Jets hire Ravens’ defensive coordinator Ryan as new coach

The New York Jets have hired Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator Rex Ryan as the team’s new head coach.  He’ll replace Eric Mangini, who was fired after missing the playoffs with a 9-7 record and—according to rumors—for not being deferential enough to his prima donna QB Brett “The Gunslinger” Favre.

Ryan is the son of legitimate NFL coaching legend Buddy Ryan who, among other things, was the defensive coordinator on arguably the greatest team in NFL history—the 1985 Chicago Bears.  The elder Ryan also spent some time coaching for the Jets, a fact not lost on his son as he accepted the position:

"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."

Rex Ryan has a pretty impressive resume of his own, most recently masterminding the fearsome Baltimore Ravens defense.  He favors the same 3-4 defensive scheme that his dad made famous, and ran it very successfully for over a decade in Baltimore.  He’s got a lot to work with in New York, at least in the defensive front which showed a lot of tenacity rushing the passer this year.  The team’s biggest liability is their secondary, which ranked 29th against the pass in 2008.

Ryan signed a four year deal worth a reported $11.5 million dollars—almost exactly the same terms that the New York Giants gave their new hire, Steve Spagnuolo, a few days ago.  Jets’ owner Woody Johnson’s statement about Ryan’s hiring was short but emphatic:

"We got the right man for the job."

Speaking to the NYC media the day after his hiring, Ryan indicated that he wanted to bring the same physically intimidating presence that he built in Baltimore to his new team:

"We want to be known as the most physical football team in the NFL. The players will have each other's backs, and if you take a swipe at one of ours, we'll take a swipe at two of yours."

That philosophy will almost certainly be at odds with Brett Favre and his “the world revolves around me” outlook.  While he plays his “will I or won’t I retire” game, Ryan diplomatically deflected requests for comment on “The Gunslinger” or his future with the Jets:

"I would think anybody would want him as their quarterback”

Ryan also assured Jets’ supporters that he wasn’t a “one hit wonder” and that the success of the Baltimore defense wasn’t a fluke:

"I'm not a one-hit wonder. When you look at my background, I think I've been successful at all stops along the way. I know the kind of responsibility it takes to be a head football coach. Again, you got the right guy -- and I plan on proving that each and every week."

At the very least, Ryan can’t be accused of setting his sights too low.  Not long after suggesting that the Jets will “likely get to meet” new President Barak Obama within the next couple of years (ostensibly after a Superbowl victory as has become customary for US Presidents) he made the following clear declaration:

"We expect to win. We have a lot of talent here that's already in place."

That kind of confidence is music to the ears of the Jets and their fans, who are hungry for postseason success after not having been to a Superbowl since 1969.