TAMPA — Rex Ryan wisely stopped predicting the Jets will win the Super Bowl, but that didn’t halt him from admitting he believes the Yankees are in for a banner season.
“They don’t want me predicting anything, but we all know what I’m thinking,’’ Ryan said from a box seat next to the Yankees’ dugout for Monday’s 4-2 victory over the Nationals at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Ryan sported a T-shirt with a caricature of Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” character and the words “Feeling Lucky?”
Ryan, a Yankees fan since 1975, has high hopes for the team and a lot of that is based on Mark Teixeira delivering a big season.
“I think they’re going to do great,” Ryan said. “The main thing, as everybody knows, if they can stay healthy and get Teixeira back, it will be a huge thing. If he can stay healthy, you’re talking about a guy who can drive in 120 runs. If they can do that, I think they’re going to be in great shape … and excited to see the pitching staff to see how they develop.”
Down on the field was Joe Namath, wearing a Yankees uniform with No. 12 on the back.
“Joe looks pretty sweet in that uniform,’’ Ryan said. “He still looks like he can throw a couple still. I would be more of a DH role.’’
As far as his own team, Ryan is taking a quieter approach.
“This being my sixth season, you probably learn that saying you are going to win the Super Bowl is not a great thing all the time,’’ he said. “You know what? At the end of the day it’s what you shoot for, but to flat out say, ‘We are going to win the thing’ … I never thought I would have put pressure on my players, but that’s exactly what I did. So I learned a few things over the five years that looking back on it wasn’t the smartest thing to do.’’