Former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, currently an analyst with ESPN, expressed interest in the Washington Redskins head coaching job.
The Washington Redskins fired Jay Gruden after a 0-5 start. They’ve tapped Bill Callahan as interim head coach, and he will most likely finish out the season before someone new is brought into the mix.
Rex Ryan is on the short list of other potential Redskins candidates including Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Ex-Jets head coach Todd Bowles, who is currently the defense coordinator with the Tampa Bay Rays, is also a potential candidate.
Why would Ryan, or anyone else, want the Redskins head coaching job and have to report to the most-hated owner in the NFL, Dan Snyder?
REX RYAN NFL COACHING RECORD:
NY Jets 46-50
Buffalo 15-16
Overall 61-66
Ryan and his twin brother, Rob, are the sons of coaching great and defensive guru, Buddy Ryan. Ryan spent eight seasons in the NFL as head coach of both the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.
Despite an overall losing record of 61-66 in the regular season, Ryan has a 4-2 record in postseason. In six seasons with the Jets, Ryan went 46-50. He hasn’t coached since the Buffalo Bills fired him after two seasons.
Let’s Go Eat a @#$%! Snack
In his first two seasons as a head coach, Rex Ryan guided the Jets to back-to-back AFC championship berths. The Jets lost both times — once to Peyton Manning and the Indy Colts, and the other to Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2010, the Jets went 11-5, which also marked Ryan’s best career year as a head coach. The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since that high-water mark. Ryan never posted double digit wins again with the Jets.
After an impressive 20-12 start in his first two seasons as a head coach, Ryan went 28-38 over his next four seasons with the Jets. After a 4-12 record in 2014, the brash Ryan and the Jets parted ways.
The Jets had a long history of draft blunders over the years. Fans were skeptical when the Jets moved up in the NFL Draft to secure USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. The Jets and Ryan took heat for the pick. Ryan responded to the criticism by getting a tattoo of his wife wearing a Mark Sanchez jersey.
Sanchez recently retired from the NFL, but as much as he’s known for the Butt Fumble, he’s the last quarterback to guide the Jets to the playoffs, with consecutive appearances in the AFC Championship.
When the Jets fired Ryan, he took a job with Buffalo, and altered his tattoo. He paid someone to change the color of the tattoo jersey from Jets green to Buffalo blue.
Mayfield Spat
Recently, Ryan and Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield were involved in a beef. The Browns and Mayfield were pummeled with a hurricane of preseason hype. Oodles of money poured in on Cleveland Super Bowl bets. Mayfield got selected fairly high in fantasy football drafts. Everyone bought in Bakermania, including Ryan. But, after a couple of mediocre games, Ryan jumped off the bandwagon. He didn’t mince words about Mayfield.
“He’s overrated as hell,” Ryan said on ESPN. “Look, I bought into the dang hype. But not to the point where everyone’s saying he’s going to be the league MVP. Here’s a guy right now that’s a one-read guy, and then he’s going to improvise. He’s gotta realize that you are one of the slowest guys on that field when you take off with it. The ball’s not coming out in rhythm. He’s staring down guys, and you’re not that accurate down the field.”
When Ryan spoke his mind, Mayfield took exception to his brash criticism.
“Whatever,” shrugged off Mayfield. “In the wise words of coach Freddie Kitchens, ‘If you don’t wear orange and brown, you don’t matter.’ Rex Ryan doesn’t have any colors right now for a reason, so it’s OK.”
On ESPN’s pregame show the ensuing week, Ryan wore a suit and tie sporting the Browns colors. A few hours later, Mayfield pulled off the upset victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Mayfield wouldn’t give Ryan credit for the firing him up for the win.
Whether it’s on ESPN or with the Redskins, Ryan will always speak his mind. That endearing/flawed character trait makes Rex Ryan a horrible match for the Redskins head coaching job, but DC has no shortage of weird mismatches.