(Image via reddit.com/r/nfl)

New York’s love affair with Rex Ryan might finally be over. After yet another year of bluster, bravado and championship guarantees from their head coach, the Jets failed to make the playoffs following an ugly 8-8 season. Today, the organization seems to be in an utter state of disarray, as supposed team leaders Santonio Holmes and Bart Scott lead the way with infighting, finger-pointing and wildly immature behavior, both during and after their season-ending loss at Miami.

It’s gotten so bad that Rex actually broke down in tears while addressing his team yesterday, overcome by the emotion of the season. But then again, Ryan has never been one to apologize for letting his passion getting the better of him:

“I’m Irish. So what do you want?” Ryan said … “It’s hurtful. I’m extremely prideful. I want to be the best. I want to win. Sometimes it comes out like that.”

With his unabashed, fun-loving & always-quotable style, Ryan has turned the Jets into one of the league’s most high-profile teams and twice brought them to the brink of a Super Bowl appearance in his three seasons with the club. But now, people around the league are questioning whether Ryan’s “player’s coach” mentality ultimately points to a lack of control over his team … which in turn leads to sloppy, undisciplined play at the most critical times from his players.

Is it finally time for Rex to grow up and instill some discipline into his routine?  Only time will tell, but there’s one thing most can agree on: Ryan’s schtick has grown tired, and without the hardware to back it up, his bluster will soon turn to white noise and players will start tuning him out completely.

(Photo: the700level.com)

Lest you were worried that the world had forgotten, the good people of Philadelphia are to here to remind everyone about Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan’s foot fetish.

Timely or not (the story originally broke around this time last year), it’s just nice to see fans so committed to their mockery of the opposition. Instant classic.

(Image via Sportsgrid.com)

You know what? I’m starting to think that, for all his bluster (and girth), Rex Ryan might not have the thickest skin for criticism … especially when he’s losing.

At halftime of his team’s 37-16 drubbing at the hands of the Patriots, with his team trailing just 13-9, the Jets head coach cursed out fan in the stands at MetLife Stadium. The guy – possibly drunk, probably a Patriot fan – clearly struck a nerve with Ryan, shouting, “Hey Rex, Belichick is better than you!”, to which Rex retorted, “Shut the f@#k up” as he walked into the tunnel.

Watch the video below, with the action coming at the 15-second mark:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

And now, of course, the NFL is investigating the incident, and a fine is likely forthcoming for Ryan.

For his part, Rex had this to say in his Monday press conference:

“It was emotional, an emotional time,” Ryan said. “I obviously made a mistake. I was full of emotion and just popped off. Obviously I know I represent the NFL, I know I represent the Jets, and I know it was a mistake. I apologize. … I’m about as big a competitor there is. At that time, I was in no mood to hear anything, but I also understand I have to handle that better.”

“I’m not perfect by any stretch,” he added. “I’m trying to get better, but sometimes my emotions get the best of me.”

I’m guessing that Rex probably just needed a goddamn snack.

For what it’s worth, apparently Bill Belichick still isn’t such a great winner, either. According to a NY Post report, as he walked off the field with his son, Belichick basked in his victory, exclaiming, “Thirty-seven points on the best defense in the league, suck my d#%k”.

To his credit, upon hearing this, Ryan took it in his normally good-natured stride:

That tells you how big a game that was for both teams,” Ryan said Monday. “I don’t take offense to it. Quite honestly, I said the exact same thing to my son when we were walking off the field after we beat them in the playoffs about their offense being the No. 1 offense in the league. I’ve got no problem with that.

Good times in the AFC East.

And as this image shows, in addition to sporting a moustache and being a few pounds lighter than he is today, back then Rex also favored the Kenny Powers-esque mullet as his hairstyle of choice:

(Photo: Twitter.com)

Aeneas Williams approves.

This week features a couple of one-handed grabs by Tony Gonzalez (“You catch that one-handed? Yeah, I think so!”) and Vincent Jackson, Vince Wilfork describing how he wasn’t getting caught by a lineman on his epic interception return, and much much more:

Also, be sure to check out the full-length mic’d up segments from Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan and Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, as he led his club to a comeback win against the Raiders.

We’ve generally avoided covering the hot new trend of in-stadium fighting at sporting events, but things seem to be reaching new heights this year, as this latest incident clearly demonstrates.  Let’s just say we won’t be taking our kids to any NFL games any time soon.

