Rex Ryan‘s first season as head coach of the Buffalo Bills didn’t exactly go as planned. The Bills missed the playoffs at 8-8, and the defense that filled Ryan with so much braggadocio over the summer looked like anything but an impregnable unit.
In efforts to change things for the 2016 NFL campaign, the Bills have hired his twin brother, Rob Ryan, as the team’s “Assistant Head Coach/Defense.”
IT’S OFFICIAL: Rob Ryan has been hired as Bills assistant head coach/defense. Details: https://t.co/tdxA3387Wo pic.twitter.com/HNwkImRvHk
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) January 11, 2016
Rob was the New Orleans Saints‘ defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. He was fired by New Orleans back in November after the Saints had essentially showcased one of the three worst defenses in the NFL to that point.
Rex released a statement via Buffalo’s official website.
“I’m excited to have Rob join our staff and I think he will be a great asset for our defense. He has a tremendous working knowledge of our schemes and I look forward to his input,” said Head Coach Rex Ryan. “On a personal note, it’s been a number of years since we have worked together and so we are both really looking forward to this opportunity.”
After Rob was fired by New Orleans, he took a trip up to Buffalo and spent some time around Rex’s team. According to Rex, the visit left quite the impression on his brother.
“He was around for several days and he really, really liked the players that we have, and you know and sees what we are building,” said Ryan. “And he has been around a lot of teams. So I think he was impressed with this organization.”
On the surface, given how poorly things have gone for Rob over the past few years, this doesn’t seem like an incredibly wise football decision by Buffalo. However, there’s no denying both Rex and Rob are among the brightest defensive minds in the NFL, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the hiring turned out to be a wise gamble.
