Rex Ryan isn't intimidated: A look at the new coach in the division

One of our "wonderful" AFC East rivals is at it again.
But once again it's not the team making the headlines.
The coach of the New York Jets, Rex Ryan has distinguished himself from his peers to say the least.
On August 18th, Ryan came out with some quotable quotes concerning the New England Patriots and specifically Bill Belichick:

When I said that about Belichick ("I'm not here to kiss his rings."), I'm just letting him know I'm not intimidated by him. He has the same position as I have. We're both head coaches in this league. He just happens to have a helluva lot of Super Bowl rings and I don't have a win. I understand that. But again, we're not going to tiptoe our way through this thing. You don't line up and beat a Bill Belichick-coached team by tiptoeing in there. We're just going to be ourselves. I'm going to be myself. That's just the way it is.

How much motivation are they going to get by putting a quote from me on the wall saying that I believe in my football team. That I'm not going to be intimidated by a coach or anyone else. If that's where you're going to draw motivation from, hell, we'll probably kick your ass. I mean if that's the case.

For a little more context Belichick often has assistants search the internet for quotes and then uses them as motivation for his players

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This hasn't been the first time Rex Ryan has been rather "frank" with reporters as the episode with Dolphins Linebacker Channing Crowder reminds us.

That's the news hears the views(or maybe ramblings):

I don't think anyone could accuse this guy of being intimidated. Sanity however may be question.

As I read these words by Mr. Ryan I feel like somebody is going to walk up to him, tap him on the shoulder and whisper in his ear: "It doesn't work that way."

Or at least it normally doesn't.

Getting into playful verbal "battles" with an opponent's linebacker is certainly strange

Completely endorsing messages from players like "we will b the best defense in the league this year!!! i feel for the offenses we are gonna face."(Kerry Rhodes via Twitter) is not something that is done often and neither is suggesting your players will become pro bowlers and your team, under your first year as head coach will become super bowl champions.

Laughing about a fight that takes place in camp and calling it "A little rock 'em, sock 'em robots" isn't normally done either.

And the reason that this is not done is because this is the AFC East.

This isn't the "black and blue" division

This isn't the "in your face division"

It's not the smash-mouth football division.

This isn't the division of "rock 'em sock 'em robots"

This isn't the division of taking your team to Doug's fish fry and having fun with them and trying to build friendships with them.

This isn't a division where rap and country mix

Not a division where you call your defense your "baby."

And it sure as hell ain't a division that enjoys press conferences.

The AFC East is all about cold calculation, cunning, and cruelty.
The division of inner viciousness, resentment, bitterness, incest, venom and spite.
A division formed with the blood of four AFL siblings that were destined to claw, scratch, and chew through each other to survive back in those days(Boston was already tampering with Buffalo's players the year the league started)
A division so concerned with poisoned dealings that this article written a little over a year ago is now completely outdated.
It's a division that heard the phrase "speak softly and carry a big stick" and thought it was talking about a big stick of dynamite which they can slip underneath the bed.

I think probably the best way to describe the AFC East is with a saying from Shakespeare:
"There are daggers in men's smiles; the near in blood/the nearer bloody."

Ryan is right that the Patriots don't need bulletin board material because they despise them by default. You don't have to convince an axe murderer to murder, he's already sharpening the axe.

All of the other coaches in the division aren't alot more talkative than Belichick is and are painfully constrained. If you want to see "terse" see Sparano's response to the Crowder incident.

Have you followed the dialogue between Crowder and Ryan?

Sparano: "No."

Why was it important to put an end to the feud?

Sparano: "Guys, this is June. We're in June right now. I want to talk about what our team is doing."

Did you at least think it was funny?

Sparano: "We are in June right now. I want to talk about what our team is doing."

Did you address the team about it?

Sparano: "You guys must be out of questions."

The GM of the Dolphins Jeff Ireland also made it quite clear that he didn't want to hear another peep out of either of them. And while many teams including the Dolphins want to discourage the use of Twitter the Jets are encouraging its use.

