Rex Ryan And Tom Coughlin Over The Past 5 Seasons - 36-31, 4 Playoff Wins

jets/index.ssf/2013/09/tom_coughlin_and_rex_ryan_have_an_identical_record_over_the_last_five_years.html?fb_action_ids=654577864576513&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=s%3DshowShareBarUI%3Ap%3Dfacebook-like&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=[525184014227067]&action_type_map=[%22og.likes%22]&action_ref_map=[%22s%3DshowShareBarUI%3Ap%3Dfacebook-like%22]” target=”_blank”>NJ.com – I tweeted this stat this morning and people lost their minds. Some thought it HAD to be wrong, as if I had pulled the numbers out of thin air. Others were furious that I would ignore the obvious, that the Giants lead in the one category that truly matters over that stretch. But most were just flat-out floored. So for your consumption (and please, do not shoot the messenger) … Rex Ryan is 36-31 in the regular season since taking over at Jets head coach. Tom Coughlin over that span? 36-31. Look it up. Do the math. For all the controversy swirling around Ryan and the speculation that he has to make the playoffs to save his job, he has the exact same record as a head coach who will probably get his bust in Canton in a few years. The disclaimer before Giants fans start lighting the torches: Yes, Tom Coughlin has one Super Bowl title over that stretch, and that is the ultimate trump card. The Giants got hot at the end of the 2011 season and won the Super Bowl, their second one under Coughlin. But it should be noted: Those are the only four playoff wins that Coughlin has over the last five years. Ryan has the same number of wins in the postseason over that stretch, too.

Now look I’m not gonna sit here and tell you Rex is in the same class as Tom Coughlin. He’s one of those guys who’s more talented than a defensive coordinator but not polished enough to be a head coach. He’s emotional and immature and he let his franchise get away from him. I’m also not gonna pretend to just ignore 2008 when Coughlin won his first Super Bowl simply because Rex wasn’t in the league yet. At the end of the day, Coughlin has won 2 trophies against the NFL’s dynasty and that puts him in that upper echelon for eternity.

But it is interesting to see how the cookie crumbles for certain guys versus other. I mean when you watch games like yesterday and look at some of Eli’s numbers and finishes in his non-Super Bowl seasons, its clear those 2 fantasy land, miracle runs were the anomaly in his career. He and Coughlin were able to string together a couple more victories in their improbable playoff runs where Rex and Sanchez and company always fell short. Again, thats obviously a huge, huge difference – I don’t wanna minimize that. Getting over the championship hump is one of the hardest things to do in this league and Eli and Tommy C did it twice. But its just funny that Rex and Coughlin have similar numbers – identical in some sense – and one is a lame duck while the other is a football immortal. If that luck had broken Rex’s way instead of Tom Coughlin’s, things would be different in this town.

PS – Coughlin and Eli had much, much more talent surrounding them than Rex ever had.