Things We Didn't Expect to See Today: Rex Ryan and His Wife in Foot Fetish Videos

Apparently anything to do with football around here now takes on a comedic edge.

We'll send you here for the videos. They said it "may" be Michelle Ryan, wife of New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan. It's unmistakably her and if you watch the first video, the man in the audio clearly is the Jets coach, always known for going for it on fourth and a foot. Through all the embarrassing episodes the Jets have gone through this year, this will stand toe to toe with any of them. His audio role on the video is absolute comedy gold, so cheesy it would make any bad porn actor die laughing.

Image via Deadspin. More here.

God, I wish they were playing the Patriots this week.

NFL To Investigate After Football Players Gawk at Hot Reporter

Gee, hard to believe a bunch of guys oozing testosterone would act like goofballs around this babe.

Ines Sainz of Mexico's TV Azteca, a shapely former Miss Universe contestant in town to interview Mark Sanchez , created quite a stir during practice yesterday.

Prodded by his players, defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman purposely overthrew passes to them in interception drills so that the footballs would land next to Sainz on the sidelines.

Realizing what they were doing, Taylor volunteered to come over and join the drills even though he is a linebacker and not a defensive back.

Rex Ryan then joined in the fun, having Thurman run a sideline pattern and also intentionally overthrowing in Sainz's direction.

The hijinx apparently then moved into the locker room.

The NFL is looking into reports that the Jets made sexually suggestive comments to sports reporter Ines Sainz following practice Saturday in the team's locker room at the Jets training center in Florham Park, N.J.

Team owner Woody Johnson spoke with Sainz about her treatment on Sunday.

"He stressed to Ines that he expects all member of the Jets organization to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times," the team announced in a prepared statement. "We will continue to work with the league to gather the facts and take appropriate steps necessary to maintain a respectful environment for the media."

Sainz, who works for TV Azteca, a Mexican television network, was the recipient of cat calls, whistling and extended stares by Jets players. In town to interview quarterback Mark Sanchez, who is of Mexican descent, she asked several questions at coach Rex Ryan's morning press conference, attended practice during the 30 minutes open to media and then waited in the locker room for Sanchez. She eventually spoke with Sanchez for a short interview by his locker.

I hope he got her number.

'I’m a Football Player and It Doesn’t Matter What I Think'

In one statement New York Jets quarterback demonstrates far better judgment that most anyone in the Obama demonstration and knows where his bread is buttered. Unlike some other idiotic athletes and teams (Los Suns, for examples) he realizes nobody cares what his political viewpoint is.

Smart kid.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez had this to say Thursday about the Arizona law that allows police to detain those who are suspected of being in the United States illegally.

"When it comes to politics, my candid answer is, I’m football player and it doesn’t matter what I think," he said in a transcript provided by the New York Jets. "The most important thing is you see both sides. I haven’t read the legislature, so I won’t pass judgment on it.

"I understand both sides have a point to be made. While people coming across the border or people here who may appear like they’ve come across the border, if I said that hopefully politically correct, we don’t want to racially profile anyone, just like in an airport you don’t want to racially profile anyone. Same situation.

"At the same time, if you live in Arizona and somebody’s coming over in to your territory, it’s like, 'What’s going on? We need some sort of rule to stop that.' I wouldn’t pass judgment on it until I read the legislature. I’m interested in the topic, but at this point I don’t know enough about it to comment further."

We'll assume Sanchez meant to say legislation, so we'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Hot Air links. Thanks!

'It Was Stupid and Inappropriate'

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan really knows how to win over opposing fans. He might want to start keeping a bit of a lower profile.

Rex Ryan fell one game short of the Super Bowl, but he's making his presence felt in South Florida. The Jets' coach attended an MMA event in the area and let some fans (presumably Dolphins fans) know how he, ahem, feels about them.

To paraphrase one of our favorite news anchormen, Ron Burgundy, try to stay classy, Rex.

Ryan, who was caught by a cell phone camera flipping fans the bird, also couldn't resist a swagger-licious prediction for 2010 during a live interview that was broadcast throughout the arena.

