MIAMI — The Jets 2013 season comes to an end Sunday. Will Rex Ryan’s time as Jets coach end with it?
The Jets head to South Florida to finish their season against the rival Dolphins. The 7-8 Jets are playing for pride and their beleaguered head coach. The 8-7 Dolphins have much more on the line. They need a win and some help to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Ryan’s fate should be announced Monday when owner Woody Johnson and general manager John Idzik are expected to reveal their decision. Ryan said this week that he was not worrying about his future, just preparing for the Dolphins.
A team source confirmed an ESPN report that the feeling around the Jets on Saturday was that Ryan would return in 2014. Ryan and Idzik met on Friday night. The biggest question is under what conditions would Ryan return. Would he receive a contract extension beyond 2014 or go into the final year of his contract, a rarity in the NFL. There are also questions about his staff. Several assistant coaches’ contracts are up, including defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman, special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica and assistant head coach Anthony Lynn.
“The only expectation I know that I have and that we’re fulfilling is getting ready for Miami,” Ryan said. “That’s been the theme all year and that’s the way it is. We just focus on this week and that’s it.
“So as far as expectations, that’s where my expectations are, that we’re getting ready to play this game and I think our guys, we’ll see, the proof being the pudding on Sunday, but I think our guys are going to play well.”
It is anyone’s guess whether this game will impact the thinking of Johnson and Idzik at all when it comes to keeping or firing Ryan. But Ryan said this week the team’s final record matters to him.
“I’d much rather have eight than have seven,” Ryan said. “There’s no question about that. However that is, I’d definitely rather have eight wins. There’s no question.
Like I said, we’re excited to go there for other reasons. We’re going to measure how much we’ve improved or have we improved and I think we’ll all see it. I think that’s big. You have a non-losing season, maybe in the big picture it’s one game, but it sure sounds better to be 8-8 than it would be 7-9.”
The players have talked about winning a second consecutive game for the first time this season and also getting a rare road win. There is also the idea of knocking the Dolphins from the playoffs.
“This is our last game of the year, so we want to make sure it’s their last, too,” cornerback Antonio Cromartie said. “The other thing is it would put us at 3-3 in the division and just finish on a high note with a two-game winning streak going into next season.”
Here is how The Post sees today’s game breaking down:
Marquee Matchup
Jets RB Chris Ivory vs. Dolphins LB Dannell Ellerbe
Ivory has been a major bright spot for the Jets down the stretch. He had 109 yards rushing last week, his third 100-yard game of the season. Over his last seven games, he has 584 rushing yards and is averaging 5.7 yards per carry, second in the AFC.
The Dolphins have struggled against the run. They rank 25th in the NFL against the rush, giving up 122.9 yards per game. Ellerbe is the man in the middle trying to stop that trend from continuing. He has 94 tackles this season.
Repeat or revenge
These two teams are meeting for the second time in a month. The Dec. 1 meeting was ugly for the Jets. They allowed a season-high 453 yards to the Dolphins and lost 23-3 with an offense that could do nothing and a defense that could not tackle.
Dolphins wide receivers Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline had big games in the first meeting. The Jets feel better about their secondary now. A big reason why is they feel rookie Dee Milliner finally has gained confidence. He was benched in the fourth quarter against Miami on Dec. 1.
Welcome home
Geno Smith grew up five minutes from Sun Life Stadium. Now, he concludes his rookie season close to home. Smith has played better in the Jets’ last three games. He is using his legs more and has cut down on the interceptions. Last week he played his first turnover-free game since early November.
The Jets coaches had a lot of praise for Smith and how he has developed in his rookie year.
“He worked so hard and diligent with his footwork and his preparation,” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. “The guy didn’t blink now, I’m just telling you, he didn’t blink at anything that has happened, up to date anyway. That’s a real good sign. I think there were more times than not that he looked like a real good NFL quarterback and then there were some times things were hitting him in the face. If you learn from it, if you rarely make the same mistake twice, you’re in pretty good shape. That’s sort of what has occurred.”
By the way, the only other time Smith played in Sun Life Stadium was the 2012 Orange Bowl when he was at West Virginia. He led his team to a 70-33 win that day with seven touchdowns.
Q Rating
One player whose development will be crucial for the Jets this offseason is linebacker Quinton Coples. The second-year pro played fairly well this season, his first as a linebacker. After suffering an ankle injury in the preseason, Coples has improved as the season went along. He has 4 ½ sacks entering Sunday’s game and has been putting pressure on the quarterback. Coples needs to improve in setting the edge. That was on display last week when Josh Gordon ran past him on an end-around.
“I think he has more to give,” Ryan said this week. “Obviously, I like the way he’s playing. I think he’s playing hard. He’s doing those types of things, but I still think he’s not to where he could go. In the system, some small things, but through experience, I think he’s going to get there, recognizing blocking patterns a little quicker, those type of things.”
Closing time
The Jets have been terrible in their final games the last two seasons. They return to the scene of one of the lowest moments of the Ryan tenure — the final game of the 2011 season. It was there that Santonio Holmes fought with teammates and was benched for the final two minutes of the game when the Jets were knocked from the playoffs.
This is likely Holmes’ final game with the Jets. He is expected to be a cap casualty in the offseason. Can he close out his Jets career with a memorable game?
Numbers to know
3-6: Rex Ryan’s record against the Dolphins.
508: Rushing yards in the Jets’ last three games. That ranks second in the NFL during that period.
38: Catches for Jeremy Kerley this season, the most on the Jets. That would be the lowest total for the Jets’ leading receiver since 1979 when Derrick Gaffney had 32. Wesley Walker led the 1982 team with 39, a strike-shortened year.
Costello’s call
The Dolphins are coming off a terrible performance against the Bills. It won’t happen again. Miami will be focused on getting to the playoffs. The Jets are going to be thinking about vacation. DOLPHINS 31, JETS 10