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Rex Ryan is mad as hell, and he’s not going to take it anymore.
Ryan says he can’t change, and needs to be who he is, but he is going to change in one way, because it really wasn’t him.
He’s no longer going to be the class clown.
According to source close to the Jets, Rex Ryan ripped into some business-side people in the Jets organization, following the season.
“Rex went bezerk on the non-football people who he thought gave him bad advice on how to act,” said the source.
So don’t expect anymore orange wigs at press conferences, or bold proclamations about going to the Super Bowl or being better than the Giants.
He felt pushed to do this to help the team stay on the radar.
Who pushed him, it’s hard to say. Matt Higgins has been running the business side, so it would be fair to assume he was involved.
Remember, the Jets have been pushing PSL’s and tickets for several years now, and Rex’s wild statements and actions, constantly kept them in the news.
But now this act is wearing thin, and Rex is tired of looking like a fool, so the Jets coach, who said he can’t change, will change in this regard.
He’s not going to change much as a coach, but he’s done with the P.T. Barnum act, as we like to put it.
However, while he’s not going to change his personality with his team, he does need to tweak his “Uncle Rex” act. Bart Scott nicknamed him that a couple of years ago.
One of the reasons Rex didn’t get the Baltimore job after Brian Billick was fired, aside from his weight (this isn’t a cheap shot – it was a factor, from what we hear), is because the management there felt he wasn’t enough of a disciplinarian.
They felt he wasn’t tough enough on cornerback Chris McAlister, who had a reputation as a party animal. The Ravens brass wasn’t happy at his handling of McAlister, a former first round pick.
So while Rex doesn’t need to transform his coaching style, he can’t let Santonio Holmes walk all over him, like McAlister did.
He can’t keep kissing Santonio’s butt (like making him a captain when he didn’t deserve it), but he needs to crack down on him when he’s hurting the team – maybe sit him for a game if he doesn’t improve his attitude.
Ryan can’t pretend he’s not aware of how serious a problem is – he has to deal with it, no matter how difficult that might be . . .
The Super Bowl features the two best slot receivers in football, Victor Cruz and Wes Welker.
But don’t be surprised if Jeremy Kerley is mentioned in the same breath with these guys in the near future.
He really came on late in the season, and this shouldn’t come as a surprise – the kid works his tail off. There are few players in the building with better work ethics.
Kerley has the ideal skillset for the slot – he’s really quick, fearless and very good at running after the catch.
Tony Sparano used his slot receiver (Davone Bess) a lot in Miami, and expect him to do the same with Kerley, who looks like a good one.
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