Getty Images
It didn’t take long for a war of words to start between Rex Ryan and the New York Jets, but it was a surprising culprit that fired the first shot. When asked about new head coach Todd Bowles, second year tight end Jace Amaro had some interesting comments, saying,
“[Bowles is] not really playing around with everyone being late,” Amaro said. “We had an issue with that last year. Guys just weren’t accountable last year as much as they could be. I think that’s the biggest thing. [Bowles] is making sure everyone’s going to be 100 percent in or he’s not going to be on the team.”
Amaro was in all likelihood referring to two infamous incidents from last season, one in which Calvin Pryor was benched after multiple late arrivals and one in which Geno Smith missed a meeting the night before a game because of the laughable excuse of mixing up time zones. Ryan, of course, responded as only Ryan can, saying,
“He’s full of s—, and I’ll remind him of that when we play him.” “Look, we weren’t perfect, and I never said we were going to be perfect. But that’s a f—ing B.S. comment. But hey, he’s happy that he’s got a different coach in place. We’ll see how happy he is when I play against him.”
Ryan’s reaction was predictably hostile, but I suspect a large part of that anger comes from the knowledge that Amaro is absolutely spot on in his criticism of his former coach. The starting quarterback missing a meeting before a game that was vital to salvaging the season is the definition of unacceptable, yet Ryan and the Jets simply let it slide.
Ryan is a players coach to his core, and he doesn’t put many restrictions on his team or interfere in the locker room. However, the strategy that worked so well at the beginning of his Jets’ tenure failed miserably by the end of it, as the Jets became an undisciplined team that lacked professionalism.
Bowles is a players coach as well and certainly not a harsh disciplinarian, but he still runs a tight ship. That culture change is absolutely crucial for this Jets team. The offseason rebuild has created a team with legitimate playoff aspirations, and they need a coach who will motivate his players and keep them focused on becoming a winning team.
In truth, Amaro probably should have kept his mouth shut in regards to Ryan. However, that doesn’t change the fact that he spoke the truth, and hopefully the problems that he highlighted will no longer be an issue for the Jets.
Greg Sulik is a New York Jets writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @GregSulik or add him to your network on Google
