EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Observed and heard in the New York Jets' locker room after their 20-13 win Sunday over the Pittsburgh Steelers:
Rex Ryan, relieved to end the eight-game losing streak, was borderline giddy at his postgame news conference, delivering an unusually long opening statement (about three minutes) that had you wondering if he was going to stage an Idzik-like filibuster. The first word out of his mouth: "Finally."
There was a hint of defiance at one point.
"For the people that count this football team out, you do so at your own risk, at your own peril," he said. "This team is tough. I've said it the whole time. Not that this win will catapult us into the playoffs, but it's a big win for us because we've been working extremely hard."
Ryan and several players weren't happy by the Steelers' tactic at the end of the game, when safety Mike Mitchell blitzed the Jets' victory formation by attempting to dive into quarterback Michael Vick. It was straight out of the Greg Schiano school of unsportsmanlike behavior. Center Nick Mangold, who ended up flipping Mitchell over his shoulder, called it "a dirty play."
Ryan was displeased with the officiating overall, saying the officials didn't "protect" Vick as well as they protected Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Ryan was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on the previous series, and he was caught on camera after the game cursing at someone on the field -- presumably an official.
Vick relished his first victory as a starting quarterback in more than a year. Naturally, he was asked if he believes the Jets would have a winning record if he had been the starter from the outset. He tried to be diplomatic.
"Please don't get it misconstrued. Please don't go saying, 'Mike Vick felt like if he was the starter that we would be winning,' because that's not what I'm saying right now," he said. "I'm saying in front of all the cameras right now, if given the opportunity, yeah, I believe our team would have maybe won some games."
So there you have it.
