Rex Ryan back coaching the Jets? NY personality says 'it can't be any worse'

The New York Jets are on a five-game losing streak, and at 2-6 are in last place in the AFC East.

Even after firing former head coach Robert Saleh and trading for wide receiver Davante Adams in hopes of sparking quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the offense, things are still as dismal as ever for the Jets.

To one New York pundit, that means suggesting a quite wild potential solution. WFAN Joe Benigno suggested that the Jets bring back an old friend: coach Rex Ryan.

"This is insane. It's insane, but I would do this," Benigno said alongside hosts Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. I would get Rex right now. Rex Ryan, right now…where we going? What are we, going to be 4-13? What the hell's the difference? He wants the job. Bring him in, let Ulbrich go back to D-coordinator, and let's see what happens. It can't be any worse."

.@JoeBenigno_Real is done with the Jets' ineptitude...he wants Rex Ryan back! pic.twitter.com/BgpZkeFXMp

— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) October 28, 2024

Imagine the team making a second coaching change in the middle of the season. Currently, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is the interim head coach.

S what say Ryan? The current ESPN NFL analyst told ESPN New York's morning radio show DiPietro & Rothenberg that he would accept the Jets head coaching job "in a second."  

"Because I am a New York Jet," Ryan, 61, said when asked why. "I absolutely would."

"I tell the damn truth. I speak as a fan of this football team and [of] this community," Ryan added. "That's why it makes sense, so we'll see. I hope I get an opportunity to interview for it."

Ryan coached the Jets from 2009-14 and finished with a 46-50 record.

In 2009 and 2010, the Jets went a combined 20-12 and lost in back-to-back AFC Championship games. Ryan then went on to coach the Buffalo Bills where he went 15-16 in two seasons. It has been eight years since he's coached in the NFL.

The Jets host the Houston Texans on "Thursday Night Football" this week and will hope for an upset to end their losing streak.

The Houston Texans are currently 5-2 and will have a divisional game this Sunday, Oct. 26, against the Indianapolis Colts. Unfortunately, the team will have a short week and will headline "Thursday Night Football" with the New York Jets on Oct. 31. This won't be the only quick turnaround the Texans have this season.

In November, the team will have a favorable slate of games for the Texans. The only challenge will be the Detroit Lions on Nov. 10 for "Sunday Night Football." December will be a different story. What is often called the most wonderful time of the year will be anything but wonderful for the Texans. The team will run the gauntlet – three games in 10 days.

Texans play 3 games in a 10 day span… ? pic.twitter.com/ctcUx7E3Hq

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) October 26, 2024

On Sunday, Dec. 15, the Texans will face the Miami Dolphins. While the team hasn't been threatening the last six weeks, the return of Tua Tagovailoa might help the team turn their season around.

Six days later, the Texans will be featured in a special Saturday (Dec. 21) slate of games. This time the Texans will attempt to bump the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs, out of the No. 1 spot in the AFC.

Finally on Dec. 25, the Texans will face another top team in the AFC – the Baltimore Ravens.

Once news of this gauntlet went trending, fans instantly felt bad for the young team and started raising concerns about player safety. While their hearts are in the right place, the Texans aren't the only team to face this feat.

Saints just did it and went 0-3. Hopefully it works out better for the Texans pic.twitter.com/ayA8g6fbsr

— jay (@jaysaysthis) October 26, 2024

After starting the season 3-0, the Seattle Seahawks lost the next three games – which were in a span of 11 days.

The Seahawks lost to the Lions on "Monday Night Football" (Sept. 30) 42-29, then on Oct. 6 the New York Giants stunned them 29-20. Finally on Oct. 10, the Seahawks got beat down by their division rival, the San Francisco 49ers, 36-24 on "SNF." During this run, the Seahawks' defense was battling injuries.

Cry me a river pic.twitter.com/S80kE4gyDZ

— GZ (@SeattleFanGZ) October 26, 2024

The 2024 NFL schedule put more teams in a similar gauntlet. The Jets, Saints, Cowboys, Bengals and Bears will also have to play three games in 10 days – Monday to Sunday to  Thursday. The Steelers, Ravens and Chiefs will have the same challenge – Saturday to Sunday to Wednesday.

Apparently when the NFL was building the schedule, the NFL found no statistical difference in injury rates between six days off and three days off games. 

While the 2024 Ole Miss Rebels perform on Saturdays, 23 former players are working active on Sundays, while an additional seven players are also on NFL rosters either on the practice squad or on injured reserve.

As far as success at the NFL level, 315 Rebels have been taken in the draft since 1936, with 31 of them being selected to participate in at least one Pro Bowl. Ole Miss boasts 23 first round draft picks and 18 players with a Super Bowl ring, with quarterback great Eli Manning having two rings in addition to his two Super Bowl MVP honors. The Rebels also have three former players enshrined in Canton, those being Bruiser Kinard (1970), Gene Hickerson (2007) and most recently Patrick Willis (2024).

Every week, Inside the Rebels will keep you up to date on what former Ole Miss Rebels are doing in the league currently and where they are at as the season progresses.

Over the weekend, Rookie one-year Ole Miss edge rusher Isaac Ukwu made his NFL regular season debut and even started for the Detroit Lions, while usual wide receiver staples A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf both scored touchdowns for the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks, respectively.

Here's what all the other former Rebels did this past weekend: