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Time Has Run Out On Rex Ryan And His New York Jets

By Tyson Rauch

Following an embarrassing 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Rex Ryan entered his post game press conference as a head coach dazed and confused. Ryan’s shoulders slumped as he struggled to explain the New York Jets shortcomings. The look of anguish in the head coach’s eyes spoke volumes as the beat writers continued to point out the mistakes made on and off the field. This was clearly a beaten man that had run out of answers for his team. As the press conference concluded, Ryan stated that he would make the most out of the last five games of the season. For the first time in his tenure as the head coach of the New York Jets, it appeared that no one in the room believed him.

Player’s coach

One of Rex Ryan’s biggest strengths is his ability to motivate and inspire his players. Rex does an excellent job of breeding a confident environment with an “us against the world” mentality. When the team is winning, this approach works wonders as the players completely buy into the program as evidenced by Ryan’s early success with Gang Green.

Unfortunately for Rex, when the team starts to continuously struggle, the opposite results occur with his players as the ship starts to sink. This is the current state of the New York Jets, a team that was outclassed, outperformed, and out-coached on Monday night. The players blundered through an embarrassing performance and to a man who did not seem too bothered by it afterwards. At 2-9 the Jets players are resigned to the fact that they are not a good football team, which is not a good look for a group that is supposed to be rebuilding and auditioning for the future. As a matter of fact, it is unacceptable and inexcusable and it falls on the head coach.

Time for a change

 The New York Jets like to tell anyone that is willing to listen that the organization will hold everyone accountable. Well, after 11 games, the Jets continue to have a significant amount of questions on both sides of the football. The offense is going backwards while the defense is being scorched on a weekly basis. There has been minimal improvement, if any, for a good portion of the team.

Following a performance where the team for the most part did not show up, why should Rex Ryan keep his job? Should he not be held accountable for his team’s demise? Rex’s team completely self destructed on a prime time stage.

At this point, it is quite evident that the New York Jets need a new voice in the locker room. A voice that will install discipline and hold players accountable. A voice that will not be scared to ruffle some feathers in order to improve the team. The question is not if a change should happen, the question is more about when the move should be made. For the sake of the Jets, the sooner the better. It is time to start fostering a new environment in Florham Park, one where losing and lackadaisical performances will not be accepted nor tolerated.  

For more Jets news and updates, visit Jets Central.

Tyson Rauch is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.

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