Rex Ryan comes home to Baltimore…but Ravens plan a crash landing for Jets…

It’s crucial to remember… Ravens fans still love Rex Ryan (their former stellar Defensive Coordinator whom owner Steve Bisciotti passed over in favor of hiring John Harbaugh to take over Head Coach duties several years ago)..

Rex landed on his feet (no pun intended) with the New York Jets…

So this is now… the Jets come to Baltimore… and as much as the Baltimore fan base still honors Rex for his contributions to the current Ravens defensive base, they’d love to send the Jets back to the Meadowlands with a big fat “L”….

The Jets are coming off a rough performance against the Oakland Raiders, where running back Darren McFadden exploded for 171 yards towards the Raiders’ 234-yard day. After the game, Ryan was definitely not happy. “Our defense let us down clearly,” Ryan said.

Ryan, who led the Ravens defense for four years and never dropped below the top 10 in run defenses, said his team’s performance is unacceptable.

“Quite honestly there’s only one other time I can remember a game like that happening to me, and I’ve coached, what, 15 years in the NFL? So it doesn’t sit too well with me or anybody in this organization and the good news is we get to play Sunday,” Ryan said in quotes distributed by the team. “The bad news is that we have to play against a team that is rolling right now. You have Baltimore and then New England right after that.

“Probably two of the toughest teams that you could face. So we’re going to find out about ourselves big-time these next couple weeks.”

Meanwhile, the Ravens want to stonewall the Jets’ running game, and force them to become a one-dimensional attack. That includes the New York Jets’ running back tandem of Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson heading into Sunday night’s game at M&T Bank Stadium.

“We’ve got to stop that run first,” All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said Tuesday during an NFL Play 60 event at Sandymount Elementary School. “They have two great running backs there. If we can stop them early, we can get to Mark Sanchez and disrupt them in the passing game.”

However, the Jets’ running game isn’t nearly as formidable as it was a year ago when Tomlinson rushed for 914 yards and Greene gained 766 yards. The Jets have slid to 25th in rushing, averaging 82 yards on the ground per contest as Greene has gained just 134 yards on 41 carries for a 3.3 average per rush.

And Tomlinson has rushed for only 62 yards on 17 carries, but ranks second on the team in receptions with 12 catches for 196 yards. Traditionally, though, Greene provides a bruising presence while Tomlinson is a true all-purpose back.

“They have two different styles,” Ngata said. “We have to recognize who’s back there and get them down as fast as we can.” 
The Ravens rank sixth in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing just 84 yards per game. Part of that success is accounting for what kind of runners they’re squaring off against.

“Every week, it’s a two-headed dragon in the opposing backfield,” defensive end Cory Redding said.

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AP PHOTO

Haloti Ngata —Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Haloti Ngata runs in to score as teammate Terrell Suggs looks on after recovering a fumble by St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford during the fourth quarter Sunday, in St. Louis. The Ravens won 37-7.

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The Jets’ running game has been affected by the absence of Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold due to a high-ankle sprain. Mangold is a question mark for this week after being sidelined for the Jets’ loss to the Oakland Raiders. “He’s definitely their leader on the line,” Ngata said. “He slides them the right way usually and gives them the right protection for different blitzes. I think it might be tough for him. That’s one of the reasons why Oakland was able to get to their backfield more often.”

The Ravens began last season by containing the Jets’ running backs during a 10-9 victory in the Meadowlands. During that game, Tomlinson rushed for 62 yards on 11 carries and Greene gained just 18 yards on five carries.

“It’s a physical game,” Ngata said. “Last year, it was a physical, low-scoring game. Hopefully, we can come out with a win again.”

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