Rex: Title guarantee was a huge mistake

INDIANAPOLIS -- When Jets coach Rex Ryan addressed the media at last year's NFL combine, he issued a guarantee that the Jets would win Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis after the 2011 season.

A year later, Ryan told the media that, in retrospect, he shouldn't have done that.

"Looking back, it was obviously a huge mistake to make that guarantee," Ryan said. "At the time we were coming off two [AFC] championship games. I really thought it would be a thing that would actually motivate our team, you know, to really talk about the Super Bowl, to focus on the Super Bowl."

So why was it a mistake?

"In hindsight, I think it put undue pressure on our team and we kind of lost focus and really we lost focus on what we do best," he said. "So it's obviously a big mistake. It's something I've been thinking about a great deal. Obviously, we had a terrible season. I'll take full responsibility for it. I think part of that guarantee really contributed to that."

Looking forward, no more guarantees. But Ryan does approach the 2012 season with great anticipation.

"First off, no promises," he said. "But I will say we're going to have a team now that I think is going to have the potential to do great things. I look at our team and we've got a great owner. We've got a great staff. We've got a great organization. More importantly, we've got a great group of players. I think we can accomplish anything we set out to do. With that being said, I think over a 16-game regular season, a lot of things can happen. But I will say this -- we will be a team. We will play as a team, and at the end of the season, we'll know it was a great season."