Pettine reveals Rex's superstitions
Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine barely contained a smirk when asked whether head coach Rex Ryan has any superstitions. "That's a mild understatement," Pettine said, describing Ryan's persistence in wearing a hooded blue New York Titans sweatshirt with a grease stain on the front until the Jets get beat.
"It's funny how reasonably intelligent, rational men can get superstitious about things like underwear and routines and what they eat and the route they drive to work," Pettine said. "It's a crazy business."
Probing for the nitty gritty on Ryan's "good luck" habits, the reporter asked Pettine to name the strangest of Ryan's superstitions. "You want the whole list or just the top 10?" Pettine asked, cracking up the news briefing.
"I think it has to do with clothes. The one thing he used to do is wear Converse sneakers to training camp all the time. Then, it came out that coaches had to wear Reebok, so, he wasn't allowed to wear Converse anymore. So, he would bring them out to practice and sit them by the practice field."
Asked to narrow it down to this playoff run, Pettine stuck with Ryan's refusal to wash the stained sweatshirt. What kind of stain, you ask?
Pettine smiled and said, "I think it might be pizza grease."