Elvis has re-entered the image.
Rex Ryan interviewed Tuesday in West Palm Seaside, Fla., for the Jets head teaching job.
A little bit greater than 10 years in the past, the Jets introduced his firing by way of Twitter, ending a six-year stretch that included two AFC Championship sport appearances, the primary 4 seasons of the franchise’s present 14-year playoff drought, and extra New York Put up back and front pages than the entire different coaches in New York soccer historical past mixed.
Ryan’s repertoire ranged from a foot fetish to a racy tattoo, from a shaggy wig to a goddamn snack, from a flipped hen to operating with the bulls, and way more.
Let’s have a look again on the first act of essentially the most colourful Jets determine since Joe Namath.
Inexperienced and White (Home)
Moments after being launched because the Jets coach on Jan. 21, 2009, Ryan already was speaking about successful championships, as his father Buddy did as an assistant coach for the Jets in Tremendous Bowl III.
“With all of the cameras and all that, I used to be searching for our new president [Barack Obama] again there,” Ryan mentioned. “You realize, I believe we’ll get to satisfy him within the subsequent couple years anyway.”
Ring ding
Earlier than teaching his first sport as a Jet, Ryan made it clear he knew who the largest enemy was.
“I by no means got here right here to kiss Invoice Belichick’s, you already know, rings,” Ryan mentioned in a June 3, 2009 interview with WFAN’s Mike Francesa. “I got here to win. … I’m definitely not intimidated by New England or anyone else.”
Requested if the Jets wanted to ship the Patriots a message, Ryan responded: “I believe we have already got despatched a message to them. To allow them to learn between the traces …They will determine it out. And after they come right here that second week of the season, we’ll see.” The Jets defeated the Patriots 16-9 in Ryan’s first residence sport, however Belichick, who already had three Patriots rings, would go on to win three extra.
Life after loss of life
Ryan mistakenly mentioned the Jets had been eradicated from the playoffs after a 10-7 loss to the Falcons on Dec. 9, 2009 dropped them to 7-7.
“We’re clearly out of the playoffs and that’s unlucky,” he mentioned.
However the math mentioned in any other case. The Jets completed with wins over the Colts and Bengals after which beat the Bengals once more and the Chargers within the playoffs earlier than dropping to the Peyton Manning-led Colts within the AFC Championship.
Costly hen
Six days after dropping to the Colts, Ryan attended an MMA occasion in Dawn, Fla., and was photographed giving the finger to Dolphins followers. He was fined $50,000 by the Jets.
Speaking snack
In what stands as most likely essentially the most memorable clip within the historical past of HBO’s “Onerous Knocks” collection, Ryan is proven lambasting his gamers after a sloppy observe, punctuating his tirade with, “Let’s go eat a goddamn snack!”
Wigging out
Forward of a matchup in opposition to his brother Rob, who then was the Browns’ defensive coordinator, Ryan attended his each day press convention carrying a shaggy wig, a Browns cap and a t-shirt with a pillow stuffed beneath it. He mentioned, “I believe Rex is a good coach, an excellent particular person. He’s very good-looking.”
‘Foot’ ball
On Dec. 21, 2010, 4 movies went viral on the web, together with one that includes a girl who seemed like Ryan’s spouse, Michelle, displaying her toes for a cameraman, who seemed like Rex. The subsequent day, Ryan refused to reply questions concerning the video, calling it a private matter, however didn’t deny he and Michelle had been the folks within the movies.
The foot fetish situation has been revisited through the years.
In 2015 as Payments coach, Ryan was posing for a photograph in his workplace and on his desk there was an image of what gave the impression to be his spouse’s toes in a digital body.
In 2017, a girl at a bachelorette celebration at a Nashville bar claimed she met Ryan and that he was flirty and “advised me I had good toes.”
And in 2023 on ESPN, talking of the Chiefs’ Kadarius Toney’s foot being offside at a key second in a playoff sport, Ryan mentioned, “You realize I like toes. I don’t like this toe.”
He’s no Namath
After main the Jets to 2 AFC title sport appearances, Ryan mentioned within the offseason forward of the 2011 season: “I consider that is the yr we’re going to win the Tremendous Bowl. I believed we’d win it the primary two years, however I assure you we’ll win it this yr.” Not solely did that not occur, the Jets haven’t made the playoffs since this remark was made.
‘Shut up, fats boy!’
The largest cause the Jets did not make the playoffs in 2011 was their 29-14 loss to the Giants on Christmas Eve. That was the sport that saved the Giants’ season on the best way to their Tremendous Bowl championship, and afterward, Giants operating again Brandon Jacobs went as much as Ryan and reportedly advised him, “It’s time to close up, fats boy.” Jacobs would later inform reporters: “Rex Ryan is a disrespectful bastard. The Jets have an enormous mouth, huge stomach coach that talks an excessive amount of.”
Large loss
The next summer time, Ryan revealed he’d undergone lap band surgical procedure to assist him go from 348 kilos in 2009 to 242 in July of 2012.
Tattoo you
Ryan’s spouse, Michelle, turned a part of the story once more in January of 2013. The coach was photographed on the seaside within the Bahamas sporting a tattoo on his proper arm picturing a blonde lady carrying nothing besides a Jets No. 6 Mark Sanchez jersey. Ryan finally changed that picture with Payments-themed ink.
Raging bulls
On July 3, 2013, a video popped up on the web that confirmed Ryan operating with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Ryan is seen clinging to a barricade, attempting to hop a wall, and yelling “maintain on!” as a bull passes by.
Extra wonderful messes
Ryan’s toll for off-the-field profanities throughout his time with the Jets amounted to $225,000 — together with the flipped hen on the MMA match, $75,000 for telling a heckler who mentioned Belichick was higher than him to “shut the f–ok up” in 2011, and $100,000 for cursing at a fan as he walked off the sector after a 2014 win in Pittsburgh.
On behalf of the entire Put up’s headline writers, welcome again, Rex — even when it’s just for in the future.
