New York Jets: Rex Ryan Fires First Shot

New Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan decided to get the rivalry started quickly as he called out New York Jets tight end Jace Amaro.

We all knew it wouldn’t take long. The man simply cannot help himself.

In this instance, the equation is simple.

Take the former, boastful head coach of the New York Jets, and have him relocate to a Buffalo Bills team under new ownership who is desperately wants a new, brash and confident attitude.

If the recipe is perfect, the outcome is a rivalry involving Rex Ryan and the Jets.

According to Peter King of Sports Illustrated’s Monday Morning Quarterback, Ryan made it very clear he doesn’t miss coaching Gang Green.

"Despite having put on a good face, Ryan says he felt like a “leftover” under the new GM, half of an arranged marriage “who could be replaced at any time.”“I wasn’t the boss anymore,” Ryan says. “I was just a guy. Whether they want to say it or not, all of a sudden I became less important to the team.”“The minute I felt uncomfortable, I should have said something to Woody and made sure he knew exactly how I felt,” Rex says. “But when hires are made after you’re hired, I didn’t want to question that. How can I preach that I’m all on board if I do that?”On April 6, Jets tight end Jace Amaro reflected on his rookie season and told Sirius XM NFL Radio that Ryan’s 2014 team lacked accountability. To which Ryan says, “He’s full of s—, and I’ll remind him of that when we play him. Look, we weren’t perfect, and I never said we were going to be perfect. But that’s a f—— b.s. comment. But, hey, he’s happy that he’s got a different coach in place. We’ll see how happy he is when I play against him.”"

Rex, tell us how you really feel.

Right off the bat, Ryan is correct in his first statement. He did have complete personnel decision making ability while Mike Tannenbaum was roaming Florham Park, New Jersey as general manager. Well, not complete personnel control, but Ryan and Tannenbaum worked as a tandem.

What happened was a slow decline in personnel from Eric Mangini’s team to what John Idzik took over.

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Then, once Idzik came aboard, Rex’s personality was dialed down and suddenly coaching was the only thing on his plate. Not to mention team drafting declined even more and personnel continued to decline.

Regardless, the issue Rex faced as the face for the Jets was the fact that his tenure here trended downward, not up. Even when Tannenbaum was still with him, in 2011 and 2012, the Jets finished 8-8 and 6-10 after two successful playoff seasons where they saw AFC Championship Game competition.

Trending downward and completely destroying offenses (and quarterbacks of course) is what Rex is known for around Jets circles.

What he lacks in direction, he makes up in brilliant defensive gameplanning and personality.

Now, that personality is back in full force.

It’s only fitting that Ryan found his way onto an AFC East team. It’s actually amazing how charming and likable the man truly is.

Despite a record of 26-38 over his last four seasons in New Jersey, most Jets fans didn’t want to see him leave. Most were actually upset.

It is his charisma that captures the hearts of fans and media members alike. Also, bursting onto the scene those first two seasons with Mangini’s players didn’t hurt either.

Still, charisma doesn’t win football games.

The beauty part of this situation are the story-lines we are assured to see during 2015 and possibly beyond. With Buffalo ownership fully backing Ryan’s personality, and the Jets immediate improvement under Mike Maccagnan, Ryan’s “first shot” headed to the Jets will certainly not be the last.

It’s going to be fun.

Jets fans can only hope Todd Bowles is a man who is fully intent on having his football program trend upwards as his head coaching career progresses. That will be the only thing that has Ryan searching for the right words when the Jets are brought up.

Next: Pick No. 6 Will Prove To Be Maccagnan's First True Test

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