Sunday’s New York Jets’ Win is Indicative of Why Rex Ryan Should Stay

Dec 8, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan with referee Gene Steratore (114) and field judge Bob Waggoner (25) on the field before the game against the Oakland Raiders at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

We are in the final quarter of the season. These last four games, many are saying will determine Rex Ryan’s fate going forward as head coach of the New York Jets. There is a decision coming as we all know. John Idzik was stuck with Rex for 2013, but the assumption is that he can make his own decision going forward, and that the final four games were going to be the deciding factor.

Prior to Sunday’s game against the Raiders, owner Woody Johnson spoke to his happiness with the direction of the team. However, the decision will still need to be made in concert with general manager Idzik. That being said, the 37-27 win over the Raiders on Sunday is case and point on why Rex Ryan should be back, as has been my view the entire time.

First of all, the Jets now, at worst, have equaled their record from last year, as they would finish 6-10 if they lose the final three games. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you think about the Jets’ roster, it says a lot. Whether we want to admit it or not, this roster is not as good as last year. The defense may have had more POTENTIAL than last year, but in terms of proven talent, the roster is not as good. The defense had a lot of young, unproven players on it. But still, Rex Ryan has gotten enough out of them to equal last year’s record, and potentially go 9-7 or 8-8.

That says a lot about the job Rex has done.

Look at how this team has performed. Yes, they have been up and down. Yes, they lost three games in a row, when they were in the driver’s seat for a Wild Card berth. But they have NOT quit on Rex. If anything, Sunday’s game shows how hard they want to fight FOR Rex Ryan. Make no mistake, these guys here the talk. The players are active on Twitter, and they read the papers, hear the talk radio…etc. They know Rex’s job is on the line, and they want him to stay. They love playing for him, and Sunday’s game is proof. They would not have played well if they had given up.

They are fired up to keep Rex around.

Then, look at the way Geno performed Sunday. Finally, with a well-conceived game plan, with short to medium timing passes, he played efficiently. Frankly, he played as efficiently as he has all season long. The Jets finally let it go as the West Coast offense should look, and the offense played well. I don’t care the opponent, you can only beat the team in front of you. The fact is the offense looked good. With a healthy roster, and well conceived offense, this team CAN play well.

Is it really prudent to take Geno Smith back to square one with a new system? Unless we know for sure that a new coach keeps Marty and David Lee, Geno goes backwards. What about the defensive line? Does anyone want Karl Dunbar taken away from these guys? I sure don’t. Could likely happen if Rex is gone.

This team is still fighting hard. Why? Because Rex is the coach. Nobody is getting more from them than he is. Keep him around.