Rob Ryan Fired by Saints: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton announced that the team fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan on Monday, per Garland Gillen of Fox 8.

FoxSports.com's Alex Marvez first reported the news Monday morning. However, Payton denied the report at the time, according to Ramon Antonio Vargas of the New Orleans Advocate. 

Dennis Allen will take over the defensive coordinator role, according to ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen (via ESPN.com's Adam Schefter). 

"We made a change, and it just didn't time up with when I was meeting with the media," said Payton, per Joel A. Erickson of the Advocate. 

"I'm sorry it didn't work out for Rob. He's a terrific staff guy," said Payton regarding Ryan, per Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com.

The move doesn't come as much of a surprise. The Saints are giving up a league-worst 424.7 yards and 31.5 points per game, and they are on pace to allow 45 touchdown passes this season. That would shatter the previous record of 40 touchdown passes allowed by the Denver Broncos in 1963, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

New Orleans has already given up 28 touchdown passes in just 10 games, and Cian Fahey of Bleacher Report thinks the team probably should have fired Ryan sooner:

"

Rob Ryan has been stealing a living for a while. Saints defense has been horrendous for a long time.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) November 16, 2015"

Ryan, 52, has had stints as a defensive coordinator with the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Saints. But whether it was a lack of quality personnel, a faulty scheme or simply a combination of the two, Ryan's tenure with the Saints was particularly rough.

Payton and Ryan have been seen on multiple occasions having heated arguments on the sideline, and it was somewhat surprising that he was retained after last season. 

Ryan has a long pedigree in the NFL, so it's unlikely he'll be without a job for long, even if his next gig isn't as a defensive coordinator. Allen, meanwhile, will have his work cut out for him, as the team's defense is a mess, and rebuilding it on the fly will be a major task.