By Tim Graham
NEW ORLEANS -- Where did Rex Ryan stop and Mike Pettine begin with the New York Jets' defense?
"I've been asked that before," former Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum told me in the Super Bowl XLVII media center. "I think Mike's his own guy, and he'll do a good job.
"Where one started and one ended, it could've been by the game, by the quarter. It depended on the game and the situation. But Mike's really good."
Bills head coach Doug Marrone hired Pettine to be his defensive coordinator. The Jets had a terrific unit in the four years Pettine was there, but Ryan was considered the defensive mastermind.
Pettine coached in his father's famous high school program before taking an entry-level job with the Baltimore Ravens and meeting Ryan.
Pettine was Ryan's hand-picked choice to run the Jets' defense when Ryan became head coach in 2009. The Jets ranked first, third, fifth and eighth in yards allowed over the past four seasons.
While Pettine's job switch is considered lateral -- his contract was up, and he turned down a contract extension offer from the Jets to join the Bills -- it is a promotion because he will have ownership of the defense now.
"He probably wanted to get out of Rex's shadow," Tannenbaum said.
Tannenbaum predicted success for Pettine with Buffalo.
"He's a great evaluator," Tannenbaum said. "He has a really good pedigree from his dad to Rex, and I'm sure he's going to do a good job out on his own."
tagged
Doug Marrone | Mike Pettine | Rex Ryan | Super Bowl XLVII
