Rex wouldn't have gotten any credit if Sanchez or Geno were developed into good QB's. So why would I bash him because they didnt?
Nonsense. Of course he would have. If either of those guys had developed into above average starters, we would have been markedly better over the last 4 years. Undoubtedly, we wouldn't have gone 18-33 in our last 51 games with a competent passing offense, week in and week out. And, as a result, Rex would still be here.
+1. Anybody remember that in 2000 Darth Hoodie was regarded as a defense-only coach and there were serious questions about his c ability to lead an offense? He was ripped up and down for "wasting" first round draft picks on defensive players like Richard Seymour instead of sure-thing hits like David Terrell? Then TB12 happens, and regardless of the blind luck with the pick, nobody can deny Hoodie the credit of developing a HoF QB. If we had developed one of our QBs, Rex would have gotten the credit. As he should, since he is the boss. And that is also why he gets the blame for not having done so.
Thats garbage. Every time the offense has played well during Rex's time here no one gave him credit for that. It was only when they played badly did people criticize him for not taking an interest in the offense. I guess some fans want it both ways. Well just a memo , if we go out and hire Quinn or Bowles or another defensive coordinator to be head coach , he isnt going to change the offense in any type of drastic way either. They might install a plan with how they want the offense ran , which is similar to what Rex did with the ground and pound mindset. But if you think any DC is going to be named head coach and start controlling an NFL offense you're being unrealistic. And honestly I wouldnt want that guy to control a side of the ball he has zero experience with.
Rex is proof that likability can get you to the top. I can think of a couple of politicians that prove that theory.
This simply isn't true. There were many who applauded him for committing to a ground and pound philosophy to complement his defense in 2009. You just don't get it. It's not just about offensive X's and O's. It's about establishing a culture of accountability where leading the league in turnovers over a six year period simply isn't tolerated. It's about ensuring that the same, game-changing mistakes aren't made week in and week out. It's about implementing a consistent offensive identity. It's about instilling offensive competency. It's about NOT regarding the offense as an afterthought in press conferences. It's about a lot of things. As the head coach, you don't get to be absolved of honest assessments pertaining to one side of the ball . . . You just don't. Again, Rex was the head coach of the Jets from 2009-2014. In point of fact, he was in control of the entire team. That is to say, he was responsible for the performance of the entire team, and as a result, all meaningful decisions regarding the operation of the offense were ultimately his responsibility. (EVEN IF he decided to concede those responsibilities to his OC or some other subordinate). As a head coach, you don't get to hide behind defensive rankings forever . . . You just don't. Instead, you are assessed on your team's overall performance. And the bottom line is that Rex's team has been gravely disappointing over the last four years.
The Jets should hire Rex as a cheerleader. He can run up and down the sidelines as if he's the head coach. He should also do press conferences.
Well I remember it pretty differently with too many people criticizing our lack of a passing game. Even though ground and pound got us far during his first 2 years people still bashed him for it. "Thats not how you win in today's NFL" was a popular phrase during those years...even when we were winning. It wasnt until the diapers came off of Sanchez that the offense took a downward spiral. And because of that I cant see how you blame Rex for poor QB play. You could take the best QB developer in today's game and give him Sanchez and Geno to work with and he wouldnt get much out of them. If Sanchez in Philly with that offense and Chip Kelly isnt proof enough of that I dont know what is. I'll bash Rex for a lot of things. Bad OC choices , bad draft picks ,(even though both of those fall on the GM too) and flat out bad football at times. But Im not going to bash him for not fully knowing offense. Cause very few coaches in the league have a strong grasp on the entire game of football. Even if its not just about the X's and O's like you say. And now were stuck in an offseason where the guy we just fired is the hottest candidate out there. So dont be shocked when someone even more inept comes in here and fucks up for 3 years and is shown the door. Id love to see the offensive gameplans that Quinn and Bowles have..that should be interesting.
Not to mention being saddled with less than ideal personnel at critical positions on both sides of the ball. The season, our offensive line's performance ranged between passable and total crap. Our QB, regardless of whatever his future potential and upside may be cost us plenty of games all by himself although our shitty pass protection sure didn't help accelerate his learning curve. The quality and performance of our defensive backs, who play a a key role in RR's defensive schemes were utter crap as well. Injuries certainly played a role here but I believe ShitZik's incredibly poor judgement in personnel decision making here had a far more adverse impact. We draft a player like Landry to lay the wood but because we had no CBs who could be trusted in man coverage, they essentially had him playing out of position in deep center to try and protect/defend against deep throws. Our unreliable O-Line prevented us from having what should have been a consistently strong running game and could conceivably have allowed Smith to delivery more positive results and far fewer turnovers many of which were the result of bad judgement on his behalf but also so much of the time because he was trying to make something happen with little, if any, time to do so. The lack of quality depth at wideout only magnified our offensive woes and shortcomings. I can't blame Ryan for any of this mess because I believe he wasn't dealt a strong enough hand to be able to deliver a winning season. Did he make mistakes? Absolutely. All coaches do. I still consider him among the top three defensive coaches in the NFL and an excellent Head coach. I have no doubt he will land a plum job and predict many a hater will miss him someday.....
