Jets Probably Not Interested in Newly Unemployed Jon Gruden

It usually takes weeks or months to find out the real reason why a player gets traded or a coach gets fired. Sure, some PR hack will undoubtedly trot out some version of "Player X was looking for a change," or "Coach Y wanted to spend time with his family," but nobody actually believes such statements, no matter how vehemently they're delivered.

With Jon Gruden, it only took a few hours to find out why the Glazers decided to, as they say, go in another direction: everybody hated him. It was that simple, apparently. And in the new, touchy-feely world of the NFL, there isn't much room for and in-your-face, coach-doesn't-have-to-respect-his-players approach.

Guys just don't respond to the Bill Parcells-types like they once did. That's not an indictment of Gruden so much as it highlights the fact that, like most things, coaching styles are forever evolving.

Whatever your thoughts on Gruden's ability to motivate the troops, there's no denying his success. In 11 season (four in Oakland, the last seven in Tampa), he's amassed a 95-81 record, including five playoff appearances and a 2002 Super Bowl win. So, where does he go now? As long as Wade Phillips is the figurehead in Dallas, the Cowboys are always at the top of the list. And since the Jets are still looking for a head coach, you'd figure they're interested. Funny story: they're not, at least according to the New York Post's Brian Costello.

Sources said last night the team continues to target Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, and he could get a job offer as soon as Monday if Baltimore loses in tomorrow's AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh.

Gruden does not fit the profile of what the Jets have been looking for during their three-week coaching search. Despite a brief flirtation with Bill Cowher, the team clearly favors hiring a first-time head coach.

Which also explains why Marty Schottenheimer, Brian Billick and Mike Shanahan haven't drawn serious interest from the Jets.

Costello also adds that, "One link to the Jets that will cause speculation is Gruden's relationship with Brett Favre." (Gruden was a quarterbacks coach with the Packers in the early '90s.) My suggestion to Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum: take the same approach with your quarterback as you're taking with your head coach: rule out the old-timers and start fresh.