Content available exclusively for subscribers
Rex Ryan quotes are all over the internet from interviews he did with the New York Daily News and New York Post. He had a lot to say, and some it you might need Dr. Phil for insight on why he said what he said.
Like, why did he go down this road?
“Do I think that I’m a great coach? I absolutely know I’m a great coach,” Ryan told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
Or why go here?
“Somebody asked me if we focus on New England. Bullsh–,” Ryan told Brian Costello of the New York Post. “We’re focused on us. We’re focused on us and how are we going to be better. I have to be honest, I don’t worry about them. They need to worry about us. I think that’s really where we’re at now.”
What on earth is the point of this?
One long-time football writer wondered if it was marketing-driven?
“Rex pumping himself up in interviews is getting pretty old. ‘I’m a great coach, blah, blah.’ Does Belichick talk about what a great coach he is? Did John Wooden, Chuck Noll, Vince Lombardi, etc. do that? No. It’s like Rex isn’t even sure himself whether or not he’s a great coach. This still seems to me like Rex playing carnival barker for Woody and getting the Jets in the headlines so they can sell tickets,” said the writer.
Is it marketing-driven? It’s very hard to prove that.
It is important to point that these interviews didn’t just take place. They were done towards the end of the Jets’ off-season program, around mini-camp.
The reporters sat on the quotes until now, so they could do these stories right before camp opened.
By pointing this out, I’m not being critical of Mehta and Costello, just giving you some background.
Reporters know they will have to do a bunch of stories leading up to camp, so they often save stuff for the stretch we are in right now. You really now no access to players or coaches, aside from a charity event here or there (David Nelson has one tonight in NYC, so you will see some quotes, perhaps from Geno Smith, in tomorrow’s papers).
Here is another excerpt of what some think is Rex extolling his own virtues.
“I know I can coach,” Ryan said. “I know I can lead. This is a sport that guys will see phonies. Guys can tell you who is a phony and who is the real deal. One thing I know I am, I know I’m the real deal. I’ll tell you what I believe to be the truth. I think you would assume that’s easy to do. It’s not. I’ve never wavered from what I want for this football team, the vision I have for this team. It’s been consistent from the day I took the job. “I think that’s a reason I’m still here. I’m not a phony.”
That is kind of esoteric view – he is still coaching the Jets, because he’s not a phony.
You might think I’m picking on him, but I’m just being honest. I don’t get the theory that he’s still the coach because he’s not a phony.
One prominent former Jet ran into a guy who worked for me at the airport a couple of years ago, and said, “Rex is a phony.”
So there are different views on this.
It is important to point out that the former Jet never played for Rex, just against him.
I do think players love playing for him, and would run through a brick wall for him. They truly love the man, the way he speaks to them, the way he takes care of their bodies in practice. There is no question he connects with the modern athlete.
As far as, “I know I can lead,” there are different ways of looking at that.
As I just mentioned, players play hard for him because they truly love the man.
But the “Uncle Rex” persona we often refer to, borrowing a nickname Bart Scott gave him, does have some shortcomings.
In 2011, when Antonio Cromartie was struggling, Ryan told Dennis Thurman it’s up to him whether to bench “Cro” or not.
That is a case of poor leadership. If you are going to make a lineup change, especially one of that magnitude, the head coach needs to make the decision. You don’t delegate that kind of decision.
Rex seems like a guy who wants to be loved by everyone, and true leaders, can’t be loved by everyone. I think any expert on leadership will tell you that.
You have to make tough decisions that are going to upset people.
And like I wrote in the latest issue, Rex’s “loyalty to the point of defiance” is going to be tested this summer.
The Jets have a lot of tough decisions – difficult lineup decisions, and exceedingly tough final cut decisions.
If there is a better nickel back in camp and in preseason games than Kyle Wilson, will Wilson keep the job due to “loyalty to the point of defiance?”
Rex sometimes believes if he believes in somebody enough, that will make them play better. Almost like he can will them to the next level.
And sometimes when he gets into that bravado mode you saw in the Daily News and Post, that strategy seems to be at work – his powerful believe in my players and team will make them play great.
We can talk about the rhetoric all we want, but Rex is going to be judged by his record, not his words, so I’m not going be too critical of Rex and his words.
Wow, is this going to be an interesting summer and season.
I have to admit, covering this team, there is rarely a dull moment.
And even the quiet time before camp has been loaded with Rex and Jets news.
July 21, 2104
Premium will return by 9:30 pm on Tuesday.