"I just want to tell everyone in Miami that we're coming to beat you twice next year," he said.

He might want to beat them once before he starts talking about a sweep.

He also might want to keep his hands in his pockets, as both Ryan and Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum were quick to apologize for the gesture in statements released Sunday by Gang Green.

"It was stupid and inappropriate," Ryan said in the statement. "I wouldn't accept that type of behavior from one of the coaches or players and it's unacceptable from me. I apologize to the Jets organization, the National Football League and NFL fans everywhere."

Tempting Fate

The New York Jets not only face the dreaded Sports Illustrated jinx this week with QB Mark Sanchez on the cover, but now they're also tempting fate by offering up AFC Champion merchandise for sale.

Teams understandably have this stuff on hand in the event they win a championship game or Super Bowl. You should exercise a little discretion though and not put this stuff on your website until after you win. Football players and coaches are notoriously superstitious and I doubt they'd want to see this.

I perused the merchandise sites for the other three championship gam participants this weekend and none of them have such merchandise available.

On the upside, a lot of kids in Haiti will probably be wearing these shirts should the Jets lose this week.

'Oh, This is Perfect!'

Think Martha Coakley fans have been having some sleepless nights? It could be worse. You could be a San Diego Chargers fan.

The guy in the powder-blue Shawne Merriman jersey and the powder-blue Chargers hat stopped in his tracks on the way out of Qualcomm Stadium. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, as if overtaken by a demon.

“Un-(expletive)-believable!” he growled.

That pretty much nailed the sentiment yesterday as the crowd of 69,498, the largest in team history, streamed out — or is it steamed out? — of the gates after the favored Chargers had been beaten 17-14 by a New York Jets team that most analysts considered far inferior.

As if on cue, it began to rain just as the clock ticked down to zero.

“Oh, this is perfect!” groused a man looking up to the sky. “Just perfect!”

With an explosive offense putting up huge numbers and the team riding an 11-game winning streak going into the playoffs, expectations were higher than ever. It figured then that the devastation was palpable.

Kids were crying. One well-dressed, middle-aged woman put together a string of profanity that would make a Hells Angel blush. And, of course, there was the old standby when at a loss for something constructive: “They should fire that idiot coach!”

How many gift baskets will Jet fans be sending to Nate Kaeding?

Browns Trade Braylon Edwards to Jets

An NFL bombshell this morning. Disgruntled WR Braylon Edwards, recently under major scrutiny in Cleveland for beating up a friend of LeBron James, has been sent packing to the New York Jets, who surely could use a top-flight wideout.

The Cleveland Browns traded Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets on Wednesday morning, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

In Edwards, the Jets obtained a receiver that gives quarterback Mark Sanchez a legitimate deep threat -- and a player facing an NFL investigation for off-the-field trouble.

The league is probing whether Edwards violated the league's conduct policy following accusations he assaulted a friend of NBA star LeBron James outside a Cleveland nightclub on Monday night.

Edwards has been involved in other off-field incidents, a factor commissioner Roger Goodell considers when handing out any discipline.

In March, Edwards was partying with suspended wide receiver Donte' Stallworth in Miami the night Stallworth later drove drunk and killed a pedestrian. Edwards was not with Stallworth at the time of the accident.

Last November, Edwards was fined $150 and given 30 hours of community service after he was found guilty of driving 120 mph.

There had been plenty of interest from the Giants in acquiring Edwards during the offseason but they never pulled the trigger. With the emergence of the league's leading receiver Steve Smith, that's a move they don't regret at this time.

The move for Edwards gives Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez a proven threat and greatly improves a shaky Jets receiving corps.

Who figured on a day when the Yankees begin pursuit of their 27th World Series title the biggest sports story in New York would involve the Jets?

Considering the dreary season the Browns are having, Edwards should consider this anew lease on his NFL career and better get his act together.

Former Jet coach Eric Mangini, under fire already in Cleveland, has done more to help the Jets than when he was here, having sent his top pick in the 2009 draft to the Jets, who packaged it to move up to get Sanchez.

