Head coaches in the NFL typically have the ultimate control of their teams on the field—who enters the game, who exits, whether to punt on fourth down or go for it.
Apparently,
Rex Ryan is not one of those coaches.
In an interview with ESPN radio host Michael Kay on Monday, Ryan said it wasn't solely his choice to keep playing struggling quarterback Geno Smith, even as veteran backup
Michael Vick sits on the bench.
When Kay asked Ryan whether he had the authority to change quarterbacks during a game, much as a baseball manager would remove a pitcher having a rough day, Ryan demurred.
"Every decision we make in this franchise is a Jet decision, and I'll just leave it at that," the coach said.
Kay persisted, saying that the in-game decision as to which quarterback gives the team a better chance to win has to belong to the head coach. Ryan again deflected the question.
"It's always a Jets decision, and I'm just going to leave it at that no matter how many times you ask me the question," he said.
It's a mantra that both Ryan and general manager John Idzik have often repeated: Every personnel decision comes from Ryan, Idzik and their lieutenants. But that didn't make it any less startling to hear an NFL coach infer that he didn't have the authority to replace a quarterback who was having a bad game.