Jets News 1/20

[SoFlaJets]

SUPER BOWL'S MESSAGE TO JETS: FIRST-TIMERS CAN WIN

PHOENIX - On the morning radio shows, it was difficult to discern if Ken Whisenhunt had just led the Arizona Cardinals to a stunning berth in Super Bowl XLIII the night before, wearing the headset and oversized play chart all head coaches sport as sacred vestments, or if he'd donned a mask and surgical gloves and cracked the code for curing cancer.

"This man," one caller shrieked, "is a miracle worker.""I'll tell you what this shows," the man behind the microphone fielding the calls said, "it proves that sometimes it pays off to hire your own genius, and not one that somebody else already discovered."

"Keep Bill Parcells!" another hoarse caller barked. "I'll keep Kenny!"Yes, these are heady times for first-time coaches. Whisenhunt has become a bigger local deity than John McCain now, practically overnight, for being the man who cleared through 60 years of wilderness to deliver the permanently woebegone Birds to the Promised Land.

On the other side of the country, in football-mad Pittsburgh, there is Mike Tomlin, another first-timer, another discovery who, empowered with talent and commitment from his bosses, was able to rise from the blurry pile of nameless, faceless assistant coaches and seize a healthy slice of his own accomplishment. And in Pittsburgh, it was swaggery sport yesterday to point out: Whisenhunt (and the Cards' assistant head coach, Russ Grimm) had, in essence, been the Steelers' fall-back candidates two years ago, when Bill Cowher (another alumnus of assistant-coach anonymity) retired.

"I think," Tomlin said Sunday, in the giddy aftermath of the Steelers' win over Baltimore, "that this shows what's possible when you get an opportunity and are willing to work like crazy to make the most of that opportunity."

All of that, of course, fills the Jets' offices in Florham Park with the sweetest kind of symphony music, because that is precisely what Mike Tannenbaum and Woody Johnson are going to be selling tomorrow. That is when they will officially introduce Rex Ryan as the newest savior, the Gang GreenNew York Jets once again going with a green coach, hoping the lightning lands in the bottle this time, and not in some unfortunate fireball torching another redemptive plan.

They will point to Whisenhunt, a longtime loyal assistant to Cowher (and, incidentally, a former tight ends coach for the Jets under Al Groh) to whom the Cardinals gave a what-the-hell shot after their Dennis Green experiment flamed out. They will point to Tomlin, who learned at Tony Dungy's knee and looks to be a perfect fit in Steel City, which has employed exactly three head coaches in 40 years (as opposed to the Jets, who twice in the last 10 years have employed three different head coaches in the space of a couple of weeks).

They will, of course, conveniently overlook names like Rod Marinelli and Dick Nolan, Scott Linehan and Romeo Crennel and Lane Kiffin, and you can believe there will be no mention anywhere of a certain Eric Mangini. And only the cynics and skeptics in the press will note that those are six of the eight (so far) fired coaches in the NFL this season, and they were all first-time coaches.

Just like Whisenhunt.

Just like Tomlin.

By all indications, Ryan is a fine choice for the Jets. His bloodline is sublime: brother of Rob, son of Buddy, one of the few coordinators whose body of work deserves consideration for the Hall of Fame (and, of course, a member of Weeb Ewbank's championship Jets staff in 1968). He has a personality that fits football players and the demands of the media. There may come a day next January, or two Januaries from now, when the rest of the country will look at this hiring with the same sense of inspiration we now look at the Cardinals and the Steelers. We will see. For now, Ryan has a quarterback mess to clean up, and players to win over, and 40 years of dreadful history to wade across. It isn't an easy job.

But then, if it were, there wouldn't have been so many past inhabitants of his new office, would there?

[SoFlaJets]

FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS: BRETT OUTTA TOWN!

THE Rex Ryan inauguration is tomorrow, and the Jets need him to be a difference-maker as much as this country needs Barack Obama to be one.

Here's hoping Ryan doesn't think he can make a difference with a 40-year-old Brett Favre.

Here's hoping, for the sake of landing the job, Ryan didn't tell team owner Woody (PSL) Johnson everything he wanted to hear about Favre coming back to try again.

Ryan has made his living sacking the quarterback. His first order of business must be sacking Favre.

