Same as the old boss

I turned on the NFL Network this morning just in time to see the New York Jets press conference to introduce their new head coach. He seemed like a good guy. Thin. Nicely styled silver hair. Pressed white shirt and a Jets-colored striped tie. As I made myself  a pot of coffee for the day, I listened to the new coach as he spoke in a calm, reasonable voice that sounded confident, but not cocky. If you are a Jets' fan you've got to like what he had to say.

The coach promised a "new beginning" for the franchise that became an NFL punch line the past few seasons. "We're going to be the team that you don't want to play," he said. "We are going to be a dangerous football team. We're going to attack you from the minute that whistle blows. We're going to attack you on offense, defense and special teams. That's my job, my responsibility. Understand it, that's exactly what we're going to give (the fans) this season and beyond."

He sure looked and sounded different than the old coach. Rex Ryan. The overweight guy in the sweatshirt who arrived in 2009 and declared himself the next great head coach and promised Super Bowl title after Super Bowl title. This coach didn't talk about how great he is or make any playoff or championship guarantees. This one talked about starting fresh with a new aggressive approach. He talked about a different kind of offense. No more ground and pound. He wanted a wide-open attacking offense. It sounded like he wanted to build a Patriot-like offense although he didn't come right out and say it. Another difference between this coach and Rex Ryan. He never mentioned Belichick or the Patriots. Two things Ryan was obsessed with.

The new, well-dressed coach talked about taking part in the hiring of the new GM so that the two of them can take a look at the roster and see what they have. Sanchez? Tebow? McElroy? Well, the new coach just got here so it's too soon for him to be talking roster changes.

Owner Woody Johnson sat to the left of the new coach and smiled at everything he heard. When asked why this was his choice to run the team for the 2013 season and beyond, Johnson said his new coach was "hard-working, smart, and sophisticated." Sophisticated? Now that would be different from Rex Ryan. You don't hear that word too often to describe an NFL head coach. I picked up my cup of coffee and moved closer to the small TV on my kitchen counter to read the name of this remarkable man.

The words below his skinny face said ... "Rex Ryan."

Rex Ryan? Sophisticated? Rex Ryan, after four years of failing as Jets' coach, talking about a new beginning? Rex Ryan, after four years of preaching ground and pound, talking about installing a high-octane offense? Rex Ryan, the guy with a tattoo of his wife wearing a Sanchez jersey, smart?

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Woody Johnson got fooled again.