Little Talking, but Much Respect, Greets Steelers

By DAVE CALDWELL
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com
January 17, 2011

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan talks to Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin after a 22-17 Jets win in an NFL football game in Pittsburgh on December 19, 2010. The Jets and Steelers meet in the AFC Conference Championship on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011. (AP)

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Sometime between Sunday night and Monday afternoon, the Jets had transformed into a team that seemed to be worried about only football — not insulting, baiting or taunting an opponent. They almost sounded normal.

The Jets apparently see a lot of themselves, at least in playing styles, in the Steelers, whom they face Sunday in the A.F.C. championship game in Pittsburgh. Jets Coach Rex Ryan sounded as if his team would need slingshots to topple Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers’ 6-foot-5, 241-pound quarterback.

Ryan said the only reason Drew Coleman, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound cornerback, sacked Roethlisberger twice in the Jets’ season-saving victory over Pittsburgh on Dec. 19 was because Coleman had slapped the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hands first.

“Maybe that’s the strategy we all need to take,” Ryan said at a news conference.

The Jets (13-5) were much more respectful of the Steelers (13-4) than they were of the New England Patriots going into Sunday’s playoff game, which the Jets won, 28-21. After taking shots at the Patriots all of last week, Jets linebacker Bart Scott declined interviews Monday.

There appears to be a reason the Jets intend to tone down the trash talking. The winner of this game goes to the Super Bowl, and that will be enough motivation.

And to reach the Super Bowl, the Jets will need to win a third straight playoff game on the road.

“That’s a lot to ask for, to go through three storied franchises,” Jets defensive tackle Trevor Pryce said, referring to Indianapolis, New England and Pittsburgh.

The Jets fell one game short of the Super Bowl a year ago, losing to the Colts in the A.F.C. championship game. Nose tackle Sione Pouha recalled walking off the field at Lucas Oil Stadium after the loss with Shaun Ellis, blue and white confetti hitting him in the face.

“I cannot tell you how horrific that was,” Pouha said.

Ryan spent most of his news conference Monday talking about the similarities, rather than the differences, between his team and the Steelers, a team that has been built to move the ball in any kind of weather and that has a ruthless, punishing defense.

Ryan had labeled as “personal” the challenges of defeating Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning in a first-round game Jan. 8 and New England Coach Bill Belichick on Sunday. Ryan says that he and Pittsburgh Coach Mike Tomlin have much more in common.

“You look at our backgrounds, we’re similar,” Ryan said. “We’re defensive guys; we both got incredible opportunities, and we know that. I just want to win a Super Bowl like he has.”

Tomlin apparently also does not like running up the score or celebrating touchdowns after the outcome has been decided — which the Jets claimed Tom Brady did in a 45-3 victory Dec. 6 over the Jets in Foxborough, Mass., drawing ire from Antonio Cromartie in particular.

Ryan told a story about Tomlin from 2007, when Ryan was still an assistant coach in Baltimore. The Steelers rolled up a 35-7 halftime lead on the Ravens on “Monday Night Football.”

A Pittsburgh fullback, whom Ryan did not name, kept telling Scott, then a linebacker for the Ravens, to look at the scoreboard. According to Ryan, Tomlin looked across the field at Scott and asked if he wanted another shot at the fullback. Scott did. He separated the back’s shoulder.

“One of my favorite stories,” Ryan said Monday, guffawing. “And it told me a lot about Mike Tomlin. He said: ‘All right, you’re running your mouth, go get in there. Let’s see what happens.’ And it was like, ‘Ooh, I probably shouldn’t have done that.’ ”

When he reviewed the videotape of Sunday night’s victory, Ryan said he was generally pleased with his team’s effort and execution — with one notable exception.

He said the special teams could have played better in general, and Steve Weatherford could have punted better.

Later in his news conference, Ryan gave a vague answer when asked about Brad Smith, the kick-return ace who runs the Jets’ Wildcat offense but who missed the Patriots game with a groin injury.

“Well, see, he never played this game, so I don’t think they should plan on him playing,” Ryan said of the Steelers.

It seemed as if the Jets were already working on closing ranks for the week of preparation ahead.

Coleman said he heard someone in the jubilant Jets locker room Sunday refer to the Steelers game as “Mission: Impossible 3.”

When cornerback Dwight Lowery was told Monday that the Jets play better in games that seemed to include a lot of yapping before and during the game, he replied, “We probably do.”

But then he said: “At the same time, this one is to get to the Super Bowl. And that’s what we’ve been talking about all along.”