Rex Ryan Says Todd Bowles Knows He's Going to Be Fired, Questions Jets Direction
Former Jets head coach Rex Ryan expressed his displeasure with how the franchise has performed this season during an episode of ESPN's morning talk show, Get Up!
New York fell to 3-7 after losing 41-10 to the Bills at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Buffalo started Matt Barkley, who signed as a free agent earlier in the week and appeared in his first regular-season game since December 2016. Ryan chided the Jets' lackluster performance, stating that "passion, toughness, worth ethic—all those types of things" were absent from the field.
“You don’t just go out there and lay your jock on the field like they did here," Ryan said. "There was one or two guys playing with any frickin’ fire and all that. This was awful.”
READ: Report: Jets Waiting Until After Season to Make Decision on Todd Bowles
Ryan continued and adamantly suggested that Jets head coach Todd Bowles is aware that his job is in jeopardy. A report surfaced Monday that Bowles would retain his role at least through the remainder of the season. Ryan also questioned the direction of the Jets franchise under the direction of general manager Mike Maccagan.
"I love the fact you’ve got the GM sitting and saying, talking about the future and that’s all he talks about—the future," Ryan said. "What future do you have? [That] you honestly think you have? Because I look at this way… Look, the Johnsons are unbelievable people and they’re going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Todd Bowles is not gonna get fired now, he’s gonna coach the rest of the season. Why? That’s the appropriate way to do things. But we know he’s gone. Todd knows he’s gone. So is the GM."
"They’ve already given you a chance," Ryan added. "You have all the money and all that type of stuff. Didn’t we have that, like, four years ago when Todd took over, when they saved all the money when I was there?I get it. And what are you gonna do? Build it with a bunch of old guys? No. You have one thing right—you have a piece in the quarterback (rookie Sam Darnold). So you have a bright future because you have a quarterback."
Darnold sat out Sunday's blowout loss due to a sprained foot. He has led New York to three wins in nine starts this season, and has completed 55% of his passes for 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Ryan said that New York's coaching staff hasn't done much to help the first-year starter ascend, highlighting the Jets gameplan against the Dolphins as an example of mismanagement.
"They’re gonna blow it up," Ryan said. "I hope they get it right, bring somebody in who understands the community, gets that kind of passion, can relate to the fanbase and all that, and never ever have a performance like this again."
