Ryans make their father proud
Jets head coach Rex Ryan, center, looks over the Cowboys and his brother, Rob, left, during pregame warmups. (Sept. 11, 2011) Credit: David Pokress
There's just one man who can match Rex Ryan's bluster, mixing blatant conceit with playful humor.
His twin, Rob.
The battle between the brothers Ryan played out in expected fashion: an early low-scoring affair that pitted two defensive stalwarts against one another in Sunday night's season opener.
The emotions of the evening were raw, not just for a grieving nation but also for two brothers intent on making their father proud.
Buddy Ryan, the patriarch of the family and architect of the Ryans' defensive legacy, traveled to East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday to watch his boys compete against one another. Nothing would stop him from witnessing this moment in person -- not even glandular cancer.
Surgery to remove the tumor in his neck would have to wait, the elder Ryan told his doctors. There was somewhere special he needed to be: MetLife Stadium for the Jets' home opener.
Rex, the Jets' head coach, had long established himself as a defensive guru from his days in Baltimore. But Rob, in his first season as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator, was determined to shift the focus his way.
"I've been an assistant coach of the year in the pros and in college, so apparently I'm pretty good," he said in the days leading up to Sunday night's's game. "No one else believes it, but they all will after this game."
And funny enough, it was Rob's defense that stymied the Jets early on.
Mark Sanchez barely had time to think as he tried -- unsuccessfully at times -- to escape DeMarcus Ware's relentless pressure. The Dallas pass rusher pressured Sanchez on almost every snap he was on, blowing past right tackle Wayne Hunter and center Nick Mangold to collect two first-half sacks for a loss of 11 yards.
But Rex and his defensive coordinator Mike Pettine would not be outdone.
The pair sent a host of blitzes Tony Romo's way in an attempt to keep the Cowboys' quarterback off-balance. A four-man rush led to a Bart Scott sack of the quarterback in the first quarter before Eric Smith and Calvin Pace each took down Romo in the second quarter.
The impending matchup between brothers didn't offset their weekly routine of talking on the telephone. Though foes for a day, they are brothers first.
Rex usually speaks to Rob "probably three or four times a week, at least." But no secrets were accidentally slipped between camps in the days leading up to the game.
The conversations were business as usual, Rex assured.
"We rip each other. That's what this week's about," he said. "You're just ripping each other. The rest of the time you're comforting, you're asking questions, you kind of pick each other's brains a little bit, but this week is strictly about ripping the other guy."
In typical Ryan fashion, Rob dished out his own barbs, but both understood the season opener would be special for many reasons.
"This being the 10th anniversary of 9/11," Rex said. "I just want to share those with my brother and back and forth, because this game is so special to so many people and I certainly don't want to take away from that."
And in a fitting tribute, the Jets opened in a "46" defense, a formation that was developed and later popularized by Buddy.
