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OH, BROTHER!
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo
New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes runs the ball against the Cleveland Browns NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Browns fall in OT as Rex bests Rob — again
Associated Press
CLEVELAND
Santonio Holmes almost felt sorry for Rob Ryan.
The other Ryan wasn’t so sympathetic.
Holmes scored on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez with 16 seconds left, giving the New York Jets their second straight overtime win, 26-20 over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday — also the AFC East leaders’ eighth straight regular-season road win.
Following a game that had a season’s worth of big plays, hits and drama, Holmes approached Jets coach Rex Ryan and said he felt bad that his TD had beaten Ryan’s twin brother, Rob, Cleveland’s animated defensive coordinator.
“He wanted to apologize to my brother,” Rex said. “I said, ’Hey, forget all that. Don’t worry about that, buddy, he forgives you.”’
It was the second consecutive overtime win for the Jets (7-2), who won 23-20 in Detroit last week. They overcame three missed field goals by Nick Folk, including a 47-yarder in OT, and were pushed within seconds of a tie by the improving Browns (3-6).
“We can play with anybody and fight with anybody,” said Browns coach Eric Mangini, who played for the win in the closing seconds of OT against the team that fired him two years ago. “We fight and deal with adversity well.”
The Ryan family held an impromptu reunion in the corridor outside Cleveland’s locker room. The Ryan boys were joined by their famous father, Buddy, the longtime coordinator whose “46” defensive scheme has become a coaching staple. There were hugs and smiles.
Rex and Rob spent the week leading up to the game making fun of each other’s diets and wardrobes. They shared a few laughs on the field before kickoff, but once the ball was in the air, they were all brotherly business. Alas, Rob Ryan fell to 0-3 in NFL matchups and 3-5 overall coaching against his brother.
“At 1 o’clock, everybody becomes nameless, faceless objects — whether it is your twin brother or a friend,” Rex Ryan said. “I feel bad for Cleveland. They played their hearts out. I don’t want to do this game over.”
Neither does Braylon Edwards, the Jets’ mouthy wide receiver who made his first trip to Cleveland since being traded. Edwards, booed and taunted by Cleveland fans all day, finished with four catches for 59 yards. After his first grab, he was pummeled by several Browns.
“I just came here to play football,” said a surprisingly contrite Edwards, whose tenure in Cleveland was defined by one Pro Bowl season and a slew of dropped passes. “Some guys tried to take some shots at me after the play, but nothing was dirty.”
The Browns couldn’t quite pull off their third shocking upset in a row. They had beaten New Orleans and New England in consecutive weeks.