Rex Ryan gives 'incomplete' for NY Jets' 2014 draft
Ryan was criticized for giving such a high grade to last year’s class, which sounded like an attempt at sucking up to GM John Idzik, with whom Ryan’s job partially hung in the balance.
BY SETH WALDER NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Friday, December 5, 2014, 12:34 AM A A A
Rex Ryan gives a very political answer when asked how he would grade the Jets' 2014 draft class.
If a draft class can’t get an “A” from the easy-grading Rex Ryan, then it’s got problems.
A year after Ryan pronounced that the 2013 draft — which featured one star in Sheldon Richardson but little else in its first year — deserved an “A-plus,” he wouldn’t reveal his grade for the team’s 12 selections this year that have, as a whole, flopped.
“Here’s the greatest answer, always — it’s incomplete,” Ryan said. “There, that’s cheap and it’s easy to say, but after the rip job that I get for saying the A-plus when we had five starters, including the defensive rookie of the year, I guess I was the only one that could see that, so I’m going to say incomplete.”
Ryan was criticized for giving such a high grade to last year’s class, which sounded like an attempt at sucking up to GM John Idzik, with whom Ryan’s job partially hung in the balance. He may not have wanted to tip his hand this year to avoid a similar fate, but the precedent had been set and by comparison this year’s class looks worse.
“The draft’s not perfect. It’s never going to be perfect,” Ryan said Thursday. “When you had 12 picks we took some shots on guys to see where they were. But for the most part, yeah, I’m happy with our draft, no question.”
Calvin Pryor, the team’s first-rounder, has been disappointing. Jace Amaro has been solid but unspectacular and is currently out with an injury. Injury-prone third-rounder Dexter McDougle missed the season with a torn ACL. After that is an eclectic mix of rookies who barely play, were cut and are playing for different teams or were cut and not picked up, like Tajh Boyd.
ISN’T THAT SPECIAL?
Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey wasn’t hiding from the fact that his unit was a major reason why the Jets lost to the Dolphins on Monday.
“That’s the truth,” McGaughey said. “Sometimes there will be some games where it is going to be all ice cream and cake and everybody is loving you up, and there will be some games like we had last week where you were living in the world of suck.”
FOLK TALE
Nick Folk (hip flexor) practiced on a limited basis for the Jets on Thursday, an encouraging sign that the kicker will be ready Sunday for the Vikings. … Jeff Cumberland and Jeremy Kerley, both out on Wednesday with an illness, were limited as well. … WR Greg Salas (hamstring) was placed on IR. The Jets signed WR Chris Owusu off the practice squad.