Today the Ravens re-hired Rex Ryan as the team's defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. The move is a mistake. In case you missed it the first time: HIRING REX RYAN IS A MISTAKE. More on why below. In the meantime, how much you wanna bet that the latter title is nothing more than a bone thrown Ryan's way? After the Ravens front office strung him along for weeks, Ryan needed something to save face.
Then again, it's not like the guy had many options other than putting his tail between his legs, sucking it up, and sticking with Baltimore. Besides, because he was technically under contract, the Ravens didn't have to grant him permission to accept any job other than a head coaching position. They reserved the right to handcuff any and all lateral moves.
No one else was going to hire Ryan, certainly not as a head coach and probably not as a defensive coordinator, either. This is somewhat remarkable considering Ryan's track record for success. His defenses the last three years have been near the top of the league, and statistically no team was better than Baltimore two seasons ago (both in yards and points allowed).
So why won't anyone else hire Rex Ryan?
The reason Ryan didn't have offers from other teams this off-season, and the reason he didn't get the top job in Baltimore, is because he is a player's coach. The players love him, and no, that's not necessarily a great thing. It's one of the reasons why Ryan is not upwardly mobile. Well, that's not the only reason why he's not mobile (zing).
In an era where egos grow daily, hiring a player's coach is the easy way out, particularly with a locker room prone to being disgruntled. Most of the time, though, it's not the right call. You need discipline to succeed, and despite Baltimore's shaky offense, with discipline the team would have fared much better than this past season's dismal 5-12 record. Atlanta needs discipline. Baltimore desperately needs it. Miami needed more than just discipline; it needed Big Tuna. On the record, Baltimore's front office gave Ryan a chance to interview for the head coaching gig, but he was never seriously being considered. Not from what I can tell.
I'm disappointed that Ryan is returning to Baltimore in any capacity. Not only do the Ravens need more discipline, but after Ryan's disappointing off-season, it's hard to believe that he'll approach next year with both eyes on the ball. I suspect he is already daydreaming about new opportunities beyond this year. I'd have preferred a clean slate entirely. Part of me thinks the front office would have preferred that, too, but after passing up Ryan for the top job, the front office had to think long and hard about throwing another bone to save face, this one to the players, who are no doubt disappointed that 'their guy' didn't get the job.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Ravens fumble Rex Ryan hiring
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4 comments:
I tend to disagree. Some players relish discipline, but that usually means reaming out other players unmercifully, and having them not play for much else than their own contracts.
Being a player's coach translates well in professional sports. Look at how the Giants have fared since Tom Coughlin became more of a player's coach.
I disagree because Ryan has such an incentive to make sure the defense is a top-five defense next year. He knows that team discipline probably cost him a job this year, so he should come back with a sterner approach. Plus, if the players love him so much he should point out that they need to make him look good so he can get his shot.
Ok, I will admit that I was hoping for a new face, but you said yourself that his defenses have been the top in the NFL since he's been here. So why then do we need a change of course on that side of the ball. I agree that he wasn't the right choice as a HC, but he fits the bill (even if he doesn't fit the pants) for DC.
He had offers from Miami and NY Jets to become their DC.
I'm mixed on bringing him back. Felt like we should've cleaned house totally. But he's still a great DC so I could live with it.
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