Rex Ryan

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan has never been known for mincing words whether praising or criticizing his team. He had plenty of the latter to do after Sunday's 45-19 loss to the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Jets fell behind, 28-0, and, after cutting the margin to 28-13 at halftime, watched the Eagles score the next 17 points. "That was about as bad as it gets, especially in the first half and early in the third quarter," Ryan said. "We couldn't stop them on defense.

MUST HAVE been something in the bleeping air at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday night. The Patriots beat the Jets, 37-16, and apparently - both during and after the game - the teams' head coaches used some, shall we say, colorful language. The New York Post reported that after the game, Patriots coach Bill Belichick hugged his son, Stephen, and said, "Thirty-seven points on the best defense in the league, suck my [bleep]. " Nice father-son bonding, huh?

With the ink not even dry on the New York Jets' dreadful season, Rex Ryan fled to the Bahamas only to be photographed lounging poolside at a resort hotel, book in hand, with an interesting tattoo gracing his right biceps. It showed his wife, Michelle, wearing an unmistakably green Jets jersey emblazoned with the unmistakable No. 6 of embattled quarterback Mark Sanchez. And nothing else. The New York Daily News ran a front-page photo Friday and by lunchtime it was an Internet sensation.

Though he was part of the entire coaching staff fired by Baltimore, defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, son of former Eagles coach Buddy Ryan, reportedly will be considered for the Ravens' head-coaching job. Brian Billick was fired Monday after a 5-11 season. The Baltimore Sun said Ryan is a favorite of the players. In Ryan's first two seasons, the defense was ranked fifth in 2005 and first in 2006. The defense was ranked fifth this season. Former Ravens assistant Kirk Ferentz, now head coach at Iowa, also could be a candidate.

Three weeks ago, on the heels on a two-game losing streak punctuated by a dose of Tim Tebowmania, the Jets were a down bunch, unsure of their postseason possibilities. Now, after having beaten the Chiefs on Sunday, the 8-5 Jets leapfrogged Cincinnati, Tennessee and Oakland, all 7-6 after losses, and took over the last wild-card spot in the AFC. "It's just what we've been talking about for the last 12, 13 weeks," linebacker Calvin Pace said. "It all came to form [Sunday], which is what we needed.

You've got to love Rex Ryan. The Jets coach is one of those guys who repeatedly shoots his mouth off, abjectly apologizes, and promises to reform. Until the next time. On Wednesday Ryan called Chargers counterpart Norv Turner to clarify comments he made in a conference call with the San Diego media. Ryan was asked if he had reflected on what would have happened if he'd been hired in San Diego for his first NFL head coaching job - the position that went to Turner when both interviewed for it after the 2006 season.

With the ink not even dry on the New York Jets' dreadful season, Rex Ryan fled to the Bahamas only to be photographed lounging poolside at a resort hotel, book in hand, with an interesting tattoo gracing his right biceps. It showed his wife, Michelle, wearing an unmistakably green Jets jersey emblazoned with the unmistakable No. 6 of embattled quarterback Mark Sanchez. And nothing else. The * * * 

NEW YORK - The Jets' search for a general manager has taken an interesting turn as Tom Gamble, San Francisco's director of player personnel, has entered as the front-runner to replace Mike Tannenbaum. Gamble and Jets coach Rex Ryan have some history, since their fathers worked together with the Eagles. Harry Gamble was the team president when Buddy Ryan was the Eagles' coach in the late 1980s. Tom Gamble played a key role in helping general manager Trent Baalke turn the 49ers into one of the NFL's top franchises.

HIS EAGLES' ties aside, Buddy Ryan cannot be happy with this: Andy Reid 79, Rex and Robby 26. Buddy's twin sons, reared to revere defense the way Buddy coached it in Philadelphia, are getting whipped by Big Red this season. You get the idea Rex Ryan knew this was coming. Because, last week, Rex Ryan was the anti-Rob. Rob Ryan, the Cowboys defensive coordinator, famously scorned the Eagles' offseason stockpile of talent, calling the Birds the "all-hype" team, vowing to "beat their ass" when they met Oct. 30. Reid's offense then scored all 34 points in a 34-7 win. By comparison, Rex, the Jets head coach and the architect of the defense, fawned over Reid.

Buddy Ryan hasn't coached in Philadelphia since 1990 yet he still has enormous cachet around here. The former Eagles coach, blustery and wisecracking, captured the heart and soul of the fan base like few have during his 5 years here. Ryan will be in the collective mind of those Eagles fans as he deals with another bout of cancer. His son, Rex, told the New York Daily News yesterday that Buddy was diagnosed "a couple of weeks ago. " Rex Ryan did not say what kind of cancer his father has. "He's 80 years old, but he's doing great.

