DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 24: New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan watches the action during the fourth quarter of the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field on November 24, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Bills defeated the Jets 38-3.
(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan went off on Amari Cooper Friday morning. The fiery personality has never been shy with his opinions.

The New York Jets‘ third-winningest head coach—Rex Ryan—appeared on ESPN’s “Get Up” Friday morning. When the subject turned to the Dallas Cowboys re-signing wide receiver Amari Cooper, things got ugly.

“I wouldn’t have paid this guy,” Ryan said when asked about the move. “To me, this is the biggest disappearing act in the National Football League. He doesn’t show up on the road, He doesn’t show against good competition. Against the top corners, this guy disappears. And to me, he reminds me, only one time I can remember in recent memory of elite receivers disappearing.”

Thigs only got testier from there are Ryan targeted Cooper’s past, his love for the game, and Cooper personally.

“This is the guy the Raiders had a few years ago, oh that’s right that was Amari Cooper. This is who he is. He doesn’t love football. Hell with it he stopped his routes, he does all this. I wouldn’t have paid this turd. No way in hell. No way in hell would I have paid this guy.”

Those are some venomous words coming from Ryan, and he had no right to attack Cooper personally in the way he did. That said, he has a point about Cooper being a disappearing act.

Cooper had 79 receptions for 1,189 yards in 2019 and eight touchdowns. Only 27 receptions, 320 yards, and three touchdowns came on the road. His catch rate dropped from 77.6% at home to just 51.9% on the road.

It wasn’t like the Cooper struggled against tough opponents on the road He put up a combined five receptions for 47 yards against the Redskins and the Jets.

Cooper also became invisible against top-flight corners. Marshon Lattimore held him to just 48 yards, Darius Slay held him to 38 yards, Stephon Gilmore held Cooper without a single stat, and Jalen Ramsey held him to just 19 yards.

There was only one top-flight corner that Cooper played well against in 2019, Tre’Davious White. Cooper put up eight receptions for 85 yards against the All-Pro corner.

The question of whether Cooper deserved the money he got is fair. The way Rex Ryan handled himself was not. He had no right to attack Cooper in the way he did. Just because you are making an argument doesn’t give you the right to personally attack the person.

A contributor here at elitesportsny.com. I'm a former graduate student at Loyola University Chicago here I earned my MA in History. I'm an avid Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers fan. I am also a prodigious prospect nerd and do in-depth statistical analysis.