That’s Just Rex Being Rex
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
You can say one thing about Jets coach Rex Ryan, at least he’s consistent.
We predicted in this space yesterday that Ryan would be good for a bulletin board nugget or two for the Patriots this week. Just one day into the week long pregame hype, Ryan fired two salvoes New England’s way.
Early in the day Monday he made Sunday’s divisional playoff game a one-on-one showdown between himself and Bill Belichick much the way he did last week with the Colts’ Peyton Manning.
“This is about Bill Belichick versus Rex Ryan,” the Jets head coach said. “There’s no question, it’s personal. It’s about him against myself. That’s what it’s going to come down to.”
Later in the day on his weekly radio appearance on ESPN 1050 in New York, Ryan continued, “you can’t want to beat someone worse than I want this one.”
The Jets coach also said that he felt the Patriots “rubbed their noses in it” in New England’s 45-3 win in Foxboro in early December. Ryan said that has only added fuel to his fire making him want this one even more.
Ryan also couldn’t resist taking a shot at Patriots QB Tom Brady who apparently didn’t watch the Jets-Colts game live Saturday night. Brady, instead, chose to take in the Broadway play “Lombardi” with his wife Giselle Buncheon. “Peyton Manning would have been watching our game,” Ryan said. It was another shot at Brady whom he said only “thinks” he studies as hard as Manning does in the build up to last week’s game in Indianapolis.
The Patriots, as usual, didn’t take the bait although Belichick did respond with a bit of humor himself. “I might have a little quickness on him, he’s probably got a little more strength and power on me,” said the Pats coach. “I don’t think you’ll see either of us out there making any blocks, or tackles, or runs, throws or catches. At least you won’t see me doing that. It’s probably a good thing for our team.”
Regardless of how you feel about Ryan’s approach to this huge game on Sunday, a few things seem clear. First, the man isn’t afraid to speak his mind or of the ramifications of his comments should his team lose. He’s remaining true to his character.
Some also claim that this may be Ryan’s way of taking the pressure off of his players this week by placing the spotlight on himself. The flipside of that is that he is putting his players in a tough position come game day where they have to win or else face the ridicule for his bold, but unfulfilled predictions.
Lastly, he makes it a lot of fun for both the media and the fans who eagerly anticipate this game.
If the Jets win and go on to do great things this postseason like winning a Super Bowl, Ryan will be hailed as the king of New York. However, should the Jets lose, the wisdom of his outward bravado will be questioned by both the media and the fans. It may also be questioned by those who play for him which can eventually be a dangerous thing for a head coach.
None-the-less, this is just Rex being Rex. And come Sunday night at about 7:30pm, he will either look like the biggest genius or the biggest fool in the entire National Football League. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
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