Ryan should pick up the telephone in his new office and put in a call to the Favre farm informing the quarterback politely but firmly that the organization has decided to go in a different direction, whether Favre eventually decides to return or not. The last thing Ryan needs is to be held hostage by one of Favre's "To Play or Not To Play" dramas.

Rookie coach, rookie quarterback worked this season in Atlanta. Rookie coach, rookie quarterback worked this season in Baltimore with Ryan as an eyewitness. It can work in New York if Ryan builds the dominant defense we all expected former coach Eric Mangini to build.

The organization kowtowed to Favre with the expectation he would deliver a postseason berth, at the very least. It was worth a shot last summer. The shotgun wedding didn't work. It would be unbecoming of Ryan to jump through hoops for a faded Hall of Fame icon with a war-torn arm who couldn't defend Giants Stadium from Chad Pennington.

Here's the Serby Game Plan, then, for Rex Ryan to blitz New York:

* BYE-BYE, BRETT - You just got to the AFC Championship with Joe Flacco at quarterback. Though it is true you have inherited a win-now team, you will have the benefit of a honeymoon period. Drafting and developing a franchise quarterback of your choosing will enable you to be up and rolling in time for the new stadium's debut in 2010. If Favre comes back and you miss the playoffs, then you've wasted your rookie season.

* PLAY TO WIN - Mangini shockingly lost his nerve down the stretch and coached scared, which hardly inspired his players. There are four No. 1 draft choices on your new offensive line: Challenge them to get that damn yard on fourth-and-1.

If Thomas JonesThomas Jones is gashing the opposing defense, don't kick a field goal when you've driven inside your opponents' 5. Fourth-and-2 at their 38? Go for it. JetsNew York Jets fans long for a head coach who will go down swinging.

* KILL THE QUARTERBACK - Your MO. If Tom Brady doesn't come back for the start of the 2009 season, then plaster a bull's-eye on Matt Cassel. And put one on that Chad Pennington guy. That means fixing Vernon Gholston so that everyone stops calling him a bust; you don't know how much that embarrasses your new GM, Mike Tannenbaum.

It means somehow turning Gholston into Terrell Suggs, and prohibiting Calvin Pace from dropping back in coverage. Send Kerry RhodesKerry Rhodes . Send Abram ElamAbram Elam . Show them all how to be junkyard dogs.

This is Fun City, for crying out loud! The New York Sack Exchange wasn't meant to be on the other side of the river.

* BE YOURSELF - Just because your dad once punched Kevin Gilbride on the sidelines doesn't mean you should throw a left hook at offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer on those occasions when he forgets to get Leon WashingtonLeon Washington at least 10 touches.

* BELI-CHECKMATE - Do not believe a word out of Bill Belichick's mouth when he gives his Gettysburg Address on the powerhouse football team that resides in Florham Park. Don't let him escape with a postgame fish handshake when you beat him. Oh, and if you see any strange game-day videotaping on his sideline, alert stadium security ASAP.

* GOODBYE, PARANOIA - Mangini cut his teeth under Bill Parcells and Belichick, so you can understand why he shrouded his every move in secrecy. No one is saying you have to pass out X-rays of player injuries, but this is as good a time as any to remind the organization that football isn't rocket science.

Why, year after year, are we outsiders led to believe the Jets are hiding weapons of mass destruction? If it's broken, fix it. It's broken, Rex, and it has been broken for 40 years. Be the breath of fresh air that blows through the locker room and invigorates deflated players who have spent too much time walking on eggshells, worried that Big Brother is watching. The culture needs changing.

* WEAR THICK SKIN - Don't take anything personally. When you are reading your New York Post with your morning coffee, do not spit it up the day after a bad loss to the Patriots when a "WRECKS RYAN" headline is staring back at you. Parcells always used to say that it was either euphoria or disaster here. Do not listen to talk radio . . . in fact, limit your exposure to your weekly paid spot on the station of your choice.

steve.serby@nypost.com

[SoFlaJets]

GANG GLEEFUL OVER 'COLORFUL' NEW LEADER

Damien Woody is looking forward to Rex Ryan's introductory press conference as much as any JetsNew York Jets fan.

The offensive tackle is excited to see his new head coach step behind the microphone and hear what the new boss has to say. Woody was careful not to criticize former coach Eric Mangini, but admitted the Jets players are looking forward to a coach who's not robotic.

