One win and Rex back to trash talk
Twelve days ago, Rex Ryan’s hot seat forced him into desperation, firing his offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, two weeks into a season that already looked lost. The shimmer was gone from his eye, the belly more burdensome than jolly and the defiant, blustery personality took on a more somber tone.
One game later, Ryan has reapplied his clown makeup.
The embattled coach, coming off a big 33-18 win over the Cardinals on Sunday, has returned to his old swaggering self, with a victory and a looming Bill Belichick matchup combining to bring out the Ryan that first charmed then disenchanted Jets fans.
Ryan’s preoccupation with the Patriots borders on obsession, perhaps because Belichick is his football opposite, perhaps because Belichick is regarded as the best coach in the league. Ryan has compiled a 4-11 record against New England with the Jets and Bills, but usually plays his rivals tough. A Patriots squad without Tom Brady and with an quarterback situation in flux seems to have Ryan giddy — and prying.
On a conference call with wide receiver/emergency quarterback Julian Edelman on Wednesday, “Walt Patulski from the Buffalo News” jumped in — Ryan with a poorly disguised voice — asking if the former Kent State signalcaller would be behind center Sunday in Foxborough. Edelman was as forthcoming as his coach.
“I’m going to do whatever the coaches ask me to do,” Edelman said. “So if they ask me to go out and get them a glass of water to someone on the sideline, I’m going to do that with a smile on my face to help our team win.”
As the statuses of Jimmy Garoppolo (shoulder) and Jacoby Brissett (thumb) hang in the air, Ryan has been unable to stop talking about just how excited he is for the latest Rex-Belichick matchup. His bravado is back, and he’s as cocksure about his defense as ever.
“I can sit back and say I don’t care who plays quarterback, because Brady ain’t,” Ryan said Sunday, via ESPN. “I don’t care who plays quarterback. Steve Grogan can play quarterback. If [Bill] Belichick’s playing quarterback, we’re coming after him, I promise you that.”