Woody and Rex: Is it Healthy?

Jan 8, 2013; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson (right) and head coach Rex Ryan (left) review the 2012 season and address changes for 2013 at the New York Jets Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Tuesday morning, we heard our owner and head coach come out and give us their message going forward. I mean, they couldn’t talk a lot of specifics, especially in terms of players, because we don’t know who will be making the decisions from the general manager position. Understandable, whomever they hire is going to need to make their own evaluations on the roster, so we won’t look too much into that for now. But let’s look today at the relationship between Woody Johnson and Rex Ryan. Woody has clearly put all of his stock in Rex Ryan’s basket moving forward. Is that the right move? Is the relationship healthy?

I hate to agree with Mike Francesa when it comes to the Jets, but he made a point about the press conference that made sense. Remember when Rex talked about feeling like it was his first day? It isn’t. There have been four years here. And in those four years, Rex Ryan failed this offense. How do we know that? He said so:

I think I just have failed in that area. And for whatever reason, it’s hard to see that but, I think it’s clear that that’s where I’ve come up short.

Keeping that in mind, think about this: “It’s like my first day”. He basically is telling us that he wants a do-over for the last four years. Four years, and especially the last two years, when the Jets offense couldn’t get out of its own way. Rex is basically coping to the fact that this was all his fault, and that we should give him more time. And Woody Johnson is being complicit in the do-over concept. Is Woody really that infatuated with Rex Ryan? What could Rex had done or said to convince Woody Johnson that he could fix a problem, that he hasn’t been able to fix over four years? The way the offense ended in 2012, for Woody to believe that Rex is still the guy, that is quite a love fest. Is it healthy? I just don’t know.

By the way, we all heard Rex say that he hasn’t injected enough of him into this team, right? Didn’t Rex tell us that Tony Sparano was exactly like him? Ummm…wouldn’t that mean that Rex was putting himself into the team, via his mirror image? Rex is talking in circles, and pretty much reminding everyone that he has no clue about offense. But yet, Rex Ryan will have input in the hiring of the General Manager? Woody is in love with this man. Is this healthy?

Rex is a terrific coach. But the facts are the facts, and the offense is getting worse and worse under his watch. He has convinced Woody Johnson, however, that he can fix it all. There is quite the love fest going on between these two. Is it healthy? I am not sure. I hope Woody knows what he is doing, that’s all I can tell you.