After their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, one of the most hectic and disappointing seasons in recent New York Jets history will finally come to a close. The team is expected to have a new look next season, with Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow both likely heading elsewhere. Some have even speculated that Rex Ryan won’t be far behind, but it seems unlikely that Jets owner Woody Johnson would fire him.
Johnson may not fire his head coach, but that doesn’t mean he’ll want to stay. According to the NY Daily News, Ryan feels that the team would be better off firing him if significant changes and improvements aren’t made an offense.
The Daily News has learned that Ryan, the swashbuckling point man who dominated the headlines for the past four seasons, has intimated to “anyone who will listen” that he would be better off getting fired if Johnson isn’t willing to rectify player personnel and coaching issues on offense, according to sources.
New York’s passing attack currently ranks 30th in the NFL. The Jets have scored only 18.1 points per game, which puts them at 28th overall. The fact that they were even still alive in the AFC playoff race before last weekend’s loss to the San Diego Chargers is amazing.
“If Woody’s not willing to do what it takes to fix the team, then (Ryan) knows he’s better off being fired,” a team source reportedly told the Daily News. “If Woody is willing to eat some money and spend to get us out of this mess, then it’s worth staying.
One team official reportedly said there is no way Ryan would quit, but he’d prefer to be fired if the Jets begin camp next season with the same offensive personnel, including offensive coordinator Tony Sparano. If the Jets bring back the same crew next year, they’re likely going to miss the playoffs. If they miss the playoffs again, Ryan will probably be fired anyway.
If Johnson feels as though Ryan is the man that is going to bring the Vince Lombardi trophy back to New York’s other team, he’s going to have to eat some money. Sparano, Sanchez and Tebow are all under contract for next season, meaning the team would have to finagle some improbable trades or start cutting people and throwing a few bucks away. It’s not as if Rex would have any trouble finding work elsewhere.
