Rex Ryan’s Hypocritical Leadership Will Only Lead to More Distractions for Jets
The bombastic, loud, over-the-top coach who was seen sneaking snacks all summer on Hard Knocks is suddenly quiet. He's "embarrassed" by the way Braylon Edwards acted, saying it's time to "stop it" — "whatever it is."
Let's take a look at Ryan's full Wednesday diatribe:
"Quite honestly, I’m tired of dealing with some of these issues. I’m tired of the embarrassment to our owner. I feel it’s an embarrassment to our owner and this organization. Let’s just end it. Let’s stop it. Whatever it is, however severe, minor, we don’t need to be that team. This team works too hard to be looked at in this light. Yes, we have a great time. We have a lot of fun. We get after it. We play a physical brand, but the other thing is, as you guys know who are here every day, this football team works and we compete and we study. We do everything it takes to win. That’s what we’ve got to focus on instead of other issues, myself being as guilty as anybody."
Truer words may never have been spoken.
While it's nice for Ryan to not deny his role in the team's collective attitude, he might not have realized that in saying he was "as guilty as anybody," he was essentially invalidating just about everything he just said.
It's reminiscent of this summer, when he lashed out at his team for not taking its scrimmage seriously, as the defense spent pregame warmups wolfing cheeseburgers from McDonald's.
"There's a difference between having fun and being a jackass," he screamed at his team back in August. "Our defense was a jackass when we went to Hofstra, eating a bunch of [expletive] cheeseburgers before we go stretch and all that. That's being a jackass. … Let's make sure we play like the [expletive] New York Jets, and not some [double expletive!] team. … Let's go to eat a [expletive] snack."
Mind you, this is the same man who spent much of the first episodes sneaking extra snacks within the Jets facility. It's the same man who used a news conference in June to run a film breakdown of his first-pitch delivery as compared to that of Stephen Strasburg. The same man who flipped off a camera in Miami at a UFC event — perhaps in the most "embarrassing" situation of them all.
Basically, Ryan wants to have his cake and eat it too (the pun's not intended, but it sort of works, no?) He wants to be the man. He wants the players to look upon him as more of a friend than a boss. He wants to tell those players how good they are. He doesn't want to point out their flaws. He wants his team to kick ass, take names and then make jokes.
But in the NFL, a league full of overpaid, egotistical giants, that doesn't work. A defensive coordinator or position coach can pull it off, because he's not responsible for the whole team, but a head coach cannot.
Ryan's learning that the hard way, as his Thursday news conference featured nothing more than a non-update.
"As far as Braylon Edwards goes, I’m not going to make any further comment. I have no further comment. I went over all that [Wednesday], so I would like to move on and talk about other things. … I don’t have anything to add. It’s as simple as that. … Nothing’s changed. We’ll make that decision [how much Edwards will play] when it’s time to make that decision.
"I’d rather focus on the other things."
For once, Ryan could actually put his money where his mouth is, saying he'll be benching Braylon Edwards for his "embarrassing" DWI. Instead, he won't. Edwards will likely get his playing time (especially considering he hauled in five passes for 64 yards and a touchdown in Miami for his Jets debut last year), and for Rex, all that disappointment and embarrassment will just be more lip service.
Of that, Rex is clearly king.
Is Rex Ryan to blame for the Jets' distractions? Share your thoughts below.