"I think it's a good move, man," Woody said. "I would say he's a more colorful guy, not afraid to speak his mind. He's got a little ****iness to him. That's a good thing, especially for the guys on defense. Those guys will enjoy playing under a guy like that."

Three weeks after the Jets fired Mangini, they finalized a deal with Ryan, who brings a brashness not seen around team headquarters since Herm Edwards left town three years ago.

He also brings an aggressive, attacking defense that was absent during the final days of the Mangini era. The question is whether the Jets have the personnel to do what the Ravens did. Safety Kerry Rhodes said he's up for the challenge of replicating Ed Reed in Ryan's defense.

"If he holds to form and lets me do the things I can I'll be able to make just as many plays as (Reed) does," Rhodes said. "I'm a guy like (Reed) that likes to make plays. So if (Ryan) keeps that freedom, I'll do that what I do."

Jets players have been following the coaching search, and they've seen what Ryan has done in Baltimore. His success there has them excited to play for the man Ravens players nicknamed "The Mad Scientist."

"You look at all the success they've had," tight end Chris BakerChris Baker said. "All you know of the Ravens is how good that defense is. That's a good thing for sure. I'm looking forward to meeting him."

Woody said he is relieved a new coach is finally in place.

"I'm glad the whole search itself is over with," Woody said. "I know they wanted to be thorough. I'm just glad that we have a coach. He seems like he has really strong credentials. Lots of players have done good things in that system."

Rhodes talked to some of his friends on the Ravens, and got good reports about his new boss.

"I'm excited," Rhodes said. "I know some guys down there and everything I've heard has been positive. They say they like him and he's a players' coach."

[SoFlaJets]

LONGTIME ASSISTANT COACH UP TO BIG CHALLENGE OF 'DREAM' JOB

The New York Jets are all Rexed up.

Gang Green made it official yesterday, announcing Rex Ryan is their newest head coach. The team will introduce Ryan at a press conference at 10 a.m. tomorrow at its Florham Park, N.J., headquarters.

The announcement came after a three-week search for Eric Mangini's replacement. The Jets offered Ryan the job late Sunday night, after the Ravens' loss to the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. Ryan accepted, and Jets owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum flew to Baltimore yesterday morning to finalize the deal.

Ryan, 46, received a four-year contract worth around $11-12 million, according to league sources.

"I'd like to thank Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Ryan said in a statement. "It's been a dream of mine to become a head coach in the NFL. Coming here to the New York Jets, where my father once coached and was part of the Super Bowl III staff, is fantastic. I look around at the facilities and the people they have in place and see a first-class organization. I'm just proud to be part of it."

Ryan, who spent the last 10 seasons as an assistant in Baltimore, faces several immediate challenges. The biggest is the team's uncertain quarterback situation.

Incumbent starter Brett Favre has not made a decision yet, but all indications are he is leaning toward retirement. Johnson and Tannenbaum both stated at the press conference to announce Mangini's firing that they would like Favre to return.

A source close to Ryan said the coach would be open to Favre coming back, but did not believe he would lobby the quarterback to return. Favre, who will turn 40 on Oct. 10, is coming off a disastrous final stretch with the Jets. His $13 million salary is a salary-cap problem, but don't expect the Jets to throw dirt on him tomorrow. Favre has two years left on his contract and the Jets must publicly say they want him back or they'll give his agent and the players' union leverage to lobby for his release.

The other immediate issue for Ryan is assembling a staff. Team officials would like Brian Schottenheimer to return as offensive coordinator, and Ryan is open to the idea. The NFL Network reported yesterday that Schottenheimer may not want to return for the final year of his contract, upset that he was passed over for the head coaching job.

If Schottenheimer bolts, Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson would become the leading candidate for the job.

Bob Sutton will not be back as defensive coordinator. Sources said Ryan will hire Mike Pettine, the Ravens' linebackers coach, to run the Jets defense.

Ryan is the 16th head coach in Jets history. His father, Buddy, was part of the Super Bowl-winning coaching staff in 1968. The elder Ryan, the architect of the "46 defense" said his son was the right choice.

"I think they did themselves a great favor," Buddy Ryan, 74, said yesterday from his Kentucky home. "They've got a great coach, not a good one."

Mangini was fired on Dec. 29, a day after the Jets finished the season 9-7, losers of four of their final five games. The Jets interviewed eight people for the job: Ryan, Schottenheimer, offensive line coach Bill Callahan, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, former Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski, Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, Cardinals offensive line coach Russ Grimm and Colts defensive coordinator Ron Meeks.

