Rex Ryan Goes to the Jets

Well, that certainly happened in a flash.

Not even a full day after the Ravens lost to the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, Baltimore's Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan has agreed to become the next Head Coach of the New York Jets. Ryan's deal is said to be a four year contract, similar to the one Steve Spagnuolo got from the Rams to coach there. That deal was worth $11.5-million.

When it came down to it, I thought the best candidates for the Jets job (once Cowher took himself out and Shanahan wanted to go on vacation) were Spagnuolo and Ryan. I liked Spags' recent success with the Giants and how he won over a lot of respect from his defense. However, it showed this year that without Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan, the defense struggled late in the season and in the playoffs.

Rex Ryan was the easier option because he ran a 3-4 in Baltimore already and the Jets had been running the 3-4 since Eric Mangini came to town. Ryan has also been the forefront of the Ravens' success because their defense has been one of the stingiest in the NFL. The team has been one of the top teams defensively year after year and Ryan's aggressive style is something the Jets needed after this past season's collapse.

The biggest thing with Ryan was that he was also an Assistant Head Coach to John Harbaugh. Now, that's not necessarily experience as a Head Coach, but I'm sure it helped better prepare him for what he'll face as a head honcho. Being in New York is definitely a tough place to be a head coach. This past year, Willie Randolph, Eric Mangini, Ted Nolan, and Isiah Thomas all lost their jobs. Ryan's seat will be hot from the start, especially with the quarterback situation so cloudy. He'll need to take a team with significant talent and mold it into a true playoff team and Super Bowl contender. It may not happen in Year 1, but I think he can definitely take this team deep!