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Rex Ryan
Personal information
Born: (1962-12-13) December 13, 1962 (age 61)
Ardmore, Oklahoma

Rex Ryan (born December 13, 1962, in Ardmore, Oklahoma) is an American football head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League. After serving as an assistant coach for twenty-two years, Ryan attained his first head coaching job in the NFL with the Jets. He is the son of former Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals head coach Buddy Ryan and is the twin brother of Rob Ryan, defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.

Upon accepting the position with the Jets, Ryan became well-known throughout the league for his outspoken manner, boisterous attitude and success with the Jets which has included two back-to-back AFC Championship appearances in two consecutive seasons.[1][2] Players have even expressed their interest in playing for Ryan because of his player-friendly attitude.[2] Ryan is also known for his highly esteemed defenses which often feature "relentlessness [and] unpredictable mayhem founded on his premise that "whatever you do best, we’re going to take away from you.""[1]

Early life

Rex Ryan, and his twin, Rob, were born in Ardmore, Oklahoma on December 13, 1962 to Doris and Buddy Ryan.[3] When the boys were aged two, their parents divorced.[3] Following the divorce, Rex moved with his mother to Toronto where she secured a job at the University of Toronto.[4] Growing up, Rex wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, a defensive pioneer in the National Football League, and by age six both boys knew they wanted to pursue coaching careers.[5]

In Canada, there was little emphasis on football, much to the disappoint of Rex.[6] By the time Rex was a teenager, he and his brother were frequently visiting their father. Their mother, Doris, realizing sports in Canada lacked proper organization, allowed the brothers to live with their father in the United States, who, at the time, was the defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings.[6]

In 1978, when Buddy was hired by the Chicago Bears as their defensive coordinator, Rex followed his father to Illinois where the family settled in Prairie View.[7] The brothers attended Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois.[7]

Rex attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma alongside Rob.[8] Rex played for the football team as a defensive end.[1] He graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma in 1986.[8]

Coaching career

College

Assistant coach

Upon graduating from Oklahoma, with the help of his father, Ryan secured a job as a graduate assistant at Division I-AA (now Division I FCS) Eastern Kentucky in 1987 where he was responsible for a multitude of jobs.[9] The Colonels held the Ohio Valley Conference title twice in the two years Ryan coached.[10] Additionally, Ryan attained his Master's degree in physical education prior to his departure.[11] At the age of 26, Ryan became the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Division II New Mexico Highlands for a year during which the Cowboys led the league in defensive turnovers.[9] After his stint with the Cowboys, Ryan joined Division I Morehead State as the defensive coordinator, where he remained for four years.[9] During his tenure, the defense was ranked amongst the highest in the Nation.[10]

After a brief two-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals in the National Football League, Ryan returned to college coaching as the defensive coordinator for Cincinnati.[10] The Bearcats won the first Humanitarian Bowl over Utah State in Ryan's final year, marking the Bearcats' first Bowl appearance in fifty years.[10] Ryan was the Sooners' defensive coordinator for a year in which the defense was ranked sixth in the nation.[10] However, head coach John Blake had failed to achieve a winning record in three straight years and subsequently, the entire staff was fired.[12] Ryan served as defensive coordinator at Kansas State where he served under legendary head coach Bill Snyder for a month in 1999.[13]

National Football League

Assistant coach

When his father, Buddy, was hired as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 1994, Buddy offered Rex his first job in the National Football League as a defensive assistant, working with the linebackers and the defensive line.[14] After nine straight losing seasons prior to Buddy's arrival, the Cardinals produced an 8–8 record in his first year as head coach.[15] However, in his second season, the team went 4–12 and subsequently, the entire staff was fired despite the positive performance of the defense.[14][15]

Ryan as the Ravens' defensive coordinator, August 2008.