Ryan interviewed with the Jets on Jan. 11 at BWI Airport in Maryland. His five-hour interview wowed Johnson and Tannenbaum, who then had to wait until the Ravens' season ended before making an offer.

"Rex is revered by his players and respected by his peers around the NFL for his innovative schemes," Johnson said in a statement. "There is no doubt in my mind that Rex has the expertise and instincts to build on the foundation that we have in place and take this franchise to the ranks of the NFL's elite. He will bring an aggressive, physical brand of football that will captivate our fans and ignite their passion."

[SoFlaJets]

New coach Rex Ryan has link to Jets' past with dad Buddy

Woody Johnson got the Jets' coaching search off to a hilarious start when he chose to go on vacation out of the country within a day of firing Eric Mangini. Tough season, Woody needed his rest.

The only problem? When Bill Cowher, by far the best candidate, consented the next day to set up a meeting with the Jets and give Johnson a chance to tell him why this was the best job in the NFL, he was informed Johnson was on winter break and not available. Cowher was turned off and immediately pulled out.

Maybe there was nothing Johnson could have said to convince Cowher to coach the Jets, but the vacation made it seem like the Jets had no idea what they were doing, which too often has been standard operating procedure over the last 40 years.

But they recouped nicely Monday by hiring Ravens charismatic defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, an anti-Mangini, which is just what the Jets needed. In this case, I'll take the uncertainty of projecting a career assistant as a head coach over the track record Mangini established.

Mangini was paranoid, secretive, bland - and the worst indictment of all, was an awful game-day manager with no feel for the game or his team. His players threw him under the bus when they failed to play with intensity the last month of the season.

Ryan has lots of personality, is passionate, his players love playing for him, he makes it fun and his imaginative defensive schemes will result in more game-changing plays. He may be unknown as a head coach, but we know the Jets were going nowhere with Mangini.

Ryan gives the Jets an identity. He won't look like he's ready to take a nap on the sidelines like Mangini. He will give them some hope in a league where the Arizona freakin' Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl. Ryan is also ultra-competitive. "Losing kills him," a friend said.

He was teary-eyed talking to Ravens coach John Harbaugh in the losing locker room in Pittsburgh on Sunday night.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have done more for you," he said.

Sources say he has a big fan in Bill Parcells, who interviewed him last year for the Miami job, even though that was a done deal for Tony Sparano. If Parcells likes Ryan, that's a strong endorsement. And he liked him before Ryan's defense picked off Chad Pennington four times in the wild-card game on Jan. 4.

"He's awesome," said a coach who has worked with Ryan. "He's not about putting on airs or false pretenses. He knows who he is. He is a football coach and the Jets need a football coach. He has a passion for football, but Rex is not going to lose control and sock somebody on the sidelines like his dad (Buddy) or be demonstrative on the sidelines like his brother Rob. Jets fans will love him. He's blue collar. They will fall in love with him."

In Baltimore, fans would be screaming and clapping for him on game day as he walked from the parking lot into the stadium. "Go get 'em Rex," the fans shouted. "Let's kick their butts Tuesday."

This is Johnson's fourth head coaching hire going into his 10th season owning the Jets. All four, from Al Groh to Herm Edwards to Mangini and now Ryan, not only have been defensive coaches, but first-time NFL head coaches.

The Jets were never serious about Cowher or Mike Shanahan and didn't flinch when Jon Gruden was fired Friday. They wanted another rookie after the success this season of Harbaugh, Sparano and Atlanta's Mike Smith. GM Mike Tannenbaum also wanted to maintain his power base that would have been threatened by a Super Bowl-winning coach like Cowher.

Rex and his twin brother Rob, just hired by Mangini to be his defensive coordinator in Cleveland, were hanging around the Jets during their one glory year. Buddy was on the Jets' defensive staff when they won their only Super Bowl 40 years ago. So, the Jets have a link to the past, even if Rex Ryan was only 6 years old at the time.

He loved Jets free safety Kerry Rhodes in the 2005 draft. "He wants to turn him into the second coming of No. 20," the source said.

No. 20 is Ed Reed, who became an All-Pro safety under Ryan. He wanted inside linebacker David Harris in the draft in 2007. The Jets took him. Harris is not going to be Ray Lewis, but Ryan will find ways for him to make impact plays.

