FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - From the moment Rex Ryan first strolled through the door, it was clear things would be different around the New York Jets.He was a larger-than-life character with a mouth that matched his size and swagger, starting with his declaration at his introductory news conference that his team would soon meet the president as Super Bowl champions.It never happened for Ryan and the Jets, and the losing eventually outweighed everything else, as owner Woody Johnson fired the popular and sometimes-controversial coach after six seasons on Monday, along with general manager John Idzik.While Ryans coaching decisions and no-holds-barred approach were often criticized, he could never be accused of being boring. Here are just a few of the seemingly endless entertaining moments that made Ryans time as Jets coach one of the most-talked about NFL tenures in recent memory:HERES REX: It took Ryan only a few seconds into his first news conference to win over Jets fans with talk of winning Super Bowls, fielding a tough team and changing the way outsiders looked at the franchise. The message to the rest of the league is, Ryan said, hey, the Jets are coming, and were going to give you everything weve got, and thats going to be, I think, more than you can handle.LORD OF THE RINGS: Never one to back down from a challenge, Ryan made it clear that he was aiming for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots when he declared during a radio interview that he didnt come to New York to kiss Belichicks rings. Well, Ryan won just four of 13 meetings with Belichicks Patriots, who were AFC East champions during all six years of Ryans tenure.WHOOPS: Ryan mistakenly announced the Jets were out of the playoff hunt in 2009 moments after they lost to Atlanta. Only problem? New York was still alive — barely. The Jets won their last two games of the season to squeak into the playoffs and go on the first of two straight runs to the AFC title game.SNACK TIME!: Ryan and the Jets were naturals on HBOs Hard Knocks in 2010, and the colorful coach delivered perhaps the line of the entire documentary series during a team meeting the night before a preseason game. Upset by his teams lack of professionalism on the practice field, Ryan lit into his players with an expletive-laced tirade — he had quite a few of those — and capped it by demanding everyone eat a snack.REX-PLICIT: Ryans foul mouth got him into plenty of trouble. After flipping off a fan at an MMA event in Miami in 2010, Ryan was fined $50,000. He shouted a profanity while walking off the field in New England the next year and was fined $75,000. Ryan got docked $100,000 earlier this season when he shouted another expletive to someone on the field at the end of the Jets win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.PERSONAL MATTER: When suggestive online videos surfaced in 2010 that appeared to feature Ryan and his wife, gossip and entertainment news outlets flocked to Florham Park to ask the coach about them. Ryan, clearly embarrassed, repeatedly replied: Its a personal matter, while never confirming or denying whether he and his wife were in the leaked videos.TATTS ALL: The coach showed up for the first day of training camp practice in 2011 sporting a tribal-style tattoo on his right calf, something he got while he on vacation in Hawaii earlier that summer. Turned out, Ryan was only getting started. While on vacation in January 2013, Ryan was photographed with a tattoo on his right arm featuring his wife wearing a Mark Sanchez No. 6 Jets jersey.SKINNY REX: Tattoos werent the only thing Ryan changed on his body while with the Jets. The once-portly coach weighed nearly 350 pounds during his first season, but he underwent Lap-Band surgery in March 2010 and has lost over 110 pounds — and counting — since.WIGGING OUT: Rex Ryan pulled off a perfect Rob Ryan, making fun of his twin brother during a news conference in 2010. With the Jets preparing to play the Browns, for whom Rob was the defensive co-ordinator, Rex walked to the podium wearing a blond wig, Browns baseball cap and T-shirt and stuffed a pillow under his shirt to imitate his brothers ample stomach. He then answered questions as if he were Rob: I think Rex is a great coach and I think hes a great person. Theres no question about that. Hes very handsome.SOON-TO-BE CHAMPS: Ryan often boasted that he believed the Jets would win a Super Bowl. During training camp in 2010, he put his guarantee in writing when he scribbled Soon to be Champs on ESPNs tour bus in Cortland, New York. Well, the Jets finished a win from the Super Bowl that season, and fans are still waiting.RUNNING WITH BULLS: Ryan spent part of his summer vacation in 2013 running from angry bulls, participating in the running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain. Ryan was photographed wearing white pants, a red T-shirt with a picture of a bull in the middle — with the words Bad Toro printed underneath — and a red bandanna around his neck.SIDEWAYS: Ryan was peppered with questions regarding his doomed decision to replace Geno Smith by putting Sanchez into a preseason game in the fourth quarter in 2013 — which resulted in the quarterback suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. An angry and defiant Ryan turned his back to a reporter at one point. I can say anything I want. Thats the beauty of this country. I can answer it 100 times. Ill stand backward and answer the question. Im going sideways.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL NMD For Sale .