Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has said that he’s the best at what he does. Lately, he hasn’t been doing it very well.
He vows, as he and his twin brother are inclined to do, to turn it around.
Per the Associated Press, Ryan welcomes the blame for defensive collapses the last two weeks. “And I will get it fixed,” Ryan said.
His plan to fix the late-game struggles includes watching game film as an entire defensive unit, instead of in position groups, and a new system for signaling plays in from the sidelines during a two-minute drill.
“I think we’ll think better in that situation and hopefully the game slows down,” Ryan said. “Because right now, it’s too fast for us at the end of the game.”
To his credit, Ryan points out that none of the blame for the performance of the defense should land on the lap of coach Jason Garrett. “I’m the boss of this unit,” Ryan said. “That is what you hired me for to get things fixed because things weren’t great last year. I’m proud of the job we have done here, the way we have coached and also the way we have played.”
Fine, but Garrett hired Ryan. So if the defense under Ryan fails, Garrett should be blamed for entrusting the defense to Ryan.
Things should get easier this weekend, when the Cowboys face the Buccaneers. It’ll change in Weeks 16 and 17, when the Cowboys face the Eagles and the Giants again.
