In case you missed it, New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley was livid after the Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about respect and right now, teams are not respecting us,” he told reporters. The veteran leader did acknowledge that it’s on the Jets to earn that but he still felt that Philly took things a bit too far.
He continued later: “[The disrespect] was all over the field. At the coin toss, no handshake. [Fletcher] Cox was laughing at head coach Robert Saleh when he was fighting for us trying to get a play call. So you see that stuff and as a competitor and a warrior and you’re fighting with your brothers that pisses you off.”
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Rex Joins the Party
If anyone knows a thing or two about smack talk, it’s former Jets head coach Rex Ryan. On a December 6 segment of ESPN’s “Get Up,” he responded to the postgame beef.
That’s one of the worst comments I think I’ve ever seen and right here man, you can’t stand for it, and so to me C.J. Mosley and company, we gotta drop the mitts. If we’re being disrespected, it’s on, it’s absolutely on. But you gotta draw a line in the sand and say the hell with it, it ain’t happening anymore! And you gotta stand for something, they ain’t standing for anything! And so to me, that pisses me off and you talk about changes. Next year, they have to get it right. They absolutely 100% have to get it right and bring in the right kind of guys that refuse to let something like that happen.
Ryan has a point, this defense has gotten pushed around most of the season outside of one or two outings against a perfect matchup, and most times they just roll over and die. Your opponent will never show you any respect with that kind of response.
Drop the mitts, draw the line in the sand, do something!
Players like Mosley and Sheldon Rankins come from winning cultures in Baltimore and New Orleans but they have not been able to bring that mentality over to New York yet. That’s the plan under head coach Robert Saleh, it just has not happened in year one on the job.
The embarrassing losses to Bill Belichick, the shutout in Denver, the steamrolling in Indianapolis, the Bills blowout, and now we can add Eagles trolling to the list. It’s pathetic and maybe this roster won’t grow a backbone in 2021 but Ryan is right about one thing, it has to happen in 2022.
Because another season like this and the new regime will lose even the most forgiving Jets fans.
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Good to Have You Back, Rex
Earlier in the season, Ryan had a problem with people comparing him to Saleh but that has since been resolved.
After speaking with the new HC behind closed doors, Ryan did a full 180. “I have to tell y’all something, I was blown away by the guy,” the brash talker voiced.
He continued: “Saleh was super smart and he has a direction for this football team. I’m telling you Jets fans, the more I talked to him the more impressed I was with him. I have now become a fan of his. Taking my call speaks volumes about him. We put all that stuff behind us. I think they got the hire right.”
It’s good to have Ryan and Saleh on the same side but until this team turns into a winner again, fans won’t be satisfied with plans and excuses. Get ready for another offseason of changes Jets nation, it’s time Joe Douglas gave this roster some spine.
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