Sunday’s opener featuring the New York Jets versus the Dallas Cowboys features a lot of interesting story lines, both on and off the field.
The game will feature the matchup of two brothers, as Jets head coach Rex Ryan sends his team up against the Cowboys and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
The Ryan Brothers are two of the best defensive minds in the game today, having learned coaching from their dad Buddy Ryan who invented the 46 defense in Chicago. Buddy’s defense helped lead the Bears to their 1985 Super Bowl victory, where he was the first coordinator ever carried off on his player’s shoulders. (The defense carried Buddy off while the offense carried off head coach Mike Ditka.)
Both the Ryan boys are also known to be very willing to talk trash in the media, and they have had friendly banter back and forth this week, covering topics ranging from the game to Rex’s foot fetish. Rob Ryan commented, “He is a little freaky I guess…. Hell, I don’t know. I like everything about my wife. She got great feet, too. She got everything nice. What the hell.”
On the field, Mark Sanchez will face a Cowboys defense that has serious injuries in the secondary. Cornerback Terrance Newman is listed as Out on Friday’s injury report, and the other starting cornerback, Mike Jenkins, is listed as Questionable. Facing a Jets team with Sanchez throwing the ball to Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes missing either or both of your starting cornerbacks is not where Rob Ryan wants to start his season.
Holmes commented on the injuries in the Cowboys secondary, “It’s going to hurt those guys a lot, not having the starters, not having the veteran guys around, not having the experience. But its also going to be [important] for us that we capitalize on that. We can’t just go out there saying that they have young guys.”
On the other side of the ball, Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie are one of the best cornerback tandems in the league, and they will be facing off against the Cowboys passing attack that features Pro Bowler Miles Austin and second year receiver Dez Bryant.
While this matchup seems to favor the Jets as well, Bryant isn’t concerned. “I’m not going to change up my game for no corner,” Bryant told reporters this week. “I’m not the type of guy to single anybody out — no DB, nothing like that.”
Those are awfully strong words when lining up against Revis, arguably the best cover corner in the game, who has earned the nickname Revis Island for his ability to line up one-on-one with a receiver and take them out of the game.
The defensive chess match between the two brothers could keep this game low scoring, but Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett will hope to open up the offense. Game time is 8:20pm.
