Rob Ryan working out final details to become Cowboys' defensive coordinator
10:05 AM CST on Saturday, January 15, 2011
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com
IRVING – The Cowboys have allowed three defensive coordinator candidates to leave the building for other jobs in recent days.
The club was determined not to let that number grow to four.
Rob Ryan and his representative are working on the final details of a contract that will make him the team's defensive coordinator. A source said Friday evening that the offer was extended after Ryan spent the majority of the day at the Cowboys' Valley Ranch facility.
The impending hire comes eight days after Jason Garrett took over as head coach. It is arguably the most significant off-season move Garrett will make as he works to restore the defense of a team that allowed a franchise-record 436 points.
Ryan arrived at the team's practice facility Friday morning and didn't leave until the early evening. He met with Garrett for a large part of the day before the Cowboys coach escorted him to the team's executive offices late in the afternoon to meet with owner Jerry Jones.
The day before Ryan began his interview, Paul Pasqualoni, the Cowboys' interim defensive coordinator, tendered his resignation to become head coach of the University of Connecticut. While Ryan was being interviewed by the Cowboys, San Diego announced that it had hired Greg Manusky to become its defensive coordinator and San Francisco confirmed that Vic Fangio had accepted a similar position with the 49ers.
Both candidates had been interviewed for the position by Garrett earlier in the week.
Ryan's interview lasted much longer than those of Fangio and Manusky. And while the Cowboys had sought permission to interview Pittsburgh secondary coach Ray Horton – an interview that couldn't take place immediately because the Steelers are still in the playoffs – Ryan had something in his favor that Horton did not.
The twin brother of New York Jets coach Rex Ryan has been a defensive coordinator in the NFL for the last seven seasons. Horton has been an NFL assistant for 17 seasons but has never presided over a defense.
One question had always been this: Would Garrett, with only eight games as an NFL head coach, be willing to turn his defense over to someone with no experience as a defensive coordinator? The answer is no.
He has turned it over to Ryan.
Ryan was a defensive backs coach with the Arizona Cardinals from 1994-95 before returning to the college game. He left his job as Oklahoma State's defensive coordinator in 2000 to become a linebackers coach for New England.
He won two Super Bowl rings with the Patriots as a part of Bill Belichick's staff. He left New England in '04 to become Oakland's defensive coordinator and spent five seasons with the Raiders before accepting a similar position in Cleveland.
The Browns ranked No. 31 in defense in Ryan's first season before climbing to No. 22 this season. Cleveland's interception total also jumped from 10 to 19 as Ryan's system took hold.
The son of former NFL head coach Buddy Ryan still has one year left on his contract with Cleveland but the Browns will go in a different direction now that Pat Shurmur has been named head coach. It's believed Shurmur will ask Dick Jauron to assume the defensive coordinator position with the Browns.
The next step is to see what shape the Cowboys' defensive staff takes under Ryan. The departure of Pasqualoni leaves an opening on the defensive line. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring has been denied permission to speak to Houston where he would join former Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, but that could change if Ryan has someone else in mind for the position.
Dave Campo and Brett Maxie coach the secondary and remain under contract to the club, but their status is also subject to change.