Hey Rex Ryan, Zip It

Ryan is one of my best friends.  He has been an avid sports fan his entire life.  Originally from New York, he sticks to his hometown roots when it comes to his favorite teams.  In return, I hate them all (with good reason).

You see, while Ryan seems to know his stuff about sports, he seems to lack any and all logical reasoning when it comes to his own teams.  Every offseason I hear, “Did you see that move we just made?  Dude, no way we don’t win it all.”  Seriously, ever single season.  Even yesterday as we watched his beloved Knicks on Christmas day, I had to sit and listen to him yap about Melo, Stoudemire, Chandler, and Davis being the best four players in the league.  “Dude the NBA finals are ours!”

Dude…SHUT UP.

There’s another Ryan from New York who seems to fit this exact same mold—none other than the New York Jets’ head coach, Rex Ryan.

Over the past few years, Ryan has become infamously known for his pre-game rants about how good his team is and how they are going to kick the other teams a**.  No joke, last year before a matchup with the Patriots he claimed he “came [to the Jets] to kick [Bill] Belichick’s a**.”

He continued to display this nonsense we’ve come all too familiar with before Saturday’s game against their inner-city rival, the New York Giants.

“I recognize that they’re an excellent football team,” he said.  “But I think we’re better.”  It didn’t end there. 

“And that’s the truth…I don’t care about Tom Coughlin or anybody else.  I know what I believe and I don’t care if it’s acceptable and everybody—I really don’t care.  I’m worried about my opinion…I could care less what anybody thinks.”

My point exactly.  It’s gotten to the point where Ryan consumes himself with his own opinion.  He cares more about what he is going to say to the media than what he will say to his own players.  It’s one thing to act cocky in the locker room, I know you have to do that as a head coach, but is it really necessary to publicly guarantee a victory every week?  

The past two years, Ryan has told reporters that the Jets will win the Super Bowl.  But why bother?  We know that is what you are aiming for; every team is trying to win it all.  The problem is that Ryan’s trash talking is exactly that—trash.  Nothing he says matters anymore. 

The Giants ended up beating the Jets, 29-14.  After the game, Giants running back, Brandon Jacobs, bumped shoulders with Ryan.  The two exchanged some unpleasant words and still did not have pleasant things to say after the altercation. 

"They got a big-mouthed coach, a big mouth and a big-bellied coach that talks too much and now it's finally time to shut up," Jacobs said when asked about the incident.

Tom Coughlin, the Giants’ head coach, ignored everything Ryan had to say.  “Talk is cheap,” he said. After the game he put it best.  “We won the game, and that’s the statement.”  Short, sweet, and most importantly, the truth. 

The Jets fell to an 8-7 record after the loss.  With the final week of the regular season approaching, they no longer control their own destiny for a playoff berth.  It’s a long shot to say the least.  First, the Jets have to beat the Miami Dolphins who have come alive these last few weeks.  Second, they need to start saying some prayers.  They need the Bengals to lose to the Ravens AND the Titans to lose to the Texans AND the Raiders to lose to the Chargers.  The other way the Jets are in is if the Bengals lose AND the Titans lose AND the Broncos lose to the Chiefs. 

You think Rex Ryan will guarantee a playoff berth now?