Jets' Ryan doles out respect, gets back loyalty

It was never going to work.

Rex Ryan and the Jets had a great run to the AFC Championship Game last season, and it was done primarily with players who came in under Eric Mangini. Other than rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, former Ravens Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard, who played for Ryan in Baltimore, and Braylon Edwards, who came in a trade with the Browns a month into the season, the Jets still were a team built around another coach's ideals.

When Ryan began to put his stamp on the team this past offseason, people around the league scratched their heads. Ryan dispatched veterans such as guard Alan Faneca, safety Kerry Rhodes, running back Thomas Jones and kicker Jay Feely and brought in so-called "problem players" such as Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes alongside future Hall of Famers Jason Taylor and LaDainian Tomlinson.

It was never going to work, this combustible mix of egos and talents whom other teams had gotten fed up with.

Except it is working. Incredibly well, in fact, with the Jets enjoying their bye week at 5-1, which is tied with the Steelers and Patriots for the best record in the NFL.

"You can call us a bunch of misfits or whatever, but at some point, we've all had troubles in our career. You can't judge a man until you meet him," said Scott, who came in as Ryan's loudest and most loyal disciple. "Before he made those decisions, Rex talked to people who he trusted. The talent and the character of those people he brought in speaks for itself. We're not the straightest arrows in the world, anyway, so it's a perfect mix."

There have been issues - a lot, even for a team that prides itself on being a bunch of misfits. From Darrelle Revis' training-camp holdout to the practice incident with TV Azteca reporter Ines Sainz to a personal foul-marred opening night loss to the Ravens to Edwards' DWI arrest, lots of moments have threatened to derail this team even before the halfway mark.

But they've held together under Ryan's unique mix of homespun self-deprecation and extreme confidence.

Around all corners of the Jets' locker room, the mantra about Ryan is this: "He treats us like men." That can be a refreshing change from the militaristic control most coaches exert over players from high school on up to the pros, and it means something to this team.

"Rex may have these 'problem guys,' but he will never have a problem with a guy. Ever," said Trevor Pryce, the 14-year veteran defensive lineman cut by the Ravens who was in a Jets uniform before the ink was dry on his release. "He's an honest man who gives it to you straight. When a coach treats you that way, you try that much harder not to mess it up."

Shaun Ellis is in his 10th year with the Jets, through four coaches and numerous different styles - Herm Edwards was a players' coach; Mangini tried to be a hard case like his mentor, Bill Belichick. But with Ryan, Ellis sees a guy who's comfortable in how he treats people.

"Before [with Mangini], things were just so micromanaged. The locker room was always good, but there was almost too much control over what we did," Ellis said. "Rex lets you do your thing. He cares, and he'll yell at you, but you respect him for respecting that we're a group of men in here."

Ryan learned growing up around NFL locker rooms where his father, Buddy, coached. He's not as fiery as his old man, but he can be an old-school screamer when he needs to.

"You want to see a hard --? Give up a hundred yards rushing," Scott said. "But you can only yell so much. When someone who shows you respect does it, you know you deserve it."

Ryan showcased his personality in the HBO series "Hard Knocks," something outsiders may have thought was just a way for the Jets to show off their brash side on television.

But Ryan had something else in mind: a recruiting tool.

"People are going to want to come to this organization. The word's going to get out that we take care of our players, that we provide everything for the players to be successful, on and off the field," Ryan said. "That's why we did the 'Hard Knocks,' that's why we do all that stuff. It's nothing to do with, 'Hey, you're playing for Rex Ryan.' I might be the head coach here, but you're playing for the New York Jets, and that's something we're really proud of."

They're winning, too, despite the distractions and the issues players brought with them. That might be the biggest reason of all that Ryan is making so many right moves.