In the current issue of Sports Illustrated, there's a survery of NFL players, based on the following question: For which other coach would you like to play for?

The winner, in a landslide, is Rex Ryan of the New York Jets. A total of 279 players were polled from across the league, and Ryan received nearly one quarter of the votes. Here's the breakdown:

Ryan, 21%

Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers), 12%

Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints), 9%

Jeff Fisher (Tennessee Titans), 8%

Bill Belichick (New England Patriots), 7%

Let's call it the Rex Effect. He turns off a lot of opponents because of his extreme confidence and big-talking style, but he also commands respect because of ... well, his extreme confidence and big-talking style. Players like him because he's fearless and speaks their language. He also doesn't run a boot camp; he tries to pace players through a season by allowing their bodies to rest. Not all coaches are like that. (See Belichick).

Evidently, HBO's "Hard Knocks" had the desired effect, with Ryan's popularity soaring. If nothing else, that should help the Jets' recruiting in free agency.