There was once a time when it seemed like Rex Ryan could be the head coach of the New York Jets until he retired, but things quickly took a turn for the worse. According to Ryan, that may have had something to do with questionable motives from the front office.
In an interview with the New York Post on Friday after his first training camp practice with the Buffalo Bills, Ryan took some subtle shots at Jets owner Woody Johnson and former general manager John Idzik.
“I had great experiences with the Jets, but … there are no personal agendas here,” he said. “From the organization, from top to bottom, hey, we might not be perfect but I know one thing: We’re all in, we’re all moving in the same direction and we’re going to get there. We don’t necessarily know 100 percent where we’re going, but we’re going to get there together. We want to win and we want to win right now.”
Ryan has maintained that he always understood why he was fired after a 4-12 season and missing the playoffs four straight years. However, he made it pretty clear that he didn’t get along with his bosses.
“I recognize when you get new pieces in place [Idzik], the first year is going to be a little bumpy,” Ryan said. “But the next year [last season] I expected a little more commitment and it just didn’t happen. That was the frustrating part. Was every single person going in the same direction? I’m not sure.”
At least one Jets player has accused Ryan of not running a tight ship in New York, but Rex basically told that guy where to stick it. In reality, the Jets struggled because of questionable draft picks and an inability to succeed on offense. Time will tell if Ryan can avoid those same issues in Buffalo.
