IRVING, Texas -- Let the gamesmanship amongst the Ryan brothers begin.
When asked via conference call about the Cowboys' reworked offensive line with three first-year starters, Jets head coach Rex Ryan delivered this jab: "Against our defense, I'd be nervous."
Maybe "nervous" isn't the right word. "Guarded" might be better. The Cowboys' young linemen (second-year center Phil Costa and rookies Tyron Smith and Bill Nagy) performed well in preseason, but now they're facing a pressure-packed Jets defense. Since 2009, opposing passers have completed an NFL low 51.2% of their passes against the Jets and sacked 72 times, tied for 12th-most over the span.
Rex Ryan said he expects a shorter passing game to counteract the Jets' rush. And there's no question the line of scrimmage will be critical to the Cowboys' success.
