National Football League

Report: Ryan vows tighter-knit Jets

Published Jun. 14, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

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The Jets wrapped up their minicamp Thursday, with head coach Rex Ryan vowing he will have a closer-knit team next season after a tumultuous and disappointing 2011 season.

Five months after the Jets lost their final three games to miss the playoffs at 8-8, Ryan said he believes his team has put its chemistry problems in the past.

"I don't know how many wins we'll have but I know we'll have that corrected," Ryan said, according to the New York Post.

"We will have a close football team. We're not going to beat ourselves with some of the infighting or all that other stuff. That's a thing of the past."

The situation came to a head in Week 17 at Miami when wide receiver Santonio Holmes argued with teammates in the huddle and was taken off the field late in the game.

Offensive lineman Matt Slauson labeled Holmes a "cancer," and running back LaDainian Tomlinson said the relationship between Holmes and quarterback Mark Sanchez was "as bad as I've ever been around."

Ryan, however, maintained the issues were not as bad as they looked.

"I think [the Miami game] was a low point, obviously. I really think things have been blown out (of proportion). I don't think it was as bad as some people say it was, but there were certainly some issues that we had to get corrected."

After reaching consecutive AFC Championship games in his first two seasons as a head coach, the outspoken Ryan said he may have overlooked the brewing issues between some of his players last season.

"When you're playing well, those problems really don't happen. Here I was surprised that it happened, even when we were struggling and fighting. We were 8-5 at one point and then we drop our last three. I'm sure that contributed as well."
 

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