AP

When Jets owner Woody Johnson held a press conference to announce the firings of coach Rex Ryan and General Manager John Idzik last December, he talked about the role that the disconnect between the two men played in the team’s 4-12 season and his decision to clear house.

At the heart of the disconnect was Ryan coaching a team short on talent after Idzik opted not to spend the money to make any big acquisitions in the 2014 offseason, something that Ryan says ticked him off because he thought the team could have done something “given the opportunity.” He’s not just blaming Idzik, however.

Ryan said he’s to blame for not going to Johnson to share his concerns about the team’s direction before leaving Johnson with “no choice” but to make changes after the team flopped.

“Woody Johnson wanted to win, I’m convinced of that. But there were some things that I knew weren’t right, and I allowed it to happen,” Ryan said, via Bob Glauber of Newsday. “In retrospect, I should have just gone right to the man myself and not gone through somebody else or any other way except seeing Woody myself. Even if he would have said, ‘No, we’re going to do it this way,’ I at least would have had my say with it.”

Ryan said he doesn’t have the same concerns about the Bills, but that he won’t shy away from sharing any that might develop with Terry Pegula.

“From top to bottom in this organization, we are lined up,” Ryan said. “And if a guy’s not lined up, he ain’t gonna be here. It’s as simple as that. If that means me going to the owner myself, I will absolutely do that, regardless of who it is. We are going to be on board with this football team.”

That’s likely not the only lesson Ryan learned during his time with the Jets, but things aren’t likely to end much better in Buffalo if he can’t avoid remedial courses in what it’s like trying to win in the NFL with subpar quarterback play.