Today we are happy to announce that we’ll be giving away 10 copies of the new book by NY Jets coach Rex Ryan – Play Like You Mean It. And one lucky sports fan will receive an awesome “Tailgate Giveaway!”

No football fan will want to be without the book that delivers pure, unfiltered Rex Ryan — head coach of the New York Jets and one of the most popular, outspoken, well-liked, and widely respected personalities in the National Football League.

Rex Ryan is known for his exuberance… and Play Like You Mean It explores every aspect of Ryan’s amazing passion for the game of football, plus the lessons he has learned in leadership and motivation during his years in and around the game. In his own words, Ryan takes readers behind the scenes of the NFL as he shares colorful football stories from his experiences with the Jets and the Ravens as well as his years recruiting players, coaching college foot ball, and growing up as a child of legendary NFL coach Buddy Ryan. Rex’s unique brand of enthusiasm and motivation comes through on every page.

Most of all, fans will get insider access to Ryan’s headline-grabbing, brutally honest, and undeniably entertaining views on the NFL… and the very human side of the larger-than-life athletes who devote their lives to the game of football. From Ryan’s acceptance of the Jets head coaching job to his success in turning around a team that has long been number two in New York, from his drafting and believing in Mark Sanchez to kicking off the 2010 season with massive expectations (and a target on his back) — this book goes deep, and entertains on every level.

The Rex Ryan – Play Like You Mean It “Tailgate Giveaway” includes a Weber Charcoal Grill, grilling accessories, a gift card to Omaha Steaks, a copy of Play Like You Mean It, and a signed football by Rex Ryan! 10 runner ups will receive a copy of Play Like You Mean It!

Also as a part of this giveaway we have two EXCLUSIVE videos from Rex Ryan that you won’t see on any other site. In the first one Rex talks about growing up the son of an NFL coach.

And in the second video Coach Ryan discusses the importance of aggressive tackling.

All you have to do to be entered to win is keep a watchful eye on Guyism’s Facebook page because that’s where we’ll be doing this set of giveaways. (You must be from the United States to be eligible.)

Click here for more info on Rex Ryan’s Play Like You Mean It.

[Click here for even more Guyism Gear, Gadgets, and Goodies.]

XLV

The Super Bowl traveled down south this year to avoid weather calamities like the blizzard that’s about to hit the entire midwest and northeast. But apparently, Dallas is just a bit too close as sleet and frozen rain covered city streets as people arrived this morning. Yes, the dome will be closed for Super Bowl XLV itself, but the complaints from the media and fans will be incessant unless this lets up soon.

21

Make that 21 losses in a row for the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers. This time at the hand of a familiar foe, LeBron James and the Miami Heat. But don’t worry Cleveland fans, the King feels bad for you. “I wish the organization the best. And I wish the fans, more than anything, the best because we had a lot of great years together.”

.31

Ohio State might be the #1 team by the polls, but on the court, the Texas Longhorns might be the more impressive team. Last night, they won their first game at College Station since 2004 in impressive fashion, 69-49. It’s the defensive end that is really surprising teams too. Because of their length, the Longhorns can force teams into tough shots. Last night, the Aggies were only able to make 17 field goals on 31% shooting.

100,000

The man responsible for the infamous trip on a punt return that caused waves on the internet has now resigned from the New York Jets. Strength coach Sal Alosi, embarrassingly called it quits yesterday. “After the events that have transpired, I feel it’s best for my family and me to look for a fresh start.” The Jets were ultimately fined 100k for the incident including 50k from Alosi’s pocket.

1181

MSU had dominated Michigan on the basketball court and on the football field for a better part of three years. And with a bball game at home, a place MSU rarely ever lost, the streak of 1181 days looked to be safe. But Michigan rallied behind some incredible three-point shooting from Zack Novak and Stu Douglass to pull off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the rivalry. The Spartans are now firmly on the NCAA bubble and for the first time, coach Tom Izzo looks completely baffled as to what he is doing.

8

It’s quite amusing to see athletes go on Twitter and threaten their peers’ lives. Thus was the case with Jets CB Antonio Cromartie and Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck. Cromartie has repeatedly talked about NFL Labor negotiations so the quarterback issued this quip on his Twitter count. “Somebody ask Cromartie if he knows what CBA stands for.” Before it was erased, Cromartie caught wind of it and replied, “hey Matt if u have something to then say it be a man about it. Don’t erase it. I will smash ur face in.” Unfortunately, Hasselbeck did not come back asking Antonio to name his 8 kids.

