Is there any doubt that football is the sport where a coach can make the biggest difference?
In basketball, Phil Jackson would call a timeout, take a long puff, exhale, and say "Get the ball to _____" (Fill in the blank with Jordan or Bryant.) It got him a lot of hardware.
In baseball, you give a manager four excellent pitchers, you will see him in October.
But football is different. There are so many variables, so much strategy so many things that are under a coach's control, that who the coach is makes a hell of a difference.
Look at the Jets under Rex Ryan. I know its early, and I am still not sold on the rookie QB, but what a difference a coach makes.
Under Ryan, the Jets play with aggression. They swarm to the ball. They play with enthusiasm. And oh yeah, they blitz the hell out of the opponent.
In short, they play like they were coached by Rex's father, Buddy Ryan.
When Bill Parcells coached the Giants, he used to face Buddy Ryan's Eagles twice a year. He used to say that a Buddy Ryan team was always the hardest to prepare for. The reason: Buddy Ryan's teams were capable of anything at anytime. Fake punts, 7-8 man blitzes, going for it on 4th down deep in his own territory and bounties on other players were all part of Buddy's arsenal. His tendencies were that he had no tendencies.
Remember when Buddy coached the '85 Bear defense? Has there ever been a better one year defense than that one?
Its refreshing to see Rex Ryan incorporate his father's coaching style. So many times you hear a son of a coach say, "I want to do it my own way", Rex Ryan is smart enough to stay with Buddy ball.
In the game Sunday, did you see the last time the Titans had the ball? It was 4th and long. Did Ryan play prevent? Of course not, he blitzed so many people, even Fireman Ed was swarming Kerry Collins.
Lets see how this plays out.
In basketball, Phil Jackson would call a timeout, take a long puff, exhale, and say "Get the ball to _____" (Fill in the blank with Jordan or Bryant.) It got him a lot of hardware.
In baseball, you give a manager four excellent pitchers, you will see him in October.
But football is different. There are so many variables, so much strategy so many things that are under a coach's control, that who the coach is makes a hell of a difference.
Look at the Jets under Rex Ryan. I know its early, and I am still not sold on the rookie QB, but what a difference a coach makes.
Under Ryan, the Jets play with aggression. They swarm to the ball. They play with enthusiasm. And oh yeah, they blitz the hell out of the opponent.
In short, they play like they were coached by Rex's father, Buddy Ryan.
When Bill Parcells coached the Giants, he used to face Buddy Ryan's Eagles twice a year. He used to say that a Buddy Ryan team was always the hardest to prepare for. The reason: Buddy Ryan's teams were capable of anything at anytime. Fake punts, 7-8 man blitzes, going for it on 4th down deep in his own territory and bounties on other players were all part of Buddy's arsenal. His tendencies were that he had no tendencies.
Remember when Buddy coached the '85 Bear defense? Has there ever been a better one year defense than that one?
Its refreshing to see Rex Ryan incorporate his father's coaching style. So many times you hear a son of a coach say, "I want to do it my own way", Rex Ryan is smart enough to stay with Buddy ball.
In the game Sunday, did you see the last time the Titans had the ball? It was 4th and long. Did Ryan play prevent? Of course not, he blitzed so many people, even Fireman Ed was swarming Kerry Collins.
Lets see how this plays out.
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