Robert Saleh has not gone into full panic mode with the media. Yet the Jets head coach has revealed his sensitive side. He let you see him sweat. That’s not a good thing.
When he reacted to Rex Ryan, one of ESPN’s paid professional agitators, Saleh showed he might not have the stomach or guile it takes to pilot the Crazy Train that is the New York Jets. Saleh did not like Ryan, the former Jets coach, turning his criticism of Gang Green into a personal attack during an interview on ESPN-98.7.
“Don’t ever compare this Robert Saleh guy to me,” a disgusted Ryan told 98.7′s Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg. Ryan then delivered the ultimate insult saying Saleh’s Jets don’t “want to play with any damn heart.”
Later that Monday on 98.7′s “The Michael Kay Show,” Saleh decided it was a righteous idea to fire back at Ryan. He said he had “never” met Ryan or talked to him. “I don’t even know him, except for people know him throughout the league,” Saleh said. “Obviously, if it’s that personal for him, he knows where to find me.”
Ryan won this verbal skirmish because he got Saleh to react. Mostly, Ryan helps his own cause at ESPN. Since he arrived in Bristol, Ryan has chugged along trying to maintain a groove. That he put his personal animosity (manufactured or otherwise) for Saleh out for all to hear on one of ESPN’s radio platforms, generating controversy that transcended the New York market, is a great thing for Ryan. At least for one day, it also helped Ryan stand out in ESPN’s land of a thousand NFL analysts.
For Saleh, all this stuff is not so good. It just made his job harder. There was a better road for him to take. When Saleh heard what Ryan said his response, as ESPN’s Keyshawn Johnson said, should have been: “Rex who?” Saleh should have laughed it off. He should have verbally placed Ryan in the Big Buffoon File and moved on. Instead, he took this nonsense seriously. Saleh created a distraction.
Saleh also made himself look petty by not taking the high road. If he ignored Ryan, he would have showed not only a lot of class, but a coach who is singularly focused on getting his team ready to play the Dolphins on Sunday. That should be his top priority, right?
Instead, the Ryan situation morphed into a bad media sequence for Saleh. Later in the week, the coach was labeled a flip-flopper. After one day defending media/Valley of the Stupid darling, Mike White, Saleh decided to start veteran quarterback Joe Flacco Sunday against Miami. This opened Saleh up for more media criticism. Is there more in store?
No one was calling for his ouster. Saleh’s ridiculous reaction to Ryan’s words may very well turn out to be an unusual occurrence. But if it isn’t, if he really is incapable of turning the other cheek, Saleh’s media problems have just begun.
A GIANTS FEUD
Will the Manning Brothers add the Barber Brothers to their A-list of guests on the ManningCast?
With the Giants and Buccaneers matching up Monday night, it would not be surprising if Tiki and Ronde make an appearance. And if they do, how long before one of the mouths brings up the Eli-Tiki “feud” that dates back to 2007.
That’s when Tiki, working for NBC during halftime of an NFL preseason tilt, said Eli’s attempt to run a Giants offensive meeting was “comical.” Eli fired back and the “feud” was on. The two went on to patch things up, but as it turned out, Tiki characterization was not wrong.
Anyone tuning into the ManningCast on ESPN2 now knows Eli’s comedy stylings are for real. Peyton’s shtick is funny too.
TOO MANY VOICES
There is a tried-and-true way to mess up the telecast of a much-anticipated game.
Take Tuesday night’s Warriors-Nets tilt on TNT. This was a game where a minimalist approach was the way to go. Instead of letting the game be the thing, TNT brainiacs decided to use a three-person booth. This is especially annoying/distracting when Brian Anderson is doing play-by-play.
The man likes to yak. And on Warriors-Nets, working with Stan Van Gundy and Grant Hill, Anderson, who often strays into analyst territory, didn’t give viewers a chance to breathe. It was non-stop chatter for four quarters — a talk-o-thon.
It seemed like SVG and Hill were scrambling to get their points in.
Very uncomfortable.
RAM TOUGH
The overlap and conflicts that emerge with so many of today’s network broadcasters, working multiple gigs, can compromise journalistic standards.
So, it was refreshing Tuesday to see Mina Kimes on ESPN torching the Los Angeles Rams game planning (Kimes works their preseason tilts) and “Good Morning Football’s” Peter Schrager, who partnered last summer with Sean McVay on a podcast series, rip the team for their awful performance the past two weeks.
Very reassuring.
AROUND THE DIAL
CBS is paying Tony Romo major dough to be its No. 1 NFL analyst. Yet it sure must not be paying him to opine on NFL controversy. When Jim Nantz brought up the Aaron Rodgers vaccine/immunization story during Seattle-Green Bay, Romo went totally vanilla. He played Switzerland, telling all viewers it was time to move on. Weak. … Early in the Tennessee-Georgia matchup, CBS’ Gary Danielson and Brad Nessler continuously reminded Eyeballs how the Vols play fast under new head coach Josh Heupel, rarely huddling. Was the CBS truck listening? Despite the fast-play warnings, CBS insisted on airing replays and missing live action. Frustrating! … ESPN’s Brian (Mr.) Custer, working “SportsCenter”, got off a good line following a gambling spot leading into Wednesday’s NBA Countdown. B-Cus asked: “What are the odds on how many words Greeny [Mike Greenberg] will get in on NBA Countdown?” Ouch! … Riveting interview on FAN by Craig Carton and Evan Roberts with former NFL QB Ryan Leaf (once ranked No. 1 draft bust in NFL history), which centered on his drug problems, search for redemption and desire to help others. … Bing-bong? What happened to it. And those VOS Gasbags who were going gaga over the Knicks kind of had to reverse field, right? How soon before they begin turning on Tom Thibodeau? … Stephen A. Smith is telling anyone who will listen that Kyrie Irving has “betrayed” Kevin Durant. So, what happened to SAS’ take that a man or woman should stand up for what he or she believes in despite the consequences? Isn’t that what Irving is doing?
DUDE OF THE WEEK: ZA’DARIUS SMITH
For paying it forward. It’s not too complicated and it does work. Smith, the Packers linebacker who has been injured most of the season, saw a woman in front of him at a car dealership who needed a $2,000 water pump. He stepped up and paid for it. Very nice!
DWEEB OF THE WEEK: BOB BOWLSBY
The Big 12 commish is apparently not a freedom of speech kind of guy. He ordered the one-game suspension of Texas Tech’s football radio voices (Brian Jensen and John Harris) for criticizing the inconsistency of the game officials (they named every member of the officiating crew and called out Bowlsby too) during the Red Raiders 41-38 victory over Iowa State.
DOUBLE TALK
What (Jets defensive coordinator) Jeff Ulbrich said: “I don’t know if I answered that question very well, but we’re not going to make huge fundamental changes.”
What Jeff Ulbrich meant to say: “No amount of change — small or large — is going to fix this defense.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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