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Published January 27, 2017
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," May 6, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: He is one of the most talked about coaches in the NFL. In just two seasons with the Jets Rex Ryan has led his team to consecutive AFC championship games. I recently sat down with Rex to talk about his new book "Play Like You Mean It, Passion, Laughs and Leadership in the World's Most Beautiful Game." Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: It is an honor to meet you coach. How are you?
REX RYAN, NEW YORK JETS HEAD COACH: It's nice meeting you. I'm doing great.
HANNITY: You know, I watched all the "Hard Knocks" and you are tough to work for. The players love you. You are having a lot of fun.
RYAN: I don't think so. I think I'm an easy person to get along with and all that, I really am. I enjoy and respect -- one thing, I respect all the guys I coach. I respect all the coaches that coach with me and all that kind of stuff and really I think it is easy to play for me and things. Maybe I know there's a time every once in a blue moon, I get a little upset, but very, very rarely.
HANNITY: No, but you are also having fun. All the players have said I've met him and I've interviewed a number of them and all they say the same thing. They love playing for you. You bring the best out of them. You are passionate about it in every way.
First of all, you came so close, I love the fact that you tell everybody we are number one in New York and we are going to win the Super Bowl. And we're going to be dominant for the next 10 years. People take you on all the time because you expect to win.
RYAN: I do expect to win and you know what? I've been doubted all my life, but I'm sitting here in front of you today, because I overcame a lot of different things. I'm confident, not just in myself. Sure I'm confident in myself, but I'm confident in the men that are on our football team and the coaches I coach with.
HANNITY: I've enjoyed watching Mark Sanchez in the two years he has been in the league. I think he's really grown into what you predicted he would be, a franchise quarterback. You can't be a competitive team and get to the Super Bowl unless you have one. What did you see in him early on that convinced you?
RYAN: First off, it wasn't just what I saw, it was what Mike Tannenbaum, our general manager, you know, we had Woody Johnson down for this private workout --
HANNITY: He's the owner of the Jets.
RYAN: Right, absolutely. We had our offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer there, our quarterback coach, Matt Cavanaugh, you know, he was there as well. We put him through a grueling workout. I mean really. Every pass known to man that he did and he was so accurate.
The thing that impressed me more than anything though, besides his physical abilities and all that, was the fact that he had 24 receivers out there at his pro day and there are other top prospects that might have had two guys at his pro day. I thought it spoke volumes about who Mark was.
HANNITY: I thought there was something interesting you said -- you insist that your players do interviews. But if they do an interview, they got to mention two players and one coach in every interview.
RYAN: Right. I will never tell a player what he can and cannot say, but I will say this I encourage them, whatever you do, just mention two of your teammates and one coach. Because I know when somebody says something good about you whether you're a player, a coach or whatever, you feel like King Kong. You are on top of the world, you really are.
And I think that's what maybe it is a little thing that we do for team building, it is too easy to do. We are doing the right thing. At the end they start coming together and the real challenge is, when we are in the playoffs and saying now you have to step it up to four teammates, one coach and somebody else in the organization.
The guys are great about it. They will get Cook in, whoever in. It is a neat thing. Maybe we pick up a player off waivers from Dallas. I got the new kid in. They are proud of it. That locker room just feeds itself.
HANNITY: You are best known and this is a lot about what your book is about, play like you mean it, passion, laughs, leadership not just in football, but it's really in life too. I love the fact that you are about to go into war against Peyton Manning, who I think is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. And you believe that too.
RYAN: No question.
HANNITY: He's unbelievable. Tom Brady.
RYAN: Same thing. Ditto.
HANNITY: Your buddy, Tom. Belichick, another great coach and you are willing to go out there. We are going to win this game. Back-to-back on the road, you beat both those teams.
RYAN: Right.
HANNITY: But you've taken shots at these guys in the press and enjoying every minute of it. What is the method here, you want to get in their head?
RYAN: Well, sometimes that's the method. Other times it is what I'm feeling. You know, deep down in my heart is what I believe and sometimes it is. When I said that it is going to be about Bill Belichick and I and that's it, whoever is the better coach that day.
HANNITY: This is probably a stupid question. Are you going to win the Super Bow? I'm pulling for you guys to win the Super Bowl. I predicted you would win last year. So I was right there with you, but this year, is the year.
RYAN: I believe so.
HANNITY: Why? What's the final --
RYAN: Well, I think number one, we've been in the same system for three years now. We got to be around our peak as far as, hey, this is the time. We are the only team in the NFL to go to back-to-back Final Fours.
So, you know anything less than the Super Bowl is going to be a huge disappointment. The fact our quarterback is entering his third year, usually a huge step up from your second year to your third year. We know how to win. We know our formula for success.
It is not that we are teaching new ways of doing things. We just got to, you know, go out and do what we do and do it a little better than we've done. I think we're all in for it. We have to improve in the red zone, especially our red zone scoring on offense.
And then, we got to quite honestly, we have to play better at home. There's no reason we shouldn't have a dominant team at home.
HANNITY: Yes, I mean, you win on the road all the time. I mean, you win against -- against Peyton when he's home. Winning against Brady when he's home. It's not easy thing to do.
You didn't vote for Obama, did you, because this is a political show?
(LAUGHTER)
RYAN: Oh, that's funny.
HANNITY: When have you ever been silenced before? I've never seen this.
RYAN: I can't win, one way or the other.
HANNITY: All right, Coach, I love the book. Great to see you. Big fan of the Jets and I wish you the best this season.
RYAN: Well, thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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