I’ve said many times I enjoy having Rex Ryan coach the Jets. He brings far more to a rivalry than say, Chan Gailey does. But as we start to catch on more and more to Rexy’s act it’s starting to smell more and more “snacky”.
Take for example the conflicting reports below.
First Rex’s response when asked if he’s concerned if Damien Woody won’t be able to play on Thursday:
If he’s ready to go, he’ll be in there. If not, we feel good about Wayne Hunter. We left Wayne isolated a lot of times on that (Mario) Williams guy. There’s a reason that (Williams) was the first pick in the draft. He’s pretty good. We have a lot of confidence in Wayne Hunter. We’re fortunate. We feel like we have the best backup tackle in football in Wayne Hunter. If Wayne has to play, we know he’ll do a great job (and give) a good account of himself.
Okay, then we have this report from ProFootballFocus.com:
Although the Jets won, the performance of Wayne Hunter (-7.0) is a major cause for concern. After a first-quarter knee injury to Damien Woody, Hunter filled in at right tackle and gave up a sack, a hit and eight pressures, as Mark Sanchez had to constantly escape the rush in the second half. If Woody is unable to go on Thursday night, the Jets might like to consider leaving more extra blockers in to help Hunter out, because that much pressure is a recipe for disaster.
Look I understand what Ryan’s doing, he’s trying to build the confidence of a young player. To let him know his coach believes in him. But doesn’t this act start to ring hollow at some point? Wouldn’t it just be better to say nothing at all?
Regardless of how accurate ProFootballFocus’ metrics are or are not, it’s safe to say Wayne had a marginal-at-best game. And Rexy might to save Woody and make sure he’s 100% for the Patriots game. That would give him over two weeks to get completely healthy.
But if Wayne Hunter plays against the Bengals, he could get Mark Sanchez de-Sanchized.
Wayne Doesn’t Know If He’s The Best Or He Sucks