Rob Ryan Comments on Being Fired by Saints, Rips Team's Defensive Scheme

Rob Ryan's three-year tenure as defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints went into a steep decline after a strong start in 2013, though he seems to have found a reason why things fell apart so quickly.  

Speaking to Jenny Vrentas of TheMMQB.com, Ryan said in all of his years as a defensive coach "there are two years that don’t have my signature on them, and it’s the last two years in New Orleans. And that’s just the truth."

When Ryan was asked if that meant Saints head coach Sean Payton was forcing him to run a different system, he clarified his remarks:

"

No, I’m not going to say I was “forced.” I advanced the plan to the best of my ability. All of a sudden, we let some good players go; we changed the system after we finished fourth in the league in defense. I don’t know, it just seems strange to me. But I have a lot to prove, and I’m going to prove it. And that’s why I came to Buffalo, to be “all in,” right here. People can throw stones, but we will be throwing them back at them. They better be watching out.

"

Ryan also said that he felt like he was "sitting on my hands" because the Saints decided they wanted to emulate Seattle's defense, which has been the benchmark for every NFL team over the last five years. He acknowledged that "everyone wants to run Seattle’s defense," and if that's the case, the Saints "should have hired a Seattle coach."

As for what Ryan would have done differently if he could go back in time, he explained that a meeting with Payton would be a good place to start:

"

I should have gone into Sean and talked to him. Sean is a good person. I didn't, and I just let it happen, so I deserve what I got. Look, I have been fired before. But I get pissed in New Orleans because I know I am better than that. I am a way better coach than I was allowed to be, and that's just the truth.

Oh, we are dead last in defense. Well, yeah, you are going to be dead last playing this bulls--- defense. But it is my fault because I didn't say anything. I never stood up and said, "F you, I ain't coaching this." I promise you I'd say it now.

"

Payton did appear on PFT Live Friday morning and responded to Ryan's comments, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk: 

"

The idea that it wasn’t his defense, or he wasn’t in charge of it, is silly. When you’re struggling as bad as we’re struggling for two years, and some of the same problems keep coming up — you know, 10 guys on the field — those are things that just are hard to live with

"

The decline in performance from New Orleans' defense from Ryan's first year in 2013 and his final season last year was stark:

Season	Total Defense Rank	Passing Yards Allowed	Rushing Yards Allowed	PPG Allowed
2013	4th	194.1 (2nd)	111.6 (19th)	19 (4th)
2014	31st	251.2 (25th)	132.8 (29th)	26.5 (28th)
2015	31st	284.0 (31st)	129.8 (31st)	29.8 (32nd)

Whenever there is a drop-off like the one the Saints have endured over the last two years, someone has to be the scapegoat. Ryan took the fall in New Orleans, but several factors were at play beyond who was coordinating the defense. 

Even with the rising salary cap, the Saints have been running over that number for two years. As Bill Barnwell wrote for Grantland in December 2014, the Saints "were about as all in to win in 2014 as a team can be."

Free-agent signings such as Jairus Byrd, who received $28 million guaranteed, and Brandon Browner have not panned out. The Saints lost key defensive players such as Junior Galette—he was released because Payton acknowledged more expected more of him off the field—which also impacted their performance. 

There is only so much that a coach can do if the talent isn't there. The Saints have had to make several necessary cost-cutting decisions in the last two years because of their salary-cap woes. 

Ryan, who is now working as an assistant coach under brother Rex Ryan in Buffalo, has every right to express his frustration with how things played out in New Orleans. It won't win him any friends with the Saints, but his reputation was tarnished due to the front office's failings to keep his system in place and retain high-end talent for him to work with.