Rex Ryan brings a fresh approach to the Jets

CORTLAND, N.Y. — Months removed from the restrictive, don't-say-a-peep regime of Eric Mangini, the New York Jets say they truly appreciate what new Coach Rex Ryan is.

And what he isn't.

"You can say what you want and speak your mind," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "I think it's always best if you can do that, because if you don't you can end up holding so much stuff in that at the end of the day it can be combustible. That's how we ended up with the last coach."

Ryan is among nine new coaches around the league, a group that also includes Kansas City's Todd Haley, Denver's Josh McDaniels, Seattle's Jim Mora, Indianapolis' Jim Caldwell, Detroit's Jim Schwartz, St. Louis' Steve Spagnuolo, Tampa Bay's Raheem Morris and Cleveland's Mangini. That's not counting a pair from Bay Area teams, San Francisco's Mike Singletary and Oakland's Tom Cable, promoted from their interim roles.

Seven of the league's eight divisions have at least one new coach, with the only exception being the NFC East. Meanwhile, the turnover has been so dramatic in the NFC West and AFC West, only Arizona and San Diego have the same coaches who began last season.

As for the Jets, the mantra uttered in every corner of their camp is that the relaxed Ryan "treats us like men," with the implication that the rigid Mangini didn't.

Without naming Mangini, specifically, guard Damien Woody said not being afforded that respect "is almost degrading."

"Here I am 31 years old, I've got my own kids, and I'm married, and here's someone that's not that much older than me -- or whatever the case may be -- telling me what I can and can't do," Woody said. "It's so regimented where the game is just not a game anymore. It's not fun. Even when you win it's not fun."

And "fun" resonates with Ryan, the former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator who seems more relaxed than his irascible, eruptible father, legendary NFL coach Buddy Ryan.

In fact, after the team's first practice in the spring, Ryan gathered his players to say he liked what he saw except for one thing: They weren't having enough fun.

Ryan said he could almost feel the tension drift out of the room after that.

"I think they realized, 'Wow, this is different,' " he said. "But it is going to be different. I think they understand who I am. I'm just being myself, and I think they know they can trust that. Where before, guys were just a little bit tight.