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan said Wednesday he's not close to deciding on a starting quarterback and he won't make that call until he feels "100 percent comfortable. " Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg recently suggested he hoped a front-runner would emerge early in the competition between incumbent Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith , a rookie out of West Virginia, but Ryan is content with letting it play out into training camp. Ryan said "sometimes this guy looks good, sometimes this guy looks good" during OTAs, although Sanchez has taken the majority of first-team snaps during sessions open to the media.

Could it be Tebow Time in the Arena Football League? Soul part-owner Ron Jaworski said Wednesday he was serious about his offer to former New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow to join the AFL team. Jaworski reached out to Tebow a day after the Jets released him in April. Jaworski has yet to hear from Tebow but expects to eventually. "I love the guy," Jaworski said. "I want him here just for his leadership. " Tebow was brought to New York to be a dynamic addition to the offense, a complement to Mark Sanchez, and a merchandising touchdown for the Jets.

The massive manhunt for a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings shut down the city of Boston on Friday, forcing the postponement of the Red Sox game against the Royals at Fenway Park, as the club tweeted, "to support efforts of law enforcement officers. " "We're locked in," Royals executive Mike Swanson said Friday morning from the team hotel. "They've told us not to leave the hotel and every place is closed right now. " Swanson described the lockdown, before the suspect was apprehended Friday night in nearby Watertown, as absolute.

BILLICK FILE Full Name: Brian Harold Billick Born: Feb. 28, 1954 (58 years old), in Fairborn, Ohio Current position: NFL analyst for Fox Head coaching record: 80-64-0, regular season; 5-3, postseason. Last head coaching job: Baltimore Ravens (Jan. 19, 1999 to Dec. 31, 2007) Coaching highlight: Ravens beat the New York Giants, 34-7, to win Super Bowl XXXV Other coaching jobs: 1994-98, Minnesota Vikings, offensive coordinator; 1992-93, Vikings, tight ends; 1989-91, Stanford, assistant head coach (to Dennis Green)

THE DALLAS COWBOYS have fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, according to multiple reports. Ryan had 1 year remaining on a 3-year contract. The Cowboys defense finished 19th overall, 17th against the run and 21st against the pass. "I inherited a team that was 31st in the league in defense and made them better," Ryan told ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon. "I [bleeping] made them a hell of a lot better. I'll be out of work for, like, 5 minutes. " Rob Ryan took the Dallas job in 2011, after being fired by the Browns.

NEW YORK - The Jets' search for a general manager has taken an interesting turn as Tom Gamble, San Francisco's director of player personnel, has entered as the front-runner to replace Mike Tannenbaum. Gamble and Jets coach Rex Ryan have some history, since their fathers worked together with the Eagles. Harry Gamble was the team president when Buddy Ryan was the Eagles' coach in the late 1980s. Tom Gamble played a key role in helping general manager Trent Baalke turn the 49ers into one of the NFL's top franchises.

With the ink not even dry on the New York Jets' dreadful season, Rex Ryan fled to the Bahamas only to be photographed lounging poolside at a resort hotel, book in hand, with an interesting tattoo gracing his right biceps. It showed his wife, Michelle, wearing an unmistakably green Jets jersey emblazoned with the unmistakable No. 6 of embattled quarterback Mark Sanchez. And nothing else. The * * * 

With the ink not even dry on the New York Jets' dreadful season, Rex Ryan fled to the Bahamas only to be photographed lounging poolside at a resort hotel, book in hand, with an interesting tattoo gracing his right biceps. It showed his wife, Michelle, wearing an unmistakably green Jets jersey emblazoned with the unmistakable No. 6 of embattled quarterback Mark Sanchez. And nothing else. The New York Daily News ran a front-page photo Friday and by lunchtime it was an Internet sensation.

I was visited on Christmas Eve by the Ghost of Quarterbacks Past - Bobby Hoying, Ty Detmer, Koy Detmer, Mike McMahon, John Reaves and even King Hill. It was truly frightening, for each of them started with some degree of promise and then came crashing and burning to a horrifying end. The Ghost of Quarterbacks Present showed me nothing new - Michael Vick and Nick Foles having good moments and bad moments. Being a typical Eagles fan, I refused to go back to sleep, for fear I would be visited by the Ghost of Quarterbacks Future.

After juggling running backs, wide receivers, and safeties during the season, Giants coach Tom Coughlin must now find a solution at right cornerback, where both starter Prince Amukamara and rookie fill-in Jayron Hosley are listed as doubtful with respective sprained right knee and strained quadriceps injuries. And the Giants will be facing the ultra-mobile Michael Vick, who takes over for rookie Nick Foles now that his season ended last week with a broken hand in the Eagles' 27-20 loss to Washington.