Good article. There were a couple of quotes that I have not read before and it sounds like he can a SOB like Mr. Parcells. When the three players arrived here, they were shocked at the culture around the Jets holdovers. In meetings, they watched their new teammates sit silent, heads down taking notes, seemingly afraid to speak up. "The one thing I noticed was everybody was really tight when I first got here," Leonhard said. "I think guys are starting to relax. With Rex and his staff it's more like the coaches are working with you. They're not above you, talking down to you. I think the guys are really open to that now." http://www.nypost.com/seven/05172009/sports/jets/three_ex_ravens_helping_ryan_get_jets_d__169707.htm Rex Ryan snuck back to Baltimore one Sunday in March to watch his teenage son, Seth, run a 5K. This was days after the new Jets coach had lured former Ravens Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard and Marques Douglas to join him in New York. A television reporter spotted him on the street and said, "Hey, you're stealing all our players." "No, I'm stealing my players," Ryan responded with a smile. The three ex-Ravens are now key cogs of Ryan's Jets defense. He had stars left over from last season in Kris Jenkins, Darrelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes. But Ryan needed a few of "his guys" to show the way. "It's not only that they know the system, but they know how things are done, what the expectations are, and understanding that we don't accept anything but that," Ryan said. "For them, it's critical that they have to step up there leading." Looking at Scott, Leonhard and Douglas, it's clear Ryan loves the underdog. None of the three players was drafted. Scott was an undersized linebacker from Southern Illinois who did not start a game until his fourth season. Leonhard was a walk-on at Wisconsin and looks nothing like a starting safety in the NFL at 5-foot-8, 180 pounds. Douglas came out of Howard University with little chance of playing, but has been in the NFL for 10 years. "He doesn't care who you are or where you came from or what you look like," Leonhard said. "If you get the job done, you get the job done. If he can trust you, he's going to use you. Players appreciate that." That is what led to the migration north. Ryan took the Jets job in late January after the Ravens lost in the AFC Championship Game. The defensive players in Baltimore set to be free agents immediately began talking about the Jets as a destination. Scott was the first to join Ryan, taking a six-year, $48 million contract after the coach showed up on his doorstep at midnight the day free agency began. Leonhard followed a few days later, and Douglas 10 days after that. "We have a special situation," Scott said. "It's almost like Rex is starting his franchise and he decided to bring us with him to start his franchise, his legacy with us. For us, that's a tremendous honor to be part of what his story is going to be." The Scott signing drew the most headlines, but the signing of Leonhard and Douglas already has proved to be crucial. When the Jets began talking to the Browns about the draft-day trade that eventually would land quarterback Mark Sanchez, Browns coach and former Jets boss Eric Mangini was interested in two players who were starters for him last year -- defensive end Kenyon Coleman and safety Abram Elam. The Jets agreed to ship those two to Cleveland, knowing their replacements already were in the locker room. "It allowed us to make the trade," Ryan said. "Would we be able to make that trade if we never had the depth [at defensive end]? Or would we ever be able to make that trade if we did not have the depth at safety? I don't know if we would have been able to do that." For Douglas, it meant he would be back in the starting lineup. "It felt like a birthday," he said. "I felt like it was going to be my chance to run out of that tunnel again and still show the league that I can play at a high level. I've been starting every year since 2003 except last year. It ate at me every time I had to go out there on the second team." When the three players arrived here, they were shocked at the culture around the Jets holdovers. In meetings, they watched their new teammates sit silent, heads down taking notes, seemingly afraid to speak up. "The one thing I noticed was everybody was really tight when I first got here," Leonhard said. "I think guys are starting to relax. With Rex and his staff it's more like the coaches are working with you. They're not above you, talking down to you. I think the guys are really open to that now." The Jets' practices are now filled with the sound of Scott talking trash and the locker room is more alive than it was last year. The ex-Ravens have brought more than just swagger north with them, though. They also brought a knowledge of Ryan's system. They have the three areas of the defense covered -- with Douglas up front, Scott in the middle and Leonhard in the secondary. "It's basically like having three more coaches," linebacker Calvin Pace said. Three player-coaches who are Rex Ryan players from head to toe. "This is the type of player I want to surround myself with," Ryan said. "I can be successful because the players we bring in are passionate guys that just love to play the game. They prepare to play and when the lights come on these guys play great and they elevate other players' games as well
Good read. I honestly never knew Leonhard was only 5'8 180. Just shows how athletic he is to be playing at this level and playing well. Bob Sanders is the only other safety I can think of whose around 5'8, 5'9. And he is a physical freak of nature whose one of the best in the game.
I hope the team having fun and really getting into practice will translate onto the field when the game matters. There are a few ways to make a team work well. There is the Parcells, Belicheck way or there is the Dungy, way...not sure where Ryan falls yet but hopefully his methods work out!
This is a good article but I think it overplays the angle of Ravens players loving Rex and following him. The Jets offered Scott the most money, thats why he came. He has already said that if the Ravens matched the Jets offer he would have stayed with the Ravens. Leonhard wasn't wanted back by the Ravens because they liked their younger safeties better, they told him that to his face. So he had to go. I never even heard of this Douglas guy before, doubt he was going to start over Ngata so he made the wise choice in coming here. Its not like they got Ray Lewis to come here for the vet minimum.
If you havent heard of douglas yet...you will lol since 2002 he leads the league if tackles for loss...
You make it sound so one sided with all three of these guys. I have a feeling there was more incentive involved then just those things mentioned. It is a little odd that all three of these ex-ravens ended up on the Jets, just out of coincidence. I know other teams were interested in these guys. Leonhard turned down more money to come here. Douglas is a beast, and could have probably made more some where else. Everyone in the league knew that Bart Scott was the best LB in UFA, yet, he chose the Jets. I think it is safe to say that Rex probably had a lot to do with their choice to sign with the Jets.
There are a lot of ways to achieve success in the NFL bud, and you don't need to coach like those three guys to do it. Chances are, he's going to be more like his father than any of the other three guys you mentioned, and regardless of what happens, he's going to coach the "Rex Ryan" way... and we're going to like it. We may not win every year, (although I certainly see more success in the next 10 years than the previous 10... but its all speculation at this point) but I can assure you of one thing... the Jets are going to be more fun to watch now than they have been in a very long time...
Funny that you say this, as the last ten years have been the most succesful for us since joining the NFL. And one thing scares me about Rex being like his father. As we know Buddy was probably the best defensive coordinator there ever was, but his head coaching career was not that succesful... Not that Rex's success is in anyway relevant with Buddy's performance as HC.
I think Herm was a great motivator and got his players to play hard for the team. Mangini to a point, did a good job getting his players to buy into the team concept. I know it's May, but reading about Ryan's motivational techniques coupled with his knowledge of the game is a potentially great combo. Can't win without team chemistry no matter how much talent is on the field.
it absolutely is a complete 180. There's a seriousness / fun that has been lacking here for a long time. I'm really looking forward to seeing these guys this year.
