The Fifth Down: Rex Ryan Spoofs His Brother Rob

Some things are worthless without sound and pictures. So here’s a video of Jets Coach Rex Ryan dressed up as his twin brother Rob, Cleveland’s defensive coordinator, and poking fun at him. And here’s the transcript of his remarks Wednesday, as furnished by the Jets.

(Rex and the Jets meet Rob and the Browns on Sunday, the latest installment in a sibling rivalry that has included expletive-laced backyard wiffle ball games, bone-crunching tackles and around 100 fights.)

Opening remarks…
Injury report. There are two guys that did not practice today. Marquice Cole with the hamstring that he got late in the game (and) Matt Slauson with his knee did not practice today. He finished the game, but I guess that knee is bothering him. I expect him to practice tomorrow, but we’ll see. (He) did not practice today though. Josh Mauga was limited with a hamstring. The guys that were full (were) Calvin Pace (foot) (and) Darrelle Revis (hamstring). Tony Richardson and LaDainian Tomlinson were out there today. It was just a coach’s decision, but they’re not injury related but I put them on the list because they told me too (smiling).

You guys sit tight real quick.

(Laughter as Rex Ryan comes back into the room dressed as his brother Rob Ryan)

(Impersonating his brother Rob Ryan) Let’s get down to business today. First off, I want to mention that obviously my dad one time from the league, I guess there was some question about a certain bounty that he put on a player. Obviously, that wasn’t true. I’m saying there is a bounty this week. I know I’m going to hear from the league, but I’m placing a bounty on my brother’s head. I do have some concerns. I have some concerns that some of our players may bounce off of him, to be honest with you (laughter). That notwithstanding, there is a bounty. I know I’m going to hear about it from the league, but I say the way it is, the truth, and that is the truth.

On his brother Rex Ryan…
(Impersonating his brother Rob Ryan) I think Rex is a great coach. I think he is a great person. There is no question about that. He’s very handsome (laughter).

On what happened to his gray hair…
(Impersonating his brother Rob Ryan) I’m trying to get a head coaching job, so I’m dying it a little bit (laughter). (I’m) looking young.

On his curly hair…
(Impersonating his brother Rob Ryan) The curls are part of it. They’re natural. It’s just the way it is.

On his goatee…
(Impersonating his brother Rob Ryan) I trimmed it up a little bit because I know it’s going to get some national attention since (we’re) coming off two big victories.

On Mark Sanchez…
(Impersonating his brother Rob Ryan) I think Mark Sanchez is great. I think he’s well-coached. I think my brother has done a great job with Mark Sanchez. Alright, are we good with this (costume)?

(Changes back to the Jets outfit)
I had to put that in (pillow under his shirt) because truly he is looking bad. He’s about 290 (pounds). He should have had the lap band (surgery). (He) did not have the lap band surgery when I did, so that’s clearly a mistake from him. I’ve always been the big twin, now I’m just the smart, good-looking twin. He’s now the big twin.

On Eric Mangini…
Mangini is so small right now. There would have been a bounty placed on him, but I don’t think anybody can hit him, he’s so small. You can’t find the little guy out there. He’s lost more than I have and I’ve had surgery (laughter). I’ve only lost 75 (pounds). I don’t know what Mangini’s lost, but I’m thinking about bringing some sand with me (and) throwing it at him.

On if he and his brother have been trash talking on the phone this week…
Oh, yes. There is plenty of that. There’s no question about it. It’s funny. We’re letting it go at each other. We’re ripping each other, everybody, all their coaches, so they put us on speaker. You know I’m taking shots at Bryan Cox, (Jerome) Henderson and Flus (Matt Eberflus), all those guys. It’s great. I think after today, we’ll probably get down to business for the most part. I think it’s going to be a great game. I really do. You look at the way they’re playing. No surprise. They’re laying it out there. This (Peyton) Hillis kid is a man. There is no question about it. He kind of reminds me of Mike Alstott. He wears the same number, big huge legs (and) can catch the football. It’s going to be a great challenge because they want to run the football clearly and we pride ourselves in being able to stop the run. We finally get to play an old-fashioned football game. It ought to be fun.

On if he knows what to expect from his brother, Rob…
Yes. He’s probably the most creative guy in the league. Him and Mike Pettine are about as creative as it gets. They try to put their players in (a) position where they can be successful. He doesn’t worry about what a player can’t do. He focuses on what they can do. You see that. When you put (Eric) Mangini and Rob together, that’s quite a team. It’s very similar to the team we have with Bob Sutton and Dennis Thurman and, of course, Mike Pettine. They let the creative juices flow and they’re doing a great job. I will say this about my brother, in all truthfulness, he probably breaks down an opponent better than anybody I’ve ever been around. He’s a football junky. He’ll know your tendencies from two years ago, so he studies everything. He tries not to be surprised on Sunday and that’s what we talked to Schotty (Brian Schottenheimer) about.

On how often he has faced his brother while both were coordinators in the NFL…
As coordinators, I think we did it a couple of times in the NFL when I was at Baltimore (and) he was at Oakland. We’re 2-0 against him, so I’ve got to keep that trend going here a little bit.

On talking to Brian Schottenheimer about Rob Ryan’s tendencies…
Well, yes. This is what I know about my brother. I know he’s going to be prepared like nobody you’ve seen. He’s creative. He’ll always try to find a mismatch for his guys. He’ll focus on what they can do and what they do well. He tries to put his players in a situation where they can succeed, but he’s going to know everything. If you look left, then right, then left, he’ll have that tendency, so he breaks down everything.

