BY NICK ST. DENIS
If you thought the New York Jets were humiliated after a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last week, you don't want to see what happens to Gang Green if they bring the same game Sunday in hosting the New Orleans Saints.
Or maybe you do.
The Jets did everything wrong against Cincy, falling apart at the seams in the secondary, failing to get a push up front on either side of the ball and directly handing the Bengals a pair of scores on offense.
Jets coach Rex Ryan gave an honest assessment Monday of what happened the day before and what could happen in the days ahead of his young squad doesn't get back to the basics.
"If you’re not lined up right, if your fundamentals are poor, your technique is poor, you’re not going to be successful against good players," Ryan said, via NewYorkJets.com. "Clearly, that was the case this past week, yesterday, and New Orleans is one that will flat out embarrass you if you don’t do those things, so that’s where it starts."
The Saints are 6-1, thanks largely to their plus-8 turnover differential. Ryan's brother, Rob, has turned a historically bad defense from a season ago into one of the league's top units in his first year as the Saints' defensive coordinator, and New Orleans' Drew Brees-led offense is about as self-explanatory as it gets.
Ryan lauded the "big challenge" that the "pretty good combination" his brother and Saints coach Sean Payton provide. But as always, even after some harsh criticism, he voiced belief in his team.
"I just know that it’s pretty obvious that we have to get like a gazillion times better," Ryan said. ". . . But the thing that I’m encouraged with is I believe that we have the group that feels the same way, that we want to get better and we’re going to work that way and do whatever we can to get better."
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