Rex Ryan Is Favorite to Become Coach of NFL’s Jets, BetUS Says

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By Erik Matuszewski
Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is the favorite to get the New York Jets’ coaching job, followed by Steve Spagnuolo of the New York Giants, according to the Internet gambling Web site BetUS.com.
Ryan was given 3-2 odds to replace Eric Mangini after spearheading a defense that was second in the National Football League during the regular season, helping the Ravens to a 12-5 record. Spagnuolo, the Giants’ defensive coordinator, is listed as the 2-1 second choice to take over the Jets and the 3-2 favorite to become coach of the Denver Broncos.
The 46-year-old Ryan has spent the past four seasons in charge of Baltimore’s defense. Last year, he interviewed for the team’s head coaching post that eventually went to John Harbaugh.
“He’s sitting at 3-2, which almost makes him a lock in the world of money lines,” BetUS spokesman Reed Richards said in a telephone interview from the Costa Rica-based Web site’s office. “Our analysts look at a lot of different things. We look at who would be the right fit for that kind of an offense, we look at who the coordinators would be, and it looks like Rex Ryan has got to be the guy.”
With odds at BetUS of 3-2, a winning $200 bet on Ryan would return $300.
Ryan’s father, Buddy, also a defensive specialist, was an assistant on the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl-winning team in 1986. He also coached the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles, compiling a 55-58-1 record.
More Choices
Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is one of three candidates with odds of 4-1, along with former Ravens coach Brian Billick and ex-Oakland Raiders and University of Nebraska coach Bill Callahan. Callahan spent last season as an assistant head coach for the Jets.
Mike Martz, former head coach of the St. Louis Rams, has odds of 8-1 to join the Jets, according to BetUS.com. Those were the only former coaches and assistants listed by the gambling site.
The Jets fired Mangini after losing four of their last five games to miss the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Team officials have already conducted interviews with Ryan, Spagnuolo, Schottenheimer and Callahan.
Trying to determine who will be the Jets’ ninth coach in the 20 years is as popular among bettors as placing wagers on the team’s regular-season games, BetUS’s Richards said. Among those who play in fantasy football leagues, it’s more prevalent.
“They really tend to look at the proposition betting and outside of the mainstream betting lines,” Richards said. “They opt for this type of play because they get caught up in the drama. This is the male soap opera, they love this stuff.”
Spagnuolo, Broncos
Spagnuolo is the favorite to replace Mike Shanahan as coach of the Broncos, according to BetUS. The 49-year-old Spagnuolo has spent the last two years directing a defense that helped the Giants win the Super Bowl in February 2008 and claim the top seed in the National Football Conference playoffs this season with a 12-4 record.
Spagnuolo was considered for the Washington Redskins’ coaching vacancy last year before returning to the Giants. He signed a three-year contract that made him one of the NFL’s highest-paid coordinators at more than $2 million annually.
The Broncos fired Shanahan last week following a 14-year tenure that included two Super Bowl titles. Denver has missed the playoffs the last three years and has won only one postseason game since quarterback John Elway retired after the 1998 season.
Other NFL teams looking for head coaches are the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders.
To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net