Building a Winning Team: Key New York Jets Coaches To Watch in 2009

When it comes to the start of a new NFL season, optimism reigns supreme.

What happened last year, happened last year, and the possibility of making a serious Super Bowl run after not making the playoffs only one season ago is alive and well.  That’s what makes the NFL great. Hopes may be dashed one year only to have them renewed four games into the next.

Fans of the New York Jets certainly are counting on that after witnessing one of the worst collapses in franchise history to end the 2008 season. And the reason for most of that optimism is the new man in charge, Rex Ryan, who brings to the Big Apple his straight-shooting, tough-talking methods built on a coaching lifetime of defensive success.

Carved from the NFL coaching mold of his trailblazing father, Buddy Ryan, whose 46 defense helped revolutionize the way teams pressured the quarterback and attacked opposing offenses, Rex Ryan has shown himself to be quite the chip off the old block. 

During his time with the Baltimore Ravens, Rex earned a reputation for concocting exotic schemes and building stout defensive units known as much for their brash, cocky attitude as for their talent on the field.

For the Jets, a franchise never really associated with defense aside from the “Sack Exchange” of the early ‘80s, the thought of a coach preaching a style of knocking other teams around is a welcome one. 

And while a majority of the fans’ and media’s attention has been directed at what Ryan and newly hired defensive coordinator Mike Pettine will do with a Jets’ defense that was simply atrocious against the pass and at best an average defensive unit overall in 2008, a great emphasis should, and will, be put on the offense to hold up its end of the bargain.

Brian Schottenheimer, back for his fourth season as Jets offensive coordinator, will be the one whose feet are held to the fire should the offense underperform.

But as many know, NFL success is contingent on the sum of a team’s parts and these two assistant coaches on the offensive side of the ball will factor greatly into whether the Jets have a bounce back year and make an extended playoff run.

Bill Callahan, Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line

Throughout his various stops up the coaching ladder, during which he became a disciple of the West Coast offense, Callahan’s teams have always done two things—rack up yards and block well. As offensive line coach for the University of Wisconsin, Callahan’s players garnered nine All-Big 10 first team honors. 

During his time with the Eagles and Raiders as an assistant, both teams consistently ranked near the top of the league in total offense, rushing and passing. In 2000 and 2001, the Raiders set team records for fewest sacks allowed with 28 and 27 respectively.

Brought into the fold last season by Eric Mangini to help repair an offensive line that allowed 53 sacks in 2007 (No. 29 in the NFL), the Jets promptly reduced the turf time of their quarterbacks.

In addition to cutting their sacks allowed to 30 last season, the Jets featured one of the league’s top rushing attacks behind Thomas Jones and Leon Washington (125.2 ypg). 

Just two seasons ago, former No. 1 pick D’Brickashaw Ferguson was close to being saddled with the dreaded “bust” label. Quietly, however, Ferguson has built himself into one of the better left tackles in football, allowing only four sacks last year. It’s no coincidence that Callahan was on staff to see it happen.

Success in the NFL begins and ends in the trenches and with either Kellen Clemens or Mark Sanchez lining up under center in 2009, having a strong offensive line will be paramount to the team’s success. With the Jets returning all five members of last season’s offensive line, Coach Ryan was smart to bring Callahan back as well.

Matt Cavanaugh, Quarterbacks Coach

Having coached with Rex Ryan in Baltimore while serving as the offensive coordinator for the Ravens from 1999-2004, Cavanaugh has a pretty good idea of what Ryan expects from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer when he says that he wants to play a physical style built around an “all-weather offense.” 

Translation: Don’t let the quarterback lose the game.  

Cavanaugh was able to achieve the ultimate success of an NFL championship with the unspectacular Trent Dilfer at the helm. Out of the coordinator’s spotlight, Cavanaugh is now tasked with grooming either Kellen Clemens or Mark Sanchez to lead a team built to win now while also massaging the ego of the competition’s loser and keeping him motivated going forward. 

Should it turn out to be Sanchez who pulls backup duty, the task becomes even more important as his road to becoming the Jets quarterback of the future needs to remain as smooth as possible. 

Cavanaugh, though, has the experience necessary for the job having been a Super Bowl-winning backup with the Giants (XXV) and 49ers (XIX).