Rex Ryan Talks About Team Preparation for Monday Night in Detroit

Oct 26, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan (R) stands on the sidelines during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Jets will be taking on the Bills on Monday night at 7 PM, out in Detroit at the neutral location of Ford Field. The announcement came last night, prompting a change in schedule for the Jets, as well as the Bills shipping out to Detroit yesterday afternoon to have the opportunity to practice.

Coach Ryan talked yesterday about the work that was done to update the schedule, and the changes that needed to be made:

I guess we all know that the game’s being played in Detroit. (It was) moved to Monday. I think it’s a big challenge, obviously, for both organizations to get things rescheduled and get it out, but I know it’s not hard for me, so I just wait. ‘Where are we going? Ok got it.’ But, for (senior director, team operations) Clay Hampton and (senior manager, team operations) Aaron (Degerness) and guys like that, they do a tremendous job and we kind of take it for granted. I’m sure it was a big challenge for them. But, right away (we) got the logistics done, so we’re ready to roll. Everybody was full go today and everybody’s probable for the game. Like I said, no excuses. Here we come.

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Ryan advised that the plan is for two walkthroughs, to maximize the extra time without the extra potential of injury:

Yeah, that’s the plan and what we’re going to do though is do a little conditioning just to get them going a little bit. I don’t want to just sprint them like crazy where they could be sore or whatever. But (we’ll) just put it in the capable hands of (head strength and conditioning coach) Justus (Galac) and our strength coaches and they’ll have a plan for our guys, just to stay sharp that way. But again, we want to be there fresh and ready to roll and we will be.

Ryan said that as a fan, he might have liked the result to turn out differently:

Well, I’ll never criticize the league, so of course the league did a great job. But I think I’m sure the priority was to play the game in Buffalo, but obviously we’ve seen the unbelievable pictures. That’s clearly the thing, that it’s about the people of Buffalo and the fans and all that. But you know that the league never wanted to move the game, there’s no way. So, obviously, the conditions have to be just incredible. You hope everybody’s safe. I think that’s the main thing. And when they did decide to move the game, hey, we just go and we know we’re in a different stadium and all that, but quite honestly I think as a fan of football, I would have liked to have gone to Buffalo. I appreciate their fans and all that, but, obviously, that’s not the case. Is there an advantage to us? I’m sure it’s going to be an easier venue for us to play in than Buffalo. Buffalo’s a tough place to play, so I’m happy in that regard, but (as) a fan of football, I would have liked to have gone to Buffalo.

Ryan’s point is easy to understand. The Bills have a devoted fan base, as does the Jets. “Bills Mafia” is alive and well, and passionate about their team. It’s tough to see them lose a home game, but safety has to come first. Both teams will be ready for Monday night, that I am sure of.

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