New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan
Conference Call with Local Media
Friday, October 23, 2015
I'd like to talk about Delvin Breaux and his workout with the Saints going all the way back to January. I know Sean Payton has said that it was the best workout that he had ever seen. What do you remember about that workout?
"It was kind of freakish because he is really a good-sized kid. He is really put together, and then you see him move and he had movement skills of an elite small corner. This kid has great feet and he has great hips. He is fluid. He plucked every ball. It was a phenomenal workout. It was one that left you scratching your head. It was unbelievable. He has been a better player than the workout. He has really been outstanding."
You and Crime Dog (Wesley McGriff) had to put on your recruiting hats to help get him to sign, right?
"I think Crime Dog's the best recruiter in the history of college football so I'm sure he had a hell of a lot more to do with it than me. After we saw him, it was like good God we can't let this guy go. He was outstanding. He's also a great person. I think Mickey (Loomis) deserves a hand for that because he brought him in here and the talent was obvious."
It was obvious against Atlanta that you fear Julio Jones most with their passing game; is Indianapolis one of the teams that spreads you out with the most depth in the receiving game?
"I think so. Indy has all kinds of excellent receivers, (including) the kid they drafted this year, like they need another one (Phillip Dorsett). They are loaded. Our guys are excited for the challenge. We know that they have an elite receiving corps and obviously an elite quarterback (Andrew Luck). This will be a great test for us but we're excited and we're ready to go out, compete and get a win."
How much does it help when the Saints get an early lead and force the other team into passing situations? Sean (Payton) was saying that when the other team has to pass it, it makes it so much easier to be able to rush the passer.
"I think so, there's no question it does. You get to tee off and get your best pass rush moves. You are not having to play technique and things like that before you go. You just get off the ball and those are always fun times, to watch your defense play with a big lead. You have to work hard to get that and when it does happen though, it is obviously much easier to play defense."
Why do you think you have had issues stopping the run this year?
"We have to do better. We have to focus on the little details. We have had guys that have missed time. (Dannell) Ellerbe made 13 tackles in about a half last week. It was remarkable. When you consider that we actually didn't have any padded practices that week, made it more unbelievable. With that said, we still need to play the run better than we did. (Devonte) Freeman is a good back but at 10 yards a carry or whatever he rushed for, that's not going to beat anybody. We have to make sure we're on point. We spent extra time doing that. It's going to be corrected. It needs to show up this week for sure."
You have excelled on getting off of the field on third down this season which is in stark contrast to last season. Where does that improvement come from? What is the key for you getting off of the field this year?
"We have some excellent secondary players that we've added. They really show up there. I think Dennis Allen deserves a huge credit. I think he does an excellent job communicating with that secondary. We paint a picture for our guys, what routes we are going to expect and present them to the guys. He does a fantastic job so not only have we added great players but we have added a special talent as a coach. He does a fantastic job. Just like when you have Bryan Young helping Bill Johnson with the pass rush. Those little details that people may not see are huge and they make us better. I think he deserves a lot of that credit."
How well do you know Chuck Pagano and what do you remember about working with him 10 years ago?
"We worked together for two years. He's like the best person in the world. Everybody knows that he is one of the top five coaches in the league. He's fantastic. He deserves that job that he got and he's been tremendous at it. (I'm) so proud of his success. We worked really well together in Oakland. He is really sharp, is a great communicator and players love him. He's a coach's kid, kind of like how Rex and I are. He loves the game, the hours and everything about it. He breeds confidence and bred confidence in our defense. People can say well, he never won any games there. Well, if you look at that defense, we finished second or third in the league in total defense (and) number one on third down. He was a gigantic part of our success. He's a better person than he's a coach. He's as good of a man as there is. He's just outstanding people and that is why I'm so proud of his success and I am so happy for him. It doesn't shock me at all that he has been a wonderful head coach. He's got a hell of a sense of humor. The guy's funny as he can be. When he had to overcome Leukemia, I think everybody that knew him was really touched by that. Man, we were fighting like hell for him, and with him. He has gone through tons of stuff. He had that, he has had heart issues and hell, he has had buzzing in his ears. It is the truth. People don't know about the buzzing of the ears. This guy has been through so much stuff and when you meet him, you would never think that there is anything that upsets him. It is unbelievable. He is such a positive person and such a great guy to be around. He is awesome."
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