You get the impression Jets coach Rex Ryan is watching a different game than the rest of us.
Rex-o-Vision is always positive and optimistic and nothing changed yesterday despite his 4-7 team’s comical 49-19 loss to the rival Patriots on Thanksgiving night. Though the rest of the league was laughing about the Keystone Jets performance, Ryan remained defiant.
“I’m responsible for everything,” Ryan said yesterday morning on a conference call with reporters. “I’m responsible for the 4-7 record and I’m responsible for how we play. But I will say this: I’ll also be responsible for how we finish, and I’m confident that we’ll finish.”
The gap between the Jets and Patriots now seems to be wider than Boston Harbor. Just two years ago, it seemed like Ryan was gaining on Bill Belichick and Tom Brady when his Jets beat them in the playoffs. Since then, the Jets are 0-4 against the Patriots, who looked like the varsity playing the JV on Thursday.
In the wake of the most recent loss, Ryan would not concede that he never will catch Brady and Belichick.
“To say that [the Patriots are] that much better than us? No, I don’t believe that,” Ryan said. “They’re a good football team, there’s no question, they’re an excellent football team. But to say we’ll never catch them? That’s ridiculous. There’s absolutely no percent of a chance that I believe that in my heart, and I’ll never concede that.”
Ryan pointed out the Jets took the Patriots to overtime last month and cited the bizarre 52-second sequence Thursday that resulted in three touchdowns as the reason the game was so lopsided.
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“You turn the ball over five times, what do you expect the score to look like? That’s it,” Ryan said. “You have a couple blown coverages against a great football team, the way the game came out, that was reflected on the scoreboard.”
The second quarter sequence was replayed over and over yesterday on TV, particularly quarterback Mark Sanchez fumbling the ball after crashing into guard Brandon Moore’s backside. The Jets allowed a touchdown on defense, offense and special teams that sealed their fates.
“It’s still hard to fathom the one stretch,” Ryan said. “I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years of coaching football or following football.”
The Jets are now left at 4-7 to play out the string, and barring a miracle, they will miss the playoffs for the second straight season. Unless the Jets win out, it also will be their second straight non-winning season. The Jets have not suffered consecutive non-winning seasons since 1995-96, also known as the Rich Kotite years.
This all comes after Ryan said this could be his best team in training camp. Instead, they look like his worst. They have not won consecutive games all season and have beaten just one team with a winning record.
“I never thought we’d be in this position, but we are,” Ryan said. “I have to get better right now and we have to get better, and I’m confident we willWe have five games left in the regular season, and I think that we will get better. I know we’ll get better.”
Ryan sounds delusional when talking about how the team is improving.
“I saw us making strides up until this game and even in this game,” Ryan said. “I think our offense is improving, I really believe that. And I think we’re running the ball more efficiently than we have, and I think our protections are better. Obviously it’s not going to look like that when we get blown out 49-to-whatever, but that’s what gives me confidence. I think we are getting better on that side of the ball. And then on defense I’m confident that we’ll get back to playing much better.”