Rex Ryan Is Already Talking About The Patriots
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- We're barely a week into NFL training camp season and Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan is already bloviating about his biggest "rival" in the AFC East. Ask the guy a question about the Patriots and his unhealthy obsession will reveal itself. It's one of the biggest guarantees in sports.
A reporter apparently asked Rex about how he plans to cover the Patriots' dynamic tight end duo of Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett, who by all accounts have looked strong to quite strong in Patriots training camp so far. Linebackers Preston Brown and Reggie Ragland are ostensibly the ones to have the difficult task once the regular season rolls around.
This was an easy one for Rex to avoid. He could have easily said something along the lines of, "I'm just worried about getting this team ready for the season, I'm not worried about what other teams are doing." But the man simply can't help himself.
"I'm encouraged by it," he told reporters at Bills camp about the ability of Brown and Ragland to cover Gronk and Bennett. "But, you know, I think we'll see how tough it is to cover those dudes when we get that chance."
Even that alone would have been just fine, but Rex continued on the tight ends: "The thing that gets you is they're two giant red zone threats, like, that's probably the biggest thing. You know, Gronk being the No. 1 red zone threat in the league and Bennett is probably just below him. So, it's like that's going to be a nightmare for any team, not just us."
This couldn't wait 'til Week 4?
It's long gotten comical how much the Patriots, their high-end talents, their coach, and their system continue to swirl around in Rex's head, even MONTHS before they take the field against each other. Reporters know they're going to get a drawn-out answer and perhaps a money-quote or three when they pose questions about the team at Patriot Place. In fact, you don't even need to ask him sometimes, he'll just bring them up.
Obviously, he should be concerned about how he's going to defend against the Patriots offense - even with Jimmy Garoppolo the likely starter at quarterback in Week 4. But he doesn't need to go talking about it publicly, especially this freaking early, let alone already preparing for it several weeks in advance. One of the hallmarks of Bill Belichick's success in New England has been his focus on the current opponent and never overlooking anyone. Rex appears to overlook opponents in favor of the Patriots routinely.
This isn't even the first time he's talked about the Patriots tight ends - he said as much about them all the way back in March. I swear, the guy is descending into a parody of himself, if he's not already there.
Maybe he will find a good way to defend the Patriots offense. But there's no need for him to already be talking about it, to the point where he has his players doing the same thing.
It's that lack of focus and discipline that has plagued Rex Ryan-coached teams for most of his career as a head coach and, amazingly, it already sounds like 2016 will be more of the same.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
