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Rex Ryan on report he wants to be fired: 'That's garbage'


Ken Schroy

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Rex Ryan stepped up to the podium, wearing his New York Jets gear, as always – more on that in a bit – and seemingly ready to give his usual end-of-the-week rundown of the injuries.

"It's Friday," Ryan said at the top of his press conference, "but this is going to be a little different."

Different because the latest bit of anonymously sourced news had been aimed right at Ryan in the form of a New York Daily News story that indicated Ryan is ready to walk away from the Jets if owner Woody Johnson doesn't take the necessary steps to fix the issues with the team's offense and coaching staff.

Ryan wasn't happy about the report. In fact, he claimed he was "disappointed and mad as a hornet."

While he didn't raise his voice, he tried his best to put a stinger in the story and Manish Mehta, the Daily News reporter who wrote the article.

"It's untrue. In the article it talked about in a certain way I did not want to be the head coach of the New York Jets, and that's totally untrue," Ryan said. "The fact is, and it's simple, this is the only team I want to coach, period. Anybody that knows me knows that I'm telling you the truth.

"Has it been perfect? No. Would I like this player or that player? Of course, anybody would. But I'm telling you, this is my team, these are my players and I don't want to coach somebody else's players. This is the team I want to coach, period."

Ryan addressed his players during a meeting on Friday morning to tell them the report was inaccurate. He said the speech he gave was "probably a little more passionate, emotional, whatever you want to call it because I'd just read the story." Ryan said he also called Johnson after he read the story to say he was not pulling a power play.

"That's total garbage. That's garbage. That's not the case at all," Ryan said of the notion he was threatening to leave if changes weren't made. "The premise I'd rather go somewhere else to coach somebody else's football team? No way. That's not it. This is my team. I'd rather coach my players and coach my team. I don't care about who else it is. New England Patriots or anybody else, I don't care. I want this team. This is my team."

Ryan later added of Johnson, "I called Mr. Johnson as soon as I read the article and let him know 100 percent that's not my intention. No way in heck. I'm not putting an ultimatum to this man that hired me. No chance. This is his football team. I take it as my team, the guys that I coach and the football part of it, that's how I approach it. But it's Mr. Johnson's team. I feel honored he hired me to do a job."

Ryan said he spoke to Mehta on Thursday night and gave him his side of the story, which he indicated was the same one he gave to reporters Friday but "for whatever reason he elected not to put my response in."

There have been numerous anonymously-sourced stories, most from the Daily News, over the past year-plus, criticizing certain members of the organization (Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow) or insinuating they want out (defensive coordinator Mike Pettine). Now, Ryan is the target, though he said he hadn't yet addressed his staff about the leaks.

"Whoever's agenda it is, I don't know," Ryan said, adding: "The fact (the leaks) still exist, does it bother me? Of course, it bothers me."

Everybody's agenda in an organization should be to win. It appears that's been clouded of late in the Jets' facility.

Ryan believes that can change for the better. Under his guidance, of course.

"Let's face it, I wear Jets stuff every single day. Every day. I'm proud to be a Jet," he said. "Sometimes I'm proud to be a Jet more than others, but I'm proud to be a Jet. This season has been a rough one, no question, but again this is my team. That's how I approach it. And I believe we will get back – and this is really a topic for next week – but I believe we can accomplish what I set out to do when I took the job, and that's the truth."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/jets/2012/12/28/rex-ryan-i-only-want-to-coach-the-new-york-jets/1796507/

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The anonymous leaks have happened too many times whether they are exaggerated or not. You have too remember that Mehta is risking his own career when he puts this stuff out there. He doesnt gain anything from false reporting unless his goal is to be a reporter for the Enquirer. My guess is that Rex did say these things in frustration, probably to a small group of people and off the cuff. But that doesnt mean its the only thought in Rex's head, people are more complex than that. How many times have you said to people "Im quitting this damn job" only to show up the next day? So, I think Rex did say these things just like I think Tebow told Rex that the run up the gut wildcat sucked.

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I hate Monday's. But this time around i cannot wait for Monday to come soon enough. We will know!

exactly, I am waiting for it all to come out. Regardless, this is not looking good on the whole Jets organization. I like Rex, but with all of this going on it may be necessary to blow the whole thing up. Front office included.

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It was a smart and calculated move. This way Rex cant go and bully him in front of the other media. All he can do is respond to the story and try to save face.

I read on Twitter that Mehta hasn't attended a Friday press conference all season so the two might not be related. Still a POS of thing to do though. His writing has really taken a nosedive this year. And don't even try to question him or call him out on Twitter about it or you'll get a nasty DM from him in response like I do lol.

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I read on Twitter that Mehta hasn't attended a Friday press conference all season so the two might not be related. Still a POS of thing to do though. His writing has really taken a nosedive this year. And don't even try to question him or call him out on Twitter about it or you'll get a nasty DM from him in response like I do lol.

Not a surprise a writer is a doosh. usually it takes time before they feel they are entitled asses and can get away with whatever they want. Seems like he's taken that turn a little too fast.

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I read on Twitter that Mehta hasn't attended a Friday press conference all season so the two might not be related. Still a POS of thing to do though. His writing has really taken a nosedive this year. And don't even try to question him or call him out on Twitter about it or you'll get a nasty DM from him in response like I do lol.

wasn't he the one who reported that the Jets guaranteed they were absolutely not, never in a million years, ever in this lifetime going to acquire Tebow? since that point, it feels like all he's done is try to make the Jets look like they're a dysfunctional mess behind the scenes at every turn.

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The fact that Rex Ryan said it in frustration may be true ( Ryan never denied saying it) but it is all about the spin and context. Reporters will take a quote - one that was truly said and twist the intention or fail to provide the context exploiting the quote for his purpose of creating a bigger controversy.

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If there ever was a rationale to advocate for the belicheck/parcels way of dealing with reporters this year with the jets is it. I commend the jets for trying to be open and fan friendly but something has to give. It's a shame. Reporting feel good stories or informational stories are a thing of the past - now it's all about creating tension and controversy.

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If there ever was a rationale to advocate for the belicheck/parcels way of dealing with reporters this year with the jets is it. I commend the jets for trying to be open and fan friendly but something has to give. It's a shame. Reporting feel good stories or informational stories are a thing of the past - now it's all about creating tension and controversy.

A coach gains nothing by giving the press anything more than the required bare minimum. You get judged by wins and losses. The press LOVED Herman Edwards but the guy had no idea how to coach an NFL team. That Mark Cannizarro wanted to have his child didn't help him one bit.

Seems part of the Ryan/Mehta mess is what was on and what was off the record. If you don't talk to the press beyond the NFL-mandated pressers, you don't have that problem.

BY all accounts clear Ryan will be back. Hope he has learned that because the press likes you doesn't mean anything when it comes to your job.

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Mehta said Rex told it to him off the record. Pretty amusing that Rex would go off the record to rip on an anonymous source. I believe that's called irony. Not sure though.

Everyone knows off-the-record sources cannot be trusted under any circumstances.

No, wait. It's gotta be your bull.

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