NEW YORK — The New York Jets are confident Rex Ryan was worth the wait.

The Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator was hired yesterday as New York's coach, three weeks after the Jets fired Eric Mangini following a late-season collapse.

"We got the right man for the job," owner Woody Johnson said in a statement.

It became apparent the 46-year-old Ryan was at the top of the Jets' list of candidates when several other teams filled their coaching vacancies and New York's remained open. The Jets needed Baltimore's season to end — which happened Sunday with a 23-14 loss at Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game — before offering him the job.

Ryan, the son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan, will be formally introduced at a news conference tomorrow at the Jets' facility in Florham Park, N.J.

"It's been a dream of mine to become a head coach in the NFL," Ryan said in a statement. "Coming here to the New York Jets, where my father once coached and was part of the Super Bowl III staff, is fantastic. I look around at the facilities and the people they have in place and see a first-class organization. I'm just proud to be part of it."

The Jets announced the hiring, but released no other details. The contract is for four years, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity earlier yesterday because the deal had not yet been announced.

The deal was finalized yesterday afternoon after Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum flew down to Baltimore in the morning to iron out the details, Jets spokesman Bruce Speight said.

RAVENS

MCGAHEE EXPECTED TO MAKE FULL RECOVERY

Willis McGahee joined his teammates yesterday at Baltimore's training complex after doctors told him he would make a full recovery from a fierce helmet-to-helmet hit in the AFC championship game that had him carted off the field.

"I'm all right. Everything is OK," the running back told reporters as the Ravens cleared out their lockers. "The MRI and the CAT scan checked out good. I was scared, but I didn't know how serious it was. It was pretty intense."

The play occurred in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh's 23-14 victory. McGahee had just caught a pass and taken two steps before being met by safety Ryan Clark, who drove his helmet into McGahee's facemask. McGahee's head snapped back, and he lost the ball as he dropped to the ground.

"I didn't even see him coming," McGahee said.

STEELERS

TEAMMATE EXPECTS WARD TO PLAY FEB. 1

Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward has a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee, but one of his teammates is certain he will play in the Super Bowl.

Ward wasn't available to reporters yesterday, but tight end Heath Miller can't imagine one of the NFL's most durable players not playing. Ward was the MVP of the Steelers' win over Seattle in the Super Bowl three years ago.

"I don't think there's any question 86 will be on the field," Miller said of the Feb. 1 game. "I don't even know the extent of his injury, but I saw him walking today so I'm pretty sure that two weeks from now he'll be playing."

Ward was scheduled to undergo an MRI yesterday, but the Steelers did not release the results. Coach Mike Tomlin is expected to issue an injury update today.

CARDINALS

ARIZONA SAYS BOLDIN'S BEEF NOT A BIG DEAL

Arizona called receiver Anquan Boldin's sideline shouting match with the offensive coordinator a "normal thing," and coach Ken Whisenhunt insisted the outburst would in no way disrupt the team.

Boldin and Todd Haley were seen arguing on television during the Cardinals' late touchdown drive in a 32-25 win over Philadelphia in the NFC championship game Sunday.

Boldin, going to his fourth Pro Bowl this season, did not participate in the postgame celebration on the field with his teammates.

Whisenhunt brushed aside the dispute.

"That's a normal thing that happens," Whisenhunt said. "It happened in the first quarter with Todd and Kurt (Warner) on the sidelines. It happened with a couple of our defensive players and our defensive coaches. It's an emotional game. Yesterday was one of the most emotional you'll play in."

PACKERS

CAPERS HIRED TO LEAD GREEN BAY DEFENSE

Mike McCarthy wants to take the Green Bay Packers defense in a new direction, and the coach believes Dom Capers is the right man for the renovation project.

McCarthy hired Capers as defensive coordinator yesterday afternoon. He said the team will switch from a 4-3 defense, which utilizes four down linemen and three linebackers, to Capers' specialty, the 3-4 defense, which uses three linemen and four linebackers.

McCarthy said one of the reasons he wants to change the Packers' defensive scheme is the challenges the offensive-minded coach had in trying to game-plan against it.

"From an offensive standpoint, it creates targeting problems," McCarthy said yesterday, announcing Capers' hiring after the two reached an agreement in principle Sunday night. "That doesn't mean we won't line up in a four-man front (sometimes). We'll move in and out of both four-man and three-man fronts.

ELSEWHERE

Raiders: Oakland yesterday named Kelly Skipper its running backs coach and added Lionel Washington to coach defensive backs. Skipper, a former running back at Fresno State, was the Raiders' tight ends coach last season.

Texans: Houston named David Gibbs its defensive backs coach yesterday. Gibbs, the son of Texans' assistant head coach Alex Gibbs, spent the past three seasons coaching the defensive backs for the Kansas City Chiefs.