"We have grown accustomed to the bragging and boasting of Rex Ryan and his jolly green band of marauders.

For three years it has serenaded the ears of those who are routinely subjected to NFL coachspeak, which preaches the gospel of not ending up on someone's locker room bulletin board.

Three miserable road losses muted the tongues of the verbose Ryan and his players. And then when the village malcontent, receiver Derrick Mason, popped off about Schotty workmanship on the offense and was given a one-way ticket to Houston, it seems the whole team went into a shell."