Jets left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson said Rex Ryan’s impassioned pre-game speech on Sunday that included some pointed words for the offensive line got the players’ attention.
“It’s always a challenge when someone calls you out,” Ferguson said yesterday. “You have the option to rise to it or fold. I think everybody rose to the challenge. If he feels like we’re not doing a good enough job, hey, let’s suck it up. Let’s do even more.
“I think he did it because he knows we can do it. We stepped up. We answered the call. Maybe it was the call we needed to hear. Maybe it was the challenge we needed to get us back right.”
The line allowed only one sack in the 22-17 win over the Steelers, and that was really a Mark Sanchez scramble for no gain. Ferocious outside linebackers James Harrison (10 sacks) and LaMarr Woodley (8½ sacks) were held sackless.
The Jets also rushed for 106 yards on the Steelers’ top-ranked run defense, some 46 yards more than the Steelers’ average yield.
And they did it with Wayne Hunter starting in placed of the injured Damien Woody at right tackle, Hunter’s first NFL start on the offensive line.
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Ryan said Sanchez (sore shoulder) was not the only player to emerge dinged up. Safety James Ihedigbo, who played despite a knee and ankle injury, was sore after the game.
“He’s tougher than a boot,” Ryan said. “I expect him to be able to play as well.”
Other players Ryan mentioned as being sore included cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who was chasing speedy Steelers wideout Mike Wallace all over the field.
“Cromartie said he felt like he was at a track meet,” Ryan said. “I don’t know how many deep routes Wallace ran, but [Cromartie] was getting treatment, [Darrelle] Revis was getting treatment.”
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When asked about what appeared on a television replay to be pass interference that was not called on defensive back Dwight Lowery late in the game, Ryan said, “I never saw that. That was a December game between two physical football teams, and [the referees] let us play, they let us decide it on the field. That was great. That’s what you want.”
The Jets, who entered the game averaging 7.2 penalties for 65.8 yards per game, were penalized just three times for 19 yards.
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Though his players were still buzzing about it yesterday, Ryan was reluctant to take any credit for motivating the team with the impassioned speech he delivered Saturday night. He preferred to deflect any praise toward his players.
“That’s overblown,” Ryan said of any effect his speech had on the players. “I’m just an average person that speaks from the heart. It’s really more about our players and how they played. That’s what you saw from the team more than anything I said.”
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For Braylon Edwards, that was more like it. Edwards, who has been careful not to demand the ball but often hinted he wants it more often, caught a season-high eight passes for 100 yards. A couple of those receptions were key, clutch catches.
“It felt good,” Edwards said. “I had more catches and targets than I’ve had in the past. I definitely want to make plays for this team. I feel as though [Sunday] was an example of what I can do for the guys.”
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Defensive end Shaun Ellis yesterday confirmed he is being sued by a Seahawks fan claiming physical and emotional pain from being hit with a chunk of snow thrown two years ago by Ellis.
“I woke up this morning and somebody texted me,” Ellis said. “I was like, ‘OK, cool.’ I guess the statute of limitations [hasn’t run out].”
Ellis would not comment further because it is a pending legal matter, but he added, “Anytime you go into a [legal] situation like that you’re definitely concerned. It’s two years removed. I have to let the courts handle it and see what happens from there.”
The incident occurred after the Jets lost to the Seahawks on Dec. 21, 2008, in Seattle. As they came off the field toward the locker room, Jets players were pelted with snowballs from fans. Ellis picked up a chunk of snow or ice and threw it into the crowd, and, according to the lawsuit, hit a man named Robert Larson.
Ellis was fined $10,000 by the league for the incident.
According to TMZ.com, Larson does not specify how much money he is seeking in damages. He claims he suffered physical injury, humiliation, mental distress, pain and wage loss.