The King's Speech: Rex Ryan
What makes a great coach? I would put “motivating” at the top of the list, but it’s an elusive, tough-to-measure quality. What works one week or in one city or with college athletes might not work next week or in a different city or with pro players.
I loved this article in the NY Times today about the oratory prowess of NY Jets coach Rex Ryan. (It was an added bonus to discover quotes by our own Bill McGurn.)
Here are some excerpts, but the story is most enjoyable read in its entirety:
Beyond his defensive acumen, beyond the sheer force of his personality, the Jets regard Ryan as their great orator — part general, part politician, part football coach, a toastmaster at heart ...
Ryan does not script his speeches. Instead, he starts with a theme and looks for examples, either historic or from his background, that match his thesis. He meets with the video department to develop specific, matching clips …
… All the separate elements of Ryan’s speeches are augmented by what players called his most important speaking quality: authenticity. [Defensive lineman Trevor] Pryce described that as the main difference between Ryan and other coaches. After 14 seasons, Pryce said, “All you need is to hear a coach once to know he’s a fraud, to know he’s never been in a fistfight in his life. I heard Rex once, and I knew he would fight for me, that day.”
Ryan is a colorful guy. He comes from blustery, larger-than-life stock. He thrives in the New York market. He even seems to have escaped relatively unscathed from an embarrassing story a few weeks ago.
Here’s hoping we see more of Rex and the Jets in the coming weeks. First, they’ll have to get through a tough contest tomorrow; they’re underdogs in the AFC wild-card playoff game versus the Colts.
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Oct '10
Re: The King's Speech: Rex Ryan
The best coach in the NFL today is Bill Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots. His press conferences are notoriously the most boring on the planet. His methodical, detail-oriented focus on results has achieved the astounding record of being the only head coach in NFL history to win three Super Bowl championships in a four-year span.
Talk is cheap. So is oratory. Rex Ryan is a blowhard whose mouth outpaces his achievements.
PS-stop reading the New York Times for "insight."
May '10
Re: The King's Speech: Rex Ryan
My only experience with the guy is catching a few episodes of "Hard Knocks," HBO's docuseries on the Jets. He seems to like Bill Callahan's work; perhaps he could take on Bill's former offensive coordinator. Please, Rex? Please?!
Edited on Jan 7, 2011 at 3:45pmMay '10
Re: The King's Speech: Rex Ryan
Out of long habit and predisposition, I will be cheering for every Jets opponent. Because of the standard coastal sports media, who always seem to make heroes of the Red Sox, Phillies, Mets, and Yankees, and in football, the Giants, Jets, and Eagles (same phenomenon as the political writers ferom the Northeast), I tend to cheer only for flyoverland teamsotherthanthePackers.
I prefer Tony Dungy's and Leslie Frazier's quiet class to NY Brash. Buddy Ryan was a bit much to take as well.
Aug '10
Re: The King's Speech: Rex Ryan
I stopped following pro football once Carroll Rosenbloom died and Georgia Frontiere absconded to Anaheim with my beloved Rams.
I do remember liking old Buddy Ryan though, and I imagine the apple did not fall far from the tree,
Re: The King's Speech: Rex Ryan
Duane Oyen: Out of long habit and predisposition, I will be cheering for every Jets opponent. Because of the standard coastal sports media, who always seem to make heroes of the Red Sox, Phillies, Mets, and Yankees, and in football, the Giants, Jets, and Eagles (same phenomenon as the political writers ferom the Northeast), I tend to cheer only for flyoverland teamsotherthanthePackers.
I prefer Tony Dungy's and Leslie Frazier's quiet class to NY Brash. Buddy Ryan was a bit much to take as well. · Jan 7 at 7:52pm
Well, the guy's from Oklahoma. HS in Illinois then Southwestern Oklahoma State for college. That kind of counts as flyover, right? I could see your point if he was a Jersey guy like Parcells or something. But I think he's got a lot of the flyover qualities that we all admire, with a dash of boldness and humor that all media types (not just East/West Coasters) love. Not sure that equals "NY brash," but maybe from your view. Is there some reason people (like me) can't love both Dungy and Ryan?
Re: The King's Speech: Rex Ryan
Ken Sweeney: The best coach in the NFL today is Bill Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots. His press conferences are notoriously the most boring on the planet. His methodical, detail-oriented focus on results has achieved the astounding record of being the only head coach in NFL history to win three Super Bowl championships in a four-year span.
Talk is cheap. So is oratory. Rex Ryan is a blowhard whose mouth outpaces his achievements.
PS-stop reading the New York Times for "insight." · Jan 7 at 3:17pm
Mr. Sweeney, as a Patriots fan (I assume), what do you think of what Rex says here:
http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/259330-ryan-takes-swipe-at-brady?xid=Fanhouse
Agree or disagree?
Aug '10
Re: The King's Speech: Rex Ryan
I don't follow pro ball-unless you get brutally honest about Division 1/BCS level college ball, if you do, then I am a Longhorn fan- so I am pretty out of touch.
I am trying to sort out why I turned a way from it. I remember the price of fandom, the way my friends and I practiced it, being too high. There was a lot of drunkeness, a lot of gambling, and an inordinate emotional investment in the results of the game. It was exhausting.
But I loved playing ball, I lived for it in high school. I loved aspiring to be like the pros I admired. I even had posters on my garage wall, Jack Ham doing curls and Tony Dorsett dancing past a tackler on the sidelines. I even played a few a games in college for the mighty Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens.
Lord knows the NFL is doing fine without me. I just can't seem to find my way back in by watching endless jibber-jabber and the onslaught of garish HD pixel-porn that today's broadcasts have become.
I do miss it.
Edited on Jan 8, 2011 at 2:23pmRe: The King's Speech: Rex Ryan
Louie Mungaray:...
Lord knows the NFL is doing fine without me. I just can't seem to find my way back in by watching endless jibber-jabber and the onslaught of garish HD pixel-porn that today's broadcasts have become.
I do miss it. · Jan 8 at 10:43am
Edited on Jan 08 at 02:23 pm
Louis, I totally agree with you! I don't particularly like any pro sports. Well, okay, I like baseball. But the way in (or back in) to these sports, I think, is through individual personalities or in a story like this one, which details in such an interesting way how a man motivates other men. By the way, this is my vote for Ricochet Line of the Week: "...endless jibber-jabber and the onslaught of garish HD pixel-porn that today's broadcasts have become."