sbk92
2
- Messages
- 12,134
- Reaction score
- 6
As Advertised
Ryan Ready To Turn Defense Around
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Full Rob Ryan Presser Video
IRVING, Texas - Rob Ryan is known for many things, but two qualities stand out the most: his flamboyant personality and his ability to coach defense.
On Thursday, meeting the Dallas/Fort Worth media for the first time, Ryan certainly lived up to the billing in one of the categories. With a combination of quick wit, flowing confidence, firm answers and a genuine passion for his job, Ryan put on quite a show during the team's meet-and-greet session with the Cowboys assistants.
Now only time will tell if he can get this Cowboys defense turned around.
But there is someone who thinks it will happen, and that's Ryan himself.
Excited about the talent on this defense, and very confident about his own abilities, Ryan vowed to get the defense playing at a high level right away.
"To be honest with you, I haven't seen talent like this on a defense in a long time," Ryan said. "I'm awfully anxious to get going with them. We're not going to make any excuses … we're just going to win."
And Ryan didn't seem all that concerned with some of the problem areas that led to the Cowboys ranking 31st in scoring defense in 2010.
"Hey, I'm not here to farm anybody else's land," Ryan said. "I'm going to do a great job and you're going to see that."
Wearing a baggy Cowboys T-shirt and blue jeans, with shaggy hair that often had to be moved out of his face, Ryan doesn't aspire for the glitz and glamour. He never has been that way. But he's rather blunt about his coaching style and the results.
"I'm an honest, hardworking guy that's not exactly a picture of perfect health, a male model, but I'm a damn good football coach. That's what you should expect and that's what you'll get."
In terms of his defensive philosophy, Ryan has never shied away from being aggressive. He had blitzing teams in his five years as Oakland's defensive coordinator and then the last two in Cleveland. From the sound of things, expect nothing different here.
"We're gonna sic 'em from the word go. We're going to be multiple, we're going to move our 3-4 defense around and get after people," said Ryan, who was quick to respond when asked about the initial changes. "The first thing is attitude. You've got to come in here in the right frame of mind. We've got to attack people, we've got to be on the offensive as defensive players - attack, get the ball back for our offense and give them good field position so we can score. The biggest thing is I'm here to win. With the players we have, the staff we have, all the way from the top from the owner all the way down, we're here to win. That's what we're going to do."
In a span of about 20 minutes, Ryan had plenty to say about plenty of topics. So here are a few other things he addressed in his Dallas media debut:
From top to bottom, Ryan seems overly anxious to get things going. He wouldn't talk about the possibility of a lockout, but wanted to focus more on getting things started for this offseason.
Clearly, he thinks there is plenty of talent - not just with the players or his staff, but even in his own abilities.
But if Ryan's first day with the media is a sign of things to come, it means there will be some serious changes going on with the defense, which not only seems to be a good thing, but is probably the reason he is here in the first place.
Ryan Ready To Turn Defense Around
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Full Rob Ryan Presser Video
IRVING, Texas - Rob Ryan is known for many things, but two qualities stand out the most: his flamboyant personality and his ability to coach defense.
On Thursday, meeting the Dallas/Fort Worth media for the first time, Ryan certainly lived up to the billing in one of the categories. With a combination of quick wit, flowing confidence, firm answers and a genuine passion for his job, Ryan put on quite a show during the team's meet-and-greet session with the Cowboys assistants.
Now only time will tell if he can get this Cowboys defense turned around.
But there is someone who thinks it will happen, and that's Ryan himself.
Excited about the talent on this defense, and very confident about his own abilities, Ryan vowed to get the defense playing at a high level right away.
"To be honest with you, I haven't seen talent like this on a defense in a long time," Ryan said. "I'm awfully anxious to get going with them. We're not going to make any excuses … we're just going to win."
And Ryan didn't seem all that concerned with some of the problem areas that led to the Cowboys ranking 31st in scoring defense in 2010.
"Hey, I'm not here to farm anybody else's land," Ryan said. "I'm going to do a great job and you're going to see that."
Wearing a baggy Cowboys T-shirt and blue jeans, with shaggy hair that often had to be moved out of his face, Ryan doesn't aspire for the glitz and glamour. He never has been that way. But he's rather blunt about his coaching style and the results.
"I'm an honest, hardworking guy that's not exactly a picture of perfect health, a male model, but I'm a damn good football coach. That's what you should expect and that's what you'll get."
In terms of his defensive philosophy, Ryan has never shied away from being aggressive. He had blitzing teams in his five years as Oakland's defensive coordinator and then the last two in Cleveland. From the sound of things, expect nothing different here.
"We're gonna sic 'em from the word go. We're going to be multiple, we're going to move our 3-4 defense around and get after people," said Ryan, who was quick to respond when asked about the initial changes. "The first thing is attitude. You've got to come in here in the right frame of mind. We've got to attack people, we've got to be on the offensive as defensive players - attack, get the ball back for our offense and give them good field position so we can score. The biggest thing is I'm here to win. With the players we have, the staff we have, all the way from the top from the owner all the way down, we're here to win. That's what we're going to do."
In a span of about 20 minutes, Ryan had plenty to say about plenty of topics. So here are a few other things he addressed in his Dallas media debut:
- When asked about the possibility of defensive tackle Jay Ratliff moving to end, Ryan not only balked at that idea, but sounded rather impressed in his meeting with the three-time Pro Bowler. "Oh no, he's a defensive tackle for us. He's an excellent player," Ryan said of Ratliff. "I can't wait to get to work with him. I already met him and what an encouraging thing that is. If they're all like him, we'll be in good shape."
- Ryan sounded rather surprised to hear a reporter suggest Anthony Spencer had regressed from 2009 to last year: "That Spencer regressed, huh? I think he's going to be outstanding. I really do. If he got worse, I can't wait to see him better because I really like the way this guy works. He's smart, he knows protections, he's got a million moves. He's going to be tremendous in our system. I can tell you that for sure."
- Asked if the current secondary scares him, Ryan shrugged off that perception and sounded optimistic of the defensive backs, from the personnel to the coaches. "I don't know. It's a pass league. I think everything we have here we can work with. We have two great secondary coaches in Dave Campo and Brett Maxie. I'm looking forward to working with those guys. I think we're going to have more multiple coverages here in our system. Hopefully that will help. I know we've been No. 1 in passing defense before. I'm looking forward to getting that again."
- With the Jets on the schedule, it means another meeting between the twins - Rob and Rex Ryan, the current Jets head coach: "I think it's going to be fun to go against him. Obviously, they're a well-coached team. They talk a lot of trash and they usually back it up."
- Having coached defensive tackle Shaun Rogers the last two years in Cleveland, Ryan was asked about the possibility of acquiring Rogers, who was recently cut by the Browns. "Shaun is a great player and he's a super talent. I'm sure he'll have interest from a lot of folks. I don't think we're allowed to talk about anyone else off the field. So I'm not going to answer that."
- While Ryan's father, Buddy, was a former head coach in Philadelphia and had his share of controversial moments against the Cowboys, Rob said his dad is certainly a Cowboys fan now. "My father's got a cowboy hat on. Today's his 80th birthday, so he's fired up. He's a Cowboys fan."
From top to bottom, Ryan seems overly anxious to get things going. He wouldn't talk about the possibility of a lockout, but wanted to focus more on getting things started for this offseason.
Clearly, he thinks there is plenty of talent - not just with the players or his staff, but even in his own abilities.
But if Ryan's first day with the media is a sign of things to come, it means there will be some serious changes going on with the defense, which not only seems to be a good thing, but is probably the reason he is here in the first place.
unce