Buddy Ryan, talking from his horse farm in Kentucky, said he plans on coming up for mini-camp. Ryan brought the high-pressure "46" defense to the NFL. No defense was more intimidating than the '85 Bears when they won the Super Bowl.

"The defense Rex runs is very similar to the '46' - eight in the box, seven in the box," Buddy Ryan said. "He will do a great job and they will be very happy."

Indications continue to be strong that Brett Favre will retire. But the source said Ryan is not worried about the Jets' quarterback situation.

"Look at what they did with a rookie quarterback in Baltimore," he said. "People say you've got to have a great quarterback to win the Super Bowl. Rex was in Baltimore when they won with Trent Dilfer."

The Jets dumped Mangini and hired Ryan. But the biggest question remains: Now that Mangini is in Cleveland, is he going to change the middle name of his infant son from Brett to Brady?

gmyers@nydailynews.com

[SoFlaJets]

Ryan is latest hot coordinator for Jets to snag

Here they go again. They hear those trumpets blow again. All aglow again. Takin' a chance on ... another hot young coordinator.

Well, maybe not so young, but stop me if you've heard this one before.

The resume of Rex Ryan, the latest hot (not-so-young) coordinator to be anointed the next savior of the Jets, is not all that much different from that of his buddy Eric Mangini.

He has the pedigree by birth - Buddy Ryan is his dad - that Mangini had by association, having been a pup out of Bill Belichick, who in turn was a pup of Bill Parcells.

He has the great, swarming defense of the Ravens as the lead line on his resume, the way Mangini had that of the Patriots.

And he wears the tag of the up-and-comer despite his age (46) and the fact that last year, he was passed over for the top jobs in Baltimore and Atlanta.

Who knows, Ryan might turn out to be everything Parcells and Belichick developed into and everything Mangini so far has not. There is no reason to condemn this pick or to wish it anything less than the best. Two years from now, Ryan might be the next Ken Whisenhunt.

But as it stands now, without a game having been played or a strategic decision having been made, isn't this just another case of Jets Business as Usual?

In other words, rather than bring in an experienced, powerful coach/general manager type to institute his own system, just hire a coordinator and have him work within the Jets' system. Which, incidentally, hasn't worked all that well for, oh, the past four decades.

Throughout their 45-year history, the Jets now have employed 15 head coaches (17 if you include their three seasons as the Titans). Only once in all that time have they handed over the reins of the entire operation to a single man and trusted him to fix it.

That man was Parcells, and for the brief time he was here, it worked.

All the rest of the successors to Weeb Ewbank, from Charley Winner to Mangini, were the same guy. A guy asked to work within an inherently dysfunctional system (a system that has rarely, if ever, featured a strong football man at the helm). In short, the proverbial coach hired to be fired.

Except in the case of Parcells, who wouldn't have it any other way, the Jets have never allowed a true football architect to tear the building down to its foundation and rebuild it from the ground up.

That is why, in their hunt for Mangini's successor, the Jets ignored the likes of Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden and showed only cursory interest in Bill Cowher, preferring instead to surf the list of hot young and not-so-young coordinators around the league, guys who hunger for the chance and aren't going to be too demanding about the working conditions.

It is also why, in nearly a half-century of mostly bad football, the strongest football executive in Jets history not named Parcells was a guy named Sonny Werblin, an entertainment exec who didn't know one end of the football from the other but knew enough about the power of celebrity to realize that paying $427,000 for a gimpy quarterback named Joe Namath would be the steal of the century.

And it also probably is why, 40 years after their one and only Super Bowl appearance, the Jets have barely had a whiff of it again except for when Parcells was buying the groceries and cooking the meals.

But as long as Mike Tannenbaum, the latest in a long line of weak Jets GMs, keeps buying the groceries, the Jets and their fans will remain sick.

The Jets had their chance to make a real difference in their franchise and their culture a few weeks ago when Scott Pioli, the architect of the Patriots teams that have tormented them for years, became available.

But they showed no real interest in a guy with a resume, a guy who would have demanded, and deserved, total control over the football operation. Instead, they fell for the guy with the personality and the promise, the guy they could control, the guy who is just happy to be here, even if it means working in the system devised by Tannenbaum.

For years, the Jets have needed someone to come in with a bulldozer, tear everything down and rebuild it in his own vision. Time and again, they've settled for a new coat of paint.

