The loudmouth leader of the Jets backed-up draft bust Vernon Gholston last season despite three subpar seasons in New York, saying at one point, "He's going to be an excellent player, I really think that." After the Jets released Gholston in April, however, Ryan couldn't wait to take a shot at the defensive lineman, calling him a "phony" in his book, Play Like You Mean It.
Now Shaun Ellis, a 12-year veteran who reportedly signed with the Patriots on Sunday, is getting the same Ryan treatment as Gholston.
"The fact that [Ellis] chose [the Patriots] … like I said before, there's no way I'm going to wish him well, there's no chance of that," Ryan said in a news conference on Sunday. "I wish him to be healthy, but I don't want him to play that well."
Ellis played very well in a Jets uniform, racking up 552 tackles and 72.5 sacks while twice being named to the Pro Bowl since making his debut in 2000. A favorite of Ryan while he was a member of Gang Green, Ellis will now have a chance to face his former team twice next season, something his ex-coach is highly anticipating.
"He's going to be revved up, ready to go," Ryan said. "And our guys will be, too, so it'll be fun going against him."
The 34-year-old Ellis was a menace to the Patriots' offensive line in the Jets' 28-21 win over the Pats in the AFC Divisional playoffs. The "Big Katt" had five solo tackles, two sacks and two other hits on Tom Brady as the New York defense stifled the top scoring team from the regular season.
Ellis was looking for a new deal from the Jets, but according to Ryan, the team was only willing to offer the veteran's minimum.
"Sometimes, you only have so much (money)," he said. "You got a piece of that pie, once it gets down to it. We’re pretty much down to it."
