Every morning a packet of articles arrives on Rex Ryan’s desk. It contains everything that was written about the Jets that day. Sometimes the packet reaches 50 pages. The coach goes through the articles, looking for criticisms, slights and rips on his team. “I try to read everything and I try to see everything that I can because it drives me [and] it drives our football team,” Ryan said. The Jets relish being hated and doubted, and that is exactly how they feel now after absorbing a month of body blows. “I love when there is a challenge out there to us,” Ryan said. “I think this team responds because they know it’s like, ‘Hey, we believe in each other,’ regardless of whether people say they stopped believing.” Two wins have rebuilt the Jets’ psyche, but the criticism has let them regain their personality. The Jets have been underdogs since Ryan arrived, but they started this season hearing Super Bowl predictions (even some from outside their coach’s office) and seemed to lose their edge. That edge is back. They feel disrespected, underestimated and written off. And don’t think Ryan hasn’t let them know what every TV talking head and newspaper columnist has said. It’s one of his favorite tactics. “I do it to drive me,” Ryan told The Post of his use of bulletin-board material. “I’ve been doubted all my life. That’s part of the thing that drives me. I take it as a personal challenge. People who don’t follow the team on a day-to-day basis, maybe they’re in the national media, when they make comments about this team that really drives me. They don’t even follow us and they’re popping off. “There is that, ‘I want to show you. I want to prove to you that you’re wrong.’ ” There is no bigger target than Ryan for the media. Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher criticized Ryan this week on the CBS pregame show. “To me, Rex is more concerned with perception than reality,” Cowher said. “Reality should be done with your deeds and not your words. Now, I have concerns this is going to trickle down at some point, and his words are going to become hollow. It’s going to filter down to his team. I believe they win today, but he’s heading down a slippery slope.” Those comments made their way back to Ryan, who responded Monday without naming Cowher. “I know there is a coach that was saying they don’t believe what I say,” Ryan said. “Really? Oh, OK, I wonder who you talked to. No one in this locker room.” That locker room almost fractured from within two weeks ago. The barbs and digs from the outside have been the stitches Ryan has used to sew it back together. AS ALWAYS THE JETS COME BACK FROM THE DEAD. Keep hating haters, keep being non-believers because Bart has a message for you. What are you going to do when Bart and his band of lunatics run wild all over you! P.S. Remember living well is the best revenge!
Old news. He guarantees Super Bowls to generate that much media, thus creating the motivation he seeks. Am I the only one seeing this?
Fuck Bill Cowher. He said the Jets had "no chance" to beat the Pats* in Foxboro last year. How more fucking wrong can you be, Chin?
I'm not just saying this because I'm a jets fan but I like the honesty in what he's saying. Most coaches will use the old line about how they don't read the newspaper and don't care what the media says but he actually takes the complete opposite approach.
Bill Cowher gets way to much credit for his SB win after his 15th year in the league against the seahawks. legit imagine making it to the superbowl and knowing u had to play the seahawks....
With refs that hail from Pittsburgh working the game calling what is arguably the worst officiated super bowl of all time. :steelers:
This is silly. Cowher averaged 10 wins a year over 15 years, won 10 division titles, played in 6 AFCCG and won a super bowl. I hear ya, F Cowher. But the guys coaching resume speaks for itself.
I still remember the absolutely horrific officiating that took place that night in Detroit. Absolutely shameful. That's the night when I knew NFL officials can 100% affect the outcome of a game.
Yeah I get where your coming from...no one said he was a BAD coach. Im just saying to get to play a team like the Seahawks after the AFCCG...thats like in 98 when the Broncos got to play the falcons and Chris "chandelier". Even if we went on to win the last 2 AFCCG, it would be hard to argue that we could have predicted a definitive victory....just sayin. Cohwer rode the bus all the way to that SB victory, nobody could tackle that guy...
Doesn't Rex have better things to do that read the garbage that these so called 'journalist' put out.
That superbowl really elevated Cowher to a new level in many people's eyes, a level which I don't think he is deserving of. I think he is a good coach, but not a great coach. He lost so many big games, many against the Pats. For most of his career Cowher was similar to Andy Reid and Marty Schottenheimer. A guy who could get you to big games, but never win the big one. I think his superbowl victory really lets cowher get a pass to all the big games he lost
"For all you non believers! Disrespect us, talk crap about the defense like we aint the third best defense in the league!"
He, like Jeff Fisher, never had that QB to get him his SB. Then he finally did, and he won a ring. He would have won two if he didn't retire. He had 15 years of sustained success. He's clearly a great coach.
Fair points I still stand by my opinion. Also Tomlin's success with the Steelers kind of takes off sum of Cowher's luster in some peoples' eyes. One thing he never did was man up and say that he was wrong about the Jets having no chance against the Pats. Dan Graziano had the same opinion about the Jets before that game and still admitted he was dead wrong after the game. Right now the big think I don't like about Cowher is he is a big jet hater.
what does it fucking matter whether he states he was wrong, the results indicate he was wrong and everybody knows it, including him. admitting something that everybody already knows is redundant and unnecessary. what, you think by not saying it he was somehow right or still believes he was right and the Jets had no chance?
I agree with you 100%.....I just dont see Cowher in that upper echelon of coaches. I can already predict what will happen to Cowher if he decides to come back to coach again. He's no Parcells, I just dont see him turning a franchise around. Cohwer may bash Rex but the truth of the matter is Rex took the same job that Cohwer "turned down" and in 2 years has made the Jets not only relevant, but a very good football team. I know its hard to remember but 3-4 years ago you could watch NFL live for weeks and barely hear anything about the Jets, in the past 2 years I dont think Ive caught one episode that doesnt pertain to the Jets in some way. Sometimes it seems like Cowher may have some regret over turning down the Jets coaching job....
There is nothing wrong with what Bill Cowler said. You can hate him all you like, but he was a good coach in the NFL for many years and Rex is not at that level at this point in his career. Thus I'm glad Rex is a) reading the critiques and b) using that knowledge to unify and motivate his team. But Cowler is most certainly entitled to his opinion and its a valuable opinion even if you disagree with it. For all we know Rex agrees w/Cohwler and privately called him to ask him for some advice. The fact is that the Jets played poorly at the start of the season, but they seem to have themselves now heading in the right direction. Very positive win last Sunday. But Ryan and the rest of these guys could do well to take things down a click or two. 4-3 is a pretty poor record, they seem to have a lot of work to do in order to be ready to pound the hell out of the rest of the schedule. That DL and LB in particular still has to show they can stop the run consistently. Its hardly a time to be telling Cower to F off just because he has a legitimate opinion based on years of his success as an NFL HC.
