JET Setting from Scranton]

[B][U][SIZE="7"]F*** Simmons[/SIZE][/U][/B]


Things changed once the spread offense took off, the NFL cracked down on violent hits to receivers and quarterbacks, and Bill Polian's Chris Crocker-esque whining after the 2004 season's Pats-Colts playoff game led to the NFL cracking down on physical play from defensive backs. The rest was history. No lead is safe; no over-under is too high. That's why I laughed when I read Rex Ryan's quote after his Jets thrashed Cincinnati on Sunday night:

"We're dangerous. You have to be able to run the football this time of year, and you have to be able to play defense, and we can do that better than any team in the league. That gives us a chance in every game, no matter who we play."

Umm … not really. You need to be able to throw the ball, Rex. You need to make big plays. You need to be able to play from behind. The rules reward a team that does those three things. That's what makes Philly so intriguing. Like Nash's Suns, they don't have a big guy, they can't protect the rim and they need to make 3s (or, in this case, connect on some long plays) to have a chance. Nash's Suns know if their 3s aren't falling, they will lose. McNabb's Eagles know if their long passes aren't connecting, they will lose. But if either team gets hot … look out.

And that's what Rex Ryan doesn't seem to understand. The Jets don't have a chance in every game "this time of year," because "this time" isn't like the other times. There's a reason Dan Marino spends every waking moment wishing he was born in 1981, not 1961.


And now, the Round 1 picks …

BENGALS (-2.5) over Jets

Key Player: I don't know what kind of quarterback Mark Sanchez will be five years from now. But if I had to LOSE a 2009 playoff game and could pick any starting QB, and JaMarcus Russell was trapped under a rock, I'd think long and hard about the Sanchize. Football Outsiders had him ranked 38th out of 46 QBs; generous considering he was in the cushiest situation of any bad QB. Four starters finished with lower QB ratings than Sanchez's 63.0 (Matt Stafford, Josh Freeman, Delhomme and Russell), but none was protected like the Jets protected Sanchez. They ran the ball a league-high 607 times (Carolina was second at 525) and threw the ball a league-low 393 times (Seattle was second at 441). Of their 280 first downs, only 131 came from passing (third-lowest total in the league). Most rookies improve as the season goes along, but Sanchez seemed to get worse as the weather turned.

First half: 1,443 yards, 67.6 QB rating, 8 TDs, 10 INTs.
Second half (missed a game): 1,001 yards, 56.6 QB rating, 4 TDs, 10 INTs.

Starting with Week 12, the Jets moved into "Screw it, we're living and dying with our rushing game" mode and refused to take any chances with Sanchez, even though opponents were stacking the line and doing everything but bringing out signs that said "THROW IT, YOU WUSS!" to taunt them. Against Carolina: 17 passes, 39 runs. Against Buffalo: 17 passes, 43 runs. The telling game was Week 15 against Atlanta, when the Falcons stuffed the run and Sanchez HAD to throw and the Jets mustered only seven points. He just couldn't make them pay. I see a repeat in Cincinnati. The Jets want to make it through this game without Sanchez having to make any plays … but the Bengals know this.

Possible Playoff Doppelganger: Colts-Chiefs from 2006. Everyone thought Larry Johnson was going to run all over the Colts, but the Colts went into that game thinking, "If Trent Green is gonna beat us, fine, but we're not losing this game because Larry Johnson ran all over us." He didn't. And hey, it's not like the Bengals are the '99 Rams, but if both teams are relatively similar, I'll take the experienced QB over the rookie QB every time.

Possible Tragic Figure Not Named Sanchez: Brad Smith.

Hero You Might Not Have Expected: Brad Smith. He's the hit-or-miss guy of this game. I'm guessing "miss."

Relevant E-mail (courtesy of Paul in Haledon, N.J.): "When we're getting killed by Cincy on Saturday, I'm going to think back to the moment I knew we were screwed -- Fireman Ed making a cameo on 'Inside The NFL.'"

This Game As a "Jersey Shore" Character: The Sammi Sweetheart/Ronnie relationship. Every time you see them on the screen, you're hoping they show someone else. I'm just not sure which team is Sammi and which team is Ronnie.

