Rex Ryan changes grade on Jets' 2013 draft class to 'A-plus-plus'

[Ken Schroy]

Rex Ryan changes grade on Jets' 2013 draft class to 'A-plus-plus' (Dom Cosentino)

NJ Advance Media 

December 4, 2014

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/rex_ryan_changes_grade_on_jets_2013_draft_class_to_a-plus-plus.html

FLORHAM PARK — It's been nearly a year to the day since Rex Ryan generated plenty of laughter for saying of the Jets' 2013 draft class, "If this is not an A-plus class, I don't know what you're looking for." On Thursday, Ryan, the Jets' head coach, was asked to assess both last year's and this year's drafts, which are the handiwork of general manager John Idzik, whose job—like Ryan's—is now on the line with the Jets' season in shambles.

First up, this year's class, which included 12 draft picks, none of whom started Monday night's loss to the Dolphins, though Calvin Pryor had started most of the season at safety and Jace Amaro was a productive tight end before suffering a concussion. We gave our own grade of the Jets' disastrous 2014 draft here. But Ryan, aware that he stepped in it last year—and again when he repeated himself back in October—wouldn't quite go there.

"It doesn't matter," Ryan said. "It doesn't matter what I say. Here's the greatest answer, always—it's incomplete. There. That's cheap and it's easy to say, but after the rip job that I get for saying the A-plus [last year], when we had five starters, including the defensive rookie of the year, I guess I was the only one that could see that. So I'm going to say incomplete."

Asked not to give a grade, but rather a description of this year's class, Ryan reached for a punchline.  "Incomplete," he said. "You guys get me, I get you back."

Ryan did go on to give an overview of this year's class that wasn't fawning before concluding by saying, "The draft's not perfect. It's never going to be perfect. When you had 12 picks, we took some shots on guys to see where they were. But, for the most part, yeah, I'm happy with our draft, no question." Understand: Ryan always speaks highly of his players publicly. It's part of how he builds and maintains those players' loyalty. But wasn't his "A-plus" assessment of last year's group—we took a closer look at it here—a way of saying it was perfect?

"I thought it was," Ryan said. "I never put the A-plus-plus on it, which, by the way ... [included] the defensive rookie of the year and the guy that closed out the season by being voted by his peers as the top defensive rookie the last month of the season in Dee Milliner. And, oh, by the way, a quarterback [Geno Smith] that started 16 games for you and won eight of them. And that was actually better than we thought because [Winters] was a starting guard, oh, and, by the way, Oday Aboushi is now starting [in Winters's place]. So, A-plus-plus for that one."

The room erupted in laughter. The Jets are still 2-10.

 

[Jetlife33]

[IPBanBadPosters]

[Patriot Killa]

Sarcastic shots taken at Idzik?

[NJ]

A - nus

[Smashmouth]

what a ******* moron

[DaBallhawk]

Intredasting.

[Integrity28]

Sarcastic shots taken at Idzik?

No . Read it, it's shots at the media more than anything.

[Nick Blitz]

All seems liked a big joke to Ryan and the Media, let's trade few barbs and have a few laughs. Where the **** is the accountability! there should be a goddamn public apology by him, Idzik and Woody about the the ******* awful state this team is in.

Maybe they show a bit of humility to the fans of this shambles of a team who are most certainly not amused.

[Furor Teutonicus]

Someone lost contact with reality. In Germany we call that "Galgenhumor" (gallows humor).