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Rex Ryan’s future shouldn’t be decided by the last two games. That is ridiculous, especially when you consider a very significant factor.
What factor is that?
The fact that player personnel isn’t going to change the last two weeks.
One reason the Jets have faltered over the second half of the season is they are starting too many rookies.
And that is on John Idzik more than Ryan.
And those five rookie starters, including four who weren’t ready, barring an unforeseen shakeup, aren’t leaving the lineup the last two games.
So why should Idzik (and Woody Johnson) factor in the last two games when evaluating Rex?
He’s dealing with the same hand that has contributed to the team’s downfall.
And on top of that, some of these guys presumably have hit the rookie wall, so do you expect them to take a big leap forward when they are running on fumes right now?
So this whole concept that Rex needs to hit a grand slam the next couple of games is ridiculous.
Of course, it’s a good idea to go finish with a bang, and try to get to 8-8.
“You play to win the game,” as one former Jets coach said.
But that isn’t going to be easy.
Cleveland is a good defensive team, so it’s hard to see the Jets’ offensive woes righting themselves against the Browns.
And Miami blew out the Jets in MetLife Stadium, so what do you think is going to happen when the Jets go down to South Florida to play the Dolphins, a team that could be fighting for their playoff lives?
I’m not trying to be negative here, but just trying to keep it real.
The Jets have some major personnel issues that aren’t going to be fixed in the next two weeks.
So why would you decide the future of the head coach based on these two games?
You shouldn’t.
Idzik along with Johnson should have enough information at this point to make a decision.
Two more games with Idzik’s shaky 2013 personnel equation really isn’t much of litmus test for whether Rex is the answer or not . . .
You know what is also ridiculous – quoting players on whether they think Rex should return.
It basically a rhetorical question – what do you expect them to say on the record?
“I’ll stand on a soap box and say it. Rex is my coach,” Willie Colon said. “He’s one of the main reasons I came here. I love the guy to death.”
When was the last time you saw a player say, “I don’t want the coach back. He stinks. He’s incompetent. It’s time for a change.”
I can’t remember that ever happening.
Now, with that being said, I do think players like playing for Ryan because he’s a player’s coach and he takes care of their bodies in training camp and practice. He doesn’t run them into the ground. Players, especially veteran players like Colon, like that approach.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the right man for the job.
Sometimes when a coach is too much a player’s coach, it leads to a lack of discipline due to a lack of fear. The Jets lead the NFL in pre-snap penalties. When you don’t fear losing your job, or feeling the wrath of the head coach after a foolish penalty, that isn’t necessarily a good thing from a mental standpoint.
If you are too much of a player’s coach, too much of a buddy, sometimes players are more apt to say stupid things to the press that fire up opponents.
Look, I’m not saying Rex Ryan should be fired. I’m not into firing people in print.
And like I’ve said, I think Idzik dealt him an awful hand this year. In the latest issue of Jets Confidential Magazine, I described the hand Idzik dealt Ryan this season as the equivalent to 16 in Blackjack.
But I don’t think players coming out publicly and telling the press Ryan should return should factor into the decision.
Those quotes are predictable and usually travel down a one way street.
December 18, 2013
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