Ryan went on to coach at three different colleges following his stint with the Cardinals, though by the time he joined Kansas State in 1999, he was still hopeful of a return to the NFL.[16] Ryan received a call from newly named head coach Brian Billick of the Baltimore Ravens who wanted to interview Ryan for the defensive line coaching job in Baltimore.[17] Having visited a classroom Ryan was teaching earlier in his career, Billick had been so impressed by Ryan's passion for the game of football that he decided to hire Ryan if he ever attained a head coaching position.[17] Ryan accepted.[17]

In his first year, Ryan learned lessons on coaching talent and managing various personalities which contributed to the defense's early success.[18] By his second year, in 2000, the defense set NFL records for fewest points allowed and fewest rushing yards allowed.[19] The defense allowed a combined 23 points in four playoff games en route to Ryan earning a Super Bowl XXXV ring.[19] The defense consistently performed well in the following years and as a result, Ryan was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2005 following the departure of Mike Nolan, who became the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.[20][21] In 2006, Ryan received Assistant Coach of the Year awards from Pro Football Weekly and the Pro Football Writers Association in recognition of his efforts.[10]

Upon the conclusion of the Ravens' 5–11 performance in 2007, the entire staff was dismissed on New Years Eve.[22] Ryan was one of the candidates interviewed by the Ravens for their head coaching vacancy however, the Ravens chose to name John Harbaugh as the team's new head coach.[23] Ryan also interviewed with Miami[24] and Atlanta[25] about filling their head coaching vacancies however, the offers went to Tony Sparano and Mike Smith respectively.[26]

Ryan was disappointed by his failure to obtain a head coaching job however, he agreed to return to Baltimore under the direction of Harbaugh who retained Ryan as defensive coordinator and promoted him to assistant head coach.[27][28] In his final year with the team, the defense was ranked second overall in the NFL.[29] The Ravens lost by nine points in the AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers thus ending Ryan's ten year tenure with the team during which the defense never ranked lower than sixth overall in the NFL.[10][30]

Head coach

New York Jets
Ryan as head coach, conducting a June 2009 New York Jets mini-camp at their Florham Park, New Jersey training center

Following a late season collapse in which the New York Jets missed the playoffs after losing four of their final five games, the team fired head coach Eric Mangini.[31] The team interviewed a plethora of candidates however, the contract, which was for four years at approximately $11.5 million, was ultimately offered to Ryan about an hour following Baltimore's loss to the Steelers in the AFC Championship.[32]

Accepting the offer, Ryan immediately began to carry out a platform he outlined for the franchise's future, team building.[33] The basic idea was to get players away from any distractions on or off the field and have the players get to know one another to build team chemistry. Thus, training camp was moved to the campus of SUNY Cortland.[33] Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum were also determined to draft a quarterback who could lead and be the face of the franchise.[34] As a result, Mark Sanchez was drafted from USC.[34]

The Jets opened their season against the Houston Texans.[35] Ryan began his head coaching career with a 24–7 victory over the Texans after the Jets' defense shutout their opponents offense. Houston's lone score came on a fumble return for a touchdown.[35] The defense again shutout the New England Patriots in a 16–9 victory at home, marking the first home victory over New England since 2000.[35] The victory also allowed Ryan to become the Jets' first rookie head coach to win his first two games since Al Groh in 2000.[35] Ryan and the Jets went on to defeat the Tennessee Titans in week three, marking the first time the Jets opened the season at 3–0 since 2004.[35] The team went on to lose six of their next seven games save for a shutout victory over the Oakland Raiders.[35]

The team eventually recovered and won five of their final six games despite Ryan incorrectly stating the Jets had been "mathematically" eliminated from playoff contention following a loss to the Atlanta Falcons.[35] The Jets defeated a previously undefeated Indianapolis Colts which was not without controversy following Jim Caldwell's decision to pull Indianapolis' starters with the Colts leading.[35] In the final game of the season, the Jets defeated the Bengals 37–0 at Giants Stadium, the final sporting event to be held at the venue, as Ryan's defense held Cincinnati to 72 total rushing yards, and 0 total yards passing.[35] The victory secured New York's playoff berth as a wild card contender.[35]

New York defeated Cincinnati again the following week, this time at Paul Brown Stadium, in the AFC Wild Card playoff round.[35] On January 17, 2010, Ryan led the Jets in an upset over the San Diego Chargers, 17–14, on their way to the AFC Championship game.[35] The Jets subsequently lost to the Indianapolis Colts 30–17 thus, ending the Jets' "dream season".[35]

