When Rex Ryan arrived to New York in 2009, he boldly proclaimed his team would be the best in the city and destined to win the Superbowl immediately. Those audacious statements not only painted a large bulls-eye on his new team, but also on his own back. The Jets had a lot of talent on their roster when Ryan arrived (Darelle Revis, Bart Scott, Thomas Jones, just to name of few) and still do, but their production on the field, especially this past season has been very inconsistent. This inconsistency is a direct reflection of the coaching style and culture established by Rex Ryan.
Any good coach knows the culture and attitude established within his/her team is a huge factor for the success that team will experience. Couple a great team culture with talent and a coach at any level can be successful. Talent has never been a problem for the Jets, but the culture within the locker room and attitude of the team has been questionable, which is direct reflection on Rex Ryan.
Ryan exhibits an attitude of selfishness, lack of discipline, and no true respect for the game. These traits have never been equated to success on any level especially not the pros. The Patriots, Steelers, and Ravens for example are all teams considered in the upper echelon of the NFL, year in and year out. All of those teams have been consistently successful because they reflect the attitude of their coaches (disciplined, team over self, and toughness). Over the past three years, the Jets have ultimately found ways to self-destruct, most notably seen this season. They failed to reach the playoffs by ending the season with a three game losing streak and most recently had anonymous players bashing their quarterback and Bart Scott’s making an obscene gesture to a member of the media. Ryan claimed to the media that he did not have the pulse of the team this year, but his ability to create cohesion and a true “team” atmosphere in the locker room is a direct reflection of Ryan’s leadership or lack thereof.
One of my favorite quotes comes from the movie Remember the Titans, when the two main characters have a heated discussion about the direction their team is going during preseason team camp. When the captain questions why his teammate and best player has such a selfish attitude, his teammate replies rather poignantly “attitude reflects leadership”. The Jets and their team attitude will never be championship caliber and Superbowl worthy until their leadership changes. Rex Ryan should take a long look in the mirror and realize his attitude and the culture he’s created is the reason the Jets will not win the NFL’s ultimate prize.
Shana White is a blog contributor for Gold Star Games, a leading tailgate gear supplier.