National Football League

Rex Ryan's act wearing thin

Published Jan. 7, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

Alex Marvez

Rex Ryan’s antics remind me of how much I once loved watching "Seinfeld."

No disrespect to Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer. But every episode grows progressively less funny after watching reruns again and again — and again — in syndication.

Ryan, too, has become another New York City-flavored comedy act that has worn thin.

He was a hoot after being named Jets’ head coach in January 2009. Ryan poked fun at other head coaches (New England’s Bill Belichick), other players (Miami linebacker Channing Crowder) and even himself in a fashion that would make Kenny Bania envious. Ryan brashly trumpeted New York’s Super Bowl aspirations. He was Jerry Glanville, Sam Wyche and Buddy Ryan (Rex’s dad) all rolled into one oversized body with a mouth to match.

But, now, a coach who was a breath of fresh air compared to his stodgy peers has become a flat-out blowhard.

Stumbling into Saturday night’s first-round playoff game at Indianapolis with two victories in the past five games — including a meaningless Week 17 exhibition-style victory over Buffalo — should have prompted Ryan to tone down the hyperbole. Nope. Ryan spewed once again after beating the Bills.

“I thought we’d win (the Super Bowl) last year,” Ryan said. “I think we're going to win it this year . . . We think we’re better than any team out there. We’ve got to go prove it, though.”

The Jets should have done that first before Ryan’s gums resumed flapping.

Ryan used the same bold shtick before last season’s playoffs. It was fresh then. And to their credit, Jets players backed his words with an improbable run to the AFC Championship Game.

Ryan’s latest proclamations carry less weight than the pounds he dropped after offseason lap-band surgery.

A 45-3 blowout loss at New England in early December should have humbled Ryan at least a little bit. A 38-34 road loss to Chicago three weeks later wasn’t as embarrassing as, say, the public discovery of your wife’s foot-fetish videos on the Internet or an assistant coach tripping an opposing player on the sideline. But both games reinforced that this Jets defense — the Ryan-constructed unit that has given him the confidence to boast — isn’t playing nearly as well as at the end of the 2009 regular season.

While finishing third in the NFL rankings, the 2010 Jets surrendered an average of 40 more yards and four more points per game than their predecessors. An injury-plagued pass defense is struggling. Opponents have connected on 48 throws of 20-plus yards compared to 31 in 2009. The average opposing quarterback rating has jumped from 58.8 to 77.1.

And, now, the Jets have to face the brilliant passer who butchered a better New York defense for 377 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in last season’s AFC title game.

Ryan was effusive this week in his praise of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. But in typical Ryan style, he couldn’t resist taking a shot at Tom Brady in the process. Ryan said New England’s quarterback falsely believes he studies as much as Manning and the Patriots coaching staff provides more help than the latter receives.

Yes, the same Tom Brady who completed 72.4 percent of his passes for 326 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the aforementioned rout of the Jets.

This is an example of how Ryan has changed from interesting to irritable. The swipe at Brady didn’t just come across like sour grapes, let alone unnecessary since it gives fresh bulletin-board material to a potential playoff opponent. It reeked of ignorance, especially after the manner in which Brady and the AFC East champion Patriots (14-2) dismantled Ryan’s defense.

You’d figure the Jets would have clinched the division title a long time ago after all the preseason braggadocio emanating from "Hard Knocks." New York (11-5) instead enters the postseason as a No. 6 seed.

This makes Ryan’s public praising of his inconsistent squad sound cliché. It’s as if Ryan were programmed to react this way whether he truly believes it or not. The more insincere or inane the comments, the less credible and amusing Ryan becomes. It undermines when he does make a good point or fires off an amusing quip. Should the Jets have a losing season under Ryan’s watch, players will begin tuning out like the media and fans.

People start laughing at you rather than with you.

Of course, the joke might be on me and other Ryan critics. The New York Post reports that Ryan has toned down the hyperbole internally this week, which is where it matters most. Unlike last year, Ryan hasn’t given his team a Super Bowl itinerary for the future as a motivational tactic. Ryan also has adopted a maniacal focus on Indianapolis to the point that he called beating Manning a “personal” incentive.

“He’s been so honed in on Indy and the details of what we need to do,” Jets right tackle Damien Woody told the Post. “That’s a big change from last year where we had the itinerary to the Super Bowl (and) all that type of stuff . . . Maybe it’s part of his growth as a head coach.”

Maybe. But if the Jets don’t deliver Saturday night, Ryan should spend his offseason trying to grow up before becoming even more of a punch line himself.