I like this...My thoughts have always been that you can't know defense and not know offense. The rest of the post seems somewhat specious: the offense got bad as the talent around Sanchez got worse: First Faneca, then Woody and Edwards, then Tebow. These were all downgrades that haven't even yet been adequately addressed. That's not saying that more QB development could have been done, but it's hard to develop a QB when he can't depend on the OL to keep a pocket clean or his receivers to get open. Once a QB loses faith in the OL, he can develop an aversion to getting hit and that is what stunts a QB's growth more than anything.
The talent def got worse..but it got worse on both sides of the ball. We went from Revis/Cro to Cro/Milliner to whatever garbage we had out there this season. Rex was handicapped in doing what he wanted to do with his defense. And to me he still made it work a little bit. Our defense was much better then our offense this year. Even though the talent during last offseason was upgrade on the O and downgraded on the D. If people cant give Rex credit for that then thats absurd. A lesser coach would've had this team giving up 40 points a game and we wouldn't have even been in the games against Green Bay, New England , Denver etc..But we were, and in all of them 1-2 plays away from beating the best teams in the league. Even still...3rd against the run/14th against the pass...32nd in passing offense. That kinda says it all to me.
I'm not bashing him for not knowing offense. I'm bashing him, in part, for the performance of his offense. Big difference. This has become a popular narrative on both this message board as well as among many in the collective national sports media. We'll see. The guy is coming off of a 4-12 season. He's 18-33 in his last 51 games. I personally think the idea that he is going to have his pick of head coaching jobs is a bit fanciful. I think the merits of his coaching record are being drastically overrated and exaggerated. People like him because of his personality . . . but, much like his own words, there is a lot of hot air in the room when it comes to honest scrutiny of his overall performance as a head coach. Again, we'll see. Again, it has nothing to do with gameplans or X's and O's. It's about execution. It's about establishing a culture of accountability. You are missing the big picture. It's not necessarily about blaming Rex for the quarterback play, or even, for that matter, the offensive struggles in general. It's about holding him, as the head coach, accountable for each and every phase of his team's performance.
Oh, there were certainly critics back then. But, the notion that Rex received no credit for the effectiveness of our running game simply isn't accurate. There were certainly those that commended his commitment to smashmouth football. Let's not pretend otherwise.
Hmm, I love(d) Rex, and give him many props....I love the bravado, the motivational tactics. But I thought his time had passed: I was disappointed with the way he coached this year. the defense gave up A LOT of 3rd downs and a TON of points. I grew tired of seeing the opponents with a 3rd-and-15 and seeing Rex call a blitz and watch the other team pick up the first down. I thought his defensive calls were a big part of the early season record. Yeah, he was hamstrung by the GM(s): not putting the right talent on the roster. The OL really had ONE complete game all year: yesterday. And last year was even worse. The receivers were not NFL quality last year and were barely that this year. On defense, they STILL don't have a lot of youth or speed at LB; and the corners. But eventually, I though Rex relied too much on the rah-rah motivational tactics instead of holding people accountable. Too many times the team had critical penalties or blown assignments (Kyle Wilson) yet they never were held accountable (until it was waay too late). Love Rex Ryan. I'd hire him again. But he didn't grow as a coach enough the last couple of years.
Yes . . . it does. But, what you continually miss is that, as the head coach, Rex is just as accountable for those commendable defensive statistics as he is for the putrid offensive ones. He wasn't the defensive coordinator of the Jets. He was the head coach of the Jets. Nothing you write will change that verity.
True but personnel had a lot to do with those putrid offensive numbers; the GM is responsible for that.
To me Rex did enough to strengthen the defense that I can forgive his shortcomings on offense. If he , as a defensive mind, was hired as a head coach and didnt bring anything to improve our defense then I would def have a problem with him and probably would've called for his firing a few years ago.
No doubt. And that's why he isn't here either! No argument there. And by the way, the only constant in the last four years of futility? It isn't the GM. It isn't the OC. It isn't the quarterback. It's Rex. I just don't see how people can absolve him of responsibility for the last four years of disappointment . . . particularly since he makes a point to foolishly tell us every year that he has his strongest roster yet.