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. NMD Online . As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one bad inning, is likely to sway the result. https://www.cheapnmdoutlet.com/. Marian Gaborik had two goals and an assist and Martin Jones made just 17 saves to record his fourth shutout of the season as the Kings snapped a three-game losing skid with a 3-0 victory over the lowly Oilers on Thursday. NMD Discount . There are practical ideas, like this Chewbaca inspired Star Wars jerseys. Star Wars themed jerseys for the Toledo Mud Hens. NMD China . -- The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with cornerback Kelvin Hayden.With just a month to go until spring training kicks off, the free agent market is still pretty stagnant. Part of the reason, of course, is the reluctance that teams have in parting with first-round draft picks as compensation for signing certain players, who come with that price tag attached. That made me wonder how valuable first-round picks really actually are. I took a look at three teams, one top dog, the New York Yankees, one middle-of-the-road club in the Toronto Blue Jays and one team generally at the back of the pack, the Chicago Cubs. Since the amateur draft began in 1965, the Yankees have chosen 51 players in the first-round, including supplemental picks. Twenty-seven of those spent some time in the Bigs and 24 didnt make it. The success rate is 52 per cent and this is a team that usually picks in the back end of the first round. The Yankees best first-rounder, without question, is Derek Jeter, taken at number six overall in 1992. The Yankees have done alright with compensation picks for losing free agents, as well. In 1996, they got a quality lefty in Eric Milton for losing infielder Randy Velarde. In 2004, they chose right-hander Phil Hughes when Andy Petitte jumped ship to the Astros before ultimately returning to the Yankees where he finished his career. In 2006, they chose righties Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain upon losing curveball specialist Tom "Flash" Gordon. You might think the Cubs would have far great success with firsts than the Yanks because they miss the playoffs so often. However, the gap is only five per cent on the success scale. The Cubs have drafted 61 players in the first round since 1965 with 35 making it to the Majors. In other words, a percentage of 57 versus the Yankees 52 per cent. The Cubs top picks over the years have included Joe Carter in 1981, Rafael Palmeiro in 1985 and the flame-throwing Kerry Wood in 1995. In 2007, the Cubs used a supplemental first-round pick to take Josh Donaldson, who has since blossomed into a very good player with the Oakland Athletics. The only other supplemental pick of note made by the Cubs was Palmeiro, whom they were able to select for losing reliever Tim Stoddard to free agency. The Cubs made, without a doubt, the worst decision in the history of free agency when they allowed Hall of Famer Greg Maddux to walk away to the Atlanta Braves after the 1992 season. The Cubbies got two draft picks in return, which they used the following June to take pitcher Jon Ratliff and infielder Kevin Orie. In the following three seasons, Maddux won three Cy Young Awards and helped the Braves to a World Series title in 1995. Ratliff and Orie quickly faded into obscuritty.dddddddddddd Where do the Blue Jays fit in? Well, since they came in the American League in 1977, they have made 64 first-round picks and 36 have seen time in the Majors, good for a 56 per cent success rate. The Blue Jays have had pretty good success with first-rounders over the years, including Lloyd Moseby (1978,) Ed Sprague (1988,) Shawn Green (1991,) Shannon Stewart (1992,) Chris Carpenter (1993,) Roy Halladay (1995,) Billy Koch (1996,) Ricky Romero (2005,) Brett Cecil (2007) and J.P Arencibia in 2007...oh, well on that one. Righty Dustin McGowan (2000,) whos battled through a myriad of injuries, is still around as well. The Blue Jays have greatly utilized their supplemental picks and, well, you really couldnt do much better than they have. When lefty Bud Black, now the manager of the San Diego Padres, signed with the San Francisco Giants, the Jays used the pick they received to take Green. When knuckleballer Tom Candiotti left for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Jays wound up with Stewart and when the "Terminator" Tom Henke returned to the Texas Rangers after the 92 World Series triumph, the Blue Jays used their pick to select future Cy Young winner, Carpenter. Of course, there a few in the not-so-good category, too. When Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar left for the Baltimore Orioles, the payback was Joe Lawrence. I guess the bottom line is that there are no sure things, but if you have a top-notch scouting staff and good development staff, you can risk losing those good, but not great free agents. But the ones you target as stars, you can never let walk away. - ESPN came out with its annual top 100 list of All-time Major League greats. Roy Halladay and Dave Winfield fell within the top 125 and received honorable mentions. Five players, though, who wore the Blue Jays uniform (albeit, briefly in some cases) cracked the top 100. Knuckleballer Phil Niekro was number 100, Paul Molitor came in at 78, Roberto Alomar at 74, "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas at 70 and Rickey Henderson at number 14. Of the seven in total, Halladay was the only one drafted and developed by the Jays. Does that make him the greatest Blue Jay of all-time? Its a great argument, but my vote is still with Alomar, even though he only spent five seasons in Toronto, and my top Blue Jays pitcher, though just by a hair, is Dave Stieb. - Its great to see former Blue Jays fan favourite John McDonald signing a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels with an invitation to spring training, but sad to see Vernon Wells get released by the Yankees after being designated for assignment. ' ' '