As Ryan headed into his second year as the team's head coach, the club announced he had been granted a two-year contract extension.[36] Ryan continued to boast about the Jets' abilities and exude confidence writing on ESPN's Tour Bus "Soon To Be Champs" in August.[37] His words were nearly immortalized as the Jets opened the season with the best record in the NFL at 9–2.[38] This set the stage for a Monday night showdown with their division rival, the New England Patriots, who were also 9–2.[38] The Monday night matchup was only the fourth since 1986 to feature two teams with at least 9–2 records.[39] The Patriots, behind the strong performance of quarterback Tom Brady, humiliated the Jets 45–3.[40] However, the Jets rebounded to finish 11–5 and qualify as a wild card team, marking the first time the franchise had advanced to the playoffs in back-to-back years since 2001-2002. Additionally, the franchise won eleven games, one win short of tying the franchise record set by Bill Parcells in 1998 (the Jets finished the 1998 season with a record of 12–4).[41][42]

In the wild card round, the sixth seeded Jets beat the AFC South champion and the third seeded Indianapolis Colts 17–16 on January 8, 2011 on the road to qualify for the Divisional Playoffs.[43] The following week, on January 16, despite being overwhelmingly named the underdogs, they defeated the AFC East champion and first seeded New England Patriots 28–21, ending the Patriots' eight-game winning streak.[44] The Jets became the first team to lose a regular season matchup by more than 35 points and then beat that same team in the playoffs during the same season.[45] The victory made the Jets the first team to win back-to-back road playoff games in consecutive seasons, and qualified them to advance to the AFC Championship game for the second consecutive season, where they lost on the road to the AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers.[46]

Controversies

Ryan became embroiled in controversy when he flashed an obscene gesture towards heckling Dolphins fans during a Strikeforce mixed martial arts event at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida on January 30, 2010.[47] Ryan apologized for his actions, stating that it was "stupid and inappropriate."[47] Ryan was fined $50,000 by the Jets for his actions.[48]

When the Jets appeared on the television series Hard Knocks, Ryan was criticized for his use of foul language, drawing criticism mainly from former head coach Tony Dungy.[49] Dungy and Ryan later met in person to clear the air.[49]

In December 2010, Deadspin.com reported that a series of foot-fetish videos had been discovered featuring a women who allegedly appeared to be Ryan's wife, Michelle, while the cameraman, who was not seen on tape, allegedly was Ryan himself.[50] Ryan did not deny the allegations however he did state in a press conference that the issue was a personal matter.[50]

Coaching philosophy

Ryan stresses that coaches are essentially supposed to be open and communicative with the players and management who in turn will reciprocate these same attitude.

I want my players to know who I am, just like I want to know who they are. I want there to be that connection as people. That's valuable when it comes to figuring out how to motivate somebody. It's valuable because I want that guy to fight for me, just like I want to fight for him.[51]

Ryan has also stressed that the teaching process is an important one when it comes to teaching players and building chemistry, there has to be flexibility however as the process must also be insightful and positive.

While the entire team is my responsibility as head coach, there are times I have to hold back and let my assistant coaches coach. Even so, I've always pushed my coaches toward the teaching process. That's where I felt like I had the biggest impact. Hey, we are all good coaches and they know what they're doing, but the one thing I did want to control was the way we taught. I want it to be specific. I want it to be energetic. I wanted the players to get exactly what they need instead of the mind-numbing dump of "You know what? I'm going to throw so much shit at the players that even if it doesn't go right I can rest well at night at least to say I covered it, so it's not my fault". That's not teaching. If you emphasize everything, you've emphasized nothing.[52]

Head coaching record

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
NYJ 2009 9 7 0 .563 2nd in AFC East 2 1 .667 Lost to the Indianapolis Colts in AFC Championship Game
NYJ 2010 11 5 0 .688 2nd in AFC East 2 1 .667 Lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC Championship Game
NYJ 2011 0 0 0 .000 AFC East - - -
NYJ Total 20 12 0 .625 4 2 .667
Total 20 12 0 .625 4 2 .667

Coaching tree

NFL head coaches under whom Rex Ryan has served:

Coach Team Year(s)
Buddy Ryan Arizona Cardinals 1994–1995
Brian Billick Baltimore Ravens 1999–2007
John Harbaugh Baltimore Ravens 2008

