It might come as great comfort to New York Jet fans that they lead the league in something. Unfortunately for everyone concerned wearing green in MetLife Stadium, that something is overrated lists.
We love to poll in this society, don’t we? There’s a survey for just about every subject matter that comes to mind, in sports, politics, entertainment, automobiles, etc. In recent weeks, two separate polls were taken of professional football players. The first, as reported in USA Today, concerned the most overrated players in the NFL. The “winner” was Jet quarterback Mark Sanchez. To clarify, this wasn’t a poll about overrated quarterbacks. This survey comprised the entire universe of NFL players. In other words, according to his peers, there is not one other player – linebacker, running back, defensive end, nobody – more overrated than Mark Sanchez. Perhaps, it was some relief for the embattled signal caller that the player tied for second on that very same list was Tim Tebow.
As if it wasn’t embarrassing enough for the organization, a subsequent list pulled together by The Sporting News, indicated those very same players believe the most overrated coach in the NFL is Rex Ryan. That’s an unlikely and uncomfortable one-two punch which demonstrates the depth of distaste for the New York Jets in general. New England Patriot coach, Bill Belichik, was second on that list, probably as close as those two coaches will ever be. The Belichik selection probably reflects the league’s irritation at the Patriots’ dominance over the years. Ryan, though, has no such legacy.
The question lingers, who were the people originally rating Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Rex Ryan and the Jets so positively? Perhaps the euphoria captured by the New York media at the sudden re-emergence of the team a few years ago was perceived as a bit over the top. If so, that perception apparently still carries weight today, even as Sanchez, Tebow, and now Ryan are vilified for their unfettered descent from playoff ready. Bad feelings die hard, as do reputations.
Glenn Vallach has been a football fan for most of his lifetime, but never played organized pigskin unless you consider the thousands of youth hours running slant routes on city streets. Don Maynard was his idol, an adulation he took seriously, complete with a number 13 stitched to his sweatshirt. He remains a New York Jet fan through so much disappointment and embarrassment over the years. Coach Rex Ryan has rekindled a dormant fire, but sometimes he feels as if he doesn’t understand the likely end result of all his efforts. It has been 43 years, after all.
Sources:
- · Yahoo! Sports New York Jets page
- · Yahoo! Sports Mark Sanchez page
- · Yahoo! Sports Tim Tebow page
- · Matt Brooks, Washington Post, Rex Ryan: Just another overrated New York Jet, NFL players say
- · Chris Chase, USA TODAY, NFL peers say Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez are most overrated players in league
