Whether it was for motivational purposes or whether it was based on the truth, head coach for the Jets, Rex Ryan told his team that yesterday’s game would be his last. He made the surprising announcement in the locker room right before the game, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.
“I’ve got two weeks left,” said Ryan, “You guys ride with me. Roll with me.” And the Jets did in fact roll with him, as Gang Green beat the Cleveland Browns 24-13, in what many believed was Ryan’s last game.
It’s been a so-so season for the Jets, with a record of 7 and 8, but many believe the team actually overachieved this year, considering Ryan started a rookie quarterback in Geno Smith and had an offense that wasn’t really equipped to score touchdowns consistently.
But despite the losing record, it seems Ryan’s players really like playing for him and they always had, which is probably why the team seemed to give a little extra effort in yesterday’s victory. And Jets’ fans seem to like Ryan too, so as a thank you, he and the team took a victory lap at the close of the game, which also seemed to be Ryan’s way of saying his final goodbyes.
At the post game press conference, a lot of folks were expecting Ryan to either confirm or deny the rumor that he’s getting fired, but instead, he told reporters that he’s only concentrating on the present, not the future.
“I know I have a contract for next year,” he said. “What I do know, guys, is that I’m coaching this team. I’ve said this all season long: My job is to focus on the present and what’s right now.”
In addition, Ryan said he believed the team is heading in a positive direction even though they failed to make the playoffs.
“I believe in this team, I believe in this organization” he stated. “I’m determined to bring a winner to this team, there’s no question about it. I know and I believe I’m the right guy for it. Again, I’m not the guy making that decision. If I was, it’d be easy.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Ryan returns for the 2014 season, because there’s still a good chance that he might. Stay tuned.
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