Photo: nydailynews.com
- Adam Parker
The title says it all. The New York Jets, after head coach Rex Ryan guaranteed nothing less than a Super Bowl victory to the Jets' fans for the third season in a row, have failed to meet expectations once again.
This time though, they took their failure to an entirely new level, finishing with a horrid (8-8) record and missing out on playoff pigskin all together.
The tension in the Jets' locker room has been building for days if not weeks, and the bulk of it stemmed from the outbursts of star wide receiver and team "captain" Santonio Holmes, who has not been shy in sharing his displeasure with the ineffectiveness of the Jets' O under offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
However, Schotty Jr. hasn't been the only one to feel Holmes' wrath this season. Holmes, who was rewarded with a new 5-year contract before the season started, called out his teammates on multiple occasions, including quarterback Mark Sanchez for not looking 'his way' and the offensive line for not giving Sanchez enough time.
The volcanic atmosphere in the Jets' locker room was brought to the brink of eruption last week, when Holmes and Sanchez exchanged words in a quarterback/receivers meeting last week, according to a source.
Sanchez, in an attempt to rally the Jets' slumping offense, addressed the unit in a meeting Wednesday and said he was planning to hold special after-hours sessions to fine-tune the game plan for the season finale against the Miami Dolphins.
Holmes showed up for the meeting, but stood in the back of the room and was "pouting the whole time," one source said. According to another source, Holmes said, "Why do I have to do this?" Sanchez held the same meeting the next day, but Holmes wasn't present.
"I had a feeling it was going to explode," one source said.
The situation came to a head and Mount J-E-T-S erupted violently with less than three minutes to play Sunday against Miami when Holmes and offensive tackle Wayne Hunter argued in the huddle. Several players- including veteran LaDainian Tomlinson - felt Holmes, who was held without a catch for the first time in his career, had quit on the team.
Soon after the incident, Holmes was pulled and remained on the bench for the duration of the game.
On Monday, Holmes did not speak to reporters during the Jets' clean-out day. Instead, he walked to his locker, packed up his things, and was escorted immediately from the building by a PR representative while being hounded by a pack of about 30 reporters.
The Jets' Super Bowl-or-bust season had crashed, and Rex Ryan, in his final team meeting, got so worked up while addressing the players that he teared up.
"Yeah, he was crying because he loves us so much," guard Matthew Slauson said, adding, "he started off calm ... and he got really emotional. He put his heart out there, pleading with us, saying 'We have to get better.' "
Ryan did not call out Holmes by name in the meeting, according to players, but he clearly alluded to him when he talked about the importance of team unity. Ryan didn't use the word "quit," but he made veiled references to it.
Some players appeared truly shaken by the meeting. Linebacker Bart Scott flipped his middle finger to a photographer and snapped, "Get that (f------) thing out of my face." Cornerback Darrelle Revis, a team captain, refused to speak with reporters and bolted from the locker room. Could he be headed to his 'Island of Solitude'? Sorry I couldn't resist...
The lack of chemistry, pre-dominantly on offense, undermined the Jets' Lombardi quest.
So now what?
The term 'clean-house' is often used as a blanket term, but honestly, I think the Jets are in enough trouble that it fits what needs to be done in their unique situation.
Here's what I would do.
First, give Brian Schottenheimer his walking papers, because it's clear he's not the man to fix that offense. Dr. Phil would probably have more success.
As for the players, I suggest exiling Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes to the Maine wilderness, give each a hatchet and a box of matches and let them fight for survival until the bitter end.
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