Rex Ryan did not just think about changing quarterbacks this season. He also thought about changing offensive coordinators, according to a published report.
SB Nation reports a Jets management source said Ryan considered firing offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg on at least two occasions.
A source denied to The Post that Ryan ever considered firing Mornhinweg this season, but two other sources confirmed there has been tension between Ryan and Mornhinweg.
The source of that tension is their philosophical differences on how much the offense should be running and passing. Ryan, who is known for his Ground and Pound philosophy, has wanted to run the ball more than the Jets have, while Mornhinweg is known for his love of throwing the ball in his West Coast system.
While Ryan has pressed Mornhinweg to run it more, two sources denied the tension is as great as the SB Nation story portrays and the two men have not been sniping at each other, as the story quotes an anonymous player saying. They also said the tension is normal for a coaching staff of a 2-10 team that is struggling mightily. The quarterback position has been a major problem: The team has gone from Geno Smith at quarterback to Michael Vick and back to Smith.
The Jets currently rank 29th in total offense in the NFL, No. 3 in rushing offense and No. 32 in passing offense. The Jets have thrown the ball (402 times) slightly more than they have run it (370), but they have been behind in nearly every game, which skews the numbers toward passing.
On Monday night against the Dolphins, the Jets ran the ball 49 times and only threw 13 times. SB Nation quoted two sources saying the game plan was Mornhinweg sticking it to Ryan.
Multiple sources emphatically denied that was the case to The Post.
“That’s just silly,” one source said.
Ryan spoke to SB Nation and denied he designed that game plan to show up general manager John Idzik, but did not comment on the record about anything else.
Instead, the team issued a statement to the website from Ryan about the tension with Mornhinweg.
“From the time I became head coach of this team, whether we are winning or losing, I have always told our coaches and players to push each other,” Ryan said in the statement. “We always talk about how we can get better and what we need to do to win. During a season like this, it’s tough. We sometimes have to push each other even harder so that we can figure out what is wrong and how to fix it. And we are still tight.”
