Rex Ryan Rex Ryan ( born December 13 , 1962 ) is an American football head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League ( NFL ) . After serving as an assistant coach for 22 years , Ryan attained his first head coaching job in the NFL with the Jets in 2009 . He is the son of former Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals head coach Buddy Ryan and is the fraternal twin brother of Rob Ryan , current defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints . From a young age , Ryan aspired to follow in his father ' s footsteps and become a professional football coach . After spending the majority of his youth in Canada , Ryan returned to the United States as a teenager where he attended college at Southwestern Oklahoma State University . Upon graduating Ryan spent the next 22 years serving as an assistant coach on different teams at both the college and professional level . At the behest of their head coach Brian Billick , Ryan joined the Baltimore Ravens in 1999 and spent nine years there . In 2005 he became the defensive coordinator , and in 2008 the assistant head coach . Hours after the Ravens lost to the Steelers in the 2008 playoffs , Ryan accepted a contract offer from the Jets for their vacant head coaching position . During his tenure , Ryan has become well known throughout the league for his outspoken manner , boisterous attitude and success with the Jets , which has included back - to - back AFC Championship Game appearances in the 2009 and 2010 seasons . Players have expressed their interest in being coached by Ryan because of his friendly attitude . Ryan ' s teams are highly regarded by critics for their defensive capabilities which often feature " relentlessness [ and ] unpredictable mayhem founded on [ Ryan ' s ] premise that ' whatever you do best , we ' re going to take away from you ' " , according to " New York Times " writer Nicholas Dawidoff . Early life . Rex Ryan , and his fraternal twin , Rob , were born in Ardmore , Oklahoma , on December 13 , 1962 , to Doris and Buddy Ryan . When the boys were aged two , their parents amicably divorced . Following the divorce , their mother attended the University of Chicago to earn her doctorate . Rex , Rob and their older brother Jim moved with her to Toronto , Canada , where she secured an administrative position at the University of Toronto . During the course of his upbringing , Rex wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father , a defensive pioneer in the NFL known for developing the 46 defense , and by age six Rex and Rob knew they wanted to pursue coaching careers . In Canada , there was little emphasis on football , much to the disappointment of Rex . By the time Rex was a teenager , Doris realized he and his brothers were too much to handle for a single mother trying to advance her career . She decided it was in the best interest of the brothers to send them to live with their father , who was the defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings at the time . The reasons behind this were two - fold ; to keep them out of trouble and to help them expand their knowledge of the game of football where it was more prevalent . In 1978 , when Buddy was hired by the Chicago Bears as their defensive coordinator , Rex , Rob and Jim followed their father to Illinois where the family settled in Prairie View . The brothers attended Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire . Rex went on to attend Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford , Oklahoma , alongside Rob , and played for the football team as a defensive end . He graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma in 1986 , and in 2011 was inducted into the university ' s Hall of Fame . Coaching career . Collegiate level . Upon graduating from Southwestern in 1986 , with the help of his father , Ryan secured a job as a graduate assistant on the Division I - AA ( now Division I FCS ) Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team . At Eastern Kentucky , he had a multitude of responsibilities which ranged from making copies of game plans to picking players up at the airport . The Colonels won the Ohio Valley Conference title in the two years Ryan served as an assistant . At the age of 26 , Ryan became the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Division II New Mexico Highlands for a year , during which the team led the league in defensive turnovers . After his stint with New Mexico Highlands , Ryan joined Division I Morehead State as the defensive coordinator , where he remained for four years . During his tenure , the defense was ranked among the highest in the nation . After working for his father for two years with the NFL ' s Arizona Cardinals , Ryan returned to college coaching as the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bearcats . The Bearcats won the first Humanitarian Bowl over Utah State in Ryan ' s final year , marking the team ' s first bowl appearance in fifty years . Ryan was the Oklahoma Sooners ' defensive coordinator for a year in which the defense was ranked sixth in the nation . However , head coach John Blake failed to achieve a winning record ( more wins than losses ) for a third straight year and subsequently , the entire staff was fired . Ryan served as defensive coordinator at Kansas State for a month in 1999 under head coach Bill Snyder . National Football League . Assistant coach . When his father was hired as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 1994 , he offered Rex his first job in the NFL as a defensive assistant , working with the team ' s linebacker s and defensive linemen . After nine straight losing seasons prior to Buddy ' s arrival , the Cardinals