Rob Ryan Doesn't Fit with the St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams and their fans still sit in limbo concerning the rumors that former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will take the same position on their coaching staff in 2013. Many questions will still remain even if Ryan does eventually come to St. Louis and take the position. Here are just a few things that could be less than positive if Ryan were to land with the Rams.

3-4 DEFENSE

Obviously the 3-4 alignment is a staple of the Ryan family from Buddy Ryan’s days with the Chicago Bears, Rex Ryan’s time with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets, and Rob Ryan’s time with the Cleveland Browns and in Dallas. The main concern here is that the Rams don’t have to personnel to fit that scheme. Defensive ends Robert Quinn and Chris Long are much better suited for the 4-3 alignment as are defensive tackle Michael Brockers and inside linebacker James Laurinaitis. Clearly players that are this talented can excel in any type of system, but one has to wonder which would be compromised: Ryan’s philosophies or the team’s current make-up?

PUMP UP THE VOLUME

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and Ryan has quite a loud, enigmatic personality that could really conflict with some in the locker room. Historically as a coach, Jeff Fisher has preferred to play things closer to the vest and let the play out on the field do the talking. Ryan could quickly step on some toes and get under the skin of the others in authoritative positions.

YOUTH MOVEMENT

As we heard several times in 2012, the Rams have the youngest roster in the NFL. This is kind of like the parent that goes out and berates a restaurant employee in front of their child because their steak is medium-well instead of medium-rare. That sort of behavior rubs off on an impressionable team. The last thing the Rams need is a personality that stunts the growth of their young talent on defense by belittling them repeatedly and making them less inspired to play hard.

While their may be plenty of reasons to connect the dots and think that this hiring may still happen, it won’t be the right move for the Rams. This team fared quite well without a definitive defensive coordinator a year ago and with Fisher running the show that could easily be the case again in 2013. Adding Ryan into the mix would just be asking for trouble and if the Rams organization were wise, they would try to avoid that at all costs.

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