By Bryan Gaskins
The New England Patriots are the Evil Empire in my book. The San Diego Chargers make my blood boil a little bit too.
But the New York Jets?
I’m an Indianapolis Colts fan and I’m working hard to get my dander up, but right now, I have begrudging respect for the Colts’ opponent in Sunday’s AFC championship game.
For starters, the Jets seem downright Big Ten positive with tight end Dustin Keller (Purdue), wide receiver Braylon Edwards (Michigan), running back Shonn Greene (Iowa), center Nick Mangold (Ohio State), guard Brandon Moore (Illinois), linebacker David Harris (Michigan), safety Jim Leonhard (Wisconsin), kicker Jay Feeley (Michigan), punter Steve Weatherford (Illinois) and a few others.
Keller, a former Lafayette Jeff and Purdue standout, is one of my favorite players in the league. And Leonhard is a great story — he went to Wisconsin as a walk-on and developed into an all-Big Ten player.
Darrelle Revis is not a Big Ten guy, but he is another reason I think highly of the Jets. He is a shut-down corner who routinely locks down the opponent’s best receiver in man-to-man coverage — and he lets his All-Pro play do the talking.
“I don’t want to be one of those guys out there with all their swagger and trash-talking,” Revis said in a Sports Illustrated article. “One false move and you can get embarrassed.”
Coach Rex Ryan is the opposite of Revis in that he likes to talk. Tony Dungy is my ideal coach, but Ryan’s style works for me too. He is open and candid, which is a welcome change in the No Fun League of which Bill Belichick is the poster child.
Most coaches want their players to say next to nothing to the media. Ryan is the just the opposite.
“He likes players to say what they want, as long as they keep the team in mind,” Peter King of Sports Illustrated wrote in a SI.com article last week. “Rex spent 45 seconds with the players when he took over, talking about the media policy. He basically said, ‘Say whatever you want as long as it doesn’t hurt the team. And when you do an interview, make sure you mention two teammates and one coach every time you talk.’”
Ryan is cocky, no doubt, so there is a good chance he will say something this week that will make me anti-Jets at least for this week. I’m just not feeling the hate yet.
Where is New England’s Belichick or San Diego QB Philip Rivers when you need someone to fill the role of villain?
Purdue is skidding
Purdue’s men’s basketball team had its fans thinking Big Ten title and Final Four when it roared to a 14-0 start. Now, the Boilers might have their fans thinking back to the 2004 football season.
Purdue has lost three straight game entering tonight’s game at Illinois (9 p.m., ESPN). The 2004 football season comes to mind because Joe Tiller’s squad opened 5-0 and reached No. 5 in the country, then suffered four straight losses by a combined 10 points.
I’m not ready to say the 2009-10 basketball season is heading down that kind of disastrous road. There are problems that need addressed — rebounding and bench production top the list — but I think the Boilers’ three-game skid has more to do with the improved depth of the Big Ten this season. It’s legitimately eight deep in terms of quality teams.
The Boilers’ shot at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament is slipping away, but they are still capable of having a special season.
• Bryan Gaskins is the sports editor of the Kokomo Tribune. He may be reached at bryan.gaskins@kokomotribune.com or 765-454-8567.
