Link: Rex Ryan’s Swagger Is Getting Noticed
Anyone itching to get righteously indignant? Mike Freeman, CBSSports.com’s National Columnist writes a put up or shut up column about Rex Ryan. Do I even need to mention that he is peers with uber-douche Gregg Doyel?
Not certain about the rest of you, but I would love to see an organization with the sort of losing and embarrassing history of the Jets, oh, you know, win before the head coach starts beating his chest and running his mouth like he’s Big Pussy from The Sopranos.
Remember these are the Jets. It was this team that made one of the worst acquisitions in recent history with Brett “The Vikings love me/they love me not” Favre. The last time the Jets won a Super Bowl, Nixon had just been elected president. That’s fitting, seeing as Nixon was a trash talker, too.
Not only is Ryan speaking a little too much, his father is as well. Buddy Ryan, who was the best defensive mind football has ever seen, tended to run his mouth a bit despite the fact that as a head coach he didn’t win anything. In Philadelphia, Buddy never reached a Super Bowl despite having a greatly talented team. In Arizona, Ryan went 12-20.
The little mouth, apparently, doesn’t fall far from the big mouth. When Buddy took over the Eagles he boldly declared they would win the NFC East. Now, not only is his son making crazy statements and wildly bold predictions, the father continues to do so. “I think you can near guarantee yourself a Super Bowl if they stay healthy,” Buddy said this week of the Jets.
Oh, boy.
Ocho Rexo sounds just as silly as pops. He’s the guy with a larynx larger than his biceps who has had a few too many beers taking on the biggest, meanest guy in the bar. Challenging New England the way he has without a win under his belt puts Ocho Rexo in the same category as Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco. Rex has failed to also show the current division champions, the Miami Dolphins, a modicum of respect.
If you’re pissed and uppity, then my congrats / condolences. You’re a good fan wanting to defend your team, but you’re also falling into the trap that Freeman wanted you to fall into in the first place. In my mind, there are generally two types of sports columnists, ones who report news and genuinely try to provide insight, and then those who live to rattle the cages of fans. A quick look at his article history and it’s clear that Freeman is a cage rattler.
The truth is though, that he’s got a point. I like the fact that Rex is injecting some cockiness into the team, but I guess I still have some Mangini Hangover to get through. True, Rex has a great track record for defensive prowess, true Rex has his team motivated and ready to ‘go to war’ for him, but he’s not played a game yet, doesn’t know what type of team he really has, and if he doesn’t win, we’re going to be talking about how much we enjoy the “close to the vest nature” of Brian Daboll’s regime in three years from now.
Its really easy to say now the Favre acquisition failed…but the worst in recent-history? Woody and Tanny took a risk, a big risk, and while maybe it was seat license-driven, it was a chance at making things happen in the playoffs. people soured on Chad and Favre gave us a SHOT…a CHANCE, at making the playoffs. I liked the move…its not our fault favre got hurt and played horrible, or that the coach got soft with his defense. plus a playoff team WITH favre would have done wonders to seat-licenses.
damn bassett…Freeman got me.
whatever…thats the beauty of Rex Ryan, he doesnt care what others think. He is acting in the best interest of what he sees in our team…and thats all that matters because he’s the coach.
why should bow down to the patriots or the dolphins…sure miami won the division, but rex doesnt care b/c he wasnt here for that. this is his team now, and his swagger includes acting like the best. I understand we should play a game first ,but football is an emotional sport, our players should be confident, regardless of the past.
Here’s Corey’s take on the same article from this weekend in case you missed it:
http://www.thejetsblog.com/2009/06/13/king-rex-love-him-or-hate-him/
Could care less what these hacks think
And why should Rex respect anyone in the division?
Bills have never won a Super Bowl
Dolphins have not won one since 1973
NE has never won one without cheating
This is such a non story, because it means nothing– I wish more coaches and players would do this. Channing Crowder is not going to try and play any harder against the Jets, he is a professional. Bill Belicheck won’t coach any harder. I wish this was encouraged, it is all in good fun. There were no personal insults exchanged, all in good taste.
Rex knows exactly what he’s doing. He is taking the spot light off his players, is building team confidence, and is getting into the heads of the collective division. Sparano spent his whole press conference trying to convince anyone who would listen that it’s only June and he wanted to talk about his team, but the questions kept coming back to Rex, much to Sparano’s frustration.
