Rex Ryan Says He's a Fan of Jets' Robert Saleh After Talking to Him Following Diss

ESPN analyst Rex Ryan has a new-found respect for New York Jets coach Robert Saleh after a recent public back-and-forth.

The two spoke privately, and Ryan came away impressed, as he explained on Sunday NFL Countdown (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk):

"I was blown away by the guy. He's got a direction for this football team. I’m telling you, Jets fans, the more I talked to him, the more impressed I was with Robert Saleh. I became a fan of his. Taking my call and all that speaks volumes about him. But it was more about, we put that stuff behind us. But it was about the future of this team, and I’m just telling you something, this guy’s got a great plan and I think they got it right."

The Jets are 2-7 in Saleh's first season as a head coach. Ryan coached New York for six seasons from 2009-14, accumulating a 46-50 record while twice leading the team to the AFC Championship Game.

New York has not returned to the playoffs since 2010.

Ryan had initially offered a scathing criticism of Saleh last week on ESPN Radio.

"This guy is supposed to be a defensive guru," Ryan said, via ESPN's Rich Cimini. "I take it personal. Everything I heard was this guy is a lot like myself, but without the bad part. Some of the bad part you need, because this team doesn't want to play with any damn heart. That's the thing that is disappointing to me."

Ryan also argued Saleh's success as a defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers was based only on one season.

Saleh responded to the remarks on the Michael Kay Show later in the day Monday.

"I've never met Rex. I've never had a conversation with Rex," Saleh said. "I don't even know him except for people who know him throughout the league. Obviously, if it's that personal for him, he knows where to find me."

It seems having a conversation was enough for Ryan to change his tune as Saleh tries to turn the franchise around.