Is Rex Ryan auditioning for a network TV job — while still coaching the Bills?
It's an interesting idea that was thrown out by Colin Cowherd and Jason Whitlock's on FS1's "Speak for Yourself" Monday night.
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Ryan may have temporarily saved his job with the Bills 16-0 win over Bill Belichick's Patriots Sunday.
But given his "goofy" antics (such as impersonating a reporter to the Patriots' Julian Edelman) and churlish behavior after beating third-string QB Jacoby Brissett in Foxborough, Cowherd wondered if he's already got one eye on a cushy TV gig.
"I think [Rex Ryan] is auditioning for TV." @ColinCowherd on Rex being 'goofier' this season with his job on the line. pic.twitter.com/QaG7mxZsDp
— Speak For Yourself (@SFY) October 3, 2016
Now in his second year as Bills coach, Ryan's behavior changes wildly from week to week, noted Cowherd. One week he's serious. The next he's "Carrot Top." Time to grow up, said Cowherd, because the clown show is getting old.
"I think he’s auditioning for TV. I really do. I honestly believe Rex knows he’s in trouble. He’s gotten goofier this year. He’s gotten sillier with his job on the line. I don't know if Jon Gruden is going to be on 'Monday Night Football' forever. Some of these broadcasters are getting long in the tooth. Rex Ryan is handsome enough, funny enough, he’s high-profile enough, New York. I honestly believe somewhere inside he’s gotten sillier this year with his job on the line. I think he is transitioned mentally to auditioning for network execs."
Ryan's job in Buffalo was already in jeopardy, added Whitlock. Why not go out on his shield in a way that impresses the network TV suits in New York, Los Angeles and Bristol?
"I see it all the time with players. They start preparing for their broadcasting careers by making outrageous comments and trying to be an over-the-top personality … Rex Ryan may be trying to do the same thing," Whitlock said.
Actor Aaron Paul with Rob and Rex Ryan at the NFL Honors show. (Getty)
On the surface, the idea seems preposterous. There's only 32 NFL head coaching jobs in the world. There's thousands of pro assistants and college football coaches who would give their right arm to lead an NFL team into battle.
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But think about it. The expiration date on Ryan's head coaching career might have already expired. After leading the Jets to two straight AFC Championship games in 2009-2010, Ryan's Jets missed the playoffs from 2011-2014.
His 8-8 Bills missed the playoffs last season. Jim Kelly, the former Bills quarterback, told Jim Rome Ryan's a goner if his 2-2 team misses again this season. Via NJ.com:
"I think we need to do it [make the playoffs]," said Kelly, who is friendly with Ryan. "I think we have to do it. If we don't, I think Rex will probably be looking for another job. I think everybody knows that, including Rex. We have the nucleus to get it done."
When he first got the Jets job, the brash, funny Ryan was a breath of fresh air compared to the cyborg-like Belichick. The media couldn't get enough of him.
But years of losing means he's no longer a media darling. Or viewed as a defensive genius.
On ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption," Tony Kornheiser said he and his brother Rob don't equal their late father Buddy Ryan. It was a brutal comment.
So Ryan may be thinking about getting that TV job while the getting is good.
Why not? He turns on the TV and sees ex-coaches such as Jon Gruden and Herm Edwards at ESPN, Tony Dungy at NBC, Jimmy Johnson at Fox and Bill Cowher at CBS. From the outside looking in, they've got a great life.They make a lot of money, get treated like football royalty and have none of the grueling pressure and responsibility of current NFL coaches.
I think Cowherd and Whitlock are spot on here. Ryan's next stop will be a TV studio; not a sideline.
But the TV game is just as competitive in its own way as the NFL. Other coaches such as Bill Walsh and Bill Parcells didn't transition well to TV. And they were a lot more successful than Ryan.
If he's really thinking of TV, he should ask himself a question: Would anybody hire him?
