Ted Williams might well have been the best hitter who ever lived. Maybe there’s some debate on that, but there can be none that he knew more about the science of hitting than anyone, and that’s why the book of the same name should still be required reading for anyone swinging a bat at any level.
But for all his wisdom, Teddy Ballgame was not a great manager. He actually did a great job in his first year at the helm of the Washington Senators, but got mediocre results after that and was done with managing within a couple of years. Williams admitted he didn’t really know or care about the pitchers, and that’s obviously an aspect of the game that cannot be ignored. I don’t think there’s a shred of doubt Williams would have been an awesome hitting coach had he chosen to go that route, but as the head man he actually wasn’t all that great.
That brings me to Rex Ryan, who is still the head coach of the New York Jets. Ryan got some surprisingly positive results from what appeared to be a somewhat ordinary squad early on with the Jets. But the team has not gotten better under his guidance, and I really doubt they will this season in what figures to be Ryan’s swan song on the Jets sideline.
I think Ryan and Williams have something in common, in spite of being in different sports. The Splendid Splinter knew hitting, and loved every aspect of it, but didn’t really care much about anything else. Likewise, I think Rex Ryan has very few peers defensively and he really likes that side of the football. I honestly don’t believe that passion is there for the offense, and thus he’s not a well rounded head coach.
A good example of of Ryan’s mindset was on display this weekend following a Jets scrimmage. The offense had a first and goal at the one, and got stuffed by the defense. Following the scrimmage, Ryan was beside himself with excitement about the way his defense performed. But he basically ignored the fact the Jets offense, which has been largely terrible for some time now, could not get the ball into the end zone.
That to me is the essence of Rex Ryan. I don’t know that there’s a better defensive mind in the game. But the lack of balance in his approach is crystal clear, and I therefore can’t place Ryan high on my list of head coaches. Barring a surge in the standings this season, Rex figures to be out as the Jets head coach. Here’s hoping he resurfaces somewhere else down the road, but this time doing only what he is meant to do, which is coaching the defense.
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