NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME: A nationally televised game against one of the NFL’s elite teams is the type of contest that should bring out the best in Rex Ryan and the Jets, Post columnist George Willis writes, but there is little reason to believe they can answer the call. (
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Bill Parcells used to talk about “the psychology of results.” It’s almost a contradiction to “You are what your record says you are.” The psychology of results suggests the won-lost record isn’t necessarily all that matters. The Jets are a prime example.
They enter tonight’s Monday Night Football game against the unbeaten Texans with a 2-2 record that was good enough for a first-place tie in the AFC East heading into the weekend. Yet, you aren’t alone if you have the distinct feeling the Jets’ season is on the verge of a free-fall.
A 34-0 shutout loss to the 49ers last week and season-ending injuries to cornerback Darrelle Revis and wide receiver Santonio Holmes have the Jets feeling like they’re in a hole.
Consider this from defensive lineman Mike DeVito:
“This is a chance for us to bounce back, a chance for us to get out of this slump,” he said. “We have the guys here to do it. We just have to get our confidence back. This is the perfect stage to do it.”
Coming into the season, few would have flinched at the suggestion the Jets would be 2-2 after four games. A road loss in Week 2 to Pittsburgh, 27-10, was not unexpected, and the Jets were underdogs to the 49ers, though the thrashing was a bit extreme.
But the Jets offense has struggled since a 48-28 season-opening win against Buffalo and the defense has been a disappointment, allowing 172.8 rush yards a game to rank second to last in the league.
If Mark Sanchez, who has completed just 49.2 percent of his passes, continues to struggle with his accuracy, the cries for Tim Tebow will only get louder. Of course, it won’t matter who plays quarterback if the defense can’t stop anybody.
The Jets aren’t below .500. It only feels like it. The psychology of results.
Tonight’s game is squarely on coach Rex Ryan. Here’s where a staff must motivate and coach. Playing on Monday Night Football against an unbeaten team is the kind stage Ryan craved when he arrived. It’s the kind of game when he can show the rest of the league how great the Jets organization is, how great his players are, and display what “Play Like A Jet” is all about.
In his fourth year, the Jets should be what Ryan envisioned. They should have an identity, a mix of glitz and grit, they should have swagger.
Instead, they limp into this game wounded by injuries and inconsistent on both sides of the ball. Fans are skeptical about the season. Even more telling, ticket sales have lagged. The players, however, remain optimistic. They are paid to be.
“One thing I’ve learned is you don’t want to let one game beat you twice,” DeVito said. “We recognize we didn’t have our best effort last week. But we got better from it. We learned from it. I think everybody is confident and ready to play Monday Night Football.”
Tonight we should find out if “Play Like a Jet” has meaning or is just a catch phrase. We’ll find out if this is a team with character or characters. We’ll find out if Ryan can rally his players in a way yet to be seen. We’ll also see if Sanchez can keep Tebow in the background with a highlight day against the top-ranked defense in the league.
The Jets have said all the right things this week from Ryan on down.
“I know how resilient this group is, and really quite honestly, how tough this group is,” Ryan said.
Truth is, Jet fans don’t know what to expect. They saw a team that was impressive in the opening game of the season, but last week cringed at a team that was helpless. Now Revis and Holmes are gone for the season, and 2-2 seams a lot worse than it looks.
george.willis@nypost.com