With a day to think about it, Jets coach Rex Ryan says people have every right to criticize his team for falling short of the Super Bowl.
“That was a ridiculous statement,” Ryan said in reference to his own remarks that people who criticize his Jets “have no right” to do so.
Ryan brought up his regret in a way to explain Santonio Holmes’ salty post-game remarks. Ryan said the Jets would prefer players not operate that way, but he understood the emotion and rawness of post-game press conferences.
Ryan touched on a number of other topics during his press conference, all while wearing a Jets dog tag. “I’m proud to be a Jet,” Ryan said more than once.
1. Ryan confirmed offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will be back with the team.
2. With the “benefit of hindsight,” Ryan wishes the team just ran the ball four straight times in the goal line with Shonn Greene or LaDainian Tomlinson.
3. Again and again, Ryan repeated that he couldn’t believe how his team played in the first half. “I’m at a loss for words for why we played that poorly,” Ryan said. “We were missing tackles all over the place. Our tackling was so poor it’s hard to imagine.”
4. Ryan also couldn’t believe the defense couldn’t get a stop at the end of the game. He said Ben Roethlisberger made great plays on his two late completions and he lauded Pittsburgh’s “gutsy” playcalling.
5. The impending lockout sounded like “scary times” to Ryan. He said he told the team to take care of each other in the event of a lockout and stay clean off the field.
“You represent yourself and this organization on and off the field,” Ryan said he told his players. “And I have to be mindful of that myself too, with my past history.”