Dec 29, 2014, 09:30 AM ET Rex Ryan's six-year run as head coach of the New York Jets is over. Here are the highlights and lowlights of a tenure that included consecutive trips to the AFC Championship Game, followed by a four-year playoff drought:
GM Mike Tannenbaum and owner Woody Johnson introduced Rex Ryan as coach on Jan. 21, 2009. During the news conference, Ryan said he expected the Jets to meet President Barack Obama at the White House -- as Super Bowl champs -- "in the next couple years." Andy Marlin/Getty Images The Jets reached the AFC Championship in each of Rex Ryan's first two seasons as head coach. Here, he celebrates with Mark Sanchez and Dustin Keller after a 17-14 victory over San Diego in the divisional playoffs on Jan. 17, 2010. Al Pereira/Getty Images This much is certain: Ryan was never boring. On Nov. 10, 2010, for a news conference leading up to a game in Cleveland, Ryan dressed up as his twin brother, Rob, then the Browns' defensive coordinator. Courtesy of NY Jets Ryan was fired up on Jan. 16, 2011. That was the date of the a 28-21 victory over New England in the divisional playoffs -- the pinnacle of Ryan's tenure as the Jets' head coach. The team hasn't reached the playoffs since that season. AP Photo/Winslow Townson Ryan and Brandon Jacobs exchanged insults after the Jets' 29-14 loss to the Giants on Christmas Eve in 2011. (Jacobs referred to Ryan as a "very disrespectful bastard" during an on-field interview). The game sparked the Giants' march to Super Bowl XLVI. William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER/USA TODAY Sports The Jets melted down in Miami on Jan. 1, 2012, capping a three-game skid that eliminated them from playoff contention. Santonio Holmes, one of Ryan's team captains, was benched for the final minutes of the game after an ugly exchange in the huddle. AP Photo/Lynne Sladky Sporting a more svelte look, Ryan announced at training camp in 2012 that he had dropped 106 pounds during more than two years of gradual weight loss. Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Ryan's defenses rely on quality play from the cornerbacks -- and nobody in the business is better than Darrelle Revis. But his Jets career ended with a knee injury on Sept. 23, 2012, in Miami. Ryan's record without Revis in the lineup was a paltry 19-30. Robert Mayer/USA TODAY Sports The Jets' 2012 season was described -- often -- as a circus. Ryan and Tony Sparano never figured out how to integrate Tim Tebow (15) into the offense. QB Mark Sanchez (6), meanwhile, lost his job -- but not to Tebow. Greg McElroy took over in Week 16. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images Thanksgiving 2012: The Patriots scored 35 points during a wild second quarter that included a play forever known as the "Butt Fumble." Mark Sanchez ran into Brandon Moore's posterior, and Steve Gregory returned the ensuing fumble for a touchdown. William Perlman/USA TODAY Sports Ryan was on hand when John Idzik was introduced as the Jets' general manager on Jan. 24, 2013. The partnership didn't work out for either man -- or the Jets. AP Photo/Julio Cortez The Jets improved to 8-8 with a season-ending victory in Miami on Dec. 29, 2013. The scene in the locker room was emotional when Idzik announced that Ryan would return as head coach in 2014. Al Pereira/New York Jets/Getty Images During the dizzying train wreck that was the 2014 season, Ryan looked stunned after one of the Jets' rare victories, 20-13 over Pittsburgh to snap an eight-game skid. Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports One of the low points of Ryan's final season was a 38-3 loss to a Buffalo team that had been displaced by a snowstorm. "We couldn't do anything," Ryan said. "We couldn't block, we couldn't tackle. Just an awful performance. I'm the guy responsible." AP Photo/Paul Sancya 
