Rex Ryan might think highly of himself and his football team, but there are apparently plenty of players around the NFL who aren’t so impressed by the boisterous Jets coach.
Ryan was voted the league’s most overrated head coach in a midseason poll conducted by the Sporting News. He was the overwhelming choice, receiving 35 votes as part of the poll, which asked 103 players from 27 teams about a number of topics.
Ryan is in the midst of his fourth season with the Jets, and the results so far this season have been rather inconsistent, with New York sputtering to a 3-5 start. If the Jets fail to make the postseason, it will mark the second consecutive year that they’ve missed out after going to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010.
“Rex Ryan. His coaching style is over the top. Some of the things he does in front of the cameras are way over the top. You put that with the New York media and he has a pretty big reputation, I guess,” one AFC offensive player told the Sporting News. “I don’t even know if you’d call him overrated anymore because it’s gonna be a couple of years since he was in the AFC finals. He’s pretty funny, and he’s a pretty good coach. But not that good.”
Proof that one doesn’t need to be outspoken to be considered overrated, though, is Bill Belichick‘s place on the list. The Patriots’ head man received 16 votes, which has him ranked second. Philadelphia’s Andy Reid, Washington’s Mike Shanahan and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin round out the top five.
On the other end of the spectrum, there was a tie for the NFL’s most underrated head coach. Houston’s Gary Kubiak and Atlanta’s Mike Smith, whose teams are in the midst of impressive seasons, each received 15 votes to share the top spot.
Interestingly, Tomlin also finds himself in the top five of the most underrated coaches, finishing fourth, just behind the Giants’ Tom Coughlin. Seattle’s Pete Carroll rounds out the top five on that list.
Check out the complete results of the Sporting News poll below. Players reportedly were not allowed to name their head coaches for answers.
Most overrated head coach (number of votes in parentheses)
Rex Ryan, Jets (35)
Bill Belichick, Patriots (16)
Andy Reid, Eagles (9)
Mike Shanahan, Redskins (8)
Mike Tomlin, Steelers (4)
Jeff Fisher, Rams (3)
Jim Harbaugh, 49ers (3)
Norv Turner, Chargers (3)
Pete Carroll, Seahawks (2)
Jason Garrett, Cowboys (2)
John Harbaugh, Ravens (2)
Six coaches received one vote
Most underrated head coach (number of votes in parentheses)
Gary Kubiak, Texans (15)
Mike Smith, Falcons (15)
Tom Coughlin, Giants (11)
Mike Tomlin, Steelers (8)
Pete Carroll, Seahawks (6)
Lovie Smith, Bears (5)
John Fox, Broncos (4)
Jim Harbaugh, 49ers (4)
Mike McCarthy, Packers (4)
Joe Philbin, Dolphins (4)
John Harbaugh, Ravens (3)
Marvin Lewis, Bengals (3)
Greg Schiano, Buccaneers (3)
Leslie Frazier, Vikings (2)
Andy Reid, Eagles (2)
Six coaches received one vote