On how similar he is to his brother, Rob…
I think similar. I think we’re probably very similar, but when he came from New England especially with Eric (Mangini) and him together, that style of defense is a little different than what we played at Baltimore and now here. The way you break down film, the way you study tendencies and all that, I’ve got a great team. It’s not just me. I’ve got a great team led by Mike Pettine over there (on defense) that we don’t want to be surprised on Sunday either and we’re not. Very rarely are we surprised.

On if he feels he is betraying his brother by giving away his secrets to Schottenheimer…
No. Again, the thing about his preparation and I don’t think it’s betraying him because the fact is he’s going to work like that. That’s who he is. I think maybe nationally it may help his cause.

On if he feels he is betraying his brother by giving away his tendencies…
If you want to work as hard as he does, then you deserve to compete with him. There are very few people that can do that.

On who his father, Buddy, is rooting for…
He’s with the Jets all the way (laughter). 100 percent.

On if his success helps his brother…
Yes. I do buy that. Why wouldn’t it? It should. We’re very similar type people. The fact that Woody Johnson took a chance on me, that’s all he needs is a guy that has the courage to maybe hire just a football coach. That’s who he is. He might not (have) the corporate image. He probably doesn’t fit that. I know one thing, he’s a great coach.

On if he considered hiring his brother…
We put in for him every year. We don’t even have a job, but we put in for him every year.

On if he wanted to hire him when he got the job…
Yes. We put in for him and they denied it. Every year we put in for him. He was with Cleveland and they’re like, “Come on. We’re not going to do that. He’s not going to your place.” We make them go through the paper work anyway (smiling).

On if his brother has a trait he wished he had…
We’re so similar. I don’t know. I used to have that hair many years ago, from a physical standpoint. I think he’s true to himself and I think I’m true to myself. We’re very similar, but we’re different. We’re different people, but we’re very similar.

On the biggest difference from his brother…
That’s a good question. He’s angrier than I am (laughing). That’s what I always tell him, ‘You’re so angry.’ I get angry occasionally. He’s got a beautiful wife. So do I, obviously. Anybody that’s seen her knows that, but they’re different. I married an Oklahoma girl. He married a California girl, so that’s probably a difference. She runs his house (laughter). I’m just telling you. That’s the biggest difference (laughing). (It’s) not like I don’t. My wife runs it, you know that (smiling).

On his friendship with Mangini over the years…
What happens normally when your brother is on a different staff, you become close to those people as well because if somebody is a friend of your brother’s, they’re a friend of yours. That’s basically how my relationship started with Eric. There were times when he was coaching, whether he was the head coach of the Jets or he was with New England and my brother was in Oakland, that he would still call me and vice versa. I truly respect Eric. I think he’s a great coach. We’ve bounced things off each other in the past, especially when he was a defensive coordinator and I had the same position in Baltimore.

On if Mangini set a good foundation with the Jets before he took over…
No question. Without a doubt. There were a lot of great people in place here. It made my job much easier (because of) the fact that there was a great foundation already set.

On if he expected Braylon Edwards to be the premier big-play guy on the team this season…
I thought he had a chance to go back to being a Pro Bowl receiver. Right now he’s had one drop all season. He’s only had five touchdowns. I actually thought he had more than that. He’s a guy that should be able to get a touchdown a game. That’s the kind of ability he has. That’s the way we should target him. He steps up. He’s made some huge plays for us as you’ve talked about and I think there’s many more to come.

On why Edwards hasn’t had a touchdown every game…
I don’t’ know. We got shut out the one game. Nobody scored, so I don’t think Green Bay even scored that day. Things happen. We think he’s that kind of player. We know he’s that kind of player.

On if Edwards is amped up for the game…
Well, watching him on the practice field, I’d say he’s pretty amped up. I think you’re exactly right there.

On if Edwards is able to keep his emotions in check…
I just think there is a difference between being amped up and being out of your game. I think he’s focused in on his game. He’s excited about the opportunity to come out there back where he’s got friends. I know he has a great deal of respect for a lot of people there. Anytime you leave a spot, you want to show them. I’m going to show you. Now, Eric (Mangini) knows that. He’ll probably double him on every snap. Either way, that’s fine with us. We’ll find another way to win. Braylon will get opportunities in this game. I think he wants to showcase the kind of skill that he has.

On if he feels like he has to manage Edwards…
We had an unfortunate situation happen but that’s behind us. He does a great job, but he is focused each week. He makes very few mistakes. He’s a guy that is a great teammate. He does a lot of dirty work jobs and never questions it, just goes at it (and) blocks guys 20 yards down the field. That’s the kind of person he’s been here with our team.

On how much he had to change the culture when he got to the Jets…
The only thing I did was I came in to be myself and that’s it. I never worried about this, that, the other. I just wanted to be myself and that’s what Mr. Johnson wanted from me when I came in. He hired me to be myself and to lead the way I see fit. That’s questionable, but that’s who I am. I never worried about what happened in the past or anything else. All I wanted to was just come in and be myself and that’s easy for me to do.

On if the Jets had another potential trade offer besides Cleveland when the club drafted Mark Sanchez…
Yes, we did. I think the Rams were at number two, I believe. That was a possibility. At the end of the day, we made the trade with Cleveland.

On Mangini wanting to show the Jets…
Yes, trust me, he does. No question. I wanted to show Baltimore and I spent 10 years there. I left on great terms. They helped me get this job, yet I still wanted to show Baltimore that, ‘Hey look. I’m the guy now and I was the guy then.’ It never worked out. Hope it doesn’t work out for Eric this week.

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