59-year-old Leroy McKelvey was arrested on Sunday and charged with three counts of aggravated assault and two weapons counts after using an illegal taser on other fans during the Jets-Cowboys game at MetLife Stadium. Apparently McKelvy – a die hard Cowboys fan from South Carolina – and three friends refused to stand and were talking loudly during the pre-game 9/11 ceremonies, which offended a US Marine sitting nearby, and ultimately led to a halftime scuffle. At that point, McKelvey unleashed the taser (which are illegal in New Jersey) he had snuck into the stadium past security. Three people were hit with the stun gun, but all refused treatment at the scene.

From the Cliffview Pilot:

“A Marine at the end of the row noticed that McKelvey and three others in his party would not stand or take their hats off for the national anthem,” a law enforcement officer told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “So the Marine tells McKelvey he better not have to get out of the row cause he won’t let him out.”

Sure enough, during the halftime show, McKelvey got up. Words were exhanged.

Keep in mind that this happened on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 … in metro New York.  In the grainy cell phone video of the tail-end of the incident (above), you can clearly hear the taser being used, and you can also hear fans wondering aloud, “How did he get in there with that thing? On 9/11? How the f**k did that happen?”. 

McKelvey's mug shot (Photo via CliffviewPilot.com)

Great question. MetLife Stadium CEO Mark Lamping said all fans were patted down and had their bags checks upon entry, as part of normal gameday security procedures, and that there was also heightened security including bomb-sniffing dogs for the 9/11 anniversary. But apparently, with 85k fans entering through a handful of gates, that’s not quite enough. Much like airline security, they’re bound to miss something, and it’s almost impossible to stop one crackpot from smuggling in a weapon if he really, really wants to.

The atmosphere surrounding NFL games, which has grown increasingly confrontational, certainly didn’t help matters. With recent brawls between 49ers and Raiders fans fresh in everyone’s mind, the threat of violence is very real for fans who choose to venture into enemy territory.  In the days leading up to the game, Rex Ryan warned opposing fans against wearing Cowboys gear into MetLife Stadium:

“It’s probably not recommended that you wear Cowboys stuff, I would think…I don’t know why they’d be here. They’re coming into our stadium.”

Now, we’re not quite blaming Rex for this incident, and this brawl doesn’t seem to have been motivated by anti-Dallas sentiment. But Cowboys fans – who are everywhere, mind you – have every right to go watch their favorite team play, and Rex didn’t exactly foster a warm feeling of safety heading into Sunday’s game. And since Jets fans aren’t known for their hospitality to begin with, this could have led to McKelvey’s decision to bring the taser in the first place.

Ultimately it all comes down to personal responsibility, and McKelvey should obviously be punished to fullest extend of the law and banned from sporting events forever … but the fighting has gotten out of hand, and the NFL is going to have to do some real work to make attending games a safer, more family-friendly experience.

Lucas Oil Stadium prepares for the combine (Photo: TheDarkHorse)

Yep, that’s right. TheDarkHorse is in Indianapolis this week, repping R&R at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine, and getting the inside scoop on the league’s annual meat market. It’s a wonderland for fans and draftniks, with coaches, general managers and the league’s elite all gathered together in one spot to evaluate tomorrow’s stars of the game. And, somehow, we got in the building.

Unfortunately for us, TDH is a bit busy with his paying gig, but he’s promised to take tons of pictures, and report back on the minutiae of his combine experience … just as soon as he destroys Rich Eisen in the 40-yard dash. In the meantime, here are a couple of teaser pics, to whet your appetite, and to prove that we’re not talking out of our asses.

Spending some time at the feet of Rex Ryan (Photo: TheDarkHorse)

Instead of breaking down the play-by-play and showing highlights of the most important moments of the game (which you’ll be able to find literally everywhere else today), we felt that these two images – lovingly captured in GIF format – summed up the emotions of both teams at the end of the day.

First, brash head coach Rex Ryan expresses his frustration after the Steelers converted a crucial third down to seal the loss for the Jets:

I threw it on the ground! (Image via InstntRply.com)

Moments later, watch Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall give Ben Roethlisberger a taste of his own medicine after taking a knee in victory formation to seal the win for Pittsburgh:

(Image via InstntRply.com)

Nothing like a good ole victory dry hump, is there?

It’s the Return of the Jet-I, starring Bill Belichck as Darth Vader, Rex Ryan as Han Solo, Michelle Ryan as sexy prisoner Leia, Joe Namath as Yoda and much much more. Enjoy:

(NY Post image via Deadspin)

Gotta love Eric Mangold as the Ewok too … hilarious.