Ryan may turn out to be the artist-in-training the Jets have been seeking, but until proven otherwise, you have to fear he'll wind up as just another house painter.

Here they go again.

[SoFlaJets]

Jets fans relieved to see new coach

Now that Rex Ryan has become the Jets' head coach, many of the team's fans are pleased to see the organization take a step in a new direction. Some also are relieved to not be saddled with Eric Mangini for another year.

"That's great, because I didn't like Mangini," Vincenzo Gavrity, 16, of Staten Island said of the hire. "Rex Ryan is a better coach because he has more experience and he led one of the best defenses in the league."

The Jets named former Ravens defensive coordinator Ryan as Mangini's successor yesterday, exactly three weeks after Mangini was fired a day after the regular season ended. The Jets failed to make the playoffs despite an 8-3 start.

"We're very happy with hiring Rex Ryan. I think it's a great hire for the Jets," said Bob Basel, 50, of Garden City. "I think Mangini had his shot to do the job, he had three years to do it and he couldn't get it done. Now it's time for somebody new."

Basel hopes Ryan can yield better results. "The fact that they were 8-3 and ended up 9-7, I think was very disappointing," he said. "Not necessarily totally [Mangini's] fault but ... he's the head coach. He needs to take responsibility."

Ryan is known for his fiery demeanor, a stark contrast from his predecessor, who often incensed fans with his disinclination to show emotion on the sideline.

"I think they definitely needed a change," said Rick Spadalik, 40, of Fort Salonga. "Obviously, 'Man-genius' wasn't doing it. Watching [Ryan] coaching, I think he's gonna do a great job. I think we definitely needed more power in there and he'll bring some leadership to the locker room."

Ryan also has built a reputation with his defensive acumen, something that had Mike Giantasio, 21, of Massapequa pulling for him from the beginning.

"I think that's great," Giantasio said. "That's who I wanted all along. He's a focused guy. He's gonna blitz, and Mangini never blitzed. I'm looking forward to it. I think it's a step in the right direction."

Amy Schmidt, 27, of St. James was anxious about the waiting game. "I'm just glad they did it because I don't like being in limbo," she said.

Schmidt said she simply wants Ryan to bring one element to the team that's been lacking in recent years.

"Hopefully, success," she said. "That's it."

[SoFlaJets]

Jets new coach Ryan has fire that Mangini lacked

It was the one thing Eric Mangini lacked during his three seasons as the Jets' coach. Had there been one of these, we might be sitting here looking ahead to the promise of what Mangini might accomplish in his Year 4 instead of saying hello to Rex Ryan.

But Mangini never did manage to show that one thing while he was here, and it eventually got him fired after 49 games on the job.

What was it?

A pulse.

Mangini preached consistency and core values on a daily basis, and he reinforced it with a sideline demeanor devoid of emotion. His players took the cue and played the same way. The exuberant Brett Favre tried to lighten the mood with his locker-room pranks and youthful enthusiasm when he made big plays. But by the end, Favre, too, appeared beaten down by the joyless atmosphere.

Enter Ryan, who wears his emotions on his sleeve and no doubt will inject a swagger that the Jets have lacked all these years. Ryan was beloved by his Ravens players, from Ray Lewis to Ed Reed to Terrell Suggs, because he coached with the same kind of passion that his great defensive players exhibited.

The Jets haven't even played a game under Ryan, but I believe they're already a better team than the one that finished last season on one of the biggest downers in NFL history. With or without Favre, who still is contemplating whether to come back next season, the Jets will be a far better defensive team. Combine that with a running game that was one of the most effective in the NFL and the formula is now in place.

In this league, if you play great defense and run the football well, you have won half the battle. Yes, the question of who plays quarterback is central to what the team does next season and beyond. But Ryan, who unlike Mangini has a proven track record of coordinating elite defenses, no doubt will turn the Jets' underachieving, under-emotional defense into a burning, churning unit of intensity.

They will swarm to the ball. They will blitz. And they will blitz some more.

No more sitting back and waiting for the other team to dictate the terms of the battle, as the Jets did under Mangini and defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. This will be a team with some juice, because the head coach has the passion Mangini lacked.

The Jets will respond to Ryan the way the Ravens did during the last 10 seasons. And the results can't help but be better.