16

How long has Jeff Fisher been with the Titans organization? Well, when he started there they were the Houston Oilers. Sixteen seasons later, owner Bud Adams decided that Fisher just couldn’t wield the stick he used to with players and let him go. At issue this off-season was the handling of Vince Young, who Fisher said he couldn’t go to battle with next season. But don’t feel too sorry for the coach, it’s only a matter of time before he gets another gig in the NFL.

69

The much anticipated opening round of Tiger Woods 2011 campaign went extremely well. Something that hasn’t happened for Tiger in quite some time. His bogey-free round of 69 certainly wasn’t the best he could do at Torrey Pines, but considering how poorly he has played in the past year, it’s significant improvement. If Tiger can somehow pull out a win and get that monkey off his back, we could see the resurgence many doubted he could make this year. A loss will just add fuel to the naysayers’ fire.

65.2

Before yesterday, there were probably only a handful of Bears fans who were even familiar with 3rd-string quarterback Caleb Hanie. Considering that Jay Cutler had been playing fairly well the last few weeks and with a veteran backup behind him, the odds of Hanie getting into the game were slim to none. But slim to none happened as Cutler went down with a knee injury and Collins stunk up the joint. Hanie was able to get the Bears into the endzone but also threw two costly interceptions that ultimately cost them the game. His 65.2 rating however was more than 30 points better than Cutler’s.

121

When the Pittsburgh Steelers are running the ball effectively and playing solid defense, there aren’t many teams that can beat them. That was the case yesterday as the Steelers rode Rashard Mendenhall and his 121 yards to a victory over the New York Jets. More importantly, however, were the scrambles for first downs by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He may have not had a great day in the air but on the ground, Big Ben’s runs proved to be the difference on many drives.

15,000

More than 15,000 fans were on hand to see Rafael Nadal move into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Nadal, who is attempting to complete the “Rafa slam” beat Marin Cilic in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. The showdown between Nadal and his nemesis Roger Federer seems inevitable at this point. And really, Federer seems to be the only man standing between Nadal and a piece of tennis history.

3

Pop quiz hot shot? Who is the #3 player in the world? If you answered Tiger Woods, well, you either have no life or pay way too much attention to sports on the weekend. 2010 PGA Champion Martin Kaymar supplanted Woods as the world #2 when he won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship by 8 shots Sunday.

So as Big Ben was in that vulnerable position, Mendenhall put it to him…from the back. I had hoped my eyes were deceiving me as I saw it live (you know, because of the kids), but alas, there were others who had seen the same thing.

Perhaps the faux injury was karma for Sanchez wiping his booger on backup Mark Brunell’s jacket?

11-30

On November 30th of last year, Tomas Fleischmann was traded by the Capitals to the Colorado Avalanche. It turns out that the Avs investment for this season was short lived. Fleischmann will miss the rest of the season with blood clots in his lungs, a fairly seriously condition that can lead to death if untreated. He felt short of breath after a morning skate and team doctors immediately became suspicious. He’ll be on blood thinners for the next few months but will more than likely return to action next year.

7

Venus Williams played just seven points in her third round match before calling it quits. As she reached for a ball towards her right side, Williams crumbled to the floor in pain. After medical staff came out, it became clear that she wouldn’t be able to go anymore. “The last 48 hours, I just did as much pain management as I could,” she said. “A lot of times when you play, you get that adrenalin and that blocks pain. I just didn’t get enough of that today. I was hoping for some magic that I could recover.”

5

If Mark Sanchez and the Jets win Sunday, a strange record will be broken by the second-year quarterback. He’ll have five road playoff wins, more than any other quarterback in NFL history moving past Roger Staubach, Len Dawson, Joe Flacco and Jake Delhomme. Quite an amazing feat but the record is a bit skewed. Successful quarterbacks like Manning and Brady usually have home-field advantage so they don’t often find themselves on the road that many times.

17

Wisconsin rarely loses at home, especially during the Bo Ryan tenure. But yesterday, the pesky Indiana Hoosiers found themselves leading at halftime and midway through the second half at the Kohl Center. However, like many times before, the 17th ranked Badgers rallied with strong play from their backcourt and pulled it out in the last few minutes. Jordan Taylor led the way with 28 points on 9-15 shooting while teammate Jon Leuer added 20.

