Bugg Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Mike Vaccaro shows himself to be the best sports columnist in NY. Jets coach must get better, too By MIKE VACCARO Last Updated: 2:52 AM, August 3, 2011 Posted: 2:07 AM, August 3, 2011 The first part was the easiest part, because it involved Rex Ryan’s personality alone. Ryan replaced Eric Mangini, and so that first summer, and that first season, everything Rex said sounded like a greatest-hits compilation of Jon Stewart, George Carlin and Sam Kinison. Taking the stage after Mangini was like Springsteen strumming a guitar after a bad jug band. Easy. The second part was harder. That was last year, with the honeymoon over and the expectation elevated. And the results were there. There were some rough patches along the way: Ryan’s defense wasn’t the fun-and-stun crowd-pleaser it had been; his clock management was downright Herm-ian at times; and there were a couple of puzzling no-shows, at New England in the regular season and the first half at Pittsburgh in the AFC title game, that fell directly on the coach’s ample shoulders. Now comes the third part, a third season, a third go-round for Ryan and his merry band of chatty misfits. Ryan still finds ways to invent talky talking points, whether it’s the elaborate tattoo that now strangles one of his calfs, or his resumption of Super-Bowl-or-bust proclamations, or his daily potshots at the absurdity of “walk-throughs” as substitutes for the two-a-days that were standard operating procedure for 100 years of football. But this time, it’s different. His still is a refreshing voice, a fresh take on a game that so many of its coaches take far too seriously. His press conferences still are must-see TV, because you have no idea what he has in store on any given day. But there is nothing new about him anymore. There is no novelty anymore. The other day Ryan said with a straight face that he thinks the team he has in front of him now is better than either of the two that came before him, and there is only one way that’s true, given the attrition that already has taken a notable number of contributors off that roster. He has to be better. He has to be a better coach. He has to be better with both the Xs and the Os. He has to be better in those critical moments before the end of the half and at the ends of games. And he has to be a better motivator. He may well be one of the most popular player’s coaches in the game today, but that hasn’t kept his players from throwing in a few more flat stinkeroos across his first 38 games than a truly great coach should ever have on his watch. It’s a notion Ryan himself believes in, too. “You can’t buy experience,” Ryan said yesterday morning. “I came into this job as the son of an NFL coach, been around the game all my life, 48 years around it. “But I’d never been a head coach until [Woody] Johnson took a shot on me. I’ve made some mistakes; I’ll probably make more. All coaches do, except [bill] Belichick probably ...” It’s a good line, and quintessential Ryan, always armed with a self-effacing quip, and it’s part of what makes him so endearing. And he certainly has built up enough good will — to say nothing of his 24-14 record — to proffer him the benefit of the doubt. And with that said: In the same way a third-year quarterback named Mark Sanchez needs to be better than he was his first two years on the job, this third-year coach needs to show similar strides. It is good that Ryan has been able to retain most of his veteran coaching staff for all three of his seasons. As a coach’s son, he knows the value of football brains landscaped with decades of hard truths. He added Tom Moore as a consultant to Brian Schottenheimer. Moore is a red-zone guru whose wisdom might’ve been useful down at the Steelers’ goal line last January. Ryan has done so much right already. Now, if the Jets are to take a step to the next level as a team, he has to make the same journey as a coach. He already has changed a losing culture and energized a fickle fan base. Now comes the hard part. Which, if he’s successful, would also be the fun part. michael.vaccaro@nypost.com Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/coach_must_get_better_too_1hrkTGsXtpZHDBYlrCQhFO#ixzz1Ty76V300 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LWC611 Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Nice read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crusher Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Great article and spot on. Ryan and Sanchez turning the corner this year is essential for this team to go all the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GandWFan Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 He has to be better. He has to be a better coach. He has to be better with both the Xs and the Os. He has to be better in those critical moments before the end of the half and at the ends of games. And he has to be a better motivator. He may well be one of the most popular player’s coaches in the game today, but that hasn’t kept his players from throwing in a few more flat stinkeroos across his first 38 games than a truly great coach should ever have on his watch. BS. He is a great coach already. What other rookie head coach has taken a rookie and second year QB to the AFCCG twice in two trys? Does he need to get better? Of course, we all do. How did the great BB do in his first 2 seasons? Hell, how did the great genius BB measure up to Rex, the coach that needs to get better, in last years playoffs? Let's give credit whare credit is due Mike, you petty Giants fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JiFtheOracle Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I <3 Rex Ryan, but he's no different than anyone else...he's got room to improve and I expect him to do so. He obvioulsy puts a lot of pressure on himself and doesnt seem like the type ever take the foot off the gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larz Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 spoiled NY writers they are all desperate to give rex his "told you so" speech and throw dirt on him and run him out of town this is just the same old "he better back it up" crap with better drapes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F.Chowds Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 spoiled NY writers they are all desperate to give rex his "told you so" speech and throw dirt on him and run him out of town this is just the same old "he better back it up" crap with better drapes This. He has changed the culture of Jets football period.He doesent have sh*t to prove to me. He is a winner and that is a fact. HE HAS BEEN TO THE AFCCG EVERY YEAR HE COACHED HERE.... WITH A ROOKIE QB.. smh. And I don't know the man personally but I don't think he gives a **** about what anyone thinks about him. As long as Woody and Mr.T have his back it's all that matters. Here hoping for 10 more years of Coach Ryan at the helm of the Jets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I'm not a huge fan of Vaccaro. Like the less interesting version of the already uninteresting Mike Lupica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugg Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 I'm not a huge fan of Vaccaro. Like the less interesting version of the already uninteresting Mike Lupica. Would rather get drug-free dentistry than listen to or read Lupica. At least Vaccaro has physically been present for the sports events he gets paid to cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Would rather get drug-free dentistry than listen to or read Lupica. At least Vaccaro has physically been present for the sports events he gets paid to cover. Lol Agreed. The best, most connected NFL columnist in New York is Judy Battista, by far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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