Ryan apologies for 'Hard Knocks' profanity

CORTLAND, N.Y. - Rex Ryan was lucky he was fast asleep when his phone rang late Wednesday night, not long after the credits rolled for the season premiere of HBO's "Hard Knocks."

Let's just say the conversation didn't take long.

"I said, 'Mom, I'm sleeping here,'" Ryan said yesterday. Ryan's mother had phoned to tell him how bothered she was by his profanity-laced scenes, which could have been expected from most coaches. He dropped several F-bombs, many of which were aired in the show's first few minutes.

"Sometimes you get rolling and that's what happens," Ryan said. "I don't know why. I apologize if I offended more people than I usually offend."

But he added: "My mom's the only one really disappointed that I care about."

At least one player wasn't quite sure what the hubbub regarding Ryan's salty language was all about.

"I actually think it was a little light for the show," center Nick Mangold said. "But he is who he is and he's not going to change it for cameras or anybody else."

Mike Tannenbaum, the unassuming general manager, also let loose a few choice four-letter words. But no one will remember that. His tumble as he attempted to field a punt was "Must-See TV" for Ryan.

"The great thing is, no matter how much he begged to keep that out of there, I was like, 'Ross [Greenburg], it has to be in there,'" Ryan said, referring to the HBO Sports president. "That was the only thing. Once that happened, I don't care what's in there, but that has to be in there.

"I bet you there are some people that watched it over and over."

'Hard' numbers. HBO said the Jets' version of "Hard Knocks" averaged 870,000 viewers Wednesday night, up 37 percent from last year's premiere featuring the Bengals. Including the first replay of the show later that night, a total of 1.3 million people watched.

An average of 2 percent of the 31 million homes with HBO watched the show nationally, a figure that nearly doubled to 3.9 percent in the New York area.