Then, it became a source of humor for other teams, particularly the New England Patriots who took pot shots at the fetish in a press conference last week.

Now it appears people are embracing it, including Jets fans. Here’s a couple of ladies showing off their lovely feet for the head coach. What say you Rex? Do these ladies have what it takes to make a fetish video? Or is this one of those situations where your wife might get jealous?

Well, all those were fine and dandy but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Bart Scott’s post-game interview yesterday is unmatched. Some have said that it reminds them of a WWE interview with Sal Palontonio playing the part of “Mean Gene” Okerlund. I’m in the camp that believes Scott was channeling his inner Clubber Lang.

Regardless of who it reminds you of, it’s a must-see video.

0-3

Amazingly, 3-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady has now lost his last 3 playoff games. I say amazingly because Brady was nearly unstoppable in his first few years in the league in the post-season. But ever since the Spygate scandal and the loss in the Super Bowl to the Giants a few years ago, Bill Belichick and his band of merry men have been more of a regular season team. And dare I say, Brady has replaced Peyton Manning as the best “regular season quarterback”.

15

How successful an organization are the Pittsburgh Steelers? Well, next weekend they will play in their 15th AFC championship game. Thus far in the storied history of the franchise, they are 7-7 winning 6 Super Bowl including ones in 2005 and 2008. They are favored against the Jets at home next weekend and if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continues his incredible play, they will no doubt head to their 8th Super Bowl. Truly an amazing statistic.

111.3

Jay Cutler’s postseason debut could not have gone better. His 274 yards and 111.3 QB rating was more than enough to push the Bears past the Seahawks at home yesterday. The knock on Cutler for years has been his inability to not make the “big mistake”. Interceptions, taking unneeded sacks, and fumbles at crucial times haunted him for years including part of this past regular season. But it appears Cutler has figured it out. Let the defense and special teams do a lot of the damage and just manage the game.

315

Despite his suspension from the Iowa football team and his drug possession charge, running back Adam Robinson wants back with the program. At a news conference yesterday, Robinson admitted to possessing marijuana and was given one-year probation with a $315 fine. Kirk Ferentz dismissed the running back on January 3rd but it appears Robinson has a legit shot to get back with the team, albeit not until the fall.

He never really recovered physically from the play and still occasionally walks with a limp. But for the first time, we’re starting to see the effects of that injury on Theismann’s brain.

During a roundtable discussion on the NFL Network for these weekend’s playoff games, Theismann hilariously referred to Patriots running back Danny Woodhead as Danny Woodcock. Thankfully, “head” and “cock” are synonymous in many applications, so in essence, I can’t really fault Theismann too much here.

But truly, the shot across the bow that has scored the most points came from soft-spoken Wes Welker yesterday in a press conference. It was subtle, and yet at the same time, so over-the-top hilarious that it’s honestly worthy of an Oscar nomination.

Just watch how many times the word foot is mentioned in this clip.

Well played Wes, well played sir. It appears the Rex Ryan “foot” fetish thing is still fresh on the minds of many in the NFL.

As if the Jets-Pats game this weekend needed yet another spark to the rivalry, defensive back Antonio Cromartie told the NY Daily News that he hated Tom Brady and that he was an ass—-. Apparently, having cool hair and a smoking hot girlfriend doesn’t endear you to your NFL peers.

Cromartie, in his first year with the Jets after four years with the Chargers, backed up Ryan Tuesday when he was asked by the Daily News if he’s ever seen Brady pointing after the Patriots score.

“We see that a lot. He does it a lot,” Cromartie said. “That’s the kind of guy he is. We really don’t give a damn, to tell you the truth.”

Okay, what kind of guy is Brady?

“An ass—-.

“—- him.”

You have to assume, given Darrelle Revis’ prowess, that Brady will probably be targeting Cromartie’s side of the field a bit more often this weekend. And now, given Cromartie’s recent foot in mouth incident (don’t get too excited Rex), it’s a wonder if Brady will make it a point to pick on him all day long.

If anything, this makes the build up for the game much more interesting. I fully expect a Patriots player to come to the aid of Brady by ripping on Cromartie’s inability to remember his kids names. In my opinion, it’s still THE highlight of the NFL season.

