Rex Ryan Needs to Go!

Dec 8, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan walks the field during the pre game warmups against the Oakland Raiders at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Rex Ryan needs to find a new job, his time has come to finally get the ax in New York and move on, and I’ll tell you why. We all remember 2009, when the Jets fired coach Eric Mangini and brought in Rex Ryan. We can all remember the Super Bowl guarantee he made that same season. The Jets proceeded to make it to two consecutive AFC Championships with a roster full of talent that he inherited from the Mangini era. Everything was great in Jet Nation, the fans and players loved this guy! Then things went a little awry and Rex was on the hot seat by 2012, and many analysts believed he needed to make the playoffs in 2013 to have any chance to retain his job. He we go into 2014, the Jets gave him an underwhelming extension of one yr at the same salary and I for one think it was ludicrous!

Rex Ryan has been here for five years and has not won a single title! He’s failed to unseat the Patriots as division champs, so no AFC East title. He failed two years running to secure an AFC Championship, losing to both the Colts and Steelers. The Jets haven’t returned to the playoffs since! The last three yrs he’s managed to post an 8-8 record followed by a 6-10 team, and finally last year’s 8-8 crew. As the Jet head coach his overall record is 42 wins vs 38 losses, a mere .525 winning percentage. Now, the Jets haven’t had many head coaches with a better winning percentage, but let’s face it, just four games over .500 isn’t very impressive! In actuality it’s mediocre, and this life long Jet fan has tired of the mediocrity! He’s won absolutely nothing since his hiring!

The Player’s Coach. Much has been said about how Rex Ryan is a player’s coach and that because they love to play for him, he gets the most out of them. I personally see it as a worn out cliché around Jet nation. While it’s true, that player after player have come out and said they love playing for Rex, I haven’t seen any results on the field. A defensive coordinator may get away with being “one of the guys”, and Rex was a very successful DC in Baltimore. As a head coach however, you need to be a leader, a head coach needs to be able to discipline his players and you can’t do that efficiently when you are their “friends”. Rex has shown he is hesitant to bench a player, especially veterans. He has his favorites, and seemingly they can do no wrong. His refusal to bench Sanchez during years of sub par performances is just one example. Most recently, the handling of Cromartie’s injury last season was inexcusable, week after week Rex allowed him to go out there injured and play horrendously! Rex’s closeness with his players is not an attribute, it clouds his judgement and affects the entire team.

Then there is his love affair with the spotlight! His constant bravado in the press is for one reason, to shine the light on himself, and quite frankly it’s embarrassing! Super Bowl guarantees!! Playoff claims!! Warning divisional rivals to worry about his team! The latest was my favorite, he proclaimed to the press that he was a very good head coach!! We’ve heard about the “Sanchez Tattoo”, the “Running with the bulls”, the appearance at the “World Cup”, not to mention the “Foot Fetish Fiasco”!! Rex Ryan loves to make the front page of the sports page! All these headlines have served Rex well, making him a celebrity in New York, but sadly they’ve done nothing good for the New York Jets!