Rex Ryan Looks Back on Five Years as New York Jets’ Coach

Dec 15, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan tight end Zach Sudfeld (82) on the sidelines in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Merry Christmas, Jets’ fans. Thanks for taking time out of your holiday to spend a few minutes with the Jet Press.

We are in the middle of what could be the final week of Rex Ryan’s five-year tenure as coach of the New York Jets. Many of us will be disappointed if that is the case, but none the less, it might happen.

Over five years, there have been some highs, and some lows. Rex was asked to reflect on his five years when he spoke with the media yesterday:

Well, obviously we’ve had a lot of good moments. We’ve had some down moments. I don’t like the fact we haven’t been to the playoffs for three straight years. That’s a huge thorn in my side and everybody else’s, this team’s, even in our building. The reason I say (that is because) it represents the commitment the organization has and the goals of the organization, the goal of the organization is to win championships and multiple championships and we haven’t done that. I haven’t been successful at doing that yet. I understand that. We’ve had some moments where we’ve been close but we haven’t gotten there. The biggest disappointment is the fact that we haven’t gone to the playoffs in three straight years.

The players will not be happy if Rex is gone. They love playing for him, and they talk about how he relates to all of them. Rex talked about the importance of that:

That’s easy. I was a very average player (joking). Alright, I was way below average as a player (joking). Everybody is important. That’s what makes a team. It’s not just the top guy on the roster. It’s all of them. I think when we talk about our whole being greater than the sum of our parts, that’s what we get at. Everybody is important, everybody has a role. Guys’ roles change all the time but the role of an individual, from the outside might not look that important, but it’s huge. (Saalim) Hakim, his role is, alright he’s been activated these past few weeks, he’s going to play Ted Ginn (in practice) one week (and then) he’ll play Mike Wallace (in practice) this week on the practice field. That’s a big role because without effort and all that, you don’t get guys ready to play games. So I think everybody has value, I don’t think there’s any doubt. I’m proud of our team, I’m proud of the way each guy has contributed to our team. Collectively, I understand, we have not come close to what we wanted to do as a football team. Believe me, I get that. I’m still proud of the effort that our guys give, I’m proud of the effort we give in the classroom and on the practice field every day.

Hopefully, we will get more time than this week to talk about Rex Ryan. You all know my feeling here.