Rex Ryan explained his decision to bench Marques Murrell and James Ihedigbo this week because of the punches they threw in overtime against the Bills that resulted in a critical personal foul.
"What they did was selfish," Ryan said. "We want to be the most physical team in the NFL, but within the confines of the rules."
Ryan said he "did think about" cutting both players he was so angry, but opted to bench them for the game instead.
"It's a punishment not going to the game, but it also hurts the team," Ryan said. "Sometimes you have to weight what's best for the team. That's not being tough and physical. There's no excuse for it."
I really like the message the head coach is sending to the team in a circumstance like this. It's similar to David Clowney's suspension for tweeting about his lack of playing time. It's team first. Obviously this season has taken a turn that none of us like, but it's encouraging to see Rex show his control over the locker room and make it clear this is a culture that puts team first. It will make the Jets better in the long haul.