COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

The New York/New Jersey media got a big taste of what Rex Ryan has to offer Wednesday morning when he was introduced as the 17th coach in New York Jets history. Ryan immediately made reference to new President Barack Obama, saying, "We have a new president now, and, hopefully we can meet him in a couple of years," referencing the tradition that the year's Super Bowl Champion makes a trip to the White House to meet the President of the United States. Ryan came across as the anti-Mangini . He was stoic, confident, cocky, funny and socialble in his press conference. That was in stark contrast to Mangini, who was tight-lipped, unemotional, humorless and who came across as a man who was anti-social and unfriendly. Some have speculated that Mangini's prickly behavior may have lost the team down the stretch this season, ultimately leading to his departure. Ryan was not shy about letting the NFL know how he feels about his new ballclub: "The message to the rest of the le...

ESPN is reporting that the Jets and Ravens Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan have agreed in principle to a four year contract to become the next head coach of the New York Jets. Ryan helped lead a Ravens D that was second in the NFL in total defense; the Ravens made it to their second AFC Championship game in franchise history, only to lose to Pittsburgh 23-14, Sunday night. The move ends what has been a bizarre three weeks for the Jets; they fired Eric Mangini as a scapegoat for Brett Favre's nine interceptions in the final five weeks of the season. The Jets move to terminate Mangini looked that much worse when Jets owner Woody Johnson decided to spend a week on vacation when a more credible coach, like Bill Cowher, was avaiable for an interview. Cowher had a slight interest in coming to the Jets but was turned off by Johnson's seemingly disinterested approach to talking to him by spending time away from the Jets facility. Other coaches like Jon Gruden, Mike Shanahan, Brian Bill...

Cross Steve Spagnuolo's name off of the Jets coaching wish list. The former Giants defensive coordinator, who helped spark a defense that beat up Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in last year's Super Bowl, will become the head coach of the St. Louis Rams . Spagnuolo was a finalist for the Jets job but was a distant second to get the job behind Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. Ryan still appears to be the favorite to get the Jets job, even with ex-Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden on the market. Spagnuolo will coach the Rams for four years at a reported $11.5 million. The Rams were 2-14 this season under Scott Linehan and Jim Hasslett. The Rams need a defensive guru to fix one of the worst defenses in the NFL, and Spagnuolo fits the bill. It is not clear as to who will replace Spagnuolo as the Giants defensive coordinator. Spagnuolo's presence will certainly be missed on the Giants sidelines in 2009.

BREAKING NEWS: Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden has just been fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gruden spent seven seasons as the Bucs head man, leading the team to a Super Bowl title in 2002, his first season with the team. Gruden's fiery personality and no-nonsense approach must have worn thin on Bucs management after the team failed to make the playoffs in a 9-3 start on the season. With this development, the Jets must do everything in their power to bring Gruden to the Big Apple. Gruden is an experienced NFL head coach who would demand instant respect and crisp play from his players, and he would keep the team in order, something that was a problem down the stretch this year with Laverneous Coles and Thomas Jones ripping Brett Favre in the media. Gruden would spark a Jet fan base that is desperate for a coach as fiesty and as hungry as they are. If the Jets want to sell out their remaing PSLs, then hiring Gruden would most certainly do it. The Jets have been seriously consid...

It's not easy to screw up a coaching search, especially when Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan, Brian Billick, Steve Mariucci, and Jim Fassel, all coaches who have proven and winning track records, are available to be interviewed. Still, the Jets find ways to make things difficult for themselves because they are the Jets; they seem to be experts at failure. According to Dave Hutchinson of the Newark Star Ledger, the Jets have tapped Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenhiemer as the favoirte to become the 17th coach in Jets franchise history. This comes after the Jets, apparently, complained that Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was rather unprepared for his interview with Gang Green executives on Saturday afternoon. In other words, cross him off the list of potential candidates. In even more troubling developments, the Jets are about to interview Boston College Head Coach Jeff Jagodzinski , which will cost the man his job at BC. The Athletic Department at Boston College has ...

If Woody Johnson does indeed decide to drop the axe on coach Eric Mangini after a disapointing 9-7 finish to a season that was supposed to be a whole lot more, here is a list of possible replacements. Most of these coaches are probably pipe dreams, but they must be considered nontheless. 1) Bill Cowher: Former Steelers coach is rumored to be talking to the Browns about their head coaching job, but if he decides to stay closer to family (his daughter goes to colleg e in New Jersey), he could opt to come to the Garden State. Cowher would bring instant credibility to any franchise and would demand that his players show pride and heart each and every week of the season, even if they don't make the playoffs. Cowher has spent the last two years working for CBS in New York as a part of the NFL Today pre-game show, so he is no stranger of what makes New York tick. 2) Brian Billick : If Gang Green loses out on Cowher, they should look at Billick. Billick won a Super Bowl his first season i...