Jets’ guarantee now in writing

Football: Rex Ryan’s Super Bowl guarantee is now in writing.

The New York Jets coach was asked to sign his team’s logo sticker on the back of ESPN’s tour bus at training camp Thursday, a few hours after Joe Namath watched practice. Instead of just signing his name, the brash Ryan wrote: “Soon to be Champs.”

“I’ve got confidence to put it up there,” Ryan said Friday between practices. “I don’t have to just put, ‘Go, so-and-so.’ Yeah, whatever. To me, I believe we’ll do it, so why wouldn’t we say it? Why wouldn’t we go for it?”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who was aboard the bus, wrote in his column on ESPN.com that Ryan was the first this summer to write anything other than his name.

Ryan has said many times that the Jets are a Super Bowl-caliber team, and has irritated some fans, opposing players and media with his bold, sometimes-outrageous comments.

Associated Press

Old beyond their years

Football: The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense knew it was getting old. But this old? Not yet.

Due to a computer error, the Steelers’ media guide bumps up a number of players’ ages by four years each. James Farrior is listed at 39, Aaron Smith at 38, James Harrison at 36, Larry Foote and Ryan Clark at 34, Troy Polamalu at 33.

Losing fourth-quarter leads five times in the same season, as the Steelers did last season while going 9-7 and missing the playoffs, is enough to age any defense. Only not quite this much.

Associated Press

Woods struggles at Bridgestone

Golf: Things got so bad for Tiger Woods off the tee in Friday’s second round of the Bridgestone Invitational at Akron, Ohio, that he had to supply his own soundtrack.

“Get in the hole!” he sneered under his breath at an errant iron shot into the par-3 seventh hole, repeating the cliched phrase so often yelled by the loudest of his fans.

Woods followed up his worst round ever at Firestone Country Club, a 4-over 74 on Thursday, by matching his second-worst round, a 72. He did make the cut, but is in jeopardy of losing his world No. 1 ranking. In his 261 PGA Tour starts, he has played the first 36 holes worse in only four tournaments.

Associated Press