Rex Ryan: The NFL Post Season MVP

For all of his bluster off the field this postseason, Rex Ryan has been surprisingly conservative between the lines in the Jets' first two games.  Conservative is a word no one would have expected to hear when describing a Rex Ryan defense, but that's exactly what its been; and its worked.  It has been one of the best postseason coaching performances in history.  The big man with the even bigger mouth has some how managed to confuse the two best quarterbacks in the game today (Peyton Manning and Tom Brady) and outsmarted the best coach (Bill Belichek) all while leading his Jets to two wins nobody thought he could deliver. 

How did he do it?  He did it by doing what nobody though a confident, cocky, smack talking guy like Ryan could do.  He swallowed his pride.

Traditionally the Jets' defense is built on the blitz.  Rex loves to come at quarterbacks from all angles and get as many hits as possible throughout the course of the game.  In order to bring that extra pressure they end up playing a lot of one on one on the outside and they leave their corners and safeties on an island for most of the game. While the Jets have probably the best secondary in the game you just can't do that against Manning and Brady.  In fact, those two guys would rather have you blitz the hell out of them.  They see it before the snap, change a route, and before you know it a quick one step drop and throw turns into a big play or a touchdown.

One of the hardest things for anyone to do, especially the ultra competitive alpha male (99% of professional athletes and coaches), is to admit what your doing is wrong and make a change.  Ryan knew that the defense he has spent his entire life coaching was not going to work against these two teams; so he changed it.  In the Jets' first two playoff games this year they have rushed 4 or fewer men over 80% of the snaps.  The Colts and Patriots game planned for a hard rushing, oft blitzing Jets defense and Rex rushed four and sat back in coverage.  Nobody saw it coming.

It will be interesting to see if the Jets go back to their old ways against the Steelers and Big Ben (who is about as different a quarterback from Manning and Brady as you'll find).  Whether they bring the heat this Sunday or not, you can bet that Mike Tomlin and the Steelers have no idea what to expect going into the game.  For that reason I'll take the Jets to win the game and head to Dallas; and you can give Rex Ryan all the credit.

That....Was.....Awesome!

Directly after hearing this from Steve Czaban from Bob & Brian in Milwaukee, I quoted Tommy Boy out loud. "That.........was.......AWESOME! Sorry about your foot fetish man." I dislike the Patriots with all of my being, but I have to admit, that was great.

Put Up or Shut Up For Rex Ryan

Rex looks like he is asking for a GD snack

I am big Rex Ryan fan.  I liked the way he conducted his team during the Hard Knocks special on HBO on the New York Jets. I also enjoy the opposite of Ryan in Bill Belichick.  I respect how smart of a coach he is and who knows if there will be another like him.  Therefore setting the scene for Sunday afternoon's AFC East battle between the Jets and the New England Patriots is the head coaches, not the players.

 Ryan gives Belichick his deserved credit. He always gushes over the Grand Master Hoodie like a young brother looks up to his old brother. Despite the love and affection, he still bashes his star player Tom Brady.  The Jets want to take throne from the Patriots, there is no doubt about that, and the first step would be to win this weekend.



I like that Ryan defends and loves his team.  Ryan tries to make it about himself and not his players therefore when the Jets lose, the media bashes him instead of guys like Mark Sanchez or Darrelle Revis. But it boggles my mind why he still takes shots at Brady and Belichick?  Here's what Ryan said via ESPN

 "This is about Bill Belichick versus Rex Ryan," Ryan said, addressing the upcoming showdown in Foxborough, Mass., for the first time. "There's no question, it's personal. It's about him against myself. That's what it's going to come down to."

Ryan also added that the players and assistant coaches are even in this battle. Which I don't think is entirely true as two evenly-matched teams do not have 45-3 results. Now, the Jets head back into the Foxborough with a chip on their shoulder, but will that be enough? If I am Jets fan, I worry that Ryan will overthink himself trying to 'beat' Belichick and forget key aspects of his game plan. I will talk more about the game on Saturday when I give my predictions for the weekend.   

I like the saying 'dont poke the bear'. Ryan is poking the favorite bear in the Pats, and who knows if you will incite a riot because of your choice words. If Ryan loses this one, the shit talk to Brady and Belichick has to stop.  Once Ryan takes down the Pats when it matters the most or finds himself in a Super Bowl, he can talk a little more. But right now, he is just a smart defensive mind that I would like to have a beer with, nothing more, nothing else.

-Charlie.