For someone who hasn't shied away from making bold statements and needling opponents before his first game as an NFL head coach, Rex Ryan conceded he had his doubts he'd ever become one.
Despite being one of the hottest names in the league after the 2007 season, Ryan, then the Ravens' defensive coordinator, couldn't land a head-coaching job. He interviewed with the Dolphins, Falcons and Ravens, but none deemed him the correct fit. The call Ryan was waiting for never came.
"When I never got a head-coaching job last year, I was like, 'This isn't going to happen for whatever reason,' " Ryan said. "I thought I was right for a particular team and was passed over, but it made me focus. I told the GM of that team that I would make the league pay because I'm going to get a chance to coach a group of guys that I believe in, and they believe in me, and we'll see what happens. We're going to be so good that I'm going to get a job. It was kind of like a driving deal. That became a 'me' thing. That drove me as an individual." Continue