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By Jenny Vrentas
Mark Sanchez recalls last year’s season opener unpleasantly, a 10-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in which the Jets struggled for first downs (six), total yards (176) and touchdowns (none).
“We were just trying too hard,” the Jets quarterback said Wednesday. “You get that pressure from ‘Hard Knocks,’ and you have to show the world everything you’ve got, and we have all these new players and we want to do so much.”
Not that there’s any less pressure for the offense’s 2011 debut Sunday night, when a new-look receiving corps including Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason is unveiled, and Sanchez enters an important third year.
And the person on the other sideline trying to stop them is none other than Rex Ryan’s twin, Rob Ryan, the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator.
Already, the chess match has begun — at least according to Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, who noticed defensive changes after the Jets acquired former Cowboys safety Andrew Sendejo off the waiver wire this weekend.
“It’s funny, because Rob had a defense already put in for the Jets, a bunch of stuff that I think he wanted to do in different areas,” Romo said during a conference call Wednesday. “Then, when the Jets (acquired) Andrew Sendejo, he ended up switching a lot of that stuff up. ... I’ve never seen that before, so I think there is a little cat-and-mouse game there, for sure.”
The Jets may be entering the contest with a pair of helpful advantages: The Cowboys could be without their top two corners, Terence Newman (groin) and Mike Jenkins (stinger/knee), not to mention Dallas has had just weeks post-lockout to install the scheme of newly hired Rob Ryan.
Rex Ryan will always praise his brother, calling him a “great teacher” Wednesday, but even he couldn’t hide how much better the Jets defense had it, returning 10 of 11 starters in Year 3 of the system.
“Probably a little easier for us,” Rex Ryan said.
Scouting the new Cowboys defense wasn’t quite so easy. Teams never show all their cards in the preseason. The Jets looked back at film of the Browns, where Rob Ryan coached last season, but Sanchez said that was only helpful to a degree because the personnel are so different.
Rex and Rob Ryan both learned from father Buddy Ryan, the architect of the legendary 46 defense with the Chicago Bears, and favor pressure-heavy systems. But while they might be twins, their schemes are fraternal, Rex Ryan said.
“He’ll bring a lot of corner pressures; he’ll do a lot of stuff that he learned under (Bill) Belichick’s tutelage,” Rex Ryan said. “He’s got his own trademark, and so do we here.”
That trademark could be limited, though, by personnel. Owner Jerry Jones acknowledged to Dallas-area reporters Wednesday that the Cowboys could enter the season with just three cornerbacks — charged with covering Burress, Mason and Santonio Holmes.
Mason said he picked Rex Ryan’s brain about Rob Ryan, supplementing the knowledge Mason gained by playing against Rob Ryan’s defenses twice a year for the past two years while with the Ravens. The exhaustive research also shows Mason isn’t taking for granted that his 15 years in the NFL give him an automatic advantage against potentially less-experienced defensive backs.
“With Rob coaching that defense, you’ve got to throw that out the window,” Mason said. “Regardless of who he has out there, they’re going to make you look crazy.”
Looking crazy is just what Sanchez is hoping to avoid. He learned his lesson last year.
“Go with what you know,” he said. “We’re a good rushing team, and we can throw the ball when we need to. Don’t get too cute; don’t make anything up on game day. Just play and have fun.”
By Jenny Vrentas
Mark Sanchez recalls last year’s season opener unpleasantly, a 10-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in which the Jets struggled for first downs (six), total yards (176) and touchdowns (none).
“We were just trying too hard,” the Jets quarterback said Wednesday. “You get that pressure from ‘Hard Knocks,’ and you have to show the world everything you’ve got, and we have all these new players and we want to do so much.”
Not that there’s any less pressure for the offense’s 2011 debut Sunday night, when a new-look receiving corps including Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason is unveiled, and Sanchez enters an important third year.
And the person on the other sideline trying to stop them is none other than Rex Ryan’s twin, Rob Ryan, the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator.
Already, the chess match has begun — at least according to Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, who noticed defensive changes after the Jets acquired former Cowboys safety Andrew Sendejo off the waiver wire this weekend.
“It’s funny, because Rob had a defense already put in for the Jets, a bunch of stuff that I think he wanted to do in different areas,” Romo said during a conference call Wednesday. “Then, when the Jets (acquired) Andrew Sendejo, he ended up switching a lot of that stuff up. ... I’ve never seen that before, so I think there is a little cat-and-mouse game there, for sure.”
The Jets may be entering the contest with a pair of helpful advantages: The Cowboys could be without their top two corners, Terence Newman (groin) and Mike Jenkins (stinger/knee), not to mention Dallas has had just weeks post-lockout to install the scheme of newly hired Rob Ryan.
Rex Ryan will always praise his brother, calling him a “great teacher” Wednesday, but even he couldn’t hide how much better the Jets defense had it, returning 10 of 11 starters in Year 3 of the system.
“Probably a little easier for us,” Rex Ryan said.
Scouting the new Cowboys defense wasn’t quite so easy. Teams never show all their cards in the preseason. The Jets looked back at film of the Browns, where Rob Ryan coached last season, but Sanchez said that was only helpful to a degree because the personnel are so different.
Rex and Rob Ryan both learned from father Buddy Ryan, the architect of the legendary 46 defense with the Chicago Bears, and favor pressure-heavy systems. But while they might be twins, their schemes are fraternal, Rex Ryan said.
“He’ll bring a lot of corner pressures; he’ll do a lot of stuff that he learned under (Bill) Belichick’s tutelage,” Rex Ryan said. “He’s got his own trademark, and so do we here.”
That trademark could be limited, though, by personnel. Owner Jerry Jones acknowledged to Dallas-area reporters Wednesday that the Cowboys could enter the season with just three cornerbacks — charged with covering Burress, Mason and Santonio Holmes.
Mason said he picked Rex Ryan’s brain about Rob Ryan, supplementing the knowledge Mason gained by playing against Rob Ryan’s defenses twice a year for the past two years while with the Ravens. The exhaustive research also shows Mason isn’t taking for granted that his 15 years in the NFL give him an automatic advantage against potentially less-experienced defensive backs.
“With Rob coaching that defense, you’ve got to throw that out the window,” Mason said. “Regardless of who he has out there, they’re going to make you look crazy.”
Looking crazy is just what Sanchez is hoping to avoid. He learned his lesson last year.
“Go with what you know,” he said. “We’re a good rushing team, and we can throw the ball when we need to. Don’t get too cute; don’t make anything up on game day. Just play and have fun.”