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By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING -- The most generous defense in Cowboys history has been placed in the hands of Rob Ryan to repair.
The Cowboys issued a release Wednesday stating that Ryan is the team’s defensive coordinator. He is the first assistant hired by new head coach Jason Garrett and the most significant.
Ryan interviewed with Garrett at the team’s practice facility last Friday. He entered into negotiations later that day after Vic Fangio and Greg Manusky, the first two outside candidates to interview for the job, accepted similar positions with other clubs.
The announcement that Ryan will preside over a defense that gave up a club record 436 points came late Wednesday afternoon. By then, Ryan had already put in a full day at the team’s Valley Ranch complex.
One of the people he met with was Dave Campo. The secondary coach has spent 17 of his 22 seasons as an NFL coach with the Cowboys. He was the team’s head coach from 2000-02 and has one year left on his contract.
Campo could not be reached for comment, but he has told several people he doesn’t know if Ryan will retain him.
Paul Pasqualoni’s departure to become the head coach at the University of Connecticut gives Ryan an opening in the defensive line. Bryan Cox filled that position on Ryan’s staff the last two years in Cleveland and is a possibility.
The Cowboys and Ryan are expected to have another opening in the next few days. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring was in Houston Wednesday to interview for a similar position. Herring is considered to be the first choice of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips for the job.
Phillips added Herring to his staff in 2008 when he was the Cowboys head coach.
Don Martindale is a name to keep in mind if Herring leaves for Houston. Martindale spent the last two years on Denver’s staff and was elevated to defensive coordinator this past season. He lost his job in the Broncos coaching change.
The connection: Martindale made the jump from the college ranks to be Ryan’s linebackers coach for five years with the Oakland Raiders.
Ryan is the twin brother of New York Jets coach Rex Ryan and the son for former NFL head coach Buddy Ryan. He will enter his eighth consecutive season as a defensive coordinator in the league. His first five years in that capacity came in Oakland and the last two in Cleveland.
Ryan’s defense ranked No. 3 in the league in ’06 with the Raiders. It marked the only time one of his units ranked higher than 22nd.
Even though the Cowboys struggled on defense in 2010, Ryan will have more talent with this group than he had in his previous two stops. He also has something he didn’t have in Oakland or Cleveland.
A good offense.
Ryan has been the defensive coordinator on teams that have failed to average 17 points in four of the past five seasons. Poor and ineffective offenses have consistently put his defense in a bind.
The Cowboys ranked No. 7 in offense and averaged 24.6 points even though they played with a backup quarterback for the majority of this past season.
The defense is what let the team down in 2010. A group that ranked among the league’s best in ’09 allowed 30 or more points in eight of its 16 games. The Cowboys allowed an average of 27.2 points. Only Denver, at 29.4 points, was worse.
Ryan will continue to run the 3-4 defense the Cowboys have used since 2005. But his gap responsibilities are different than Phillips, which means the team will play the run more like it did when Bill Parcells was the head coach. Ryan also likes to blitz more than Phillips.
IRVING -- The most generous defense in Cowboys history has been placed in the hands of Rob Ryan to repair.
The Cowboys issued a release Wednesday stating that Ryan is the team’s defensive coordinator. He is the first assistant hired by new head coach Jason Garrett and the most significant.
Ryan interviewed with Garrett at the team’s practice facility last Friday. He entered into negotiations later that day after Vic Fangio and Greg Manusky, the first two outside candidates to interview for the job, accepted similar positions with other clubs.
The announcement that Ryan will preside over a defense that gave up a club record 436 points came late Wednesday afternoon. By then, Ryan had already put in a full day at the team’s Valley Ranch complex.
One of the people he met with was Dave Campo. The secondary coach has spent 17 of his 22 seasons as an NFL coach with the Cowboys. He was the team’s head coach from 2000-02 and has one year left on his contract.
Campo could not be reached for comment, but he has told several people he doesn’t know if Ryan will retain him.
Paul Pasqualoni’s departure to become the head coach at the University of Connecticut gives Ryan an opening in the defensive line. Bryan Cox filled that position on Ryan’s staff the last two years in Cleveland and is a possibility.
The Cowboys and Ryan are expected to have another opening in the next few days. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring was in Houston Wednesday to interview for a similar position. Herring is considered to be the first choice of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips for the job.
Phillips added Herring to his staff in 2008 when he was the Cowboys head coach.
Don Martindale is a name to keep in mind if Herring leaves for Houston. Martindale spent the last two years on Denver’s staff and was elevated to defensive coordinator this past season. He lost his job in the Broncos coaching change.
The connection: Martindale made the jump from the college ranks to be Ryan’s linebackers coach for five years with the Oakland Raiders.
Ryan is the twin brother of New York Jets coach Rex Ryan and the son for former NFL head coach Buddy Ryan. He will enter his eighth consecutive season as a defensive coordinator in the league. His first five years in that capacity came in Oakland and the last two in Cleveland.
Ryan’s defense ranked No. 3 in the league in ’06 with the Raiders. It marked the only time one of his units ranked higher than 22nd.
Even though the Cowboys struggled on defense in 2010, Ryan will have more talent with this group than he had in his previous two stops. He also has something he didn’t have in Oakland or Cleveland.
A good offense.
Ryan has been the defensive coordinator on teams that have failed to average 17 points in four of the past five seasons. Poor and ineffective offenses have consistently put his defense in a bind.
The Cowboys ranked No. 7 in offense and averaged 24.6 points even though they played with a backup quarterback for the majority of this past season.
The defense is what let the team down in 2010. A group that ranked among the league’s best in ’09 allowed 30 or more points in eight of its 16 games. The Cowboys allowed an average of 27.2 points. Only Denver, at 29.4 points, was worse.
Ryan will continue to run the 3-4 defense the Cowboys have used since 2005. But his gap responsibilities are different than Phillips, which means the team will play the run more like it did when Bill Parcells was the head coach. Ryan also likes to blitz more than Phillips.
