NFL

RYAN KEEPS IT ‘LIKABLE’

It’s doubtful any Jets player would describe the Eric Mangini Era as “likable.”

But that’s how Ravens defensive tackle Trevor Pryce described playing for Rex Ryan, the leading candidate to become the next Jets head coach.

“It was never us versus the coaches the way it is some other places,” Pryce said today. “It’s always the Ravens versus whoever, and that’s the biggest compliment I can give him.”

Pryce was speaking as Ryan prepares his unit for Sunday’s AFC Championship against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

“Especially in our defensive room, what Rex has done, and I compliment him on this all the time, is he has kept it likable,” Pryce said. “It’s easy to police yourself when you’re given that leeway.

“It’s one thing if you have a coach or the Gestapo or something like that and he’s always like, ‘You stink. You did this, you did that.’ [Ryan] doesn’t have to do that because we do it ourselves, and that’s what makes it likable. That’s what makes it one of those things where you say, ‘I don’t want to let down my teammates, but I don’t want to let my coaches, either, because we are all the same.’ That’s one thing I felt when I first came here.”

Like the rest of the Ravens, Pryce is resigned to the fact Ryan will leave for the head job with the Jets or Rams, and that he is ready for the challenge.

“There is no question about it. I’d like to sit up here and say something different so he stays, but I can’t do that to him,” Pryce said. “He’s going to be a fantastic head coach.”

Safety Ed Reed echoed the party line, that Ryan deserves his shot now. He can’t be hired until the Ravens’ season is complete, which could be after Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1.

“I think [he] is a hell of a coach, what he brings to the table,” Reed said. “He’s definitely tradition-oriented and can step in anywhere right now and lead a franchise. But that’s not on me. That’s up to GMs to make that decision.

“But as a defensive coordinator, we already know what Rex Ryan brings to the table.”