Do you know Rex Ryan?

Rex Ryan knows who he is.  Son of Buddy and brother of Rob.  Husband and father.

He’s the coach of the New York Jets.  He’s a quiet fellow that keeps to himself and doesn’t like that much attention.  In fact, this being his first head coaching opportunity, he had to be talked into taking the job.

The Jets have had a pretty ho-hum off season.  They realize that perhaps they don’t have much of an opportunity this season to make any noise so they took their time signing their best player, corner back Darrelle Revis, to a contract.

Rex however is guardedly optimistic of his team’s chances.  He thinks his defense kind of, might be, good.  He’s also a health nut, surprising folks when he went way out of character raising his voice  ending with a exhortation to his team to get a snack.  If you’ve seen the guy he barely eats.

That was on “Hard Knocks” the HBO award winning docu-series which captures the sights and sounds of an NFL training camp.  For some reason HBO picked the Jets and for some unknown reason the Jets accepted.  Rex, ever so shy, devoid of personality, came across as boring and uninteresting.

Its a wonder that the Jets, being the city’s team and all, have taken such a step back from the spotlight this season but perhaps they take after their coach.  His dad, Buddy, was also painfully shy, modestly successful leading average defenses like the 85 Bears or being a coach on that forgettable 69 Jets team.  Two teams that aren’t worth mentioning again.

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Rex Ryan has entered the season as the most fundamentally misunderstood coach.  His bravado and confidence has infected his players and injected life into an organization that was void of it in the Mangini years and prior.

No matter what he says, hyping his players up, talking his players up to a media that patiently waits their downfall this season, will be taken with a raised eyebrow and articles about Rex’s arrogance.

Is Rex Ryan arrogant? It depends.  Is it a crime for a coach to love his players and talk so highly of them?  Worse, is that living in New York the microscope bears down on you more as a burden and every quote is remembered by a media paid to make kings look like fools and fools look like morons.  There is no hero in this city, only a possible idiot to kick.

Rex, doesn’t mind this one bit.  His most endearing and enduring characteristic perfectly captured in Hard Knocks is his honest.  Brutal and unhesitant.  Rex doesn’t have a filter, he speaks his mind.  Like his pre-snack classic speech.  His opening lines in the first episode which had national columnists counting curses as if it were some crime for a person to be themselves.  Or in the last episode, with the Revis negotiations going nowhere with just a week and a half before the season beginning, Rex leaving the room cursing up both the Jets and Revis’ reps capped off by GM Mike Tannenbaum looking around the room and asking “what does it say in the negotiating handbook for this?”

Some may think that his personality has been an act for TV.  Of course, if that’s the case, he’s been reading for this role since he became the head coach of the Jets.  But every time I’ve seen him in front of a camera, or with a mic in his hand his personality doesn’t just stand out, it smacks you in the face.

Its a trademarked ability that so few have.  He interacts with an ease incapable if he were anything but 100% truthful with himself.  But success can bring you new friends and more enemies.

Since the Jets made the playoffs thanks to gift wrapped W’s from the Bengals and the Colts (though there’s a HUGE asterisk next to that Cincy victory because the Jets beat them decisively in the playoffs), they have had people suddenly take notice and get caught up in Rex’s act.

Its time the media stopped playing this Rex is arrogant card and stopped playing stupid.  Rex never changed, he’s been the same guy that refused to kiss Belichiek’s rings.  There’s an innate confidence that can’t help but exude from a man finally given his shot at being someone, something.

No wonder his players talk about running through a brick wall for him.  No wonder Revis or anyone that knows him, would take offense to being called a “slap dick” player.  It doesn’t take an “expert” with a press pass to see him for what he is: a players coach.

The dreaded term that most can’t stand.  It attacks the old regime’s sensibilities to see a coach be so loud and boisterous as if he were one of them (them being the players).  There may be a divide between employer and employee but is it a wonder that Bart Scott picked Rex Ryan as the guy he’d bring to war with him?

Nobody likes to be misrepresented or misunderstood, other than the clowns who like being the mysterious person in the group. But Rex isn’t hard.  My only question is why so much criticism on Rex as if this were some gimmick or role he’s playing up to justify his team.  Or maybe to sell PSL’s.

Haven’t we seen enough of Rex to know who he is by now?  We know Rex.  If you’re foolish to be taken aback and surprised by Rex’s confidence then maybe you’re dumb enough to believe the first half of this article.

Now let’s eat a f%*#’n snack!