Rex Ryan began his Thursday news conference with a grin on his face. One could understand why.
The coach, who once looked like the lamest of the lame ducks, now finds his booming voice restored within the walls of his facility. Ed Reed is a New York Jet. Ryan is a big reason why.
Ryan joked Thursday it was "only a rumor" he pulled a hamstring while racing to tell Jets general manager John Idzik to sign Reed, a former star safety during Ryan's days with the Baltimore Ravens.
Idzik already had dispatched his scouts to check Reed's game tape before Ryan even reached his office. Still, it provided a window into the relationship between Ryan and Idzik, an arranged marriage that wasn't given much chance for survival.
"Everybody was assigned to do different games on him, see where he's at," Ryan explained to reporters. "And we did the same thing as a staff, and then we all got together and a decision was made. A team effort in that we would like to obviously get Ed. When he cleared waivers, we were able to accomplish that."
Ryan's standing with Idzik remains something of a mystery. Idzik told reporters last week that Ryan had "pulled it all together" for the 5-4 Jets. But the GM stopped short of making any proclamations about the future of his coach.
"Living in the moment," Idzik said.
The Jets might make the playoffs -- they're in good position right now -- or the GenoCoaster might collapse. It wouldn't be a total surprise either way.
That reality keeps Ryan's Jets future cloudy. Still, Thursday counted as a good day for the coach. His team is alive, and his voice matters. Surprises abound in Florham Park.
In the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," New York Daily News reporter Manish Mehta talked to the guys about the Jets and Rex Ryan's future.
