Just minutes after the New York Jets upset the Miami Dolphins to knock the Phins out of playoff contention and seal second place in the AFC East, owner Woody Johnson announced that head coach Rex Ryan will return in 2014 for his sixth season with Gang Green.
Many assumed that Ryan would be fired as early as last offseason when the Jets replaced General Manager Mike Tannebaum, who hired Ryan, with former Seattle Seahawks front office assistant John Idzik. Still, despite finishing out of the playoffs for the third straight year, the Jets managed to win their final two games of a roller coaster season to finish second in the division and at .500 for the fourth time in Ryan’s five years with the team.
To say the Jets had their ups-and-downs this season would be an understatement. Over their first 10 games, the Jets alternated wins and losses every single week. Despite coming into the season ranked as one of the worst teams in the league, the Jets were able to sneak out a win against Tampa Bay and handedly defeated the Bills and Falcons over the first five weeks of the season. Over their next four weeks, the Jets lost to the Steelers and Bengals by a combined score of 68-15. At the same time, they pulled off massive upsets over the Patriots and Saints.
At 5-4 following the Saints game, the Jets were in prime playoff contention and looked to be the surprise team of the season. Instead, led by struggling rookie quarterback Geno Smith, they lost three straight to the Bills, Ravens, and Dolphins, scoring just 20 points over those three games.
At 5-7, things looked very different but, perhaps because of Rex Ryan’s ability to get the most out of his team, the Jets won three of their final four games, defeating the Ravens, Browns, and Dolphins.
Not only did the team improve its record, the team’s struggling rookies showed real development. On offense, Geno put up 496 total yards and four touchdowns over the team’s last two games. Equally as critical is that Geno, who has turned the ball over an AFC-high 28 times this season, didn’t turn it over once in the final two games. Showing signs of figuring his game out, he ran for 44 or more yards in each of his final four games and scored a rushing touchdown in three of those.
On defense, rookie cornerback Dee Milliner, who has struggled most of the season and was benched on more than one occasion, posted 13 tackles, 10 pass deflections, and three interceptions in the team’s final two games.
Certainly Ryan’s trust helped both young players feel comfortable enough to continue to improve their game as the season went along and keeping Ryan should go a long way in creating continuity for the young, suddenly up-and-coming New York squad. Of course, the Jets don’t seem intent on offering Ryan a contract extension past 2014 so he’ll have to fight for his job next season once again.