It’s obvious that Rex learned from the master manipulator, his father. Buddy was a master at getting into an opposing player or teams head. Rex is just sending a message, one that needed to be sent if we are really going to be taken seriously.
Yeah, the Jets tried the Eric Mangini way and that didn’t work so great. The team quit on Mangini, that’s why he was fired, not because Farve crapped the bed, which no one blamed on Mangini. Point is the Rex needs to be himself to be a good coach, and not try to be some Belicheat clone.
you can’t tell the guy to shut up before he’s lost either
doh, didn’t see corey got this!
sorry corey!!
As Rex talks, notice how many reporters flock to him and away from Sanchez, Clemens, T Jones and Leon.
I just got my recorded call from Rex asking that we season ticket holders go out and make the Meadowlands a tough place for the opposing team. Suffice it to say, I never got a recorded call from Mangini.
kip128;
So you would rather hear the coach and not the players talk?
For starters, I am a giants fan, so clearly this will have a little bias in it.
However, what Rex Ryan is doing is stupid. There is not one other coach that has done as much talking in the last 10 years as Rex Ryan has done in his first few months on the job. Why does he feel the need to carry himself with such a tough guy attitude? Is it because thats how he wants the jets to play? If so, talk tough to your players behind closed doors. Is Rex trying to be the star here? It’s like he wants to be the next parcells and be a quote machine.
I agree that Ryan’ words will not affect how hard Bellicheck or Crowder prepare to play the jets. But, if that is going to be the position taking by the posters here, than it should also be stated that Ryan’s tough guy act isnt going to make the jets play any harder either. You can’t claim it will make the jets play harder and tougher if its not also going to affect your opponents.
Ryan seems to be an engaging coach, one his players will probably like playing for. However, this type of nonsense is unneccesary. Right now his sole focus should be on his team and getting them prepared to play.
Someone name another coach who has had success talking all this smack.
Hank, its not about me wanting to hear the players. Its about individual media pressures that are put on the players that they may not want. NY writers can be ruthless, particlarly when there’s nothing else to write about. If players want to be heard that’s fine and they’re finally not under a regime that censors that. I have no doubt that if Mark Sanchez wants to make himself heard, he’ll be heard. Frankly, in the world of twitter and facebook, sportswriters are entirely unnecessary with regard to gaining access to players themselves.
Matthew,
Isn’t it better that coaches talk rather than players? Buttle on “Jets Nation” had a great point…coaches don’t play, so all they can do is talk and Buttle loved the talking. Buttle’s a Jets legend, if Brad Van Pelt said that about a Giants HC, what would your reaction be?
I’m a NY Rangers fan and I still remember that in Mike Keenan’s first meeting with the Rangers before the 1994 season (and in his first season coaching the Rangers), he played a video of the ticker tape parade down the “Canyon of Heroes” that would happen when the Rangers “won” the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. Pretty cocky, huh? IMO, that’s what Keenan had to do to start the mental makeover of a team that hadn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1940. I see Rex doing the same exact thing. This Jets team collapsed last year and needs its psyche rebuilt, not it’s roster. Plus, the Jets have the baggage of no Super Bowls since 1969…a long and embarrassing drought. The new HC coming in and saying so passionately that he believes that the team will be a success has to rub off. Rex has been AWESOME and I think if you were a Jets fan, you’d think the same thing.
matthewlouissimoneschi,
“Someone name another coach who has had success talking all this smack.”
How about his father, Buddy! As I said above, Buddy was a master at getting in people’s heads. You should have seen the press conference at the Dolphins facility during the Crowder fiasco, they were in disaray, they didn’t know what to say or how to react. It was funny s hell, and I bet Rex loved every minute of it.
I don’t think anything Ryan has said is really that crazy. If he had said he thinks the offense would be the best in the league..that’s crazy! But the guy is a defensive star coach! Baltimore dominates on D..so It can also be seen as setting a public standard for what will be expected..to be the best!
Hank,
You missed the point. By putting the spot light on himself, Rex is diverting the attention from his players. It makes it easier for the to relax and concentrate on football, rather than having to address their contract issues or whatever. The players can talk if they want to, but I’m sure they would rather not have to address their holdouts or perceived lack of experience, or whatever negative questions they may ask.
Let’s keep a little perspective, here.
Football is entertainment. The entertainment season is September through January when very large, well paid men play a game we would all love to have the skill to play. So we watch them every autumn and get a vicarious thrill.
Finally, in a very long while, the Jets have arrived at a means to offer entertainment to its fan base between February and August — the Rex Ryan Show.