Assistant coaches under Rex Ryan who have become NFL head coaches:

  • No Coaches

Personal life

Rex and his wife, Michelle, were married in 1987.[53] Together, they have two sons, Payton and Seth.[53] Ryan earned a bachelor of science and master's degree in physical education from Eastern Kentucky University.[10] He currently resides in Summit, New Jersey.[54]

Ryan publically announced in 2009 that he had been battling dyslexia for his entire life.[55] During his early years, Ryan was diagnosed as being "slow" however, after visiting his doctor in 2007, testing confirmed Ryan did indeed have dyslexia.[56] Ryan has compensated for his reading struggles through his ability to listen and through his problem solving and creativity functioning, both of which are among the highest percentiles according to doctors; his success as a defensive coach can be attributed to this compensation.[56]

Weight loss surgery

Ryan underwent lap-band surgery at NYU Medical Center in March 2010 in an effort to battle his obesity.[57] Ryan also had a hernia repaired during the procedure.[57] Ryan was able to return to his home that same day to recover.[57] Following a three-week period he had lost 40 pounds[58] and as of May 2011, Ryan has lost 65 pounds.[59]

Book

Ryan released "Play Like You Mean It", an autobiography and a conversational about football strategy.[59][60] The book, which was published by Doubleday in the spring of 2011, was co-written by Don Yaeger, a former Sports Illustrated editor who has co-authored the autobiographies of former NFL players Walter Payton and Warren Moon.[60]

