When Brian Billick was fired in 2008, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was forced with a tough decision, promote Rex Ryan or look elsewhere. Ultimately, Bisciotti chose the latter and the rest is history. Bisciotti recently commented on the move in an attempt to clear the bad air.
"From a chemistry standpoint … we really liked John and we thought it was going to be tougher for Rex to bring the whole team together after him spending 10 years on one side of the ball that was the dominant side of the ball. I’ve known Rex for an awful long time, We had struggled for so long on the offensive side of the ball, and we were so dominant on the defensive side of the ball. Through no fault of Rex’s, I think it created a little bit of the haves and have-nots, kind of a big brother/little brother syndrome here"
In an interview with ESPN, Ed Reed also talked about Rex Ryan and how much he was missed by the team. Many misinterpreted this and made it seem like Reed was talking down Harbaugh.
In the end, you can’t be too unhappy with the decision. The Jets under Rex Ryan have found similar success as the Ravens under John Harbaugh. Though many still think Ryan should be holding a clipboard in Baltimore, at least we have a team that’s winning.
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