Let us now talk about an issue that does not get a ton of press but is still an issue. Rex Ryan is an excellent head coach. He is top notch in most areas of his job, including game planning, adjusting in game on his side of the ball, motivation, and player development. There is one area where he is very weak, though.
The Problem: Rex Ryan does a poor job managing the game. We saw our latest episode Sunday when he called a timeout on an extra point just to yell at the officials over a call. That is an alarming loss of composure. Sure, the game was probably lost at that point, but comebacks do happen. The Jets might have been able to use that timeout. Rex cannot torpedo his team just because he gets mad.
There are other examples, though. Think back to the Playoffs against the Colts. Rex seemed content to sit and try a 50 yard field goal at the gun until an ill advised timeout by an even worse game manager, Jim Caldwell, got him to reconsider. That game might have ended differently had the Jets not decided to take a deep shot to Braylon Edwards to make the kick easier. We can also discuss Week 5 of 2009 when the Jets did not take timeouts to preserve time for its offense with Miami driving for the winning score because Rex, showing hubris, later stated he was sure his defense was going to get a stop.
The failures in game management are well documented. There are plenty more blunders near the end of a half or with timeouts near the end of games.
Who Is to Blame? It is obviously the coach who manages the game poorly.
Viable Options to Fix the Problem: It is only experience. Rex does seem to learn from some of his mistakes. He openly admits errors in his press conferences and works to correct them. The Jets tried to have a clock management coach named Dick Curl when Herm Edwards was having similar issues. It worked out terribly.
Prognosis: This is just a weakness that comes with all the good Rex brings to the table. Every single coach has an Achilles heel. Rex's seems to be running a game. There has not yet been a game where this has been the ultimate deciding factor. Hopefully it will stay that way.