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http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2013/12/new_orleans_saints_defensive_c_50.html
New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan referred to the sequence of events from being fired by the Dallas Cowboys, hired by the Rams, quitting the Rams and being hired by the Saints as "kind of a complicated thing" Friday afternoon with the Saints preparing to face the Rams on Sunday in St. Louis.
A vacationing Ryan received word of his firing as Cowboys defensive coordinator while in Turks and Caicos as the news broke Jan. 9. Ryan said Friday the first call he made was to his brother Rex, coach of the Jets.
Rob told his brother during that phone call, "What the hell happened here? This is a joke."
The next call Rob Ryan made was to then-Saints offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, who would be hired Jan. 16 by the Bears as their offensive coordinator.
"I said, 'Hey man, I don't know what's going to happen there, but can you talk to Sean (Payton)?' Well he couldn't," Rob Ryan said. "Nobody could. So I was like damn because that would be the perfect spot for me."
At the time of the phone call, there was no opening for a defensive coordinator in New Orleans.
The league officially reinstated Payton on Jan. 22. Payton made his way to Mobile, Ala., to meet with his staff at the Senior Bowl on Jan. 23. Payton fired Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator Jan. 24.
"I'm not sure when that move was made, but absolutely, you know, this (the Saints) was a job I wanted," Ryan said Friday.
Meanwhile, Ryan accepted the defensive coordinator position to work under Jeff Fisher with the Rams and the news broke Jan. 25. Ryan then balked at the Rams' job and the team released the news of Ryan's departure Jan. 29.
"Getting fired in Dallas was a shock to my system, and I was a little pissed off," Ryan said. "I took a job with the Rams and hadn't had anything signed and then just from being there and finding out the direction of how they wanted to do things, it was my obligation not only to me but to them to just walk away and look for something different."
Ryan added: "I've been in the business long enough to ... You know, I'd moved my family ... What really came into my decision was this was going to be my fourth stop in five years. So, whatever it was, to me I wanted the perfect situation. I wanted to coach a defense that I'm an expert at, and I know I'm damn good. But I want to do the best job I could do. I was tired of moving around every single year, every two years, and ...
"In this business you have to be fully in. You're either all the way in or not. For me, hell, I'm an all-the-way-in coach. No one's going to work longer than I do. I'm going to prepare as hard as I can, and with that situation, it was just I don't think I can fully commit to something that wasn't exactly what I believe in, despite having great people in the building."
Payton interviewed University of Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham on Feb. 7 and Ryan on Feb. 8. Ryan's hiring was announced a day later.
"The scheme fit (in St. Louis) was more of a 4-3," Ryan said. "I just didn't get the right vibe and I thought to myself I was already mad about the Dallas situation, and you know what, this is the best thing to do for me to do and for them, for me to walk away, wait for the perfect opportunity to come because I knew I was going to get one.
"Wherever it was going to be, I was going to get one because I believe in myself, then, hell, whatever it was, one week, two weeks later, I got the call to come interview here and this is the situation I was dreaming of."
Fisher said earlier this week Ryan "made a commitment" to coaching the Rams, but didn't have any hard feelings with Ryan's decision to leave. Obviously the Saints have reaped the benefits as New Orleans' defense has undergone a massive turnaround under Ryan's tutelage.
"I know he is a guy that is coaching with passion, and I know our players each week are excited for the game plan and practicing it during the week," Payton said. "I don't go back and make statistical comparisons just from the mere fact that so much is different.
"I think our approach has been really looking ahead to how we can improve, how we can win and how we can play complementary football so the offense, the defense and the kicking game are all on the same page to how we need to win a certain game. I think that transition with Rob has been outstanding.
"I think the staff on defense, the players, all those guys are excited each week to get the game plan and get a good week of work in. I think that formula, that process has been good."
New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan referred to the sequence of events from being fired by the Dallas Cowboys, hired by the Rams, quitting the Rams and being hired by the Saints as "kind of a complicated thing" Friday afternoon with the Saints preparing to face the Rams on Sunday in St. Louis.
A vacationing Ryan received word of his firing as Cowboys defensive coordinator while in Turks and Caicos as the news broke Jan. 9. Ryan said Friday the first call he made was to his brother Rex, coach of the Jets.
Rob told his brother during that phone call, "What the hell happened here? This is a joke."
The next call Rob Ryan made was to then-Saints offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, who would be hired Jan. 16 by the Bears as their offensive coordinator.
"I said, 'Hey man, I don't know what's going to happen there, but can you talk to Sean (Payton)?' Well he couldn't," Rob Ryan said. "Nobody could. So I was like damn because that would be the perfect spot for me."
At the time of the phone call, there was no opening for a defensive coordinator in New Orleans.
The league officially reinstated Payton on Jan. 22. Payton made his way to Mobile, Ala., to meet with his staff at the Senior Bowl on Jan. 23. Payton fired Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator Jan. 24.
"I'm not sure when that move was made, but absolutely, you know, this (the Saints) was a job I wanted," Ryan said Friday.
Meanwhile, Ryan accepted the defensive coordinator position to work under Jeff Fisher with the Rams and the news broke Jan. 25. Ryan then balked at the Rams' job and the team released the news of Ryan's departure Jan. 29.
"Getting fired in Dallas was a shock to my system, and I was a little pissed off," Ryan said. "I took a job with the Rams and hadn't had anything signed and then just from being there and finding out the direction of how they wanted to do things, it was my obligation not only to me but to them to just walk away and look for something different."
Ryan added: "I've been in the business long enough to ... You know, I'd moved my family ... What really came into my decision was this was going to be my fourth stop in five years. So, whatever it was, to me I wanted the perfect situation. I wanted to coach a defense that I'm an expert at, and I know I'm damn good. But I want to do the best job I could do. I was tired of moving around every single year, every two years, and ...
"In this business you have to be fully in. You're either all the way in or not. For me, hell, I'm an all-the-way-in coach. No one's going to work longer than I do. I'm going to prepare as hard as I can, and with that situation, it was just I don't think I can fully commit to something that wasn't exactly what I believe in, despite having great people in the building."
Payton interviewed University of Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham on Feb. 7 and Ryan on Feb. 8. Ryan's hiring was announced a day later.
"The scheme fit (in St. Louis) was more of a 4-3," Ryan said. "I just didn't get the right vibe and I thought to myself I was already mad about the Dallas situation, and you know what, this is the best thing to do for me to do and for them, for me to walk away, wait for the perfect opportunity to come because I knew I was going to get one.
"Wherever it was going to be, I was going to get one because I believe in myself, then, hell, whatever it was, one week, two weeks later, I got the call to come interview here and this is the situation I was dreaming of."
Fisher said earlier this week Ryan "made a commitment" to coaching the Rams, but didn't have any hard feelings with Ryan's decision to leave. Obviously the Saints have reaped the benefits as New Orleans' defense has undergone a massive turnaround under Ryan's tutelage.
"I know he is a guy that is coaching with passion, and I know our players each week are excited for the game plan and practicing it during the week," Payton said. "I don't go back and make statistical comparisons just from the mere fact that so much is different.
"I think our approach has been really looking ahead to how we can improve, how we can win and how we can play complementary football so the offense, the defense and the kicking game are all on the same page to how we need to win a certain game. I think that transition with Rob has been outstanding.
"I think the staff on defense, the players, all those guys are excited each week to get the game plan and get a good week of work in. I think that formula, that process has been good."
