Since the hiring of Rex Ryan in 2009, the Jets have become one of the most talked about franchises in the league. From Ryan’s press conferences, to Hard Knocks…. this team has found a way to stay in the conversation when it comes to football. But once upon a time, there was another franchise who held that relm. They were the Oakland Radiers.
If you think about it, the parallels between the 2 teams aren’t as far as you would like to think. Looking at the footage of the Raiders of the 70′s, they hold a LOT of similaries between today’s Jets. Don’t agree? Let me break it down for you.
Boisterous Top Dogs
When the Jets hired Ryan, they knew exactly what they were getting. A confident head coach who doesn’t back down from anyone, and will tell you in the process. Ryan’s fiery personality was a winner in the locker room, mainly because in the midst of his talking, he showed faith and confidence in his guys. Ryan is a guy that believes in his defensive schemes and players, but will call you out the second you show you can’t hang. His persona slowly trickled down to the rest of his team, and it shows with the way they play every week.
With the Raiders, they had that in coach-turned-owner Al Davis. Davis was never afraid to speak his mind, and his personality showed amongst the guys that suited up for him every Sunday.His guys played like his personality. They were a direct reflection of the big wig, and became well known because of it.
Just Win Baby!
We all know this was and still is the moniker for the Raiders. The Raiders believed in doing just that. A lot of players accused the Raiders of playing dirty, taking cheap shots and giving themselves an “unfair advantage” to help them win games. That was the Raider Way, to win under any circumstance. And with less penalties to protect the offensive players back then, there was nothing you could say, or do, to stop them. In their eyes, they were trying to win football games.
With the Jets, their Just Win mentality is not what they do on the field, but more so what they have done off the field. After the 2009 season (in which they reached the AFC Championship), they traded for Chargers CB Antonio Cromartie as well as Steelers WR Santonio Holmes.
Neither player has a great reputation off the football field (Cromartie has 7 kids, including a trio of 3 year-olds, and Holmes is currently suspended for violating the substance abuse policy). Add WR Braylon Edwards to the mix, who has been no stranger to doing newsworthy things, and was recently arrested for DUI after leaving a charity event. While these guys aren’t what some maybe considered role model worthy, the Jets have looked past all of their faults and welcomed them with open arms, in order to win games.
Intimidating Defense
When I think of the Raiders of the 70′s, I think defense. They were big and intimidating. They played No Holds Barred and they scared opposing offenses. George Atkinson, Ted Hendricks and John Matuszak put fear in a lot of people’s lives. When most people think of Raiders defense, they remember the Jack Tatum hit to Darryl Stingley, that paralyzed Stingley. Their reputation was something they prided themselves on, and they lived up to the hype.
Enter the New York Jets. Rex Ryan is the son of Buddy Ryan, who anchored the ’85 Bears (considered to be one of the best defenses ever). Ryan has taken his father’s legacy and built his own, creating a monster of a defense in NY. So now, we have the likes of Darrelle Revis, Bart Scott, Calvin Pace and Shaun Ellis at the helms of one of the most ferocious defenses in the NFL.
“Me Against The World” Mentality
The Raiders always had a target on their back.. and they knew it. They were a part of one of the most intense rivalries with the Pittsburgh Steelers. On one side you had the Raiders, a team that openly embraced a desire to intimidate any opponent. On the other side were the Steelers, a blue-collar bunch that backed down to nobody. When it came down to it, these two squads couldn’t stand each other. These two teams hated each other so much, that Steelers head coach Chuck Noll once said that George Atkinson and the Raiders brought a “criminal element” to the game, when Atkinson knocked out WR Lynn Swann unconscious with a blow to the head. Atkinson later sued Noll for slander.
While the Jets are just getting started under the Ryan era, they’ve already found a target to throw their hatred towards: The New England Patriots. One of the most successful teams in the 2000′s, the Jets are looking to throw the kings off their thrown (The Pats have won the AFC East division 7 times and have been Super Bowl champions 3 times, all in the last 10 years). While their rivalry is no where near the Raiders-Steelers rivalry, it’s well on its way. When Ryan first received the job in NY, he said he never came to the division to “kiss Bill Belichick’s rings”. And when Pats QB Tom Brady was asked if he watched the Jets on “Hard Knocks”, Brady stated that he, “hates the Jets” and that he refused to watch the show. The Jets-Patriots overall record against each other over the last 50 years?? 51-50-1, in the Jets favor.
Big personalities, “Just Win” attitude, intimidating defenses and a “Me Against The World” persona, are all ways to view the New York Jets, led by Rex Ryan. But decades ago, the Oakland Raiders created, lived and breathed those very same policies. Are they one in the same? It’s up to you to decide. But you have to admit, the similarities are endless.