Not confirmed, but according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, comments indicate the Jets gave up WR Chansi Stuckey and LB Jason Trusnick. Radio reports here in New York also claim Stuckey is part of the deal.

J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets!

Any casual observer here knows I'm a diehard New York Giants fan, but that doesn't preclude me from following the other local team. I've been to countless Jets games over the years and any Jets fan knows about one of their biggest fans, Ed Anzalone, a NYC fireman. Like most of the NYFD Anzalone went through hell and back on 9/11 and the aftermath and is as good a guy as there is.

New Jets coach Rex Ryan has been rolling lucky sevens the past couple of weeks and the Jets fans at Giants Stadium last week rocked the house during their 16-9 win over New England. Playing that hand heading into Sunday's game against 0-2 Tennessee, Ryan cleverly found a another way to fire up the crowd: Handing a game ball to Anzalone. Say what you will about Ryan (like, um, maybe losing 100 pounds would be a good idea), but when it comes to currying favor with the fans, he gets it. Are you listening, Eric Mangini?

If you're a Jets fan, don't give up your dream of someday playing for the team. At this pace, Rex Ryan just might be willing to make it happen.

A week after delivering a phone message to season-ticket holders imploring them to be loud during last weekend's game against the Patriots, the first-year coach made the unprecedented move of delivering a game ball to the team's most famous fan - Fireman Ed - in recognition of the fans' support during the Jets' 16-9 win.

Fireman Ed, whose real name is Ed Anzalone, is a New York City firefighter who wears a Jets jersey and a Jets-themed fireman's hat to all home games and leads the crowd in chants of "J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!" He received the ball during a team meeting today.

"On behalf of the fans and representing the fans, we gave him a game ball," Ryan said. "There's two, actually, one in our trophy case and we gave him the other one. He does a great job."

Following Sunday's win, the team's first over their division rivals at the Meadowlands since 2000, many of the Jets credited the crowd with pumping them up.

You can guarantee another insane crowd Sunday when the Jets face 0-2 Tennessee. The scene last week against the Patriots was as loud a crowd Ive ever seen for the Jets since they're played at Giants Stadium.

Props to Ed Anzalone and the rest of the Jets fans. Of course, you still have another 14 games to get through...

BTW, Mark Sanchez is the real deal. He may not be his listed height (I towered over him when I met him at a USC practice last year), but the kid can play. I'd be envious if my team didn't already have Super Bowl MVP at quarterback.

It's On! Jets RB Blasts Favre

It's probably a safe bet Brett Favre won't be very welcome back in the New York Jets locker room. Frankly, he should have stayed retired.

Jets fans are not the only ones upset with Brett Favre.

It is becoming clearer he was not beloved in the Jets locker room. Running back Thomas Jones publicly blasted his quarterback in a radio interview Tuesday. Appearing on Hot 97 FM, Jones ripped Favre for his rash of late-season interceptions.

"We're a team and we win together ... but at the same time, you can't turn the ball over and expect to win," Jones said. "The other day, the three interceptions really hurt us. I mean, that's just reality. If I were to sit here and say, 'Oh, man, it's okay,' that's not reality.

"The reality is, you throw interceptions, I'm (ticked) off, I don't like it. You know what I'm saying? I don't like it, I know everybody else on the team doesn't like it."

Favre threw three interceptions in the Jets' 24-17 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. Head coach Eric Mangini was fired a day later. Favre had nine interceptions in the team's final five games.

Jones said he thought Favre should have been benched.

"If somebody is not playing well, they need to come out of the game," Jones replied. "You're jeopardizing the whole team because you're having a bad day. To me, that's not fair to everybody else. You're not the only one on the team."

Jones laid the blame for the Jets' failures at Favre's feet.

"You're playing to win, you're playing for the Super Bowl," Jones said. "That's what you do all this work for ... So when you get to the wire and somebody is just giving the game up, I mean, it's just not (fair)."

Jets Fire Clueless 'Man-Genius'

Two years ago Eric Mangini was feted as a celebrity in New York while fans howled for the scalp of Tom Coughlin.

