Right Off Russell

Bart Scott caused a bit of a stir with his comments following the Jets pre-season game with the Ravens.  Scott voiced that Rex Ryan “was the head coach of that football team [the Ravens] last year, whether you guys know it or not.”  Scott also felt that since the defense controls things in Baltimore that Ryan was the de facto man in charge.  His comments were, of course, seen as a dig at Ravens coach John Harbaugh.  Scott says that he did not mean the comments in that light, that he was speaking highly of Ryan rather than putting down Harbaugh:

“The question Monday night was what I thought about Rex Ryan as a head coach,” Scott said. “I was explaining to the reporters that Ryan had already been a head coach, that he was the bridge between Harbaugh and the players last year. He had already worked with Harbaugh before, so when the players didn’t know why he did certain things, they would go to Rex and he would say: ‘Don’t worry about him. I’ve known him for a long time, trust him, and he is just doing what is best for the players.’ He gave John Harbaugh instant credibility.”

Read more »