The Code

The NFL's New York Jets, for me, is a very interesting team. Be it not for the fact that they are divisional rivals to my Miami Dolphins, I would probably be rooting for them on a regular basis. For the previous two years, nevertheless, as soon as it became clear that the Dolphins wouldn't make the playoffs, I pulled for the Jets instead. They did well, coming within a game each time of making the Super Bowl. This year, however, they seemed to undergo an internal meltdown. I blame the coach, Rex Ryan, for this.

Ryan is a boisterous, larger than life (both literally and figuratively) person who initially whipped up a lot of enthusiasm, both among the players and the fans, with his loud, opinionated banter. But lately that banter has turned into rancor, with the Coach running down other teams' coaches and even opposing players in the media. Now we hear certain anonymous Jets players following their coach's example as they run down their own starting quarterback Mark Sanchez.

There is a unspoken code governing not just football teams but also just about any organized group that frowns very heavily upon members going public with their grievances. But when one of the leaders is an undisciplined motor-mouth, an example gets set that encourages this type of behavior among the ranks. How different it is in other organizations, say the Green Bay Packers, where respect and discretion prevail from top management to the lowest sub players on the roster!

Wow, I just wrote an entire article about NFL football without mentioning HIS name. At least I THINK I did...