Trevor Pryce: Nice-Guy Ryan Gets in the Way of Coach Ryan - Jets Insider.com Forums

C Mart · 12-22-2012, 09:00 AM

By TREVOR PRYCE

In 2001, I was a member of a Denver Broncos defense that was, in all honesty, a mess. The defensive coordinator at the time was Greg Robinson, whose favorite saying was, “Guys, it’s never as bad or as good as you think it is.” And in most instances he was right. Sometimes a little perspective is needed. But in the case of the Jets and Rex Ryan, that perspective does not exist.

If every team had the exact same talent level on its roster, and commanding an N.F.L. sideline involved nothing more than X’s and O’s, Ryan would be one of the more revered coaches in sports. He is a brilliant strategist, a man who works to the point of exhaustion and possesses a passion for and knowledge of football that is unmatched. Combine that with the fact that no coach in the N.F.L knows how to get more out of less, and you have the makings of a perennial championship contender.

Sadly for Ryan’s fans and friends, being a head coach these days has very little to do with X’s and O’s and more to do with your personality. And the two personality traits that are stopping him from being a great head coach are the same two that make him a great human being: He is loyal to the point of defiance, and he cares enormously about the people around him.

Bill Belichick displays neither of those traits, certainly not while coaching.

It’s why on a whim and following a stiff breeze, the man some call Darth Hood traded defensive end Richard Seymour, who was still in his prime and seemingly destined to be a Patriot for life, to the mess that is the Oakland Raiders for a few draft picks. For two years, Ryan has stuck with a quarterback who played as if he were trying to get him fired.

Ryan’s players and staff felt awful for their coach and friend when private moments in his life became public and embarrassed him and his family. In contrast, John Harbaugh had to quell a potential player mutiny in Baltimore two months ago. In Tampa Bay, some players reportedly wanted Greg Schiano and his staff sent back to college.

Eagles Coach Andy Reid fired the defensive coordinator Juan Castillo during the season, as if it was somehow Castillo’s fault that the players Reid picked had no interest in tackling. Ryan gave a friend, the former Pro Bowl defensive back Mark Carrier, the job coaching the Jets’ defensive line in 2010. Did it matter that Carrier knew next to nothing about defensive line play the day he inherited Shaun Ellis, Sione Po’uha and Kris Jenkins? Not to Ryan.

Being an N.F.L. coach is the ultimate study in “him or me” politics. You have to be willing to sacrifice just about anyone in your organization for the greater good. To a coach, the “greater good” often means protecting your own job security first. And that is the last thing Ryan wants to do.

Even with someone as polarizing as the former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, whose relationship with Ryan eventually grew contentious, Ryan’s first choice would have been to work it out. They parted on mutual terms because the last thing Ryan was going to do was fire a guy he believed in. No matter what.

Ryan somehow winds up with players nobody wants and then talks about them as if they are Pro Bowlers in order to build their confidence. In some cases, he is right, and the player ends up being a contributor for years. Bart Scott is one of the most successful examples. But in way too many cases Ryan is wrong, and that reality eventually becomes painfully apparent. The examples of defensive end Aaron Maybin and all of his current quarterbacks come to mind.

No one ever said Ryan was not a tough coach or a competitor. He is. It’s the reason he used to record the fights in practice and took the Jets to two A.F.C. championship games in a row. But these days being tough is not quite enough. In today’s world of access and social media, a head coach also has to be cold and calculating.

However, the debacle that was Monday’s loss at Tennessee was probably the day of change. Because when Ryan looks back on this season, it is going to harden him and change him.

The day is going to come when his player and coaching decisions will be made with the same cutthroat efficiency that you find in places like New England, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Ryan will realize he has no choice but to develop that same poisonous “him or me” attitude that permeates almost every other head coach in the N.F.L. And on that day the Jets will gain one of the better head coaches in the league. At the same time they will lose one of its better human beings.

And that is sad, because as Greg Robinson used to say, “It’s never as bad as you think it is.”

Trevor Pryce played in the N.F.L. from 1997 to 2010, including four seasons for Rex Ryan.

http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2...an/?ref=sports

Flaming Mo · 12-22-2012, 09:20 AM

Great read, I really enjoy Pryce's works. He has some serious writing talent.

Sourceworx · 12-22-2012, 09:37 AM

Great article.

Savage69 · 12-22-2012, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flaming Mo

Great read, I really enjoy Pryce's works. He has some serious writing talent.

+1 Rex has to learn to separate the emotional aspect and loyalty of being a HC from what needs to be done to succeed....