Theories in Play: Cincy qualifies for both "Nobody Believed in Us!" and Paul Crewe Memorial "We've come too far to stop now" status. It's a tight-knit team that suffered two tragedies during the season; you can almost imagine Marvin Lewis' eyes welling up with tears during the pregame speech. I like home teams playing with emotion in the playoffs. They have one quality game in them before San Diego obliterates them in Round 2.

The Pick: Bengals 20, Jets 6.


More here: [url]http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100108[/url]

[JamaicanJetFan]

I normally love his column, but the entire thing today was just a Jet bashing

[Guitarjet]

Let 'em bash. When we win, let them eat crow!!:yes:

[eaglenj]

I love his column too, but today it def made me worried about tomorrow....he did have some good points.

Dont forget though, he blowz at picking games....

[el_dub80]

He's.the.biggest.asshat.ever. :steamin:

Bengals 20

jets 6

puh-leeze

[jetstream23]

For a while I was saying to myself, you know...if the Jets play well and lose a close game I think I can live with it. It will be great to know the future is bright, Sanchez got some great experience, and we're already a playoff team with a rookie QB and rookie HC.

But now I'm saying, F*ck That! I want to win this damn game and shove that victory down the throats of 70% of this nation's sports media.

The Jets deserve to be in the playoffs and they'll show it on Saturday! :yes:

[Limolady]

[QUOTE=JET Setting from Scranton;3441505](courtesy of Paul in Haledon, N.J.): "When we're getting killed by Cincy on Saturday, I'm going to think back to the moment I knew we were screwed -- Fireman Ed making a cameo on 'Inside The NFL.'"[/QUOTE]


And there U have it folks! As per "Paul from NJ" if we lose tomorrow it's all Fireman Ed's fault for NOT taking Ocho-Foolo's invitation to go to the game on Cincy's dime. :rolleyes:

Nice.

[Peebag]

[QUOTE=Guitarjet;3441512]Let 'em bash. When we win, let them eat crow!!:yes:[/QUOTE]

this man is man of stinkin' genius:yes:

[shuler82]

also from his column today.. which i did get a laugh out of..


The question remains: Instead of shelling out dough for season tickets (and in some cases a seat license as well), why not just put the money toward a killer TV and watch your team from home? Is it really better to watch a Pats game from the third deck, a million miles from the field, than it is sitting on your sofa in front of a 50-inch plasma with HD? You can even invite your friends, or rotate houses every week. Is it really that much of a dropoff?

(The short answer: no. The long answer: No, but by remaining at home, if you're a family guy who frequently thinks about things like, "I'm trapped, why did I do this to myself?" and "Instead of getting married and having four kids, I wish I had just driven my car off a bridge at 115 miles an hour," you might need those 10 getaways per year to recharge your batteries, have a few too many cold ones, smoke a few cigarettes that your wife would have never let you smoke, and maybe even hit on a heavyset girl wearing a Mark Sanchez jersey whose eyes are two different sizes. Or as married Jets fans call it, "me time.")

[Jet_Engine1]

So, a team with a power running game and Top ranked Defense coupled with an inexperienced QB only asked to hand the ball off and throw about 15 times a game isn't built to and in fact CAN'T win in the Playoffs?

I guess the Steelers owe the NFL a SB trophy from a few years ago....because BILL SIMMONS says its impossible.


[QUOTE]The short answer: no. The long answer: No, but by remaining at home, if you're a family guy who frequently thinks about things like, "I'm trapped, why did I do this to myself?" and "Instead of getting married and having four kids, I wish I had just driven my car off a bridge at 115 miles an hour," you might need those 10 getaways per year to recharge your batteries, have a few too many cold ones, smoke a few cigarettes that your wife would have never let you smoke, and maybe even hit on a heavyset girl wearing a Mark Sanchez jersey whose eyes are two different sizes. [B]Or as married Jets fans call it, "me time[/B].") [/QUOTE]

This guy makes MONEY as a "Sportswriter"? Really? ESPN is pathetic.

[JET Setting from Scranton]

I was laughing about sneaking a couple smokes at the tailgate.

