Rex Ryan & Brian Schottenheimer: A Coach's Son Match Made in Hell

When Rex Ryan took over as head coach of the New York Jets, I understood his
decision to retain Brian Schottenheimer as his offensive coordinator from a
continuity standpoint.  No sense in bringing in a new guy to install a new
offense when the Jets had just completed a 2008 season that saw their offense
rank 9th in points scored in the NFL.

But had Rex taken a closer look at Brian Schottenheimer's history as an O.C., who
Brian's daddy is,and matched that with his own history and who HIS daddy is, he
might have thought twice about retaining Schottenheimer.
 
BUDDY'S STORY

As we all know Rex is the son of legendary defensive coach Buddy Ryan.  In this
case, the apple truly has not fallen far from the tree, if it has fallen off at all.
Buddy was brash, tough and was a brilliant defensive X's and O's coach, as is his son Rex.

Author of the famed 46 Defense with the Chicago Bears, Buddy's defensive mentality was blitz,stop the run, blitz, punish the quarterback, blitz and blitz some more.  His defenses were always attacking, imposing its will and forcing opposing offenses to adjust to what his defenses were doing, not vice versa.

He was beloved by his defensive players so much that when the Bears won the Superbowl in 1985, they carried him off the field at the same time head coach Mike Ditka was being carried off the field. 

In 1993, his General Patton-like mentality caused him to take a swing at then Houston Oiler offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride during a game against the New York Jets for jeopardizing his defense's shutout due to poor play calling. 

For a team known more for offense, the Oiler defense finished 4th in the NFL in points allowed that year. Don't mess with Buddy's defense's numbers or there'd be hell to pay.

In Buddy's 11 years as a defensive coordinator with the Oilers, Vikings and Bears, his defenses never finished lower than 14th in points allowed.  He built defenses that were always in the UPPER half of the league. His last year with the Bears, 1985, his defense finished 1st in the NFL in points allowed.  Many call that Bears defense the greatest of all time.  I know I do. 

During Buddy’s 7 years as a head coach with the Eagles and the Cardinals, he quickly realized that he couldn't just be all about the defense.  Although he still fielded ferocious defenses in Philly with the likes of Jerome Brown and Reggie White, he actually did a decent job of ensuring that he had an offensive coordinator that could generate points with the players they had. 

In his 5 years with the Eagles, their offenses finished 24th, 12th, 5th, 13th and 3rd in points scored despite never having much of a running game. Except for 1 year, all his offenses finished in the upper half of the league.

Although his pop never won a super bowl as a head coach, Rex should take note of how Buddy made sure he had an offensive coordinator that  was as good at producing points as he was at preventing them.   

From 1986 to 1989, Buddy allowed a guy by the name of Ted Plumb to serve as his assistant head coach that  oversaw the offense.  In 1990, his last year with Philly, he hired, brace yourselves Jets fans:  Rich Kotite.  Don't laugh, the Eagles finished 3rd in the league in points scored that year.

Buddy's Philly defenses finished 12th, 25th, 14th, 5th and 12th in points allowed.  Buddy's 1994 Cardinals team was his best statistical defensive job as a head coach, finishing 4th in the league in points allowed.  Unfortunately his offenses stunk and he retired from coaching in 1995.

REX'S STORY

Fast forward to 2005, Rex Ryan's first year as a defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens.  Rex,  living up to the Ryan name, was brilliant.  From 2005 through 2008, the Raven's defenses finished 10th, 1st, 22^nd and 3rd in the league in points allowed.  His players loved him, much like his old man’s players loved him, and they would run through a wall for him, just as Buddy's players did for him. 

Rex brought all of his father's defensive knowledge to the Ravens as well as his father's balls-to-the-wall attitude about how defense should be played:  blitz, stop the run, blitz, punish the quarterback, blitz and  blitz some more.  His defenses were always attacking, imposing its will and forcing opposing offenses to adjust to what his defenses were doing, not vice versa. 

Although Rex never attempted to knock out an offensive coordinator on the sidelines during a game, we have heard plenty of stories of how Rex and twin brother Rob got into more than their fair share of fights growing up.  Tough, don’t back down, push it to the limit.  That’s the Ryan way.

Rex is Buddy Ryan's boy on and off the field.  There's no arguing that and I think it's beautiful.  But if Rex wants to outdo his old man from a football standpoint and win a super bowl, he's going to have to at least be on par with Buddy regarding what he does with his offensive coordinator while he's the head coach of the New York Jets.

In his first year as a head coach, Rex went into the season with the confidence of his own coaching resume at the forefront of his mind and the history of who he is:  He's a Ryan.  Ryans coach great defenses and get after the quarterback. 

I imagine he might have thought, "My dad has coached a number 1 defense, I've coached a number 1 defense.  We have talent on offense; we can win it all very soon."  One thing the Ryans have is confidence, as well they should.

The problem with his thinking is that it's apparent that he didn't take enough notice of the other coach's son’s overall body of work before deciding to retain him as his offensive coordinator.

Rex can win a championship with the Jets for sure (when, remains to be seen), but history doesn't indicate that Brian Schottenheimer, Marty's son, is the guy to help him hoist the Lombardi Trophy any time soon.  Brian's old man, and Brian's exposure to him, has as much to do with the latter part of that statement, as much as Rex's old man and Rex’exposure to him, has to do with the former. 

MARTY BALL

Lest we all forget, Marty Schottenheimer was a defensive coach by nature.  Defense, by nature, is a far more aggressive mentality in the sport of football.  One would think this fact of life should bode well for his son's working relationship with Rex.  It should, but it doesn’t. 

