New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins: Rex’s Last Stand?

Dec 22, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan watches his team warm up before their game against the Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning all. We are just over 48 hours away from the final game of the season, as the Jets head down to Miami to face the Dolphins, and potentially play spoiler to their playoff hopes. The Dolphins have done it to us before, is turn about fair play? We will find out soon enough.

But will it be Rex’s final game? We have heard the stories by now, that the Jets were already searching for his replacement. The rumor is there that Rex knows he is likely out, and using it as a rallying cry for the team over the final two weeks. Is he right? Can the players save his job? They clearly want him around. The result will be here soon enough, as “Black Monday” is only three days away.

Well, if it is coming to an end on Sunday, it has been a wild ride. There have been comments, big wins, and huge losses. There has been a coach running down the field to bump chests with his running back, and there has been a coach that “lost the pulse” of his team. He’s gone to title games, and missed the playoffs over the last three years.

It’s been a wild ride. If he is dismissed, we will definitely do more of a eulogy to the Rex Ryan era.

In the meantime, there is one more game. What do we want to see? Can they prevent it from being Rex’s last stand?

Well, they need to show a lot of fight. Unfortunately, and it has played a big part in their undoing, there have been a lot of road games this season where it has appeared that the Jets haven’t even showed up. They have lost to the Titans by a score of 38-13, the Bengals 49-9, and the Bills 37-14, all on the road. If the Jets perform in any way like these previous performances, Rex can go home and start packing the office.

Can Geno put together a second consistent performance? We have talked for most of the week about how good Geno was last week against the Browns. It was probably his best, most consistent performance of 2013. He really showed that he can protect the football and make accurate throws. Now, can he do it two weeks in a row? If he does, it should do a lot to show John Idzik that Geno Smith needs to have the same staff mentoring him in 2014. If it doesn’t go well on Sunday, he might be more inclined to clean house.

Finally, can the defense hang in for one more performance, in a season that they have been on the field for most of the time? Surely they are tired. But, if Rex can fire them up for one more big performance, it will be noticed by Idzik. If not, who knows what will happen?

I think we will find out soon enough.