Rex Takes Jets "Back to Grade School"...

Frustrated by his team’s lack of execution during practice, Rex Ryan went back in time.

“We went back to grade school,” he said.

Thursday’s practice went deeper into the afternoon in an effort to fine-tune some of the mental and mechanical errors that plagued the Jets during Monday night’s loss to Baltimore.

If a defensive player was flagged for a penalty, the entire unit was forced to do push-ups and up-downs in a circle while the offender sat in the middle and counted. 

The coach said he assigned ten push-ups or up-downs for each infraction, but wouldn’t say how many were done in all.

“Let's just say, too many times for our liking,” he said.

But Ryan’s “tough love” didn’t end there. If the offense failed to convert on third-down – a facet the unit struggled with against the Ravens – the head coach had his players repeat the plays.

“We’re going to do anything – whatever it takes – to solve this. That’s what we’re going to do,” he said. “I know it’s an old high school trick, but sometimes those old high school tricks work on this level.”

He also called the 14 defensive penalties “alarming” and said he had no choice but to address it.

“You’re either coaching it or allowing it,” the coach said of the unit’s lack of discipline. “And we’re not doing either.”

The players Jets didn’t seem to mind Ryan's approach.

“I did some push-ups,” said linebacker Jason Taylor. “It’s a fun, little unique way of pointing it out and I’ve done it before so it’s fine.”

Tackle Damien Woody said the exercises were “about making guys more accountable.”

“I think it’s more so about we want to get it right on the field,” he added. “You don’t want to leave any stone unturned. …We kind of want to make corrections on the field so that way guys, when they get off the field, feel better about everything about what’s going on. It’s Thursday. Today was the first day we installed third-down, which obviously was a big down in the Baltimore game. So it was definitely a point of emphasis for us today.

“You’re not going to be all the way crisp, but we did a lot of good things on that. But tomorrow, we call it “Perfect Friday.” You want to be sharp and crisp, so you have that good feeling leading into the game on Sunday. …That’s your last practice. Saturday you do a little walk-through but other than that, you’re preparation is winding down.”