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Fraley: Rex Ryan thrives for Jets; can Dallas-bound brother Rob have same effect?
GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – To grasp what the Cowboys could gain by adding Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator, take a look at what his twin brother accomplished Sunday.
Rex Ryan played the role of head coach to the hilt. He pumped the New York Jets full of bravado and laid the plan that enabled them to accomplish the unthinkable.
In the high pressure of an AFC divisional-round playoff game, the Jets beat a club that spanked them by 42 points just five weeks ago.
The Jets, as cocksure as their coach, strutted into Gillette Stadium and did what few teams have done during Bill Belichick's reign with New England. The Jets made the Patriots look bad and confused iconic quarterback Tom Brady in a 28-21 victory.
After a week of yapping, the Jets roared. They backed up the Ryan-led talk.
"We talk because we believe in ourselves," Ryan said. "That's what the talk was coming from. Maybe people take it the wrong way. But we respect every opponent, but we're not fearing anybody.
"Maybe I'm not always wrong on everything I say."
He is often correct. When Rex Ryan says something seemingly outrageous, there is a good reason for it.
When Ryan started stirring the emotional pot by calling out Belichick, he was trying to tell the Jets how much he believed in them. If any player missed the message, Ryan repeated it during a midweek team meeting. According to cornerback Darrelle Revis, Ryan told the club that he wanted to "embarrass" the Patriots.
As Revis said, who could not play when a coach speaks with so much emotion?
In this area, the Brothers Ryan are one and the same. Put aside their strategic expertise for a moment and consider their ability to motivate players.
They recognize football must be played at a high emotional level and understand how to tap into that part of a player's makeup. The Brothers Ryan do it their way. If it rubs the other side the wrong way, so be it.
It's not all bluster. It's motivation without the frills.
"They're similar," said Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who played at Cleveland when Rob Ryan ran the defense. "Rex is a little more vocal. Rob curses more. Rob has that same cool attitude. Players love playing for him. He puts guys in the right situation. His defenses are really good."
The Brothers Ryan are good at the X's and O's aspect of the game, too. Rex Ryan and his defensive coordinator, Mike Pettine, put together a game plan that thoroughly stymied Brady.
The rap against the Brothers Ryan is they play caveman defense: blitz, blitz and blitz some more. Their father, longtime NFL assistant and head coach Buddy Ryan, might have played it that way, but his sons are more refined. They will blitz, and they will plot and scheme, too.
The Jets used only a few blitzes. They forced Brady into a sub-par showing – 29-of-45 for 299 yards with two touchdowns and one interception – by getting pressure from three- and four-man fronts and throwing in enough zones with five defensive backs to keep him off-balance. Brady took five sacks and padded his stats late in the fourth quarter.
"When you see a Hall of Fame quarterback get confused, you know you've got a good game plan," defensive lineman Trevor Pryce said. "Tom Brady literally had no answer for it."
One play said it all. Trailing 21-11 in the fourth quarter, the Patriots had a third-and-13 from the Jets' 34. Brady had seven seconds but could not decide where to throw. He finally made a no-chance heave to running back Danny Woodhead.
"Keeping [Brady] confused, that was our game plan," Jets linebacker Bart Scott said. "We didn't execute last time. We're able to play disciplined football. We're not a bunch of reckless, undisciplined players."
They are Ryan players. The Jets have them. The Cowboys must get them for Rob Ryan to have the same impact.
GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – To grasp what the Cowboys could gain by adding Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator, take a look at what his twin brother accomplished Sunday.
Rex Ryan played the role of head coach to the hilt. He pumped the New York Jets full of bravado and laid the plan that enabled them to accomplish the unthinkable.
In the high pressure of an AFC divisional-round playoff game, the Jets beat a club that spanked them by 42 points just five weeks ago.
The Jets, as cocksure as their coach, strutted into Gillette Stadium and did what few teams have done during Bill Belichick's reign with New England. The Jets made the Patriots look bad and confused iconic quarterback Tom Brady in a 28-21 victory.
After a week of yapping, the Jets roared. They backed up the Ryan-led talk.
"We talk because we believe in ourselves," Ryan said. "That's what the talk was coming from. Maybe people take it the wrong way. But we respect every opponent, but we're not fearing anybody.
"Maybe I'm not always wrong on everything I say."
He is often correct. When Rex Ryan says something seemingly outrageous, there is a good reason for it.
When Ryan started stirring the emotional pot by calling out Belichick, he was trying to tell the Jets how much he believed in them. If any player missed the message, Ryan repeated it during a midweek team meeting. According to cornerback Darrelle Revis, Ryan told the club that he wanted to "embarrass" the Patriots.
As Revis said, who could not play when a coach speaks with so much emotion?
In this area, the Brothers Ryan are one and the same. Put aside their strategic expertise for a moment and consider their ability to motivate players.
They recognize football must be played at a high emotional level and understand how to tap into that part of a player's makeup. The Brothers Ryan do it their way. If it rubs the other side the wrong way, so be it.
It's not all bluster. It's motivation without the frills.
"They're similar," said Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who played at Cleveland when Rob Ryan ran the defense. "Rex is a little more vocal. Rob curses more. Rob has that same cool attitude. Players love playing for him. He puts guys in the right situation. His defenses are really good."
The Brothers Ryan are good at the X's and O's aspect of the game, too. Rex Ryan and his defensive coordinator, Mike Pettine, put together a game plan that thoroughly stymied Brady.
The rap against the Brothers Ryan is they play caveman defense: blitz, blitz and blitz some more. Their father, longtime NFL assistant and head coach Buddy Ryan, might have played it that way, but his sons are more refined. They will blitz, and they will plot and scheme, too.
The Jets used only a few blitzes. They forced Brady into a sub-par showing – 29-of-45 for 299 yards with two touchdowns and one interception – by getting pressure from three- and four-man fronts and throwing in enough zones with five defensive backs to keep him off-balance. Brady took five sacks and padded his stats late in the fourth quarter.
"When you see a Hall of Fame quarterback get confused, you know you've got a good game plan," defensive lineman Trevor Pryce said. "Tom Brady literally had no answer for it."
One play said it all. Trailing 21-11 in the fourth quarter, the Patriots had a third-and-13 from the Jets' 34. Brady had seven seconds but could not decide where to throw. He finally made a no-chance heave to running back Danny Woodhead.
"Keeping [Brady] confused, that was our game plan," Jets linebacker Bart Scott said. "We didn't execute last time. We're able to play disciplined football. We're not a bunch of reckless, undisciplined players."
They are Ryan players. The Jets have them. The Cowboys must get them for Rob Ryan to have the same impact.