Rob Ryan is Impressed with How Quickly New Orleans Saints Veterans are Learning System (Transcript) (1 Viewer)

[Dan in Lafayette]

New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan
Media Availability Transcript
Thursday, May 30, 2013

It’s interesting that we are trying to figure out who is playing which position here and it looked like today’s practice illustrated a lot of sub packages. Would you say you saw a lot of guys doing a lot different things?

“Most of it is looking correct (digesting the defense). There were a couple of mistakes out there where we really looked exotic. The thing I have been the most impressed about is our veterans and how quickly they’ve picked things up. Guys have position flexibility all through this roster. There are so many talented guys here but, the veterans in particular (have impressed me). The Will Smith’s, the (Jonathan)Vilmas, Curtis Lofton, and Roman Harper. I’ve been really impressed with how much these guys love football, how much they study, and what quick learners they are. It’s really been impressive.”

Smith and Vilma are two guys in particular that obviously had to make some concessions to stay with this team, but obviously two guys who you came in and said you wanted to keep working with. What have you seen from them so far?

“(It was also) higher up then just me saying (it). Obviously Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton wanted these guys around and this is the first experience that I have had being around Will Smith, (Jonathan) Vilma, Roman Harper and these excellent veterans. Like I said, I’ve been so impressed with their work ethic, their attention to detail, and being students of the game and (the fact that) they love football, so it’s going really well.”

More - Official Site

 

[kdwwms]

Nice, like one of the other coaches said, it's basically the same defense. What it does is fit our current roster better.

 

[SebaSaint]

This is a stark contrast from Spagnuolo who basically trashed our guys. I like Rob, he's good guy. I think his energy and enthusiasm will carry over well with the team. I'm looking forward to a similar impact as 3G's first year... I think that was... um... 2009... we did pretty good that year from what I recall.

 

[JackDiesel]

Hopefully he's equally impressed by their skill and athletiscm and not just their love for the game and ability to be coached.

 

[MarkIngramfan16]

Im glad to here we are making progress this has me to believe we will go all the way this year

 

[renegadewa]

I think Ryan is way more a players coach than Greg Williams ever was or ever will be.

With Ryan it will be fun to play ball as opposed to Greg Williams approach of if you don't do it my way you get cursed out like a dog and then you get your severed head handed to you!!

If players start to not liking a coach and questioning his decisions things start to head south in a hurry as evidenced the past couple of seasons!!

 

[CanadaSaint2006]

Hopefully he's equally impressed by their skill and athletiscm and not just their love for the game and ability to be coached.

Bingo. Skill and athleticism will win games. We will know when we see who makes the roster, I guess.

 

[Blaz3nDr0]

New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan
Media Availability Transcript
Thursday, May 30, 2013

It’s interesting that we are trying to figure out who is playing which position here and it looked like today’s practice illustrated a lot of sub packages. Would you say you saw a lot of guys doing a lot different things?

“Most of it is looking correct (digesting the defense). There were a couple of mistakes out there where we really looked exotic. The thing I have been the most impressed about is our veterans and how quickly they’ve picked things up. Guys have position flexibility all through this roster. There are so many talented guys here but, the veterans in particular (have impressed me). The Will Smith’s, the (Jonathan)Vilmas, Curtis Lofton, and Roman Harper. I’ve been really impressed with how much these guys love football, how much they study, and what quick learners they are. It’s really been impressive.”

Smith and Vilma are two guys in particular that obviously had to make some concessions to stay with this team, but obviously two guys who you came in and said you wanted to keep working with. What have you seen from them so far?

“(It was also) higher up then just me saying (it). Obviously Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton wanted these guys around and this is the first experience that I have had being around Will Smith, (Jonathan) Vilma, Roman Harper and these excellent veterans. Like I said, I’ve been so impressed with their work ethic, their attention to detail, and being students of the game and (the fact that) they love football, so it’s going really well.”

More - Official Site

Hopefully this lives up to a decent defense and not just a bottom of the pile like we're use to.

 

[Saint Kamara]

Let's hope they "love" football enough to play well for us.

 

[Who Date Demi]

Ryan please teach our boys how to Tackle,and tackle hard!!! However, it's encouraging to hear Ryan is impressed.

 

[CitySaint]

Spagnuolo said basically the same thing early on last year. The veterans are picking things up so quickly.... This group has digested my playbook faster than any defensive group I've had... yada yada yada. How clueless did the defensive players mostly veterans look last year on defense?

When GW was here his first year you could see the aggression, attitude, and hustle early on, if RR can't get that going I don't know how much anything else will matter.

 

[ASaintFerLife]

Ryan please teach our boys how to Tackle,and tackle hard!!! However, it's encouraging to hear Ryan is impressed.

Agreed, the 3G systems seemed to being to show its flaws, or maybe misuse of players talents in the wrong positions at the wrong time.

In other words, we blitzed often, teams knew this, and then proceeded to burn us in the secondary with weak CB left to defend alone.

Rob cant do that, or maybe he can now with better chess pieces on the field. I think Greer is still a good CB, and with the additions in the secondary we have a better shot.

What seemed to me, was that as Greg got more and more blitz happy, other teams figured how to defend against it and usually picked up our rush successfully.

Now, Spags, it seems took the team Entirely in a new direction, and the players didn't fit.

I like how Rob has come in and requested the players he needed and got them in FA and the draft.

In the end, and to be fair to Spags, he didn't get the benefit of being around the HC, that obviously didn't help him, nor could Sean be there to correct him.

 

[Saint_Ward]

I wonder what Ryan means when he says Vitt never coached defense last year. Is being a LB coach not coaching Defense? Or just meaning that he was stuck on HC duties that he couldn't do much with the defense?

 

[diehardfan]

I wonder what Ryan means when he says Vitt never coached defense last year. Is being a LB coach not coaching Defense? Or just meaning that he was stuck on HC duties that he couldn't do much with the defense?

He's talking about Vitt first being suspended, then having to assume the head coaching role (at least that's what I thought).

 

[slikk]

that's great they picking it up.. now executing it during game time is another..