produced an 8 – 8 record in Buddy ' s first year as head coach . However , in his second season , the team went 4 – 12 and subsequently , the entire staff was fired despite the positive performance of the defense . Ryan went on to coach at three different colleges following his tenure with the Cardinals , though by the time he joined Kansas State in 1999 , he was hopeful of a return to the NFL . Ryan received a call from newly named head coach Brian Billick of the Baltimore Ravens , who wanted to interview him for the defensive line coaching position . Having visited a class Ryan was teaching earlier in his career , Billick had been so impressed by Ryan ' s passion for the game of football that he decided to hire Ryan if he ever attained a head coaching position . When offered the position , Ryan accepted . In his first year , the defense was ranked second overall in the NFL and second in rushing yards allowed . By his second year , in 2000 , the Ravens ' defense set NFL records for fewest points allowed and fewest rushing yards allowed . The defense allowed a combined 23 points in four playoff games en route to a Super Bowl XXXV victory , Ryan ' s only Super Bowl ring . The defense consistently performed well in the following years . As a result , Ryan was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2005 following the departure of Mike Nolan , who became the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers . In 2006 , Ryan received Assistant Coach of the Year awards from " Pro Football Weekly " and the Pro Football Writers Association . Upon the conclusion of the Ravens ' 5 – 11 performance in 2007 , the entire staff was dismissed on New Year ' s Eve . Ryan was one of the candidates interviewed by the Ravens for their head coaching vacancy ; < ref name = " Miami / Baltimore " > < / ref > however , the Ravens chose to name John Harbaugh as the team ' s new head coach . Ryan also interviewed with Miami and Atlanta about filling their head coaching vacancies , but the offers went to Tony Sparano and Mike Smith respectively . Ryan was disappointed by his failure to obtain a head coaching job , but he agreed to return to Baltimore under the direction of Harbaugh , who retained Ryan as defensive coordinator and promoted him to assistant head coach . In 2008 , Ryan ' s final year with the team , the defense was ranked second overall in the NFL . The Ravens lost by nine points in the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers . Ryan ' s nine - year tenure with the team , during which the defense never ranked lower than sixth overall in the NFL , concluded an hour later when he accepted the head coaching position with the New York Jets . Head coach . New York Jets . Following a late season collapse in which the Jets missed the playoffs after losing four of their final five games , the team fired head coach Eric Mangini on December 29 , 2008 . The team interviewed a host of candidates , including Ryan , Jeff Jagodzinski , Russ Grimm , Bill Callahan , and Brian Schottenheimer ; however , the contract , which was valued at approximately $ 11 . 5 million over the course of four years , was ultimately offered to Ryan . Accepting the offer on January 19 , 2009 , Ryan immediately began to carry out a plan of action he outlined for the franchise ' s future . He planned to remove the players from distractions on and off the field and allow them get to know one another to build team chemistry . Thus , training camp was moved to the campus of SUNY Cortland , where the team would be relatively secluded from the media and any other distractions . Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum were also determined to draft a quarterback who could lead and be the face of the franchise . As a result , the team traded up to select Mark Sanchez with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft . The Jets opened their season against the Houston Texans . Ryan began his head coaching career with a 24 – 7 victory over the Texans in which the Jets ' defense shut out their opponents ' offense . Houston ' s lone score came on a fumble return for a touchdown . The following week , the defense did not allow a touchdown against the New England Patriots in a 16 – 9 victory at home , marking the Jets ' first home victory over New England since 2000 . Ryan and the Jets went on to defeat the Tennessee Titans in week three , marking the first time the Jets opened the season at 3 – 0 since 2004 . The victory also allowed Ryan to become the Jets ' first rookie head coach to win his first three games since Al Groh did so in 2000 . New York went on to lose six of their next seven games save for a shutout victory over the Oakland Raiders , 38 – 0 . The team eventually recovered and won five of their final six games despite Ryan mistakenly stating the Jets had been eliminated from playoff contention following a loss to the Atlanta Falcons . The Jets defeated a previously unbeaten Indianapolis Colts — a game not without controversy following Jim Caldwell ' s decision to pull Indianapolis ' starters with the Colts leading . The Colts , who had already achieved a playoff berth , had little to play for aside from a perfect record . In the final game of the season , the Jets defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 37 – 0 at Giants Stadium , the final sporting event to be held at the venue , as the defense held Cincinnati to 72 total rushing yards , and 0 total yards passing . The victory secured New York ' s playoff berth as a wild card team . Under Ryan , the Jets finished the regular season ranked first overall in the NFL in rushing yards and total defense . New York defeated Cincinnati again the following week , this time