Rex Ryan is getting fired up.
Sitting in his office after a practice in June, he is talking about the 2014 Jets. As he speaks, the words come out quicker, he leans forward in his chair and his blue eyes sparkle.
“Somebody asked me if we focus on New England. Bullsh–,” Ryan told The Post. “We’re focused on us. We’re focused on us and how are we going to be better. I have to be honest, I don’t worry about them. They need to worry about us. I think that’s really where we’re at now.”
Yep, as the Jets open training camp, Ryan still is here and so is his trademark confidence.
Last year was supposed to be it for Ryan. The experts predicted a terrible season for the Jets and no way the arranged marriage could work between him and new general manager John Idzik. Ryan’s seat was hotter than a midtown sidewalk in August.
But here he is, now entering his sixth season as the Jets head coach. He is just the fourth coach in the team’s history to last that long, and the first since Joe Walton in the 1980s.
Ryan has outlasted controversies and missing the playoffs. He has survived the Buttfumble and Tebowmania. Of the 11 coaches hired by NFL teams in 2009, Ryan is the only one left in the job.
“I think I’m just starting,” Ryan said. “That’s how I feel. One thing I know I have is an opportunity. It’s right there in front of me. I can’t wait for it. I cannot wait to get this thing kicked off this year. I cannot wait.”
The Jets and Ryan begin the season Wednesday when they report to Cortland to open training camp. Last year, Ryan had to bring together a cast of new players and coaches. He said that at this time last year they “were just getting to know each other.” The belief was they would struggle to win five games. They finished 8-8 and owner Woody Johnson handed Ryan a two-year contract extension through 2016.
“I’m fortunate to have Mr. Johnson as my owner,” Ryan said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt. He’s a guy that doesn’t cave to pressure or whatever. When he hired me, he told me he chose me. He’s the one who hired me. I think he believes in me. He believes in us.”
Even though Ryan was given a contract extension, he has little job security. The second year of the extension is not guaranteed, so he will face questions about his future again this season if the team stumbles.
Not that they will faze Ryan.
Asked if he ever worried about losing his job last year, Ryan said, “Nope. Not once.”
He believes in Rex Ryan, even if you don’t.
“I have confidence in me,” Ryan said. “I also have confidence in the man that hired me. He sees it, just like you saw it.
Everybody saw it that followed us. They knew we were getting better. That’s what the man wanted. I know when Mr. Johnson and I sit down and we have a talk one-on-one, he tells me what he wants. I go out and do whatever I can to deliver whatever he wants. I knew he wanted a team going in the right direction. That’s it. He knew it was going to be a challenge but he wanted this team to be going in the right direction. That’s where we left it. That’s where this team is going.”
But Ryan knows the Jets need to be better than just “going in the right direction” this year.
“8-8 is not going to be good enough for us, for anybody in this organization,” Ryan said. “Am I going to get fired if we’re 8-8 or whatever? I don’t know. But I can tell you one thing — our goals are set a hell of a lot higher than that. I don’t care where they rank us or whatever. I know what we’ve got. That’s why I just can’t wait. I can’t wait to get to prove it. Not by me. I’m going to prove it. I am going to prove it. But so is my team. That’s the mission that we have.”
In many ways, this feels like Ryan’s second act as the Jets coach. Watch a rerun of “Hard Knocks” from 2010 one day and you will see the main “characters” that show focused on are all gone — general manager Mike Tannenbaum, quarterback Mark Sanchez, cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, receiver Santonio Holmes — except Ryan. He has reinvented himself both physically (losing more than 100 pounds) and publicly (toning things down) under Idzik.
Ryan needs eight more wins to tie Walton for second place in the franchise’s history with 54 coaching wins (including playoffs). There are just eight coaches in the NFL who have been with their team longer than Ryan.
“I know how fortunate I am,” Ryan said. “I’m an average-ass guy, but given an unbelievable opportunity. I know I can coach. I know I can lead. This is a sport that guys will see phonies. Guys can tell you who is a phony and who is the real deal. One thing I know I am, I know I’m the real deal. I’ll tell you what I believe to be the truth. I think you would assume that’s easy to do. It’s not. I’ve never wavered from what I want for this football team, the vision I have for this team. It’s been consistent from the day I took the job.
“I think that’s a reason I’m still here. I’m not a phony. Have I made mistakes? I’ve made a million mistakes. But I don’t know how many more guys will be more dedicated to their team and their belief and their organization than I am.”
Going camping
The Jets open training camp this week. Here is what you need to know if you are thinking of going:
Where: SUNY-Cortland
Open practices:
July 24-July 27
July 29-Aug. 1
Aug. 2 (Green and White scrimmage at 7 p.m.)
Aug. 4-5
Aug. 9-13.
All practices are at 10 a.m. unless otherwise noted.
Admission to all Jets training camp events are free, but tickets are required. Fans can register and print tickets, as well as find information on parking and directions on newyorkjets.com/camp. Practices may be delayed or canceled due to inclement weather.
Closer to home: The Jets also will have open practices at their Florham Park training center on Aug. 19 at 12:30 p.m. and Aug. 20 at 11:15 a.m. There is an exclusive practice for season-ticket holders on Aug. 18 at 11:30 a.m.
The Jets will conduct a “family night” on Aug. 21 at Hofstra University at 5:30 p.m. The team will hold a walk-through practice and “Jets Fast” activities will be there.