Where Buddy Ryan was an aggressive, balls-to-the wall defensive genius, Marty has always appeared to be more calculated and cautious when it comes to managing a game.  So far in Brian's young career as an offensive coordinator, it appears, except for one season with Brett Favre, that he is a cautious, calculated, minimal risk taking chip off the old block. 

Not good news for Jets fans or Rex's super bowl aspirations. In short, Brian Schottenheimer will never be confused with Mike Martz, and he can thank his father’s influence for that.

As a defensive coordinator with the Giants in 1977, and with the Browns from 1980-1984, Marty's defenses topped out at 6th in points allowed in 1984.  The other years saw his defenses finish  21st, 12th, 23rd, 17th and 14th respectively.  Not bad at all, but he wasn’t in the same class as Buddy or Rex as a coordinator.

As a head coach, there is no denying that Marty was successful.  In his 19.5 years as a head coach (he was the Brown's head coach for half of the 1984 season), Marty fielded one number 1 ranked scoring offense (the 06' Chargers) and one number 1 ranked in points allowed defense (the 98'Chiefs).

He guided the Browns,Chiefs and Chargers to the playoffs numerous times and is known for his fiery intensity and disciplined approach with his players.  Too bad the fire often subsided when it came to making decisions when the game was on the line.

He's been a great regular season head coach, but when hot glare of the playoffs were in Marty’s face, his conservative, cautious nature always rose to the surface, infuriating fans in Cleveland, Kansas City and San Diego alike.  This conservative approach has been dubbed, Marty Ball, and quite possibly has kept him from being a super bowl winning coach.

Marty may not have taught his son very much about being an offensive coordinator, but from what we have seen thus far, he has no doubt passed on his Marty Ball genome to him.

SON OF MARTY BALL

Brian Schottenheimer got his first shot to be an offensive coordinator with the Jets in 2006, compliments of Eric Mangini.  Since then he has had four first round draft choices on the offensive line (D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Alan Faneca and Damien Woody), a hall of fame quarterback (Brett Favre) and two pro bowlers in his backfield  (Thomas Jones and Leon Washington) with whom to work. 

Brian's offenses have finished 18th, 25th, 9th and 17th respectively. During his tenure, except for the Favre year, the Jet's offenses haven't exactly lit up the scoreboard. 

As I said previously, when Rex took the Jets head coaching job, one can't blame him for keeping Schottenheimer, especially after overseeing an offense that scored the 9th most point in the NFL in 08'.   But did he truly oversee that offense?  In my opinion, he most certainly didn’t.

I have written about that fateful 2008 season (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/463348-brett-favre-proof-that-hes-the-best-new-york-jets-oc-since-1998) that saw Brett Favre come to the Jets, complain about the offense, alter the offense and score a bunch of points.  406 points to be exact.  Up to that time, Marty's kid had overseen offenses that ranked 18th and 25th in the league in points scored.  When Favre came in and changed the Jet’s approach to the passing game dramatically, they finished 9th in league in points scored.  It was Favre's approach that benefited both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington as well.

The fact is that the only time Brian Schottenheimer has been associated with a point scoring machine of an offense was when a hall of fame quarterback, that is offense personified, came in and blew up his system.  Aside from that year, Schottenheimers offenses all finished in the BOTTOM half of the league in points scored.  And don’t think it was because the Jets received stellar quarterback play from Favre who threw 22 touchdowns and 22 interceptions that year. 

Had Rex looked at Brian Schottenheimer for who he was personality-wise, and what he hadn’t accomplished on his own as an offensive coordinator, I don't think that he would've looked at Brian as "his type of guy."

The Ryans have always dominated when they were coordinators.  The Schottenheimers?  Not so much.

Marty Ball plays things close to the vest. 

Ryan Ball is taking off your vest in full view of everyone at a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game.

Marty Ball is running the ball 3 times into the backs of his offensive linemen to set up for a field goal against the Jets in 2005 playoffs (I was there, and the San Diego fans were livid). 

Ryan Ball is continuing to blitz on 3rd down despite the lack of success as Rex did this past Monday night against the Ravens.

Marty Ball is a Jets offensive game plan that focuses on playing not to lose like they did this past Monday night against the Ravens.

Marty Ball is also crafting a Jets offensive game plan that rarely exploits mismatches that favor the Jets receivers, running backs and tight ends. 

Ryan Ball is looking at an opposing team's offensive weaknesses and attacking them mercilessly.

Marty Ball knocks on the door gently, Ryan Ball blows up said door with a nuclear bomb. 

In short, Marty Ball is the EXACT OPPOSITE of Ryan Ball! 

With one mentality running the offense and the other mentality running the defense, the team is doomed to fail.  Ryan’s confidence and belief in his defense should be the overarching mentality that permeates through the entire team, otherwise the offense is going to continue to behave as if they’re scared to offend opposing defenses.

These two coach’s sons are the mirror images of their fathers, one brash and aggressive, the other tacit and cautious.  Because of how he was raised and who he's become as a coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer is not going to turn brash on his own.

He must be Rexorcized.

Now in Schotty's defense, he is indeed open to changing as evidenced by the 2008 year with Favre, but he had to be given marching orders for him to change.

It's Rex's job to give him those orders because there's no way Marty's son is wired to go balls-to-the-wall a la Mike Martz, on offense, like Buddy's son is on defense.

There'll be no ticker tape parade in the Canyon of Champions for the Jets, with Brian Schottenheimer as the Jet's O.C., if he doesn't.