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Rex Ryan was back Tuesday. Back from the beach. Back for another season. And back delivering his trademark bravado.
Ryan emerged from his nine-day silence yesterday and addressed his future as the head coach of the Jets. Sitting next to owner Woody Johnson, who spared him last week but fired general manager Mike Tannenbaum, Ryan did not deliver any Super Bowl guarantees as he did when he was hired four years ago, but the coach broke out plenty of bluster.
The question now is: Can he finally deliver on any of it or is it just more hot air?
“We’re going to be the team that you don’t want to play,” Ryan said. “We’re a dangerous football team. We are going to attack you from the minute that whistle blows. We’re going to attack you on offense, defense and special teams. That’s what I have to give the fans. That’s my job. That’s my responsibility.”
Ryan and Johnson spent 40 minutes talking to the media for the first time since the day the 2012 season ended with an embarrassing 6-10 finish. The 50-year-old coach, who has a 38-32 record over four seasons (including postseason), admitted he has failed to find an answer on offense. The Jets fired offensive coordinator Tony Sparano on Monday night, leaving Ryan looking for his third offensive coordinator.
“I think where I’ve come up short, in my opinion, for four years … I think through this experience that I don’t think I’ve done as good a job of implementing who I am throughout this team,” Ryan said. “I want a physical, aggressive, attack style of football team, whether it’s offense, defense and all that — unpredictable in all three phases. That’s what I want.
“I don’t think I’ve done a good enough job of getting that through to the entire football team. Certainly, I think it’s gotten through to defense and special teams. I don’t think it’s necessarily gotten through, from schematic things, for anything offensively.”
The Jets offense finished ranked 30th this season under Sparano. The Jets also announced they were parting ways with defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. Secondary coach Dennis Thurman will take over for Pettine, according to a source.
Johnson sounded like he was as enamored with Ryan as he was the day he hired him in 2009 and Ryan promised trips to the White House. The owner said he never even thought about firing Ryan after a second straight season without a trip to the playoffs.
“I never considered that because my confidence in him as a coach obviously gives me the confidence to keep him as a coach,” Johnson said. “Having been in business and football for quite a while now, you can recognize talent when you see it. I hate to put excuses, but there were some extenuating circumstances that I think we can improve and get better.
“I think Rex Ryan is perfect for the New York Jets. He’s just like a New York Jets fan in many respects. He’s hard-working, very smart, sophisticated. He’s 100 percent in this team. There’s nobody more committed to this team and has the skills to bring it forward than Rex.”
Ryan said he was not sure if he would remain as coach until Johnson told him last Monday. He has two years and $6 million remaining on his deal. He now views this as a chance to start over.
“I was concerned because I know the year that we had was nowhere close to the expectations that we had as an organization,” Ryan said.
It seems, with Johnson’s unwavering trust in him, he had little reason to be worried. Johnson said Ryan would even be involved in the selection of the team’s new general manager. Ryan later clarified on ESPN Radio he would be involved “late in the process.”
Ryan is now viewed around the league as a lame duck coach who will be fired if the team does not make the playoffs next season, hurting the team’s chances with top offensive coordinator candidates. Johnson disputed that idea and said there is “no mandate” on Ryan to make the playoffs.
As for working with a new GM, Ryan said he believes they will have the same motivation no matter who it is — to win.
Ryan delivered his usual bluster yesterday. He’s promising big changes. If he doesn’t deliver, there may be a new coach sitting next to Johnson at this time next year.
“We’re not going to be bullied,” Ryan said. “Fans don’t like for their team to be embarrassed. We were embarrassed at times last year. That’s not going to happen.”