While doing press in Indianapolis, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson reiterated his seemingly blinding support for head coach Rex Ryan, even though it seems that Rex may not know the right path for the Jets to take. Woody believes that this disastrous past season can serve as a cautionary tale for Rex, who he described as “so good as a manager. He’ll take these experiences and be a much better coach. He’s an exceptional coach as it is, but I think he’ll be even better.”

Although it is always a good thing for a team owner to support the head coach and by extension the entire team, but realistically, we have to wonder about Rex Ryan as a head coach. There is no doubt that he is a defensive genius. But regarding the additional requirements that come with being a head coach, he may fall a little short.

First of all, he has had three whole seasons to get the Jets their much-needed and much wanted Super Bowl win. He has failed to even get the team to that game. While back to back AFC Championship game appearances is great, failing to win that game is unacceptable. It just isn’t good enough. The Jets might as well have gone 0-16 because the result is the same: no Super Bowl victory. At least a terrible record allows for a better draft pick. This season, the jets have the number 16 pick and they have so many holes to fill. Rex and general manager Mike Tannenbaum need to hire a draft consultant, because frankly, these two are not getting it done. After all that talent that left the team during this past offseason, hiring a professional is definitely suggested.

Second, Rex has guaranteed a Super Bowl victory twice and he failed to deliver both times. If you make this kind of promise and then do not follow through, there should be some kind of consequence. At least after making that promise the first time, the Jets did nearly make it to the Super Bowl. But after the second time, the Jets went a pathetic 8-8 and infamously failed to make the playoffs. This is an average record because the team performed at an average level with average players with average coaching. Rex significantly overestimated the talent he had on his hands. He is either delusional or just isn’t good at his job. Both these options suck and are not the mark of a good head coach.

Third, Rex is not an ideal leader. He certainly does lead the team, but not in the way that one may expect a head coach to do so. Rex is the king of the trash talk and having a big mouth. The players seem to be following his example…TALK, TALK, TALK. They have become really good at that. The players see him doing that and then they emulate it, kind of like when children see their parents act a certain way and then they copy it. But as entertaining as it may be for them, it has hurt the team. Rex’s big mouth has turned this team into every comedian’s punch line in their lame joke. The organization as a whole suffers because of it.

Finally, and most importantly, this unprecedented post season implosion has taught us just how bad Rex is at uniting his players. In a time of crisis, it is within the scope of human nature for people to pull together. We have seen this all throughout history on many different levels. But in Rex’s locker room, events unfolded that just defied millions of years of human nature. It would have been great for the football community to see that even though the team crashed and burned and disappointed everyone greatly, well, at least they all stayed together as a team. That clearly didn’t happen.

So one must wonder, where are Rex Ryan’s strengths? As a head it doesn’t seem like there are many. As a defensive coordinator, he was brilliant. He built the Baltimore Ravens defense and then brought some of that mojo over to the Jets. His first two years, the Jets had very high-ranking defenses. He should just focus on what he’s good at–being a defensive coordinator—and not where he is weak—being a head coach.

Angie Kozak is the New York Jets writer for The Penalty Flag. Angie was raised in New Jersey and has had NY Jets season ticket for 12 straight seasons and counting. She moved to Pennsylvania for college, and graduated from Penn State University in 2010 with a degree in Communications. Although a lifelong diehard Jet fan, Angie writes from a critic’s point of view. Follow her on Twitter @Angie_Kozak or email her at AKozak@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com.

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