My, how times quickly change. Heck, six weeks ago Jets fan were salivating over a possible Super Bowl bid.

Black Monday continues, but takes a somewhat surprising twist.

FOXSports.com has learned that the Jets have fired head coach Eric Mangini.

Players began getting calls from team officials this morning informing them of the move, telling them that it will be announced at 10 a.m. ET and that GM Mike Tannenbaum, who appears to be safe, will be addressing the team at noon.

The Jets suffered an abysmal collapse, which unfortunately is nothing new for the organization.

In a surprise to nobody, the architect of the 0-16 Detroit Lions is also looking for employment.

If Jerry Jones has any self-respect Wade Phillips would be unemployed by the end of the day.

Envious of Nonstop Plaxico Burress Coverage, a New York Jet Gets Himself Arrested

It's always been difficult for the Jets playing in the shadow of the Giants. Clearly upset with all the attention paid this week to the boneheaded Plaxico Burress, Jets lineman Shaun Ellis decided he'd seen enough and has made a play to grab the headlines back.

OK, just being facetious there. But Ellis did get busted on a marijuana charge last Saturday, but we're only finding out about it today.

Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis, a team captain, was arrested for possession of marijuana during a traffic stop last Saturday morning near the team's training facility in Florham Park, N.J., the club confirmed Thursday.

Ellis, 31, played the following day against the Broncos, and will be allowed to play Sunday in San Francisco, according to a team spokesman.

"I apologize to my family, the fans and the organization," Ellis said in a statement released through the team. "As a captain, I set a poor example for my teammates as well as all NFL players. Although this is a pending legal matter, I understand that I have to be responsible for my actions."

Ellis' case will be reviewed under the NFL's substance-abuse policy, a league spokesman said. He could be suspended by the commissioner, according to the policy. Any player convicted of, or admitting to a violation of the law, including possession of a substance other than alcohol, is subject to discipline.

But according to an NFL source, it would take several months for any discipline to be handed down, meaning it won't affect Ellis' ability to finish this season. The Jets declined to say whether they would discipline him.

Ellis also was charged with driving without insurance and speeding after he was stopped by a Hanover Township police officer at 8:37 a.m. Ellis was stopped after allegedly speeding past a police car on Route 287 South. He was "uncooperative" and refused to hand over his paperwork, according to a police statement.

Ellis was charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He also was issued summonses for driving without insurance, speeding, failure to keep right and failure to produce a valid registration card.

No indication whether he was sparking up at 8:37 a.m. Seems just a bit early to be getting stoned.

NFL Week 11: Jets at Patriots

Since we overlooked last Thursday's Denver-Cleveland game, we had only 13 selections and went 5-8in Week 10 to stand at 68-72-7 for the year. We'll have the balance of Week 11 later in the week.

The Jets are in New England with first place in the AFC East on the line. They've lost 11 of 12 to the Patriots, but things couldn't be more different now in this heated rivalry. The Patriots have been devastated by key injuries and the Jets are now on a roll, with a big win in Buffalo two weeks ago and a thrashing of the Rams last Sunday. Matt Cassel has been efficient running the New England offense, but now there's no Lawrence Maroney, so look for the Jets to stifle the run. With it raining tonight, looks for the Jets to try and grind it out with Thomas Jones and mix in some Leon Washington. Brett Favre cannot be reckless and serve up any carless interceptions in a game expected to be played close tot the vest. The Jets are getting only three points, so basically this is an even line. This is a monumental game for the Jets. After all the offseason spending, after getting Brett Favre, this is what they've been aiming for: knocking off once mighty New England and taking control of the AFC East. And they will do it: Jets 20-17

Our Long National Nightmare is Over as Brett Favre is Traded to the New York Jets

In case you missed it overnight, the protracted, messy divorce between Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers has culminated with the NFL's all-time touchdown leader being shipped to the New York Jets for a conditional draft pick.

The Jets, making their boldest personnel move in team history, last night acquired Brett Favre in a blockbuster trade with the Packers.

