Rex Ryan Hasn't Lost Sense Of Humour, Asks Sammy Watkins Not To Play

Rex Ryan was making his way to his usual press conference when he walked past the media room. Sammy Watkins was on speaker phone, and he was talking about the New York Jets defense. Naturally, Rex wanted to hear what he had to say so he stopped and listened intently. Watkins is of course the Buffalo Bills star rookie wide receiver, a former college standout and the man the Bills mortgaged their future for by moving up. So far, so good for Watkins who leads the Bills with 35 receptions for 433 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Jets will be trying to stop him any way they can, and with a beat up secondary, that may be a lot easier said than done.

However, with the news conference nearing its conclusion, Rex jumped into the room to ask his own question. With a grin from ear to ear, he took his opportunity to talk to Watkins, who was a college teammate of Ryan's son Seth:

" Sammy, I've got a question: How did you help Seth Ryan out? How did he do out there?" Ryan said. " And if you could really help him, you wouldn't play this game."

" This sounds like Rex Ryan - I know it does - but this is a reporter," Ryan said. How you doing Sammy, you all right?"

Sammy simply replied, "How you doing?", obviously confused by the whole situation. It's basic and probably insignificant, and I'm sure many will say he should be concentrating on coaching up this leaky defense rather than having a joke like this. However, personally, I enjoyed hearing this, maybe because it reminded me of when Rex first arrived in town, which was followed by two AFC championship games. He's become a restrained version of himself, and with the team struggling so much, it's been hard to watch.

Maybe the addition of Percy Harvin has given him a new lease of life. Knowing the GM is committed to providing you with the players you need. It may be too little too late, and it may be a bandage when a surgery is required, but this is a game and it should be fun and people should enjoy it.