I remember ESPN blogger Tim Graham quoting an "unnamed" AFC East coach as saying he thought that it was embarrassing for Ryan to be acting this way.

Probably the other three coaches aren't really used to someone like Ryan, but who knows they aren't talking that's for sure, and why would they? They all have a completely different philosophy: one that doesn't involved rock 'em sock 'em robots.

By not responding to Ryan, the Patriots are showing nothing new because they often feel that silence speaks louder than words and they don't concern themselves with what they view as Rex Ryan acting like a doofus.

Rex Ryan probably IS acting like a doofus but he's not  stupid and I think he realizes the AFC East is a cloak-and-dagger league and he might even be playing a foil to that on purpose.

I have to say a part of me is very intrigued with how Rex Ryan will do simply because optimism, confidence, fearlessness, and being proud of the players is something very precious psychologically to a Bills fan, because I think we as fans have lost some of that.

Jay Feely in an interview in the Jet's camp I think sort of touched on it:

"When you have a coach who is unafraid to say what he believes, you're going to have a team that is unafraid to make mistakes. That's when you play your best."

There is something about what he says that rings true.  My proudest moments rooting for this team was when Don Beebe knocked the ball out of Leon Lett's hand. That whole game the Bills screwed up with countless mistakes, hell that play up until the last second was a mistake, but yet it was still one of the greatest moments ever, one of the defining moments of all time for the Bills. People who weren't even Bills fans saw that and were moved.

At least what a huge contrast from our current crop of talented Buffalo Bills with their no turnover/ no mistake offense. Dick Jauron always preaches conservative football and no turnovers. Generally turnovers are bad, but at the same time, Edwards coincidentally has a reputation as someone who is "safe" a "game manager" and a "check down artist"....Hmm...

As strange as it sounds, maybe Ryan is right. Maybe a team like Buffalo IS intimidated by the Patriots in a way. Not like they are like physically and mentally terrified of them but in 2007, I think they broke their spirit. Remember that game? The Bills were convinced that this time they would beat the undefeated Patriots. It was home it was Sunday night and they were riding high off a 4 game winning streak. Everyone said they had to play a perfect game to beat them, Kevin Everett delivered a taped message to the team. It just seemed the Bills really would play mistake free football.

The Patriots grabbed the Bills by the throat and slaughtered them in front of all of the fans. They were a merciless killing machine. 56-10 the Bills confidence and morale was shattered, and they were left in the cold of that stadium. Left to think about how they could never be perfect and how they could never be good enough.

And so as dumb as it sounds maybe teams like the Patriots need to be told straight up that were not afraid of you. Not to send a message to the Patriots of course, but to send a message to your own team that you are willing to stick your neck out on their behalf for whatever it's worth even if it isn't worth much of anything. That's what the Bills should have done right after that game they got their ass kicked in. Because if they said something like that after being beaten 56-10 everyone would laugh at them. It would be all over sports center. But I wouldn't laugh at them I'd be proud of them just like I was when Don Beebe made that play.

Just because something sounds or is absurd doesn't mean it has no meaning. Rex Ryan might be  the breath of fresh air the division needs. A man who is honest and shoots straight from the hip. Not a man who hide in the shadows, not a man who won't talk to reporters or fans, and not a man who will cover and hide their staff's debacles, and not a man who has to be grilled to even practice outside. He's a guy who will go out into the middle of nowhere to practice and eat at Doug's fish fry.

Ryan represents warm, fun, and perhaps stupid optimist with a high level of confidence and contrasts with cold, desensitized, humorless, cynics that the Patriots, Bills, and Carp have.

Maybe Rex Ryan is so delusional that he's right. Perhaps this "bumbling fool", this "windbag" represents something very cool about football.

I don't think talent wise the Jets are even going to be a factor this year. I think the sheer talent that Buffalo, Miami, and New England carry on their rosters is going to be way too much. But the Jets have already bought into Ryan's message, and if he can keep the team motivated they unfortunately will be a force to be reckoned with.