FOXBORO, Mass. — Rex Ryan wears his emotions on his sleeve, but on Thursday night, those sleeves were virtually ablaze.
Ryan seemed more than slightly miffed following the New York Jets’ 27-25 loss to the New England Patriots, offering clipped answers to several reporters’ queries. Eventually, a reporter asked the clearly emotional coach if he was “shell-shocked” by the defeat.
“I’m not shell-shocked at all,” Ryan said. “I’m a little upset because our record is what it is (1-6), but I’m not shell-shocked by any stretch. We did what we wanted to do on them. We were able to control the football, we ran the football, did those things that it takes to win a game. We made too many darn mistakes. So, shell-shocked? I’m not shell-shocked, by any stretch.”
Some of those mistakes were quantifiable, like the Jets’ seven penalties, but the numbers generally favored New York. The Jets dominated time of possession by more than 20 minutes and held the Patriots to 6-for-13 on third downs. In fact, the Patriots were the more penalized team, committing nine infractions, and each team was 2-for-4 in the red zone with no turnovers.
Yet over and over, Jets drives stalled right when they were in position to take control of the game. Four of the six scoring drives orchestrated by quarterback Geno Smith resulted in field goals rather than touchdowns, and his errant pass on a two-point conversion try cost New York a chance to tie the score with 2:31 remaining.
Ryan wasn’t the only Jet frustrated by the missed opportunities.
“We were there. We were in the red zone,” offensive tackle Breno Giacomini said. “We had to finish. You can fight as hard as we fought, and that’s a good defense, but we’ve got all the guys we need in here. We just didn’t finish this one. We definitely left this one on the field.”
Then there were the defensive breakdowns. Shane Vereen’s absurdly open 49-yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady. Danny Amendola’s twisting catch in the end zone on third-and-goal from the 19. The second timeout the Jets were forced to use in the second half while their defense was on the field.
“Obviously, you give up a third-and-19 for a touchdown and you blow coverage on a 50-yard pass, and you aren’t going to win many games regardless of how the game was played,” Ryan said. “Our guys gave everything they had, obviously, and didn’t play the smartest game in the history of the sport, without question, on defense in particular.
“You know, we’ve been snake bit. I don’t know how many touchdowns we’ve given up on third downs this year, when you’ve got them where you want them, but we’ve given up a bunch of them, and most of the time, it’s our own fault. That’s tough to handle. I love the way our guys competed. I love the way we ran the football. It’s just ridiculous to stand here after a loss and think where our team is at. It’s not where this team should be.”
At 1-6 and firmly positioned in the basement of the AFC East, the Jets might not be where Ryan thinks they should be. But it’s where the Jets are after seven games.
Photo via Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports Images
