New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan has led his team to two straight AFC Championship Games. After starting this season 2-0, the Jets have suffered back-to-back, double-digit defeats for the first time in the Ryan era. Former Jets quarterback and THE NFL TODAY’s Boomer Esiason sits down with Ryan as he prepares the Jets for their divisional rivalry game against the New England Patriots. Deb Gelman is the producer.
Sideline playbook on Week 4 of the NFL: “THE NFL TODAY” WITH JAMES BROWN, DAN MARINO, SHANNON SHARPE, BILL COWHER AND BOOMER ESIASON FOR WEEK 4 ON OCTOBER 2
QUICK HITS
(On teams that could be in early trouble)
BILL COWHER: I look at the Chicago Bears and the Atlanta Falcons. They are both 1-2. The thing to me is they have an identity crisis. They have gotten very enamored with the pass. Remember last year in Chicago after the 4-3 bye week. Lovie Smith demanded, run the ball more…they finished up 7-2. Last year the Atlanta Falcons, with the fifth-most rushing attempts in the league, they have now, Matt Ryan with 13 sacks. Look for both those teams to run the ball more today to get back into what they do best – having balance in their offense.
BOOMER ESIASON: My Super Bowl pick, the New England Patriots. They can’t stop anybody on defense. As a matter of fact, they’re on pace to give up over 700 yards more than the worst defense in NFL history, that is the 1981 Colts. And this is Bill Belichick. This is one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL, yet he’s gone to a 4-3 (defense). They can’t stop anybody. They don’t have any pass-rush. And today they’re going to face the Oakland Raiders and Darren McFadden. Can they stop him?
SHANNON SHARPE: I got the Raiders. When you look at the Oakland Raiders, they surprise me. I don’t think anybody thought they’d be as good this year. Maybe in a year or two. But Darren McFadden is running the ball exceptionally well. The only thing that scares me is Al Davis still owns the team, and he loves to throw the ball. If he doesn’t mess it up by requiring Hue Jackson, who is the head coach, to throw the football and let Darron McFadden run it, I like the Raiders.
(On Dallas QB Tony Romo)
SHANNON SHARPE: I have never seen a situation like with Tony Romo. How can a guy win one regular- season game and all of a sudden he’s Joe Montana? Nobody ever questioned Tony Romo’s toughness. He is a very good quarterback in the regular season. On my quarterback chart I have him somewhere between eight and 12. His failures and shortcomings have come in the playoffs. That can only be erased by winning games in the playoffs.
CHALK TALK
(On Michael Vick’s comments last week about not getting calls for hits on him)
DAN MARINO: He’s feeling the pressure. Because as far as him being healthy, he doesn’t want to be known as a guy that’s not going to be healthy, and be healthy for 16 games. He has to keep his mouth shut in that situation and let his coach handle that. As far as the quarterback is concerned, how he plays the game, he’s going to get those shots. But I will say, the one call he complained about, he was right. He should have gotten a flag on that.
BOOMER ESIASON: They’re not going to the Super Bowl with Michael Vick. I’m sorry. He’s not going to make it through the season. Just the way that he plays, he’s reckless. I understand that. He’s a tremendous athlete. And coach (to Cowher), you know this, every defense that plays against the Philadelphia Eagles, what is the one thing that they always talk about (shots on Michael Vick)?
(On Denver changing quarterbacks to giving Tim Tebow a chance)
COWHER: Denver goes to Green Bay today, (if) they lose this game, [and] they lose next week and they’re facing the bye. If I’m in Denver, I’ve paid Tim Tebow to be my starting quarterback. I find out. I need a change. Put him in the lineup. You’ve got a bye week, make the call. Make the change. Try to get a spark and find out if you’ve got something there. We talked about the “Vince Young Effect” last week. Sometimes people wait too late to try to get their team a spark. If they do respond to him, did you wait too late? I think at 1-4 at the bye week, you put Tim Tebow in and give him a chance to be your quarterback.
“INSIDE THE NFL” WITH CHARLEY CASSERLY
(On Los Angeles getting an NFL team)
CASSERLY: There is going to be a league meeting October 11th. At that meeting the owners will be updated on the two stadium sites. One is in downtown L.A., and the other is in the City of Industry, which is east of L.A. What is interesting about that site is it’s a 600-acre site, which would be totally devoted to football. You’ll have plenty of room for the stadium, parking, entertainment, the NFL Experience – sounds like a Super Bowl site to me. Click to view report:
(On NFL expanding to more international games)
CASSERLY: At the same meeting, there is going to be a proposal put in front of the owners to expand the number of games played in the UK (United Kingdom). Right now it’s one. I’m told you could see two-to-four games played there. There is also going to be, and I found this interesting, a financial incentive for teams to give up home games. Here it is. If you play three consecutive home games in the UK, you’re the home team, you can get up to a million dollars additional revenue for each game.
Casserly on Green Bay’s Jermichael Finley’s Future
Click to view report:
Casserly on Seattle’s Aaron Curry
James Brown sat down with Charley Casserly to discuss the potential trade of Seattle Seahawks LB Aaron Curry.
Click to view report:
DAN MARINO FEATURE WITH GREEN BAY QB AARON RODGERS
THE NFL TODAY’s Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino sat down with Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers spoke about whether he is the best quarterback in the NFL; the NFL’s concussion policy, as well as playing quarterback in the NFL in 2011. To view the feature, click: http://bit.ly/oapF1s
(source; CBS)
