At least the Baltimore Ravens believe Rex Ryan would make a good head coach. In fact, they’re rooting for him.
“I think everyone in this building wants Rex to become a head coach,” Ravens president Dick Cass told Bloomberg Radio. “We all wish maybe it would not be this year, but he deserves the opportunity.”
Ryan is one of the Jets’ top two candidates, and has interviewed for the Rams’ opening.
The Ravens hired John Harbaugh instead of Ryan to fill their head-coaching vacancy last offseason and seem resigned to losing Ryan to another team this year.
Cass said Ryan “deserves the opportunity to become a head coach. He’s done a great job. I don’t know if it will happen this year, I expect it might.”
Ryan, the team’s defensive coordinator, was promoted to assistant head coach when Harbaugh was hired.
“Rex will be a tremendous head coach for whoever is smart enough to hire him right now,” Harbaugh said yesterday at his weekly news conference. “We’re hoping he stays. But that’s a great opportunity for him, either one of those spots (Jets or Rams).”
Ryan, an assistant in Baltimore since 1999, can’t be hired until the Ravens’ season is complete. The Ravens play at Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game Sunday, and a victory there would put them in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.
The Jets interviewed Ryan for five hours Sunday, and reportedly told him they are willing to wait until he is available. The team, searching for Eric Mangini’s replacement, is expected to choose between Ryan and Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports “the Rams almost certainly won’t wait” for Ryan should the Ravens win Sunday, pushing Spagnuolo and perhaps Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to the top of their list.
However, the paper reports “sources close to Ryan say he remains very interested in the Rams’ job.”
Cass’ interview with Bloomberg Radio’s “On the Ball” program airs Jan. 17.