Time for Rex Ryan to stop talking

So, Rex Ryan, what are your plans for today as you wrap up a week in which you sat for several dozen interviews (21 on Wednesday alone); referenced lines from "Caddyshack" with Bill Murray; tried to decipher the humor of Stephen Colbert; received the Horrigan Award from football writers for cooperation with the media; attended the Sports Emmys and saw your colorfully profane star turn on "Hard Knocks" contribute to three awards for the series; sparred verbally with the Giants' vice president of communications; received a standing ovation and a "J-E-T-S" chant after taping YES' "CenterStage," signed (and sold) a bunch of books and, well, pretty much talked for four days straight?

"I'm definitely hitting the mute button," the Jets coach said. "I can't wait to get back in the office and see everybody, because you know I am going to get flak about it, like, 'Oh, you still work here?' I just hope I still have my name tag out front."

Even for a famously chatty, uninhibited guy, the promotional blitz for Ryan's new book, "Play Like You Mean It," tested his ability to stay fresh and focused.

"I'll be honest," he said. "I'm a little tired of hearing myself. I know Giants fans and Patriots fans will be happy to hear that. [They'll say] 'We're tired of listening to you all the time, too.' But it's been fun."

The best part, he said, was the signings -- including one Wednesday at the Book Revue in Huntington -- that allowed him to interact with fans, something that is impractical during the season.

"They'll say, 'I'm a Jets season-ticket holder; I'm in section-whatever,' " Ryan said. "I'm like, 'I really don't know where those sections are, to be honest. But I appreciate the loyalty.' "

When Giants coach Tom Coughlin wrote a book after winning Super Bowl XLII, he limited interviews to the bare, contractually obligated minimum.

Ryan squeezed in all he could, a non-partisan list that included Fox and MSNBC, WFAN and 1050 ESPN, SNY and YES. He was on with Letterman, Colbert and Hannity. He did NPR, Sirius XM, WPLJ and eight ABC Radio stations in 90 minutes, plus more ESPN platforms than there is room to list here.

The highlight, he said, was running into Murray in Letterman's green room Monday. "I hit him with a couple of Varmint Cong calls," he said.

The strangest moment was his interview with Colbert on Tuesday, which ended with the host noting that Ryan's father's name is Buddy and his is Rex, then asking, "Is everyone in the family named after a dog?"

"Oh my goodness," Ryan said, "I never knew what I was getting into there."

Ryan was interviewed thrice by Michael Kay alone, twice on radio and once for YES. He did two of WFAN's three featured shows but, alas, his schedule did not include a sitdown with Mike Francesa, who has been a harsh critic.

"I'm not going to please everybody," the coach said of Francesa. "That's fine. I certainly understand. It's a free country. Say what you want."

Ryan always does that, but even he has his limits. He tried his best to sound and feel fresh.

"That enthusiasm I have about telling the story is what you fall back on," he said. "I don't want to be repetitive but a lot of the time you're repetitive because you're getting the same kind of question.

"After a while it's like: Can I just hit 'play?' "