at Paul Brown Stadium , in the AFC Wild Card playoff round . On January 17 , 2010 , Ryan coached the Jets in an upset over the San Diego Chargers , 17 – 14 , on their way to the AFC Championship Game . The Jets subsequently lost to the Colts 30 – 17 after leading in the first half of the game . Ryan became embroiled in controversy a few days later when he made an obscene gesture towards heckling Dolphins fans who spat on him during a Strikeforce mixed martial arts event at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise , Florida . Ryan apologized for his action , stating that it was " stupid and inappropriate . " Ryan was fined $ 50 , 000 by the Jets . As Ryan headed into his second year as the team ' s head coach , the club announced he had been given a two - year contract extension . Ryan continued to exude confidence in the team , writing on ESPN ' s training camp tour bus " Soon To Be Champs " in August , referencing that the Jets would make it to the Super Bowl and become the eventual champions . Ryan had been asked to sign the Jets ' logo on the back of the bus but included the message with his signature . The prediction was met with some criticism while others praised his brashness , something that was felt to be lacking in the NFL at the time . When the team appeared on the television series " Hard Knocks " that same month , Ryan was criticized , particularly by former head coach Tony Dungy , for his use of foul language . Dungy and Ryan later met in person to reconcile their differences . Ryan ' s championship claims were nearly proven correct as the Jets opened the season with the best record in the NFL at 9 – 2 . This set the stage for a Monday night matchup with their division rival , the Patriots , who were also 9 – 2 . The Patriots , behind the strong performance of quarterback Tom Brady , defeated the Jets 45 – 3 . However , the Jets finished the season with a 11 – 5 record and qualified as a wild card team in the playoffs . The Jets were one win short of tying the franchise record in wins set by the 1998 team led by Bill Parcells . In the wild card round , the sixth - seeded Jets beat the AFC South champion and third - seeded Colts 17 – 16 on January 8 , 2011 , at the Colts ' home field to qualify for the Divisional Playoffs . The following week , on January 16 , they defeated the AFC East champion and first - seeded Patriots 28 – 21 , ending New England ' s eight - game winning streak . The victory made the Jets the first team to win back - to - back road playoff games in consecutive seasons , and qualified them to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive season , where they lost on the road to the AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers 24 – 19 . The Jets opened their 2011 campaign with a 2 – 3 record , leading to discontent within their clubhouse . The team had begun to stray from its philosophy of consistently running the ball and began to pass more often , but the offense struggled with this adjustment . Receivers Plaxico Burress , Santonio Holmes and Derrick Mason reportedly approached coach Ryan to question offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer ' s system . Ryan , meanwhile , had begun to isolate himself from the rest of the team as he became less " hands - on " and opted to have his assistants coach the players at their respective positions . Despite struggling to a 8 – 7 record , the Jets still had the ability to attain a playoff berth if they won their regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins in combination with the outcome of three other games played that day . However , the discontent within the locker room and the team ' s overall struggles culminated with Holmes criticizing and arguing with teammates in the huddle against Miami . Holmes was benched in the fourth quarter while the Jets subsequently lost 19 – 17 , ending their postseason aspirations . After the Jets finished the season with a disappointing 8 – 8 record , Ryan admitted to having lost the pulse of the team . Then free agent running back LaDainian Tomlinson remarked that Ryan ' s Super Bowl predictions had an adverse affect on the locker room by placing undue pressure on the players . Ryan conceded this point and announced that he would refrain from making such statements publicly in the future . Through 11 weeks in 2012 , the Jets struggled to a 4 – 7 record . The presence of Tim Tebow created a controversy as the media and fans called for Ryan to bench the inconsistent Mark Sanchez in favor of Tebow . Ryan was criticized for his decision to keep Tebow activated during the Jets ' Thanksgiving Day contest against the New England Patriots despite Tebow playing with two broken ribs , leading to questions about his job security . With Tebow inactive for the Jets ' following contest against the Arizona Cardinals , Ryan made the decision to bench Sanchez , who threw three interceptions , in favor of Greg McElroy . McElroy threw a touchdown pass to Jeff Cumberland to score the team ' s only points in a 7 – 6 victory over Arizona . Ryan renamed Sanchez the starting quarterback the following Wednesday after seeking out multiple opinions within the organization . In a must win game against the Tennessee Titans to remain in playoff contention , Sanchez struggled ; he completed 13 of his 28 passes for 131 yards while throwing four interceptions and fumbling the ball in Titans territory in the closing minutes of the Jets ' 14 – 10 defeat . A day later , Ryan announced McElroy would start . Sanchez started the final game of the season after McElroy suffered a concussion in his lone start . Sanchez ' s struggles continued as the Jets fell to the Buffalo Bills and ended their