Rex Ryan continues to deflect blame
Rex Ryan still doesn’t get it. Considering he’s been fired from two different head coaching positions and wakes up today at 54 years old, it’s more likely than not that he never will.
Ryan, who was fired in December after going 7-8 this season with the Buffalo Bills, talked to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News and lashed out toward Buffalo. In the piece, Ryan had the following comment about his former employers.
“I set the expectations too high. Like, boy, that’s a shock. In a way, I felt, why not us? I stepped in where the head coach [Doug Marrone] had quit [following the 2014 season], the defensive coordinator [Jim Schwartz] had quit and the quarterback [Kyle Orton] quit on them. So, I thought that it was important at the time to say, ‘You know what? Shoot, I believe in you. And I’m proud to be the coach here.’ Every bit of that was true. I put that truck around town. I was all-in. Even though those other three had quit, I wasn’t a quitter. I was ready. And I wanted to be there. and I wanted to win. And I thought I could win.”
If Ryan set the expectations too high, that was on him. He had a penchant for shooting his mouth off in press conferences for years with the New York Jets, where he reached the AFC Championship Game in each of his first two years before failing to post a winning record over his last four. Ryan should have known better, but he didn’t.
Talking a huge game and failing to back it up has become his legacy. The idea that Ryan was being brash in Buffalo because of Doug Marrone, Kyle Orton and Jim Schwartz resigning/retiring is ludicrous. He was doing it because that is who Rex Ryan is. It’s the only thing he knows.
Ultimately, all of that is a nonsense answer from a guy who can’t accept the truth. Ryan was fired because Buffalo went 15-16 during his stewardship, despite having the talent to reach the postseason. His offense was never up to snuff, even when wide receiver Sammy Watkins and running back LeSean McCoy was healthy. The defense actually regressed under Ryan, failing to get his trademark pressure.
In the piece by Mehta, there are various times Ryan takes responsibility for his firing, only to sound petty and defensive. It’s time for him to face facts; he wasn’t a good head coach. The reason he was fired is the same reason other coaches get fired, he wasn’t winning enough. At some point, Ryan needs to look in the mirror and come to terms with that. Only then does he have a chance of correcting his mistakes.
