There has been curiously heavy media coverage -- even for the New York Jets -- following the Tim Tebow trade on Tebow himself and his ramifications for the offense and starting quarterback Mark Sanchez. Despite all of that, head coach Rex Ryan and owner Woody Johnson do not believe the Jets have reached a circus-like atmosphere.
Coach Ryan said:
"I just think we’re a better football team than people give us credit for. I also think our organization is a lot better than people give us credit for. The circus thing is kind of a little old for me, but if that’s the way it is, I think our record shows otherwise in the three years we’ve been together. I think we’ve done a tremendous job of drafting players (and) developing young talent," Ryan said. "I’m not afraid to say it, I think this is going to be an outstanding football team, the best team I’ve had since I’ve been here."
He continued by talking about the Jets' preparations for the future:
"How that reflects on our record, I’m not sure, but I think this team, this organization, is headed in the right direction and I don’t know if that’s the national perspective, but it’s my perspective," Ryan said.
Echoing Ryan's positive-thinking towards the upcoming season, Johnson was adamant that, for the Jets, it's all about winning:
"I think that is (the media). I certainly don’t feel that. We are deadly serious about what we do here, trying to win games and trying to represent our fans in a way that they expect us to represent them," Johnson said. "We learned this in third grade, sticks and stones and all this stuff about calling people names and all that, that is what that is. That is a way to sell papers but I don’t think that reflects us. I am not in this to create a circus environment or any other kind of environment other than a winning environment."
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