It has been almost 30 years since Mark Mitchell and his Eastern Kentucky teammates laughed their way through two seasons with then-graduate assistant Rex Ryan, who was helping coach the offensive line in his first job out of college.

Mitchell is now an assistant women's basketball coach at Ohio State after coaching current Bills defensive lineman Adolphus Washington in high school basketball, and Ryan is entering his second season as the Buffalo Bills head coach. Mitchell looks different these days, and Ryan, thankfully, is no longer rocking the same mullet and mustache he sported back in 1987 and 1988.

But as much as both men have progressed in their professional careers and evolved, some things haven't changed. When Mitchell flips on his television and watches Ryan, it's as if they're both back in the EKU meeting rooms in the heart of the Bluegrass State.

"He had that old, gruff, gravely voice," Mitchell recalled about Ryan earlier this month. "And then had that smile. He's still got that smile. You know that smile. He’s getting ready to say something. He’s still got that. It’s funny to watch him on interviews. When he’s got that chuckle and he’s seen them pearly whites, you know something’s getting ready to come.

"That was the good thing about him, though. Because he was so funny, man. Guys could just relate to him."

How well Ryan has struck the balance between being a football coach and an entertainer to his players in his six seasons with the New York Jets and his ongoing tenure with the Bills is a subject for debate. The New York City tabloids have been known to weigh in, as have fans from Buffalo, New York and occasionally, New England.

But the Ryan that Mitchell remembers from their two seasons together in the late 1980s was as blunt with his players as he was funny. As a 24-year-old graduate assistant, Ryan was barely older than some of the tight ends and offensive tackles he coached. He could relate with his players, but he also had to draw the line.

That's exactly what happened with one of Mitchell's former roommates, a tight end. His footwork was suspect, and he had trouble keeping his blocking assignment in front of him. Ryan needed to chew that player out, and a fury of language followed.

"I can’t repeat that one," Mitchell said, cutting himself out with a hearty laugh. "Oh my goodness, man. Something to the effect that [the tight end] was better off not born. We’ll leave it like that."

Ask Mitchell what he remembers most about Ryan, and his answer will be the young coach's language. It reached a fever pitch when then-EKU defensive line coach Paul Tanara, a discipline of hard-driving legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant, would square off with Ryan's offensive line in pass-rushing drills during practice.

"It was some of the greatest times," Mitchell said. "[Ryan] just had a way with words. Rex is Rex. He still has a way with words, you know? That’s the one thing that I remember, and a lot of us [former teammates], some of us talk today about the experiences we had at Eastern Kentucky, and some of the linemen with him talk about some of the things he used to say. Some of the words he would use, some of the analogies he would put together."

These days, Ryan is known for his language but also his stunts. He has dressed up like his twin brother, Rob, in a news conference, had his pickup truck painted with the Bills logo and has worn his son's Clemson helmet for the cameras.

Ryan is sometimes seen as a showman who makes big promises, whether it was guaranteeing the Jets would win the Super Bowl or that the Bills would make the playoffs. But even as Ryan's personality has taken a bigger stage over the past decade and some his bold predictions have come back to bite him, Mitchell still views his former coach the same way he did nearly 30 years ago. He's now an outsider, but Mitchell doesn't believe Ryan's words have rung hollow for his players.

"[He's the same], from his candidness, his ability just to speak his mind, be as truthful about it as he can," Mitchell said. "And still care. You can hear the care in his voice. Because he genuinely cares about his guys. You can tell that. That’s why a lot of guys like playing for him.

"Sometimes some guys are going to get rubbed the wrong way, because of his honesty, because of his up-front and candidness, but if you’re a player of your salt, that’s all you can ask for, is for someone to be up-front and honest with you -- and that’s him."