Jets’ Antonio Cromartie tells Daily News he hates Tom Brady, calls Patriots QB an ‘ass—-’ [NYDN]

But while I realize that Rex has a hatred of the Colts, I’m not sure subjecting them to his fetishes really solves anything.

I don’t know, call me crazy but I’m thinking that’s probably a poor choice of words there.

H/t to Guyism writer Matt Lo Cascio for the screen grab. You can find more of his wonderful work at Popculted.

Do Rex Ryan and his wife, Michelle, have foot-fetish videos floating around the web? Perhaps. No one can say with any certainty it’s them. Yesterday, Deadspin posted several videos of a person bearing a striking resemblance to Michelle Ryan and in one of those videos, a man’s voice behind the camera sounds exactly like Jets coach Rex Ryan.

Here is the video in question. Judge for yourself.

Most will say that whatever the Ryan’s do in the privacy of their own homes is their business. Something I most assuredly agree with. However, when you make the mistake of posting videos for the world to see and for some reason have online accounts to foot-fetish websites with your own personal information out there, somebody eventually is going to put it all together. This isn’t Sherlock Holmes territory folks, a few clicks here and there and voila, you have your answer.

Oddly enough, the Jets responded to the story in the NY Daily News last night. A spokesman said, “This is a personal matter and Rex will have no comment.” And there you have it. A “no comment” in this situation is essentially an admittance of guilt.

Again, if the Ryan’s are foot-fetish freaks or even swingers, that’s their prerogative. In fact, the sex lives of football players, coaches and other athletes are usually only a media issue when somebody takes a pic of their dong and “accidentally” sends it to the wrong contact in their list. If I was Ryan, instead of hiding from this situation now, I’d embrace it.

Tell the media to literally “f$#@ off”. If you and your wife want to make homemade porn, or if you enjoy sharing your wife with the fellas at “Bang Bros”, so be it.

Let the man who doesn’t have a strange sexual fantasy cast the first stone.

This May Or May Not Be Rex Ryan’s Wife Making Foot-Fetish Videos (UPDATE) [Deadspin]
Jets coach Rex Ryan’s wife Michelle may have doppelganger starring in foot-fetish videos [NYDN]

297

Ford Field may very well host two Brett Favre milestones within weeks of each other. His consecutive start streak was broken there yesterday and the Vikings play the Lions in the last week of the season. Given all the trials and tribulations Favre has faced this year, he probably won’t be coming back next year. Although, as I say that, I can easily see another team making the trek to Kiln, Mississippi to court him sometime next July.

99,95

It’s hard to blame Matt Schaub for the loss last night despite his terribly thrown pick 6 in overtime. In the 4th quarter alone, Schaub had drives of 99 and 95 yards to lead the Texans to an improbable tie with Ravens. Had the comeback been complete, Schaub would have been remembered for years to come as leading one of the greatest comebacks in MNF history. But as it stands now, people will just remember him for the interception.

25,000

Yesterday we told you about Sal Alosi, the Jets strength coach who tripped a Dolphins player on the sidelines. A punishment was to be handed down but nobody knew exactly what it was going to be. Well, the Jets finally decided to suspend him the rest of the season and fine him $25,000 dollars. Not sure how much he makes but regardless, $25k is a lot for an assistant coach. Then again, not like anybody feels bad for him. What he did was absolutely despicable.

9

Maybe the Miami Heat just needed time to well, “heat” up. After a disappointing start to the season, the team seems to be playing with more chemistry led by Dwyane Wade’s offensive resurgence. They’re currently on a 9-game winning streak as they toppled the Hornets 96-84 last night. And again, Wade was unstoppable breaking the 30-point barrier for the third consecutive game.

941

The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is unraveling before our very eyes. Last week, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was charged for running a drug house and faced multiple felony chargers. Yesterday, two of his teammates were suspended including star running back Adam Robinson who led the team with 941 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this season. No word on whether or not he was involved with Johnson-Koulianos but the timing does seem rather odd otherwise.

Watch this clip below as Dolphins special teamer Nolan Carroll streaks down the sidelines to cover a punt and cameras catching Alosi red-handed trying to trip him.

