If the last names sound familiar to football fans, they should.
And considering Rex Ryan’s background, it might not be a matter of happenstance that three NFL offspring are among the 56 players in the Jets’ rookie minicamp this weekend, either.
Like the head coach, whose father Buddy famously roamed sidelines for decades, Matt Simms, Joe Suhey and D’Anton Lynn practically were born in a pro football locker room — Matt to ex-Giants Super Bowl winner Phil Simms, Joe to longtime Bears fullback Matt Suhey and D’Anton to Broncos running back-turned-Jets assistant coach Anthony Lynn.
All three offspring might have the proper bloodlines, but just to show how tenuous the sport can be, this weekend could be it for Simms and Suhey in a Jets uniform. Both are tryout players, not even under contract.
Even so, the mere presence of the three hopefuls is something Ryan labels “a huge advantage” for the Jets.
“Obviously, I’m here because my dad was a coach in the NFL,” Ryan said Saturday after the second session of the three-day camp. “That helped me immensely. You grow up around the game, and them being here shouldn’t be looked down upon as [nepotism]. You’ve been around the game your whole life, so you’re not going to be intimidated by anyone.”
The bulk of the attention is focused on Matt Simms, the former Don Bosco Prep standout who also is the younger brother of ex-NFL quarterback Chris Simms.
Simms, whose college journey finished at Tennessee, threw a couple of nice passes in Saturday morning’s workout but still appears unlikely to land an invitation to training camp in the form of a free-agent contract. after his college journey featured stops at three different schools — USC and a California junior college before ending at Tennessee.
Simms said he worked out for the Giants before the draft but received a cool reception from his dad’s former team. Only the Jets stepped forward with an opportunity for the 6-foot-3, 210-pound prospect to show his stuff.
Asked what his opinionated TV analyst father offered as advice, Matt Simms said: “Don’t mess up.”
Lynn, a cornerback from Penn State, actually had his choice of teams as an undrafted free agent but chose to sign with Gang Green despite Ryan and his father telling him they would understand if he went elsewhere.
“I was talking to other teams, but I love watching the Jets’ defense and I love the way Rex Ryan and Dennis Thurman coach,” said Lynn, who the Jets are giving a look at safety. “Ever since my dad’s been here, I’ve always thought how cool it would be to be a Jet.”
Suhey, a fullback and Penn State teammate of Lynn’s, had no connection to the area or the Jets aside from his dad playing for the Bears while Buddy Ryan was their defensive coordinator — a connection that was good enough for Rex.
“I told him if he is half as good as his dad was, he’ll be here,” Ryan said.
None of the prominent offspring expects to benefit from his last name.
“They’re all about business here,” Lynn said. “We’re all definitely going to have to earn our spots.”