A fiery Rex Ryan told reporters Friday he was "mad as a hornet" about a New York Daily News report that stated the New York Jets coach would welcome his firing if resources weren't poured into improving the team's anemic offense.
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Ryan shot down the report -- written by Daily News beat reporter Manish Mehta -- as being "garbage" and "untrue" while questioning why his comments from a Thursday night conversation with Mehta weren't included in the story.
During a Friday call-in interview on SNY, Mehta said his report was "100 percent accurate" and explained he didn't include any quotes from Ryan because it had been agreed that their conversation was off the record.
The Daily News stood by the report, which featured unnamed sources tied to the Jets' organization.
"It's a very solid report," Teri Thompson, managing editor for sports at the Daily News, told The Associated Press.
Ryan is wasting his breath trying to discredit Mehta, who has been breaking stories on the Jets beat all season. Ryan is better off trying to figure out the identity of the unnamed sources who seem intent on undermining him.
Ryan's mad as hornet, but he's operating in a hornet's nest.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.