Rex Ryan tells Jets players he's going to be fired
The news hit the airwaves this morning that New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan might be let go after this season.
ProFootballTalk:
According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, Ryan told his players in a team meeting that “the word on the street” was he was getting fired, so they should “ride with” him the last two games.
Of course, this isn't terribly unexpected seeing as the Jets fired GM Mike Tannenbaum, who hired Ryan, last off-season.
The Jets are currently 6-8 and Ryan's overall record as coach is 40-38.
It's unlikely that Ryan would be without a job for long if this actually happened, and firing him is likely a big mistake.
As someone that roots for the Patriots, this is good news. Not only is the man that declared he would never kiss Bill Belichick's Super Bowl rings on his way out the door of the Pats' biggest rival, but it could also mean that the Jets would be less of a threat going forward.
Ryan has not always had the talent at his disposal in his five seasons as Jets head coach. When he did in his first two years, he took the team to two straight AFC Championship games. Some bone-headed drafts and horrible contracts later, the Jets had a good defense and horrible offense and missed the playoffs every year since.
The Jets always seemed to play hard for their coach, which is usually a sign that he has the respect of the locker room. However, Ryan has been doomed by poor quarterback play, like so many other coaches.
When you give a man Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith and tell him it's playoffs or bust, that's asking quite a lot.
One thing that should leave Patriots fans feeling a little bitter is that Ryan goes out a victor against the Patriots, as the Jets won their last meeting in overtime, 30-27. I'm sure he's happy about that.
