After the regular season ended, Saints coach Sean Payton didn’t have anything to say about the status of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. On Tuesday, during a mandatory end-of-season press conference, G.M. Mickey Loomis likewise had nothing to say about Ryan’s potential return.
According to Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times Picayune, Ryan will be returning in 2015.
Ryan was criticized throughout the season, as the Saints defense plunged from No. 4 in 2013 to No. 31 in 2014. But Payton stuck with Ryan, dismissing a report from CBS that Ryan was on his way out.
Declared Jason La Canfora of CBS on November 30: “The relationship between Saints head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has been rapidly deteriorating this season, with it privately acknowledged within the team’s headquarters that the men strongly dislike each other and a change is inevitable this offseason.”
According to Holder, other changes are now inevitable on defense, with members of the coaching staff not named Rob Ryan and players expected to be gone.
As a practical matter, the move means there won’t be a Ryan twin reunion in 2015. If Rob had been fired and if Rex gets a head-coaching job, Rex could have hired him.
Of course, there’s still a chance that Rob will try to get out of New Orleans, if Rex is hired elsewhere. Six year ago, there was talking (or at least joking) of an effort by Rex to get Rob away from the Browns, after Rex became head coach of the Jets. Two years ago, Rob notoriously bolted on the Rams to go work for the Saints.
Things could get interesting -- and potentially ugly -- if Rex becomes the head coach of the Falcons and Rob decides he wants to make the jump from New Orleans to Atlanta.
