Rob Ryan Discusses His Time With Saints, Calls It A 'waste of time'

In an interview with Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB, former Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan talked about his last two seasons in New Orleans. During those two seasons the Saints finished 32nd and 28th in the NFL in points allowed...

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“I have always been a guy who is going to work my tail off, and I think I have always advanced the head coach’s plan,” he said. “But at the end of the day, the last two years in New Orleans were a waste of time for me.

“I need to be in a multiple system. I was hired to be in a multiple system in New Orleans, and I did a damn good job and got fired for it. I am more hungry now than I have ever been.”

“The only thing I regret is two years ago, when this [scheme change] was going to happen, I should have gone into Sean [Payton] and talked to him,” Ryan said. “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.”

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Then head coach Sean Payton commented on PFT Live Friday morning...

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“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.”

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(Yardbarker)