Alosi has sinced apologized for the incident releasing this statement Sunday night:

“I made a mistake that showed a total lapse in judgment,” Alosi said in a statement. “My conduct was inexcusable and unsportsmanlike and does not reflect what this organization stands for. I spoke to Coach [Tony] Sparano and Nolan Carroll to apologize before they took off. I have also apologized to Woody [Johnson], Mike [Tannenbaum] and Rex [Ryan]. I accept responsibility for my actions as well as any punishment that follows.

No disciplinary action has been taken as of yet, but you have to expect the Jets and/or the NFL to drop the hammer on him pretty soon. Maybe not an outright firing, but a suspension for the rest of the season seems extremely likely.

Alosi has been working in the NFL as a strength coach for nine years now and as a former player himself in the collegiate ranks, he’s more than aware of what constitutes a cheap shot.

Suffice to say, this one was the lowest of the low.

Sal Alosi apologizes, will accept “any punishment”[PFT]

That may have been the most exciting part of the Patriots-Jets bloodbath on Monday Night Football yesterday. By the way, props to the Betsy Ross-esque stitcher of this hairpiece as that thing looks like it could withstand Hurricane Katrina.

.393

In a rather interesting move, the Denver Broncos fired Josh McDaniels after an abysmal start to the 2010 season. Following an 8-8 season last year, the expectations for McDaniels were the playoffs. But after some horrific losses and a Belichick-esque spygate scandal, it was only a matter of time before McDaniels was shown the door. Yet another disciple of the Patriots coach who has failed elsewhere.

72

Sadly, Don Meredith passed away yesterday at the age of 72. Meredith was a former Cowboys quarterback but will probably be most remembered for his days on the Monday Night Football broadcast with Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford. R.I.P. Dandy Don.

148.9

Was that the Detroit Lions playing on prime time last night or did the Jets just suck that bad? Tom Brady threw for 326 yards and had 4 touchdowns in an absolute beat down of Rex Ryan’s team 45-3. Though Brady was not perfect in the literal sense of the word, his 148.9 QB rating was as close as it comes. His counterpart, Mark Sanchez was the complete opposite throwing three interceptions and was barely a blip on the Patriots radar.

106.7

Albert Haynesworth wanted everybody to know that he was indeed, not hungover last week and was instead just ill. Those were the rumors circulating on the web the last few days as Haynesworth was held out of Sunday’s game. Haynesworth pleaded his case to local radio station 106.7 but alas, the damage to his credibility has already been done.

4

Four finalists were named for the Heisman Trophy ceremony that will be held on Saturday. Among them, Cam Newton, who has fought back accusations of receiving money from Auburn boosters the last few months. The other candidates, LaMichael James, Andrew Luck and Kellen Moore certainly have a shot but this is Cam’s Heisman to lose. If voters ignore the scandal, he should win pretty handily.

Fan is short for fanatic. It is however, not short for stupid, idiotic, and/or drunk and disorderly. Inevitably, when people talk about taking fandom too far, this will be the story they refer to:

“8-year-old Jets fan tackled by Cleveland Browns fan“.

This is an excerpt of a mother’s “letter to the editor” in Tuesday’s Cleveland Plain Dealer.

As a birthday gift, my husband and 8-year-old son attended the Browns-Jets game. The Jets are their favorite team. What started out as an exciting day ended with an injured little boy.

We knew there would be hecklers, but never would I have thought that my son would be called an expletive to his face or have hot dogs thrown at him. But the worst was when he was tackled by a drunken adult male in the parking lot. Yes, tackled! Can you imagine the fear that went through his mind as this buffoon landed on him with full force? It makes me sick to see the very large scrape and bruising he received.

Allow me to ride atop my high horse for a moment. If, for whatever reason, you feel the need to tackle another human being because they root for the opponent, you’re a loser. And no, you’re not an ordinary loser, you sir, are a full-fledged douchebag.

As for the person who tackled an 8-year old boy, you’re well beyond douchebag territory, you’re a criminal. Don’t pass go, don’t collect $200, go straight to jail. Do society a favor and stay there awhile too.

And while we don’t have video of the incident in question (thankfully), we do have other evidence of Browns fans being more than harsh to visiting Jets supporters on Sunday.

(*Warning, language is a bit strong)

8-year-old Jets fan tackled by Cleveland Browns fan in spotlight after mother’s letter to Plain Dealer; family declines Jets’ offer [Cleveland.com]