Nyet to the Jets!

New York Jets fans deserve better than the dreck they've been served under the ownership of Woody Johnson. 

Today, the dreadful Jets, losers of eight consecutive games, appear rudderless.  The team has some good individual players, but they appear to be playing as individuals, not as a unified team. That indicates lack of leadership on the field, in the locker room and on the sidelines.

For all of Rex Ryan's blustery bravado, his words seem hollow at this point. He seems unable to ignite his players, although they have lost close games to New England and Denver. 

One glaring problem is the quarterback position. The Jets bet heavily, and badly, on Geno Smith.  It appears he does not have the stuff the be an NFL quarterback, not yet, and maybe not ever. 

Just as fatally for the Jets, they placed their backup chips on Michael Vick, who has always tantalized with spasmodic flashes of flick-of-the-wrist laser throws downfield and speed of foot. But there's something wrong with Vick, and always has been. His notorious involvement in, and leadership of, a criminally loathsome dog-fighting ring, suggests "psychopath." Since then, of course, he served his time in prison and was reinstated to the NFL, has received big-money contracts, and doesn't need any of us. And he acts like it. Does anybody really think he is any kind of leader? Does he do anything in the community? Maybe he does; maybe he doesn't.

Joe Willie Namath

But if anybody in the Jets' management structure ever really believed Vick was going to be a supportive backup to Geno Smith, imparting veteran wisdom and showing Smith how to be a professional quarterback in the NFL, well, they deserve what they're getting. It's actually painful to watch.

Vick is not a very good quarterback. He's never been an accurate passer, and he's never exhibited consistent ball protection. He fumbles too often and throws too many incompletions and interceptions. He's not a very good quarterback, and he's made a lot money conning people into believing he can be a good NFL QB. 

That's the Jets' biggest on-the-field problem: Quarterback. Other than that, who knows? Joey Porter's Pit Bulls suspect the Organizational problems start at the very top, in owner Woody Johnson's office, and that today, Johnson is merely seeing the results of the poor decisions he has made, from the choice of a GM on down, throughout the organization. 

Jets fans deserve better.

The Jets Won a Game

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls wasted some time watching Sunday's dreadful mess that was the matchup of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. the Cleveland Browns, and even though that wretchedness somehow qualified as an NFL game, it's hard to believe the Steelers found a way to lose to the Buccaneers a few short weeks ago (Sept. 28th, at Heinz Field).

If the Steelers could lose to that mistake-prone squad, they could lose to anybody.

Coda

On the other hand, there are the New York Jets. 

The Jets somehow found a way to beat Oakland in Week One, and the Raiders somehow beat the Steelers last year, and the Steelers have shown an unfortunate tendency to lose to inferior teams during Mike Tomlin's tenure, so -- anything's possible. Isn't it?

Yes, the Jets have won a game in this 2014 season that New York linebacker-DE Quinton Coples called "an unbelievable nightmare."

In the season opener, with the now-benched Geno Smith at quarterback, the Jets defeated the Raiders by a score of 19-14 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Rookie quarterback Derek Carr made his NFL debut for Oakland, completing 20 of 32 pass attempts for just 151 yards (two TDs; no interceptions).

Soon-to-be-fired head coach Dennis Allen didn't help Carr much by having his running backs attempt to run the ball only 14 times (for a pitiful 25 yards), so the Jets dominated Time-of-Possession with almost 35 minutes on offense. In the fourth quarter, Jets' running back Chris Ivory busted a 71-yard touchdown run to give New York a 19-7 lead, and that was pretty much the ballgame. Even in victory, the Jets had 11 penalties for 105 yards.

Still, for one glorious week, the New York Jets had the NFL's top-rated defense: first in rushing defense, first in passing defense and first in total defense.

How did the Jets beat Oakland? Following the game, Raiders coach Dennis Allen said of the Jets, “I thought they won the line of scrimmage battle ... on both sides of the football."

Granted, the Jets do have some good players on both their offensive and defensive lines. Center Nick Mangold has been one of the top players at his position since entering the NFL, and Steeler fans know what left guard Willie Colon is all about, for better or worse. On the other side, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson is a certified beast.

Otherwise, the Jets have problems, and they are many -- from the front office to the head coach and throughout the roster -- especially at the quarterback position, where Michael Vick is now the starter. No wonder the Jets seem beset by bad karma.

If you can manage it, enrich your life today by adopting a stray dog from a shelter such as the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania or Animal Friends. And, if you can swing it, try to support organizations like the ASPCA and the Humane Society.

When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way

Under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have a disturbingly maddening tendency to lose to or struggle with teams they should handle easily. Losing to Tampa Bay at home this year was just one glaring example.  Barely getting by Jacksonville was another.  Losing last year at Oakland, and to Miami at home in December. And too many other losses to bad teams to remunerate here.

Which brings us to ... this week's opponent, the New York Jets, J-E-T-S! Jets, Jets, Jets!! The hapless Jets, losers of eight straight.

The Jets put the "dys" in "dysfunction." They are the dysfunction at the junction.

Over his last two games, Ben Roethlisberger has thrown 12 touchdown passes -- the same number New York Jets quarterbacks have thrown in the team's past 15 games.

With their most recent loss on Sunday, the Jets have lost eight straight games. Head buffoon coach Rex Ryan's career coaching record is now 47-48, five years into his tenure with the laughingstock Jets.

The Jets haven't had a winning season since 2010. New York media and fans have been howling for weeks that Ryan and hapless GM John Idzik should be fired. You can read more about it at the fan-sponsored site, FireJohnIdzik.com. Or here, in a recent column by Mike Vaccaro in the New York Post, or here, or here, in any number of equally scathing columns in the New York Daily News and other outlets in the NYC metro area.

On Oct. 18, Rex Ryan said, "This season has been a big failure." Nice leadership, Rex.

Following last Sunday's loss to Kansas City, Ryan actually said of his team, "These are mighty men. I hope to hell we don't have to endure too many more losses, but we will, if that's the case."

Well, Rex, get ready to endure.

MetLife Stadium on Sunday could have more Steeler fans in it than Jets fans. It is as it should be.