year with a 6 – 10 record , their first losing season under Rex Ryan . On December 31 , 2012 , the Jets fired general manager Mike Tannenbaum , but announced that Ryan would return for the 2013 season . Coaching philosophy . Ryan stresses that coaches are essentially supposed to be open and communicative with the players and management , who in turn will reciprocate the same attitude . By connecting with his associates , Ryan states , it ' s " valuable when it comes to figuring out how to motivate somebody ( . . . ) because I want that guy to fight for me , just like I want to fight for him . " Fullback Tony Richardson , in an interview , stated Ryan " loves his football team , loves his players " and does as much as he possibly can to ensure their success . Despite his boisterous and brash comments that have caused increased media coverage of the team , Ryan has taken the attention and has managed to " [ put ] it on himself " so the players can focus on their tasks . Ryan has also stressed that the teaching process is an important one , particularly when it comes to providing a player information and building chemistry . However , there has to be flexibility as the process must also be insightful and positive . Coaches , Ryan states , are responsible for providing players with information that is vitally important otherwise " if you emphasize everything , you ' ve emphasized nothing . " Coaching strategy . With extensive knowledge regarding the intricacies of the defense , Ryan has been criticized for not devoting similar time and effort into coaching the offense . Ryan refuted this , stating his goal is to implement a proficient running game , citing a desire to " get after " the opponent through running the ball . Ryan has also stated that passing the ball is important but should not be used incessantly as there should be a balance between both aspects of the offense . In 2009 and 2010 , the Jets were ranked first and fourth overall in the league in rushing which coincided with their two playoff appearances . In 2011 , the Jets attempted to convert to a more pass - oriented offense , which have become more widely used in the NFL , however , the team struggled with this adjustment and reverted to their former run - oriented offense by the middle of the season . His defensive strategy , in contrast , tends to be more elaborate taking into consideration his experience in the field . There are six different defensive formations utilized in football , but the two commonly used formations are the 3 – 4 formation , with three defensive lineman and four linebackers , and the 4 – 3 formation , with four defensive lineman and three linebackers . The Jets officially utilize the former of the two popular formations ; however , Ryan tends to employ all six formations in varying forms . Furthermore , he often calls audibles that have the defense line up in one formation and switch to another so as to cloak their intentions and confuse and pressure the opponent . As a testament to this philosophy , Ryan is often willing to defer the coin toss to the opponent so his team can begin the game playing on defense in order to " set the tone " and generate turnovers . This concept has been criticized by ESPN ' s John Clayton , who has found the method to be ineffective league - wide . Mark Kriegel , an analyst for the NFL Network , found that between 2005 and 2012 , during his tenure with both the Ravens and Jets , Ryan ' s defenses have never been ranked lower than sixth overall in the NFL and have allowed an average of 281 yards per game from scrimmage , second to Dick LeBeau ' s 277 . 4 yards per game . LeBeau is generally regarded as one of the best defensive coordinators in the history of the NFL . Personal life . Ryan and his wife , Michelle , were married in 1987 . Together , they have two sons , Payton and Seth . Ryan earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master ' s degree in physical education from Eastern Kentucky University . He currently resides in Summit , New Jersey . Health . Ryan publicly announced in 2009 that he had been battling dyslexia for his entire life . During his early years , Ryan struggled to read and write in school ; however , he was not formally diagnosed until testing confirmed he had the disorder in 2007 . Ryan utilizes color - coded playbooks and game plans when coaching on the sidelines to aid his comprehension . Ryan underwent lap - band surgery at NYU Medical Center in March 2010 in an effort to battle his obesity . Ryan also had a hernia repaired during the procedure . He was able to return to his home that same day to recover . Following a three - week period he had lost 40 pounds and as of July 2012 , Ryan had lost 106 pounds . Car accident . On January 14 , 2013 , Ryan was involved in a three - car accident in eastern Pennsylvania . Ryan was issued a warning , but no citation following the accident that took place about 45 minutes from the team facility . Witnesses say that Ryan ran his Ford Mustang through a red light and hit one car and that caused that car to hit a second car . Media . Ryan released " " Play Like You Mean It " " , an autobiography and a conversational about football strategy . The book , which was published by Doubleday in the spring of 2011 , was co - written by Don Yaeger , a former " Sports Illustrated " editor who has co - authored the autobiographies of former NFL players Walter Payton and Warren Moon . Ryan made a cameo appearance in the Adam Sandler film " That ' s My Boy " , which was released on June 15 , 2012 . Ironically , his character was a fan of the Jets ' rival , the Patriots . Head coaching record . Coaching tree . NFL head coaches under whom Rex Ryan has served :