Rex and Rob Ryan are twin brothers. They were born 46 years ago, sons to Defensive guru Buddy Ryan. Throughout their lives they have been forever linked with each other as well as their fathers in their love for defensive football. Each worked their ways through different college coaching jobs and NFL jobs with one joint stint under their dad for the Arizona Cardinals. By 2005 each had risen up to become a defensive coordinator in the NFL.; Rob Ryan under Norv Turner for the Oakland Raiders and Rex Ryan under Brian Billick for the Baltimore Ravens. Nothing in those years really are odd. Two sons of a defensive genious coach want to coach defensive football. The twist of fate starts last January. On January 2nd ESPN reported that Rob was going to get fired by Raiders Head Coach Lane Kiffin and that he would immediately land on his feet in New York as the Defensive Coordinator under Eric Mangini (whom he worked with in New England). Four days later however, the media broke the story that Al Davis put his foot down and told Lane Kiffin that he could not fire Rob Ryan and that Ryan would remain as the Oakland Defensive Coordinator in 2008. Would Ryan have made a difference with the Jets? Nobody can really know for sure, but the 2008 Jets Defense, in addition to Favre, collapsed down the stretch. Their ability to stop the pass was miniscule and their ability to dominate the run completely lapsed. They were amongst the top reasons for the Jets downfall and the subsequent firing of Eric Mangini. Obviously without that firing Rex would not have landed in Green.
To add to the twist of fate, Eric Mangini quickly landed on his feet in Cleveland 11 days later. His first act as Cleveland Coach? To bring in Rob Ryan as his defensive coordinator. Then weeks later Rob gets to witness his twin brother replace his new boss at the boss's former job.
So to sum it up.
1. The Jets new head coach has a twin brother.
2. His twin brother almost was the Jets Defensive Coordinator last year but thanks to the lunacy of Al Davis was not.
3. The Jets former Head Coach just hired their new Head Coach's twin brother to be his Defensive Coordinator.
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