You love it and are entertained; you don’t love it and you’re not entertained. End of story.
I am entertained. There really is NO news until training camp, so listening to Rex Ryan be Sexy Rexy is pure, harmless fun. What a delight to hear any coach, and a JETS coach at that, talk the way you would like to hear yourself talking if you were to be a pro football player or coach! Wouldn’t you want to tell the world that you’re the baddest if you sincerely thought you were and wanted to have fun with it?
The period of Sept. – Jan. will, certainly, offer plenty of course correction along the way on all these points raised by Ryan and/or players.
We will certainly win or lose a football game in the middle of November. This will be caused merely by which team scored 1 point more than the other side — either through effort or error. That’s it. The outcome will NOT be caused by something Rex said in June, believe me.
So, this is STRICTLY for entertainment purposes during a dull non-football time. Any other reaction to it is incredibly silly.
As for this bogus football media storm here, let’s get a tad real, here, folks. I have happily never heard of all these trash-talking “sports writers” who aren’t sports writers at all, just dweebs on a web site who perhaps never played sports so fall back on “Howard Stern show”-type antics to call attention to themselves.
I listen to Tim McCarver or John Madden because they’ve been there; I don’t listen all that much to Jack Buck or Bob Costas because they haven’t been there, although they’ve been awfully close to their sports for a long time, so have legitimate viewpoints.
But whenever a boil on the butt of legitimate media (this Freeman guy or the Doyel kid or any other useless Sean Hannity lite) starts shouting to grab some rating or hits that they can’t generate on merit, I chuckle and tune them out.
They’re useless Flotsam and Jetsam and not worth our time.
Link to these morons as you must for those among us masochistic enough to endure these children, but may we keep our focus on the Jets, and not what some headline grubber is peddling (including PK)?
Thanks!
>>>>Someone name another coach who has had success talking all this smack.<<<<
Someone name me a coach who talked this much smack………..peroid!
No coach in my memory has ever talked like this. He was expecting to win the super bowl within two years in his first press conference
It’s always been the generally accepted belief that you just don’t do it. And human beings generally being the sheep they are, they considered this gospel.
Well I say screw that.
Show no fear. It’s our new motto.
Anybody who’s taking Rex seriously and getting up in arms over some confidence and tongue-in-cheek ribbing is either a hater or has no sense of humor. Trash talkers make sports fun if they’re doing it without being disrespectful, which Rex clearly is. As another writer wrote “what else would you rather hear about in June? The Favre saga?”
To anyone offended by Rex’s motormouth, have a nice tall glass of LIGHTEN UP. If we have a bad year, Rex and the fans will be the ones that look silly. Rex and us fans clearly have no problem with the trash talking, so just let us look silly if we don’t win. But I can’t wait to read the “Rex was a genius for changing the Jet culture” articles if we DO have a big season.
i ignore most writers, he’s another one added to the list. why not talk a bit? sure it pisses me off when other teams and players do it, and this obviously sounds hypocritical, but thats irrelivant, because i deem it to be.
I really hope BUDDY BOY gets his butt handed to him this season. He definitely deserves it. Welcome to the AFC BUDDY BOY!!! You are not the TOP DOG!!! Trying to pick fights with players doesn’t justify your integrity or your intelligence!
Correction:
WELCOME TO THE AFC EAST BUDDY BOY!!
FONZ-
You are a disgrace to Jet fans everywhere and I dont even understand why you add comments like that to a site full of Jet fans. You truly baffle and make me sick
In addition Fonzie,
Rex isnt talking all this smack to make himself a star or boost his ego and cred. By doing this, as ramble has said before, he sets himself up as the fall guy. If things go south he puts all the pressure on himself and not his players. All they have to worry about is playing football. If they falter Rex looks bad and his players save face.
On the other hand he is putting HIS stamp on HIS team. Mangini is GONE. He is never coming back and his days and ways are OVER. The Jets arent gonna be sitting around taking personality tests, micro managing off the field BS. Rexy wants his team to be brash and smack people in the mouth and then tell em how they did it. “Do onto others before they do on to you.” Rex’s attitude has gotten him the respect as one of the best defensive minds in the NFL and now the Head Coach of an NFL franchise. The guy has coached in high school, college and the pro’s and been part of championship teams at every level (yes, its true, google it). Dont tell the guy how to coach his team when my guess is the closest you’ve ever come to a football field is the stands