Maybe Santa can give Rex Ryan a dose of reality this holiday season.
The New York Jets head coach again baffled the world Tuesday by proclaiming that he thinks he’ll someday win a Super Bowl as a staff leader.
“I see myself winning it as a head coach,” Ryan told reporters Tuesday after Jets practice. “I definitely see it. If that happens, I guess we’ll find out.”
Ryan, whose Jets enter Sunday’s season finale at 3-12, apparently was given an opportunity to explain himself following Tuesday’s declaration. After all, he tends to get carried away from time to time. The self-assured coach didn’t balk, though. Instead, he reiterated his stance without hesitation.
“Absolutely,” Ryan told reporters when asked to clarify whether he meant winning a Super Bowl. “I don’t need to win something else like the Snoopy (Bowl) trophy. I’ve won that a couple of times. I’m confident I can win it again.”
There’s a fine line between confident and delusional, and Ryan is teetering on the edge. He helped guide the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010, but New York has failed to finish above .500 or make the playoffs each of the last four seasons. It would be surprising if Ryan kept his job past Monday.
“I was given some gifts and obviously a lot less in other areas, but I can coach football,” Ryan said Tuesday. “And I know that. … I think that’s what gives me the belief that one day I’m going to win that thing.
“That’s how I feel. And that’s it. I guess that’s just the way I’m wired. I don’t look at myself as a three-win coach. I know I’m better than that, but this is where we’re at right now.”
If there’s one saving grace, it’s that Ryan seemingly understands his audacity could be construed as crazy talk.
“People are going to say, ‘That’s crazy. You’ve won three games,’” Ryan said of his continued confidence. “Yeah, that’s right. We won three games and that’s one year. Sure, it hasn’t gone well. I always am a confident person.”
Sounds like Rex might have hit the eggnog a few days too early.
