JETS HC REX RYAN CUTS LOOSE!

New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan opens up and cuts loose in interviews with Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden. Layden has penned a new book  - Blood, Sweat and Chalk - which includes scathing quotes from Ryan about his being fired and passed over for jobs...including here in Baltimore. Layden, also posted an online  article on SI.com - at SIVAULT. A companion piece to the book...worth a look.

Here are some of Ryans quotes:

( -  From Tim Layden)

On Jan. 19 Rex was hired as coach of the Jets, the franchise with which his father's NFL career began. At 46, he is the first Ryan to lead a team since Buddy was canned in 1995 after two seasons with the Cardinals; his twin sons were assistants on that team. "Best [assistants] I had," says Buddy. "People said it was nepotism. Bulls---." Rex is motivated by a love of the game and its players, a passion for the emotion and the intellect of teaching defense—and in no small part by past slights and omissions.

Such as when his dad was fired by the Cardinals, and not one NFL team gave him or Rob an interview. Rex took a job as the defensive coordinator at the University of Cincinnati. He would send a message to the NFL by crushing opponents, a mind-set he adopted as a response to every perceived slight: "I'm going to punish people now. I'm going back to college, and I'm going to punish people." 

Such as when Ravens coach Brian Billick passed over Rex in 2002 and promoted Mike Nolan, the team's receivers coach, to replace Marvin Lewis as defensive coordinator: "Basically, I got f-----. Brian never knew me. Maybe I never fit his image. But it was a crock of s---." (Billick's take: "I felt we needed a more veteran presence. But I knew Rex had coordinator capabilities. You don't spend five minutes around Rex Ryan and not see his passion." Billick did promote Rex to coordinator three years later, when Nolan left to coach the 49ers.)

Such as two years ago, when Rex interviewed with the Falcons and the Dolphins, as well as his own team, the Ravens, and none chose him to fill their head-coaching vacancy: "I'm going to take this out on the league."

Check out the book for more. Listen to the podcast of Tim Laydens interview on the Mark Viviano Show - check out podcasts on our show page here at 1057thefan.com.