Rob Ryan to Return to Saints: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

While the honeymoon phase with the New Orleans Saints and Rob Ryan is over, his tenure is not. Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) reported Wednesday that Ryan will stay on as defensive coordinator for the 2015 season, ending weeks of speculation about his status:

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Rob Ryan's job is "safe" and he will remain the New Orleans Saints' defensive coordinator for the 2015 season, according to a source familiar with the situation.

However, the source added, there are looming changes to the defensive coaching staff as well as personnel on that side of the ball. Within the past few days the Saints already have parted ways with three assistants, longtime tight ends coach Terry Malone, receivers coach Henry Ellard and assistant secondary coach Andre Curtis.

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Holder and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported the thinking behind the decision:

The Saints went 7-9 this season with regressions on both sides of the ball. Drew Brees was closer to steadily good than superb, though he got better in the second half. New Orleans' offense finished eighth in Football Outsiders' DVOA metric and had entire stretches of stalled play.

But the real problems came on defense, where Ryan consistently failed to recapture the magic of 2013. Equipped with a revamped lineup that included high-priced safety Jairus Byrd and vital returning faces, the Saints came into 2014 expecting their best all-around team since their Super Bowl run in 2009.

Instead, they again regressed into a more typically hapless form. New Orleans ranked as one of the worst defenses in football all season, a bottom-five unit against the run and pass, according to DVOA. Ryan's propensity for generating a pass rush was nowhere to be found, as the Saints brought down opposing quarterbacks just 34 times. In 2013, buoyed by Ryan's blitz-heavy scheme, New Orleans had the NFL's fourth-highest sack total (49).

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Many in the New Orleans area took to blaming Ryan for the team's defensive struggles. His expressive nature and complex schemes were the rage in 2013 when they were working, but many Saints fans quickly grew tired of the act when it wasn't. Ryan nonetheless had the public support of his players, who attempted to deflect blame as his seat warmed.    

"We’re running the same scheme (as last season). Impossible, you can’t blame him. It’s the players. And we have to get things corrected, and we have to be way more disciplined," linebacker Junior Galette told reporters. "Every single person on defense has had their hand in that jar of making mistakes. Some more than others, but it doesn’t matter. That’s not what counts here. You’re part of the reason, including myself." 

Player support is one thing. Success is another. And while Ryan's successes have often been emphatic, so have his failures. In Ryan's 11 NFL seasons as a defensive coordinator, he's only had two top-10 defenses in terms of yardage and one in terms of points allowed. His schemes can at times work wonders against opposing quarterbacks but have too often left opponents wide-open rushing lanes.

Of the two Ryan brothers, it's undoubtedly Rex who has the more consistent resume. Rob has bounced around to four defensive coordinator jobs in his NFL tenure and has often left when his units have fallen apart. 

It'll be interesting to see how things work out now that the Saints have given him one more shot. 

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