C Mart · 12-22-2012, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flaming Mo

Great read, I really enjoy Pryce's works. He has some serious writing talent.

Pryce owns indie label Outlook Music. He has written several screenplays and sold two of them, including a children's picture to Sony Films.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Pryce

Jets’ Pryce Pursues a Hollywood Career

Published: October 24, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/sp...pagewanted=all

MDL_JET · 12-22-2012, 09:45 AM

Great read. And hard to argue with anything he said.

This is the reason I want to give Rex one more year. He needs to go through these tough times. And hopefully he goes through them growing the next year. (Hopefully that's the thought behind the Pettine move and not because he's being fired)

He's going to have to cut a lot of bait on the defensive side. Dump Sparano. And find a new leader for the offense. All huge steps for Rex.

But like Pryce said on the other side, he's a great defensive mind and I think it would be stupid to give up so fast on that.

TheBlairThomasFumble · 12-22-2012, 09:50 AM

Good read. It helps explain a lot about Ryan's decision making.

AlwaysGreenAlwaysWhite · 12-22-2012, 10:07 AM

I hope he's right and Ryan does change... But I wouldn't fault Ryan for not being that guy if he doesn't want to be that person... He'd just have to go elsewhere because this crap is getting old...

JerseyJet80 · 12-22-2012, 10:33 AM

great article, he is 100% right.

jetman in indy · 12-22-2012, 11:46 AM

Great article, totally enjoyed the read. I think Rex learned from last year and it showed this year in some aspects and I believe if he gets next year that we will also see him grow as a coach. Since being a Jet fan since 1970 i'm just not ready to give up on a coach who brought us to two straight AFC championship games in a row and currently does not have a overall losing record since being here. Rex will go to another team and his defense will shut the Jets down everytime we play and some of you current Rex haters will be cryin about why did we ever let him go! Jet fans WAKE UP! It's been a pretty good ride under Rex!

I think Tanny is the one most at fault here. Rex has made mistakes as well but our cap situation is not on Rex. That is what's probably gonna eventually cost Rex his job when he can't put a team on the field next year that can compete for the playoffs because Tanny screwed us for the next couple of years.

sec.101row23 · 12-22-2012, 12:00 PM

Rex is Wade Phillips.

Jet Nut · 12-22-2012, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sec.101row23

Rex is Wade Phillips.

Other than he's actually got a winning record and has made it to two conference championship games.

Unlike Wade who has proven as a HC of more than one team that he can't coach.

Conkboy · 12-22-2012, 12:19 PM

Rex does not have to make a wholesale change to how he goes about coaching. He should look at people who were like him relationship wise and emulate them. Dick Vermeil comes to mind for me. The goal should then be to have a no nonsense GM, OC and DC who Rex can lean on to be disciplinarians...

Time for a new DC and OC next year. Further, promote a GM from within only because I don't think Rex goes. See how two new coordinators and a rookie GM work out... Once you decide Rex is not your guy, then you clean house!!!

JetPotato · 12-22-2012, 12:21 PM

.

Apache 51 · 12-22-2012, 12:23 PM

Rex has too much of his mom in him?

Green Bandit · 12-22-2012, 12:27 PM

Not naming names, but there are some people on this board that want Rex fired and Sanchez to stay. Given that excuse of Sanchez needs more time to grow.

What people forget is that Rex is also a rookie HC. And I think that this season will be a wake up call for him.

ASG0531 · 12-22-2012, 12:29 PM

Quote:

He is loyal to the point of defiance, and he cares enormously about the people around him.

Bill Belichick displays neither of those traits

LOL, ouch. Pretty interesting article. Basically he's saying you need to become a terrible human being like BB, Reid and Harbaugh if you want to succeed in the league:

Quote:

And on that day the Jets will gain one of the better head coaches in the league. At the same time they will lose one of its better human beings.

I don't think being calculating and professional necessarily means you're giving up some sense of humanity. His thesis is a bit over the top.

Batmans A Scientist · 12-22-2012, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASG0531

LOL, ouch. Pretty interesting article. Basically he's saying you need to become a terrible human being like BB, Reid and Harbaugh if you want to succeed in the league:

I don't think being calculating and professional necessarily means you're giving up some sense of humanity. His thesis is a bit over the top.

There is a large step between "good guy" and "horrible human being"

Rex's problem is that he is too loyal. He strikes as the kind of coach who will be really successful in his 2nd HC job. Sadly, that doesn't help the Jets a lot. Also, he never even had a decent backup QB (Clemens, Old Brunell, Tebow), whether you think that's on him, Tannenbaum, or both (My opinion) - that's part of the reason Sanchez has gotten so many opportunities to succeed.

