During his Tuesday morning press conference, Jets coach Rex Ryan made one thing clear: defensive coordinator Mike Pettine won’t be back.
Ryan declined to name Pettine’s likely replacement, even though it seems that Ryan already knows who it will be. (Ryan at one point mentioned waiting until the ink dries, which was an excellent Freudian tattoo slip.)
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that the next defensive coordinator is expected to be defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman, with Thurman and Ryan sharing the duties of calling plays. That’s exactly how it worked when Pettine arrived, with Ryan becoming less and less involved over time.
Thurman arrived with Ryan in 2009, and Thurman and Ryan spent seven prior seasons together in Baltimore.
