Tomorrow night's matchup between the 5-3 New York Jets and the 4-4 Buffalo Bills not only offers fans a game between division rivals with serious AFC playoff implications, but it features two teams with talented personnel groups and coaching staffs. In a vacuum, it is a compelling matchup in and of itself, made more so by the fact that it's a nationally-televised affair.
Rex Ryan talked a little about his team, that game, and his role in it on Tuesday, but that's not what everyone is talking about on Wednesday morning. Instead, we're talking about Clemson helmets and program pitches, live trash-talking through the magic of Twitter, and whether or not Ryan Fitzpatrick is pleasing to the eye. All in a day's work for Ryan in a week where he was always expected to take center stage.
We picked a name out of a hat for this one, and Ty Dunne of The Buffalo News emerged the victor, but rest assured: just about every Bills beat reporter's timeline looked like this yesterday. Here's a rundown of Rex's Tuesday press conference.
The Clemson pitch
Rex Ryan is in a Clemson helmet. Why not. pic.twitter.com/6gWf822i0h
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) November 10, 2015
Rex: "Since there's nothing to talk about and you can only write what I say, let's talk about Clemson."
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) November 10, 2015
If you're interested in hearing Ryan's entire Clemson football pitch (his son, Seth, currently plays there), the program was only too eager to share the video on Facebook yesterday.
Is Fitzpatrick handsome?
More Rex on Fitz: "Right now, the thing's that disappointing to me is that beard. He's not a real handsome kid."
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) November 10, 2015
Ryan has made a lot of mistakes in his career; this is his biggest. Sorry, but Fitzpatrick's beard is excellent.
Fitzpatrick had a retort, by the way...
Ryan Fitzpatrick on Rex Ryan saying he's not handsome: "I have five kids so something's working."
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) November 10, 2015
Ryan vs. Pryor
During Ryan's press conference, Jets safety Calvin Pryor - who was Ryan's last first-round draft pick with the Jets - decided to weigh in on his former coach.
The guy does anything for attention
— Calvin Pryor III (@star_island25) November 10, 2015
When reporters told Ryan of Pryor's thoughts during the media session, Ryan was only too happy to reply.
Rex on Pryor's tweet: "He's right. What else am I going to do? Just stand up here. He's mad because Clemson put it on Louisville again."
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) November 10, 2015
Things died down a bit from there...
Ha
— Calvin Pryor III (@star_island25) November 10, 2015
... though Pryor, currently a backup with the Jets, did end up having more to say when the microphones were in his face.
Could Rex Ryan have done more for the #Jets last year? Calvin Pryor: "He could have played guys in the right position."
— Kimberley A. Martin (@KMart_LI) November 10, 2015
Calvin Pryor on Rex naming IK a captain: "it's definitely kind of disrespectful...At the same time, he has his reasons."
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) November 10, 2015
But wait, there's more
Those were just the main story lines, too. There were a couple of miscellaneous gems, as well.
Forgot this Rex gem at the end: "I think Darby was ranked number three by the way. Not bad for a rookie. Bust pick in the second round."
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) November 10, 2015
Rex: "Everybody knows me. I circle the Patriots. That's what I do. That quarterback never gets worse. What is wrong with him?"
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) November 10, 2015
Ryan did, however, show that he has a sense of where to draw the line as he runs through his well-honed art of media distraction.
Rex is asked if the Jets should be thankful of IK because Fitz is the guy now: "My goodness. I'm not touching that one."
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) November 10, 2015
The Bills and the Jets square off at 8:25 p.m. ET tomorrow (Thursday) night at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.