Apache 51 · 12-22-2012, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green Bandit

Not naming names, but there are some people on this board that want Rex fired and Sanchez to stay. Given that excuse of Sanchez needs more time to grow.

What people forget is that Rex is also a rookie HC. And I think that this season will be a wake up call for him.

What some people forget.

Snell41 · 12-22-2012, 01:31 PM

Rex is loyal to a fault, Rex is terrible at picking players, Rex is terrible evaluating offense, Rex is terrible as picking coaches, Rex is poor in game management, on and on and on.....

When are the excuses going to end? This team needs wholesale changes top to bottom, including Rex.

12-22-2012, 09:00 AM	#1
C Mart Jets Insider VIP Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 21,304	Trevor Pryce: Nice-Guy Ryan Gets in the Way of Coach Ryan By TREVOR PRYCE In 2001, I was a member of a Denver Broncos defense that was, in all honesty, a mess. The defensive coordinator at the time was Greg Robinson, whose favorite saying was, “Guys, it’s never as bad or as good as you think it is.” And in most instances he was right. Sometimes a little perspective is needed. But in the case of the Jets and Rex Ryan, that perspective does not exist. If every team had the exact same talent level on its roster, and commanding an N.F.L. sideline involved nothing more than X’s and O’s, Ryan would be one of the more revered coaches in sports. He is a brilliant strategist, a man who works to the point of exhaustion and possesses a passion for and knowledge of football that is unmatched. Combine that with the fact that no coach in the N.F.L knows how to get more out of less, and you have the makings of a perennial championship contender. Sadly for Ryan’s fans and friends, being a head coach these days has very little to do with X’s and O’s and more to do with your personality. And the two personality traits that are stopping him from being a great head coach are the same two that make him a great human being: He is loyal to the point of defiance, and he cares enormously about the people around him. Bill Belichick displays neither of those traits, certainly not while coaching. It’s why on a whim and following a stiff breeze, the man some call Darth Hood traded defensive end Richard Seymour, who was still in his prime and seemingly destined to be a Patriot for life, to the mess that is the Oakland Raiders for a few draft picks. For two years, Ryan has stuck with a quarterback who played as if he were trying to get him fired. Ryan’s players and staff felt awful for their coach and friend when private moments in his life became public and embarrassed him and his family. In contrast, John Harbaugh had to quell a potential player mutiny in Baltimore two months ago. In Tampa Bay, some players reportedly wanted Greg Schiano and his staff sent back to college. Eagles Coach Andy Reid fired the defensive coordinator Juan Castillo during the season, as if it was somehow Castillo’s fault that the players Reid picked had no interest in tackling. Ryan gave a friend, the former Pro Bowl defensive back Mark Carrier, the job coaching the Jets’ defensive line in 2010. Did it matter that Carrier knew next to nothing about defensive line play the day he inherited Shaun Ellis, Sione Po’uha and Kris Jenkins? Not to Ryan. Being an N.F.L. coach is the ultimate study in “him or me” politics. You have to be willing to sacrifice just about anyone in your organization for the greater good. To a coach, the “greater good” often means protecting your own job security first. And that is the last thing Ryan wants to do. Even with someone as polarizing as the former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, whose relationship with Ryan eventually grew contentious, Ryan’s first choice would have been to work it out. They parted on mutual terms because the last thing Ryan was going to do was fire a guy he believed in. No matter what. Ryan somehow winds up with players nobody wants and then talks about them as if they are Pro Bowlers in order to build their confidence. In some cases, he is right, and the player ends up being a contributor for years. Bart Scott is one of the most successful examples. But in way too many cases Ryan is wrong, and that reality eventually becomes painfully apparent. The examples of defensive end Aaron Maybin and all of his current quarterbacks come to mind. No one ever said Ryan was not a tough coach or a competitor. He is. It’s the reason he used to record the fights in practice and took the Jets to two A.F.C. championship games in a row. But these days being tough is not quite enough. In today’s world of access and social media, a head coach also has to be cold and calculating. However, the debacle that was Monday’s loss at Tennessee was probably the day of change. Because when Ryan looks back on this season, it is going to harden him and change him. The day is going to come when his player and coaching decisions will be made with the same cutthroat efficiency that you find in places like New England, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Ryan will realize he has no choice but to develop that same poisonous “him or me” attitude that permeates almost every other head coach in the N.F.L. And on that day the Jets will gain one of the better head coaches in the league. At the same time they will lose one of its better human beings. And that is sad, because as Greg Robinson used to say, “It’s never as bad as you think it is.” Trevor Pryce played in the N.F.L. from 1997 to 2010, including four seasons for Rex Ryan. http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2...an/?ref=sports

12-22-2012, 09:20 AM	#2
Flaming Mo All League Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: St. Peter-Ording (Germany) Posts: 4,638	Great read, I really enjoy Pryce's works. He has some serious writing talent.