I'm not saying the Jets are ready to contend for the Super Bowl; they're not, if for no other reason than they are unsettled at quarterback. But part of the equation here is setting the foundation of a team's psyche, and Ryan seems well equipped to handle it.

Memo to Brett: Rex just came from a team that went to the AFC Championship Game with a rookie quarterback. Maybe it's time to retire.

The Jets' journey for Ryan won't be without its challenges. Like any first-time head coach, Ryan will need time to adjust to the new role. But from an early age, he has learned about what it is to coach. When you grow up the son of Buddy Ryan and you aspire to do what your daddy did, you're pretty much learning from the best there is.

Now the trick for Rex is to be a better head coach than Buddy was. For all his bluster and bravado as the Bears' brilliant defensive coordinator, Buddy Ryan was too rough around the edges in his tenures with Philadelphia and Arizona. He constantly chafed at authority figures, whether it was Mike Ditka in Chicago, team owner Norman Braman in Philadelphia or whoever it was in Arizona. It couldn't have been Bill Bidwill, because he's afraid of his own shadow. But Buddy always seemed to need someone to rail against.

Rex seems to be a more reasonable person, which should serve him well. And his familiarity with general manager Mike Tannenbaum will help. Ryan blew away Tannenbaum and owner Woody Johnson during his interview last week in Baltimore, and he was essentially hired right then and there.

The trick for Johnson and Tannenbaum is to let Ryan be his own man, and not lobotomize him in the name of doing everything like Bill Belichick. Mangini's flat-line demeanor didn't play like Belichick, mostly because he didn't have the genius and the cachet of a coach with five Super Bowl rings in his safe deposit box.

Ryan, a straight shooter and a very emotional coach, reminds me a little of the way Bill Parcells used to be in his younger days as a head coach. If Ryan can come anywhere close to translating that personality the way Parcells did after his own run as a successful defensive coordinator, the Jets are in good hands.

The key for Ryan: Stick with what you know and what you believe, and don't change.

The key for the Jets: Let him do his job his way, and don't make him change.

[SoFlaJets]

Ryan the reverse of Mangini

It's not that Eric Mangini never smiled; it's just that it was a Mona Lisa smile, one that left you never quite sure what he was thinking. Which was the way he wanted it.

In the end, that approach didn't serve him well, and when he was fired by the Jets, fans, journalists and some of his players felt as if they didn't really know him.

That should not be a problem for Rex Ryan, who by all accounts occupies a parallel universe to Mangini when it comes to revealing himself publicly.

"You guys will have fun with him," Baltimore Sun football columnist Mike Preston said yesterday after returning from Pittsburgh. "He'll say some of the craziest, off-the-wall stuff."

Teams traditionally reach for a temperamental opposite when switching coaches or managers. Lately, it seems that tendency applies to media relations as well.

Wary Willie Randolph made way for genial Jerry Manuel, and the Yankees traveled the opposite path from Joe Torre to Joe Girardi.

Similarly, Jim Fassel and Herman Edwards, who were chatterboxes, left the Giants and Jets and were replaced by Tom Coughlin and Mangini, who were, um, not.

Now this. It remains to be seen how Ryan's approach will mesh with that of general manager Mike Tannenbaum, who comes from the less-said-the-better school of managing the media.

Ryan, on the other hand, is a veteran of one of the NFL's most open organizations.

Preston said that in Baltimore, Ryan was "usually very open, very candid," didn't mind players talking trash during the week and was unconcerned about his image, which Preston said players loved about him.

But Rex Ryan is the son of pugnacious former coach Buddy Ryan, and the columnist wondered how Rex - whom he said "has got some Buddy in him" - will react to criticism of his players.

"He takes it very personally," Preston said. "If they play poorly and the media starts challenging him a little, man, he gets defensive. He will bite your head off a little bit, and I'm wondering how that's going to play in New York."

Obligatory disclaimer: Yes, I know as far as fans are concerned, any coach who wins consistently can give reporters one-word answers. Or just grunt occasionally. Or throw our digital recorders at us.

Fair enough. But as has been demonstrated many times over, having a healthy working relationship with journalists here in Media City helps coaches avoid distractions that can carry into the locker room and onto the field, especially when times get tough.

At the very least, Ryan sounds as if he's going to be interesting. Very interesting.

[SoFlaJets]

New Jets coach revered around league

Rex Ryan, the Jets