Rex Ryan becomes the new face in a BIG city

NEW YORK -- The New York Jets are confident Rex Ryan was worth the wait. The Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator was hired Monday as New York's coach, three weeks after the Jets fired Eric Mangini following a late-season collapse.

"We got the right man for the job," owner Woody Johnson said in a statement.

It became apparent the 46-year-old Ryan was at the top of the Jets' list of candidates when several other teams filled their coaching vacancies and New York's remained open. The Jets needed Baltimore's season to end -- which happened Sunday with a 23-14 loss at Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game -- before offering him the job.

Ryan, the son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan, will be formally introduced at a news conference Wednesday at the Jets' facility in Florham Park, N.J.

"It's been a dream of mine to become a head coach in the NFL," Ryan said in a statement. "Coming here to the New York Jets, where my father once coached and was part of the Super Bowl III staff, is fantastic. I look around at the facilities and the people they have in place and see a first-class organization. I'm just proud to be part of it."

The Jets announced the hiring, but released no other details. The contract is for four years, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity earlier Monday because the deal had not yet been announced.

The deal was finalized Monday afternoon after Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum flew down to Baltimore in the morning to iron out the details, Jets spokesman Bruce Speight said.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Rex has the expertise and instincts to build on the foundation that we have in place and take this franchise to the ranks of the NFL's elite," Johnson said.

Ryan takes over a team that started 8-3, but missed the playoffs with quarterback Brett Favre after losing four of its last five games.

"I'm very much looking forward to meeting Coach Ryan," wide receiver Chansi Stuckey said in an e-mail to the Associated Press. "His reputation precedes him by the success that Baltimore has had, and I'm very excited to get started."

The Ravens' defensive coordinator the last four seasons is the twin brother of Cleveland defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. His Baltimore defense helped the Ravens to the AFC championship game and has been ranked in the top six in total yardage allowed the last four seasons under Ryan, including second overall this season while leading the NFL with 34 takeaways.

"I think it's a gain for them and a loss for us, but it's well-deserved," Ravens linebacker Bart Scott said. "It was a long time coming."

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Boston College set to fire Jeff Jagodzinski

Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski did indeed interview with the New York Jets and he will therefore not be retained by the school, two people close to the situation told ESPN's Joe Schad on Tuesday.

Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo, who told Jagodzinski he would be fired if he interviewed, had not spoken with the coach as of 6 p.m. this evening, but he was hoping to meet with Jagodzinski face-to-face as early as Wednesday.

"It's just a matter of putting two and two together," Chris Cameron, BC's associate director for media relations, said Tuesday night. "He was told by Gene on Saturday that if he went on the interview he'd be fired."

DeFilippo, sources say, thought that Jagodzinski was "disloyal" by not speaking with him before scheduling the Jets interview. One source said on Tuesday that Jagodzinski's decision to follow through on the interview made his fate "a done deal."

DeFilippo said late Tuesday afternoon that he called Jagodzinski in the morning and was waiting for a return phone call. At that time, he didn't know if Jagodzinski already had met with the Jets, who are seeking a replacement for Eric Mangini.

"Haven't heard a word,'' DeFilippo said, according to the Boston Globe.

Sitting in his office late Tuesday afternoon, a relaxed DeFilippo told The Associated Press he last spoke to Jagodzinski on Sunday.

"Sometimes two people who really, really like each other can disagree on an issue. That's OK. Nothing wrong with that," DeFilippo said. "I really like Jags a lot and I've enjoyed working with him here for two years and he did a wonderful job here.

"So we're going to sit down, hopefully, and talk and we'll see where we come out."

The Jets declined comment Tuesday through a team spokesman, neither confirming nor denying that Jagodzinski was interviewing for the coaching vacancy.

Sources told the Globe that Jagodzinski has made multiple inquiries into returning to the NFL, where he was a coach for the eight seasons before taking over the head coaching job at BC.
The newspaper reported that Jagodzinski has put out feelers for offensive coordinator positions as well as head coaching spots.

The Globe also reported that Jagodzinski had told members of his staff that he would give them an update sometime on Tuesday. But nobody had publicly acknowledged speaking to the coach.

A source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN's Kelly Naqi that DeFilippo had no idea that Jagodzinski had an interview scheduled with the Jets. The AD found out when a reporter called him on Saturday morning to get his comment on it. DeFilippo immediately called Jagodzinski and asked if it were true, according to the source, and the coach confirmed it.

"The surprise factor definitely played a big role in this situation," the source said.

DeFilippo told Jagodzinski to meet with him in person that afternoon and -- with another representative from BC present -- told Jagodzinski that he'd be fired if he went through with the interview. The source said Jagodzinski made it abundantly clear at that meeting that he was going to go through with the interview, so it was just a matter of time before his termination would become official.

The source said BC was unaware if Jagodzinski had been inquiring about other job openings in the NFL.

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