A player once known as “Tone Time” for his fourth-quarter clutch performances spent the final minutes of Sunday’s loss in Miami sulking on the bench as his team tried to mount a comeback.
Despite his antics, Ryan is hoping the bridge between the Jets and their biggest playmaker on offense can be mended.
“First off, to dismiss some of the good things Santonio’s done here for the two years he’s been here — he’s been a tremendous player for us, won a ton of games for this franchise. He’s been a good teammate. There’s a lot to him, a lot of positives things about Santonio,” Ryan said. “Are there some things we need to get corrected? Absolutely, and it’s not just with him, others as well.
“I believe Santonio will be back next year.”
Ryan won’t be naming captains for the upcoming season, something with which he said he never truly felt comfortable.
“This is something I think I made a huge mistake [on]. Not just naming Santonio a captain — all the captains,” Ryan said. “It’s not a reflection on anyone in particular, but we’re not going to have those anymore.
“I think that pulls away from the team a little bit. It may work for other franchises, but it doesn’t work for me.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter
