Jets Coach Rex Ryan Talks Texans

Coach Rex Ryan, what a hell of a coach. He’s big, fat, and can inspire his team. He has a wild personality, and even though it can get out of control at times, most people seem to like it. His personality was in the spotlight on this season’s HBO run of Hard Knocks. I didn’t exactly know what to think when I first saw Ryan at the podium as the next head coach of the New York Jets. Now in his second season, I’m sure that he’s the right coach for that team.

Coach Ryan was on a conference call this morning with Houston reporters who asked him questions. Here are some bits from the call.

His take on the key to getting out of a 4-5 hole last year: “I’ll tell the key after the game. No, I’m just kidding. I just think you do what you believe in.”

His take on Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson: “He’s a matchup nightmare. Obviously, in my opinion, he’s the best receiver in football, so it doesn’t get any tougher than that. But the only corner in the league that would dare try to cover this guy man coverage is Darrelle Revis. In my opinion, and it’s not even close, he’s the best corner in football, and those two guys go at it. You’ve got the best corner against the best receiver in the game, and that’s going to be a great matchup, great to watch.”

His take on Texans running back Arian Foster: “Whoo! You know, it’s like, wow. He’s really doing it. I mean, averaging 5.3 a carry, already 930 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns, I think that speaks for itself. But he’s a big, strong guy. He hits it. He’s, uh, you know… wow. I mean, did he burst on the scene this year?”

His take on the challenges for a rookie corner like Kareem Jackson: “Kareem Jackson’s going to be an outstanding player – an outstanding player… It’s just a different game. The skill level is phenomenal in this league. You may have a guy covered in college, what you think is covered in college, well, that’s open in the NFL… Everybody makes mistakes. They’re all going to get beat. I mean, Darrelle Revis gave up a touchdown this year. You know, those things happen. But the guys that make it are the ones that can learn from it and take coaching.”

You can read the the bits from the entire call here over at HoustonTexans.com