It's a move that completely alters the face of the Jets franchise and immediately has a chance to make the 2008 season something special. The move gives the Jets their most iconic player since the days of Joe Namath.

The compensation to the Packers is believed to be a conditional 2009 third or fourth-round draft pick that could become a first- or second-round pick depending on Favre's performance and the team's success.

The acquisition of Favre, who is scheduled to make $12.7 million this season, means the end of the Chad Pennington era.

Pennington, who's due to make $6 million in 2008, is the odd man out as the Jets clear salary cap space, leaving Kellen Clemens as Favre's backup.

Here's why this might work for the Jets. With today's win-now mentality in the NFL, the Jets are in far better shape with Favre than either Pennington or Clemens calling signals, and made significant moves to upgrade their team in free agency this past off-season, notably adding guard Alan Faneca on the offensive line. You can also argue they have a superior receiving and tight ends corps than Green Bay had entering last season, when nobody saw the Packers as a title contender.

The conditional pick is a no-brainer for an obvious first-ballot Hall of Famer and there isn't a Jet fan alive who won't gladly part with the No. 31 or 32 pick in the draft in return for a Super Bowl appearance.

Of course, there are several reason this won't work. First, the Jets may be the most snake-bitten team in the league and every season they start brimming with hope usuallly winds up in disaster (see Vinny Testaverde's 1999 Achilles injury, for example). Second, when legendary quarterbacks move on after a storied career to new teams (see Joe Namath with the Rams and Johnny Unitas in San Diego), it rarely works out. But Favre, having started 275 straight games, is still in decent shape and isn't nearly in the same brittle physical condition as Namath and Unitas were back then.

Granted, he's a 38-year-old quarterback and has only a year or two left, but if you a Jets fan today, you have no reason but to be thrilled. You're the little stepbrother in a town that houses the defending Super Bowl champions and today the football world is looking at you. This by no means makes the Jets any kind of favorite in the AFC, what with the Patriots, Chargers, and Colts, among others, well ahead of you.

But like I said, with the win now mindset in the league, this trade is a no-brainer.

Besides, in mid-December 2007, was there anyone alive who thought the New York Giants would win the Super Bowl?

Cost of New Meadowlands Stadium Skyrockets

This story just broke a short time ago, but it does not bode well for the taxpaying citizens of New Jersey.

NEWARK, N.J. - The price of the new football stadium for the
New York Giants and New York Jets has risen by $600 million to $1.4 billion.

"Costs continue to go up," said Alice McGillion, a spokeswoman for New Meadowlands Stadium Corp., a company that represents the team owners.

She seems so casual about it, as if it's a five-cent bump on a can of soda. But we're talking about $600 million here.

The teams awarded a contract to Swedish construction company Skanska AB, which said Friday it had received a $998 million order to design and build the open-air stadium at the Meadowlands sports complex in East Rutherford, N.J.

"It shows the continued momentum and we are on the timeline that we need to be for a 2010 opening," McGillion said Friday.

The teams, which announced the joint venture in 2005, originally estimated costs at about $800 million.

You can read the rest of the story, yet nowhere does it explain how or why projected costs have nearly doubled in less than two years. Considering the teams are not scheduled to play there until 2010, you can safely assume $1.4 billion will not be the final tab. All along it's been reported the State of New Jersey will not be footing any substantial portion of the tab and we're in a pretty dire fiscal condition with the highest property taxes in the nation. Governor Corzine promised a reduction in that area, but I'll believe it when I have the check in hand.

I've been in the current Giants Stadium many times over the years and it's only 31 years old and in decent shape; certainly not palatial like some of the structures built recently, but a serviceable football stadium that should have lasted far longer. And for which we're still paying:

The state isn't paying for the stadium's construction, but will continue to pay debt on the old stadium, about $120 million.

Maybe with any luck some of the $600 million will go toward a retractable roof. It doesn't make sense to me that a strictly open-air facility be constructed which limits the number of events that can be held there--Super Bowls and Final Fours immediately come to mind.