Rex Ryan Needs to Go for New York Jets to Be Successful Again

What was supposed to be a Super Bowl season (especially according to Rex Ryan, who, for the second straight year, guaranteed a championship) for the New York Jets turned out to be a disaster of epic proportions, as the Jets limped to an 8-8 record, dropping three straight games to end the 2011-12 campaign and missed the playoffs entirely.

Many people did think New York was a bit overrated coming into the season, but I think, for the most part, that everyone expected them to at least post a winning record and make the second week of January. I know I did. However, that didn't happen, and Ryan should take the brunt of the blame. As a matter of fact, I think he needs to be fired.

I'm sure some of you are asking yourselves, "How in the world can you fire a guy who took his ball club to the AFC Championship game in each of his first two seasons as head coach?" Well, it's pretty simple: Ryan lost his team this year, and I don't know if there is anything that he can do to get it back.

Things really started to boil over in the Jets' final game of the season, a loss to the Miami Dolphins that eliminated them from playoff contention. Santonio Holmes threw a tantrum in the huddle in the fourth quarter and was consequently benched by now-former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for his childish behavior. It then surfaced that Holmes (who Ryan elected a team captain, which makes this that much worse) was actually a problem in the New York locker room all season long. That doesn't come as much of a surprise, as Holmes' attitude was the main reason why Pittsburgh dealt him to the Jets in the first place, but it gets uglier.

After the season was over, New York's fourth-string quarterback Greg McElroy ripped the team, calling the place a "zoo" and saying how it was the first time he had ever been around "extremely selfish individuals." This isn't Mark Sanchez's backup. It isn't Mark Brunell's, either. This is the fourth-string signal-caller calling out his ball club. Think that doesn't reflect poorly on Ryan?

Then, numerous anonymous Jet players came out and took potshots at Sanchez. One player called him "lazy," but perhaps the most venomous comment came from an unidentified Jet who was asked whether or not New York was capable of winning a Super Bowl with No. 6 at the helm: "How can we when he's not improving at all? He thinks he is, but he's not. He has shown us what he's capable of."

Finally, on Wednesday, LaDainian Tomlinson spoke out on Inside the NFL, saying how this year's Jets locker room was the worst one he's ever been in, saying, "It was at the point where I think players could no longer do anything about it...So when it gets to that point, there are certain changes that need to happen. Can it be fixed, Cris (Collinsworth)? I think absolutely it can be, but they're going to have to make some tough decisions."

Tomlinson is right, and that first decision has to be the termination of Ryan. It is blatantly obvious that he had absolutely no control over the team this year. Ryan was so concerned with being better than the Giants that he forgot to keep his locker room in check, and when you aren't keeping your locker room in check, it means your players are going to lose whatever respect they have for you. That is, if they haven't already.

Sure, maybe New York wasn't as talented as Ryan touted the team to be, but there is absolutely no reason why that team should not have beaten out the Cincinnati Bengals for a playoff spot. No disrespect to Cincinnati, because it looks like it has a bright future with Andy Dalton under center, but a squad that finished 4-12 last season should not have bested a squad that made the AFC title game in back-to-back years.

What makes all of this even more confounding is that Ryan maintains that he will not change and will stay true to himself. I hate to break this news to you, Rex, but the reason why your team was left on the outside looking in of the playoff picture this season was because you stayed true to yourself.

Ryan talked and talked and talked all offseason long and all season long, calling the Jets the Giants' "big brother" back in April and then saying how they were "better" than the Giants the week of their Week 16 matchup. Well, Rex certainly helped somebody this year, because it was that week that the Giants began their run to the NFC Championship game, as they beat Ryan's Jets and haven't looked back since.

Don't kid yourself, though. Although Ryan's constant comments surely motivated the Giants, the main reason why they are where they are right now is because of the respect they have for their coach, Tom Coughlin. Ryan should pull a page (or two) out of his book. Yes, he is much tougher on his players than Ryan is, and yet his players love him. They know he is a class act, and you can tell just by the way they interact with him on the sideline that they want to win this thing for him.

You can tell me that I don't know how the Jets' players feel about Ryan, but the stories that McElroy and Tomlinson told are fairly large indicators. The fact that Holmes was a problem child all season long poses another red flag, and the anonymous players coming out and ripping Sanchez do not make things look much better for Ryan, either.

All of these things reflect on the head coach. Do you think you'd ever see Bill Belichick's locker room in shambles? Of course not.

Ryan may have a good football mind, but as a man leading other men, he has a lot to learn. However, it doesn't appear that he wants to.

I would say that the Jets should give Ryan the benefit of the doubt and grant him one more chance, but he said he is not going to change, so why should they?