12-22-2012, 09:37 AM	#3
Sourceworx Hall Of Fame Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Long Island Posts: 13,430	Great article.

12-22-2012, 09:45 AM	#6
MDL_JET All Pro Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 6,633	Great read. And hard to argue with anything he said. This is the reason I want to give Rex one more year. He needs to go through these tough times. And hopefully he goes through them growing the next year. (Hopefully that's the thought behind the Pettine move and not because he's being fired) He's going to have to cut a lot of bait on the defensive side. Dump Sparano. And find a new leader for the offense. All huge steps for Rex. But like Pryce said on the other side, he's a great defensive mind and I think it would be stupid to give up so fast on that.

12-22-2012, 09:50 AM	#7
TheBlairThomasFumble Blames Tanny for 90% of this mess. Practice Squad Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 457	Good read. It helps explain a lot about Ryan's decision making.

12-22-2012, 10:07 AM	#8
AlwaysGreenAlwaysWhite is all out of fuCks to give... All Pro Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 7,452	I hope he's right and Ryan does change... But I wouldn't fault Ryan for not being that guy if he doesn't want to be that person... He'd just have to go elsewhere because this crap is getting old...

12-22-2012, 10:33 AM	#9
JerseyJet80 bring back the beard! All League Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: North Jersey Posts: 2,733	great article, he is 100% right.

12-22-2012, 11:46 AM	#10
jetman in indy I bleed green Rookie Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 846	Great article, totally enjoyed the read. I think Rex learned from last year and it showed this year in some aspects and I believe if he gets next year that we will also see him grow as a coach. Since being a Jet fan since 1970 i'm just not ready to give up on a coach who brought us to two straight AFC championship games in a row and currently does not have a overall losing record since being here. Rex will go to another team and his defense will shut the Jets down everytime we play and some of you current Rex haters will be cryin about why did we ever let him go! Jet fans WAKE UP! It's been a pretty good ride under Rex! I think Tanny is the one most at fault here. Rex has made mistakes as well but our cap situation is not on Rex. That is what's probably gonna eventually cost Rex his job when he can't put a team on the field next year that can compete for the playoffs because Tanny screwed us for the next couple of years.

12-22-2012, 12:00 PM	#11
sec.101row23 All Pro Join Date: May 2005 Location: Mendham, NJ Posts: 7,847	Rex is Wade Phillips.

12-22-2012, 12:19 PM	#13
Conkboy "All Conked Up" All League Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,525	Rex does not have to make a wholesale change to how he goes about coaching. He should look at people who were like him relationship wise and emulate them. Dick Vermeil comes to mind for me. The goal should then be to have a no nonsense GM, OC and DC who Rex can lean on to be disciplinarians... Time for a new DC and OC next year. Further, promote a GM from within only because I don't think Rex goes. See how two new coordinators and a rookie GM work out... Once you decide Rex is not your guy, then you clean house!!!

12-22-2012, 12:21 PM	#14
JetPotato fermenting Hall Of Fame Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New York, NY Posts: 12,142	.

12-22-2012, 12:23 PM	#15
Apache 51 Let's Kill them all......... Hall Of Fame Join Date: May 2009 Location: In Morris Co.,N.J.,at the right end of a Browning 12 gauge Posts: 12,652	Rex has too much of his mom in him?

12-22-2012, 12:27 PM	#16
Green Bandit is liking the moves Practice Squad Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 432	Not naming names, but there are some people on this board that want Rex fired and Sanchez to stay. Given that excuse of Sanchez needs more time to grow. What people forget is that Rex is also a rookie HC. And I think that this season will be a wake up call for him.

12-22-2012, 01:31 PM	#20
Snell41 Veteran Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 1,496	Rex is loyal to a fault, Rex is terrible at picking players, Rex is terrible evaluating offense, Rex is terrible as picking coaches, Rex is poor in game management, on and on and on..... When are the excuses going to end? This team needs wholesale changes top to bottom, including Rex.