References

  1. ^ a b c Dawidoff, Nicholas (September 8, 2010), "Rex Ryan: Bringing It Big", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, retrieved May 16, 2011
  2. ^ a b NFL Draft Confidential, ESPN, April 6, 2011, retrieved May 16, 2011
  3. ^ a b Ryan, p. 34
  4. ^ Ryan, p. 35
  5. ^ Ryan, p. 54
  6. ^ a b Ryan, p. 36-37
  7. ^ a b Ryan, pp. 40-41
  8. ^ a b Ryan, pp. 53-54
  9. ^ a b c Ryan, pp. 56-57
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Rex Ryan, New York Jets, archived from the original on May 7, 2011, retrieved May 11, 2011
  11. ^ Ryan, p. 77
  12. ^ Ryan, p. 91
  13. ^ Ryan joins Ravens, The Capital-Journal, February 9, 1999, retrieved May 15, 2011
  14. ^ a b Ryan, pp. 58-59
  15. ^ a b Ryan, p. 51
  16. ^ Ryan, p. 91
  17. ^ a b c Ryan, p. 91-92
  18. ^ Ryan, p. 92
  19. ^ a b Ryan, p. 100
  20. ^ Ginsberg, David (January 18, 2005), Ravens hire Fassel, Neuheisel; promote Ryan to run defense, USA Today, archived from the original on May 7, 2011, retrieved February 16, 2009
  21. ^ Ryan, p. 103
  22. ^ Billick, entire Ravens coaching staff dismissed following 5-11 season, ESPN, December 31, 2007, archived from the original on May 7, 2011, retrieved May 11, 2011
  23. ^ Associated Press (January 19, 2008), Harbaugh to be introduced during Saturday news conference, ESPN, archived from the original on May 11, 2011, retrieved May 11, 2011
  24. ^ Associated Press (January 8, 2008), Former Ravens assistant Ryan interviews with Dolphins, USA Today, archived from the original on May 11, 2011, retrieved May 11, 2011
  25. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (January 14, 2008), Ryan emerges as front-runner for Falcons head coach job, ESPN, archived from the original on May 11, 2011, retrieved May 11, 2011
  26. ^ Ryan, p. 107
  27. ^ Ryan, p. 108
  28. ^ Powell, Camille (January 29, 2008), Ryan Welcomed Back as Ravens' Coordinator, The Washington Post, archived from the original on May 11, 2011, retrieved May 11, 2011
  29. ^ Ryan, pp. 111-112
  30. ^ Associated Press (January 18, 2009), Polamalu's INT return secures Steelers' Super Bowl berth, ESPN, archived from the original on May 11, 2011, retrieved May 11, 2011
  31. ^ Mangini fired after 3 seasons with Jets, ESPN, December 30, 2008, archived from the original on May 12, 2011, retrieved May 12, 2011
  32. ^ Ryan to become Jets coach, ESPN, January 20, 2009, archived from the original on May 12, 2011, retrieved May 12, 2011
  33. ^ a b Ryan, p. 113-114
  34. ^ a b Ryan, pp. 139, 142-143
  35. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Ryan, pp. 201-206
  36. ^ Associated Press (July 30, 2010), Jets sign coach Ryan, GM Tannenbaum to contract extensions, National Football League, archived from the original on May 12, 2011, retrieved May 12, 2011
  37. ^ Associated Press (December 1, 2010), Rex Ryan Revue always full of surprises, ESPN, archived from the original on May 12, 2011, retrieved May 12, 2011
  38. ^ a b Jets-Patriots Preview, ESPN, archived from the original on May 12, 2011, retrieved May 12, 2011
  39. ^ Jets at Patriots: MNF Booth Preview, ESPN, December 6, 2010, archived from the original on May 12, 2011, retrieved May 12, 2011
  40. ^ Associated Press (December 6, 2010), Tom Brady picks apart Jets as Patriots romp in record home win, ESPN, archived from the original on May 12, 2011, retrieved May 12, 2011
  41. ^ Orr, Conor (December 26, 2010), Jets fall to Bears, 38-34, in thriller at Soldier Field but still clinch playoff berth, The Star-Ledger, archived from the original on May 12, 2011, retrieved May 12, 2011
  42. ^ Associated Press (January 6, 2011), New York forces six turnovers in win over Buffalo, ESPN, archived from the original on May 12, 2011, retrieved May 12, 2011
  43. ^ O'Connor, Ian (January 9, 2011), Sanchez brings curtain down on Peyton, ESPN, archived from the original on May 14, 2011, retrieved May 14, 2011
  44. ^ O'Connor, Ian (January 17, 2011), Mark Sanchez, best QB on the field, ESPN, archived from the original on May 14, 2011, retrieved May 14, 2011
  45. ^ Graham, Tim (January 17, 2011), Boy, were we wrong about the Jets, ESPN, archived from the original on May 14, 2011, retrieved May 14, 2011
  46. ^ Associated Press (January 23, 2011), Steelers headed to Super Bowl after Jets come up short, ESPN, archived from the original on May 14, 2011, retrieved May 14, 2011
  47. ^ a b Graham, Tim (February 1, 2010), Jets' Ryan calls incident 'stupid', ESPN, archived from the original on May 14, 2011, retrieved May 14, 2011
  48. ^ Cimini, Rich (February 2, 2010), New York Jets fine head coach Rex Ryan $50,000 for giving middle finger to Dolphins fans in Florida, New York Daily News, archived from the original on May 14, 2011, retrieved May 14, 2011
  49. ^ a b Ryan, pp. 222-224
  50. ^ a b Rex Ryan won't address video report, ESPN, December 23, 2010, retrieved May 15, 2011
  51. ^ Ryan, p. 127
  52. ^ Ryan, p. 167
  53. ^ a b Ryan, pp. 63, 65
  54. ^ Cannizzaro, Mark (February 2, 2010), NFL may not point a 'finger' at Rex, New York Post, retrieved May 7, 2011
  55. ^ Ryan, p. 72
  56. ^ a b Ryan, pp. 74-76
  57. ^ a b c Associated Press (March 14, 2010), Ryan chooses lap-band procedure, ESPN, archived from the original on May 7, 2011, retrieved May 7, 2011
  58. ^ Rex Ryan Weight Loss: Coach Loses 40 Pounds In Three Weeks, The Huffington Post, March 26, 2010, archived from the original on May 7, 2011, retrieved May 7, 2011
  59. ^ a b McManus, Jane (May 5, 2011), Rex Ryan takes CenterStage, ESPN, archived from the original on May 7, 2011, retrieved May 7, 2011
  60. ^ a b Associated Press (June 30, 2010), Never short on words, Jets coach Ryan is authoring a book, National Football League, archived from the original on May 7, 2011, retrieved May 7, 2011

Bibliography

  • Ryan, Rex; Don Yaeger (2011). Play Like You Mean It: Passion, Laughs, and Leadership In the World's Most Beautiful Game. New York, New York: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-53444-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

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