[quantum]

[QUOTE=jetstream23;3441522]For a while I was saying to myself, you know...if the Jets play well and lose a close game I think I can live with it. It will be great to know the future is bright, Sanchez got some great experience, and we're already a playoff team with a rookie QB and rookie HC.

But now I'm saying, F*ck That! I want to win this damn game and shove that victory down the throats of 70% of this nation's sports media.

The Jets deserve to be in the playoffs and they'll show it on Saturday! :yes:[/QUOTE]

F@CK yeah!

[long island leprechaun]

Then there's Adam Schefter saying:

[B]Aside from turnovers, the most critical factor in determining postseason success is scoring defense.[/B] Since 2002, at least one team in the Super Bowl has been in the top four in the league in scoring defense. Look at the evidence:

YearTeamScoring D RankResult2002Tampa BayNo. 1Won Super Bowl2003New EnglandNo. 1Won Super Bowl2004New EnglandNo. 2Won Super Bowl2005PittsburghNo. 3Won Super Bowl2006ChicagoNo. 3Lost Super Bowl2007New EnglandNo. 4Lost Super Bowl2008PittsburghNo. 1Won Super Bowl


Using this scoring defense statistic as a judge, the teams with the best chance of advancing to the first Sunday in February and the last Sunday of this season are [B]the Jets, who field the league's No. 1-ranked scoring defense;[/B] the [URL="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=dal"]Dallas Cowboys[/URL], who field the NFL's No. 2 scoring defense; and the [URL="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=bal"]Baltimore Ravens[/URL], who field the NFL's No. 3 scoring defense. The only team with a scoring defense close to those is the New England Patriots, who are ranked No. 4.

The Jets are legit contenders. Bank on it....

[Funaz]

From ESPN:
[url]http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100108[/url]

The Pick: Bengals 20, Jets 6.

A big long article with lots of Jets bashing. Fun Read....NOt

[Buzzsaw]

Hope he likes the taste of crow because he's going to be served a large plate of it in about 28 hours

[augustiniak]

even peter king picked the jets. so when an admitted die hard pats fan picks against the jets, it should not be at all surprising.

[ozu]

He generally knows his stuff when it comes to basketball (even with his bias) but I think everyone knows he's just an average blind Boston homer when it comes to every other sport. Were you expecting him to lay any praise on the Jets?

People on this board, for some reason, love to hold up the opinions of media personalities that outright hate the Jets. (Francessa and Simmons)

[Warfish]

[url]http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100108[/url]

Didnt see it posted elsewhere, so if it is, just give me the link and I'll merge.

Fans with high bloodpressure shouldn't read. :D

[crasherino]

[QUOTE=ozu;3441885]He generally knows his stuff when it comes to basketball (even with his bias) but I think everyone knows he's just an average blind Boston homer when it comes to every other sport. Were you expecting him to lay any praise on the Jets?

People on this board, for some reason, love to hold up the opinions of media personalities that outright hate the Jets. (Francessa and Simmons)[/QUOTE]

As much as its convenient to say, Simmons doesn't really hate the Jets. At least, he isn't always hating on them. He often times gives them credit when its due, including having them as his sleeper team during Mangini's first year.

I don't read him regularly anymore as he talks too much about basketball, which I simply don't follow, but if there's any team that he truly hates, its the Yankees.

And I'll co-sign what Ham wrote. This team limped to a 9-7 record because of its deficiencies at QB. Its a QB driven league and if you want a good chance at making the Super Bowl, you need to be able to throw the ball.

IMO, the Jets need to open up the offense a bit more in the playoffs, because if they don't, its just a matter of time before they get bounced. If we play it close to the vest and play real conservative, the score may be closer and we may beat the Bengals, but its not a recipe for ultimate success. Three yards and a cloud of dust got us here, but we need to bring more if we hope to get past the second round. If Sanchez makes rookie mistakes, so be it. That's what he is, a rookie. He'll learn from it and grow.

If we beat the Bengals and play the Colts/Bolts, its gravy anyway. Might as well open it up and see what we have. As good as our D is, I don't expect to be able to shutdown either of those teams completely.

[JetsFanJim]

Simmons is Boston ass clown... he spends his days fellating all things Boston and trashing all things NY. His column blows and there should be no stock put in his opinion as his picks blow worse than Brady at a pride parade.