Raiders' Ryan takes responsibility for Week 1 debacle

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killahoe666

killahoe666

Sicc OG
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May 3, 2002
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ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan insists there are no problems between him and Lane Kiffin but bristled at suggestions by the head coach that owner Al Davis is involved in the weekly game plans.

A day after Kiffin distanced himself from the defense in the aftermath of Oakland's 41-14 loss to Denver in Monday's season opener, Ryan accepted full responsibility for the Raiders' dismal defensive performance. He tried to deflect attention away from his players during a colorful and animated 18-minute tirade.


Brian Bahr / Getty Images
Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan accepted blame for his unit's lackluster performance in Week 1.

"That's all on me. I put the game plan in, I run the defense, and it's all on me," Ryan said Thursday. "I just want to set it straight because I've been here five years and I don't think people necessarily have the right story.

"I'm disappointed, but I just wanted to tell my side of the story for once because there's so many other things that come out where I have to read it and take it and I just want the truth as I know the truth."

The entire Raiders organization was left searching for answers following the lopsided loss to the Broncos in front of a sellout crowd at McAfee Coliseum and a national television audience.

With a young quarterback in JaMarcus Russell, an offensive line that surrendered 41 sacks last season and an injury-plagued receiving corps, many expected Oakland to struggle offensively this year. Defensively, though, the Raiders seemed set.

Instead, after spending nearly $170 million to sign players like defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Nnamdi Asomugha and safety Gibril Wilson, Oakland's defense was taken apart methodically and convincingly by Denver quarterback Jay Cutler.

Cutler passed for 299 yards and two touchdowns and, most significantly, did not get sacked once. In a statistical rarity, the Raiders also failed to register a single quarterback hurry or knock down a pass from Cutler.

That led to a flurry of questions for Kiffin, who was asked why the team didn't blitz more in an effort to knock Cutler out of his comfort zone.

"Rob and the owner (Davis) are always in communication," Kiffin said Wednesday. "For the most part, I let Rob do his thing over there. He has a belief in certain things and he has a conversation with the owner about that. So, that wasn't the way the game plan ended up the other night."

Control of the defense was one of the issues that came between Davis and Kiffin in the offseason. Kiffin wanted to change coordinators but Davis insisted that Ryan stay on board. That dispute led Davis to send Kiffin a letter of resignation to sign, but the coach refused and is back for a second season.

In training camp, Ryan insisted his relationship with Kiffin was fine, a point he reiterated Thursday.

"(Heck) yeah," Ryan said. "I've worked, it seems, like 100 years in coaching ... and you have a chain of command and the head coach is in charge. He's in charge and I'm sure he's just as disappointed in me in the way things went Monday night and the job that I did. That's just the way it is. I've never had a problem with authority. I was brought up right and I always respect authority.

Rob Ryan,
Oakland Raiders

Career bio:
Born: Dec. 13, 1962
Pro debut: 1994 (Cards)
Raiders debut: 2004

» See all the Raiders assistants "We have communication, but understand, my job's to be the defensive coordinator, and Lane's the head coach. He's got a million hats; I've only got one. Eventually the whole thing comes down to me being a better coach and doing a better job."

Ryan bristled, however, at suggestions he meets with Davis -- the team's 79-year-old owner -- on a weekly basis to go over the Raiders' defensive game plans.

"I meet with Mr. Davis in the offseason," Ryan said. "That thing is just (wrong), and I want to make sure you got it right. I meet with the owner in the offseason. He's the boss, he's the man that hired me, and that's been well-documented. I don't meet with him on game plans or come up with all this. It's amazing when things like this come out when we have a bad week. Put it on me, that's where it belongs. I'm the man that runs the defense.

"That's what I'm up here for. We have to bounce back. It's not one of my players. It's me right here, all on me."

Notes: LT Kwame Harris (knee), DE Derrick Burgess (shoulder) and SS Gibril Wilson (elbow) were all held out of practice. Harris and Burgess participated in the walkthrough portion of practice but were kept out of the rest of the workout. ... If Harris is unable to play against Kansas City, second-year tackle Mario Henderson will make his first NFL start.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press


http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80abb247&template=with-video&confirm=true
 
Meta4iCAL

Meta4iCAL

Raider Nation
#2
Feb 21, 2005
19,635
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#2
well at least he's admitting it was his fault.. although I don't think it was 100% his fault, the players coulda stepped a lot more...

now let's see if he can do somthin about it

put SOME pressure on the QB Ryan!!!! Please!!!!

and I know Harris isn't great, but I hope Mario Henderson doesn't play....
 
Meta4iCAL

Meta4iCAL

Raider Nation
#9
Feb 21, 2005
19,635
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#9
Solitary 1 said:
FIRE ROB RYAN IMMEDIATELY. EVEN IF WE WIN IN KC.
Click to expand...
I agree

it won't happen though

you guys see Ryan on TV today all pissed off talkin to the press

I think bad things are ahead... it's lookin funky between Kiffin and Ryan... and if Al is gonna take anyone's side it's gonna be Ryan for sure
 
Meta4iCAL

Meta4iCAL

Raider Nation
#10
Feb 21, 2005
19,635
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#10
Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan wanted to set the record straight, so he stood at the podium and launched into an 18-minute press session that was dotted with expletives and was largely a monologue, managing to answer most questions before they were even asked.

I’ll edit out the swear words, but nothing else, as Ryan takes full responsibility for the team’s defensive performance in Week 1 and denies the weekly involvement of Al Davis when it comes to specifics and game-planning:

Q: How are you doing?

Ryan: Who asked that question? A little bit rough, OK? Just working extra hard and I want to make sure that we give our guys the best chance to play well, obviously we had an embarrassing loss, didn’t have good defense, we were expecting great things, and it didn’t work out. Is it going to look like this for 16 weeks? I know it’s not. However it came to be, we didn’t play well, and that’s just the way it is.

Q: How do you approach it, take ‘em apart, encourage them, both?

Ryan: You’ve got to do both. The thing is, I’ve been in this business a long time, I’m a professional, I’ve dealt with bad losses before. Nobody wants to see you when you’re going over that tape and you have to point things out, but you’ve got to get it done to move on, to do the right thing. Were we upset about our style of play? Yeah, it didn’t go well, and I’ve seen some comments out there, some days you guys aren’t perfect. I know you’re the best at your profession. I am too. I’m man enough to stay up here and say, `I didn’t have a good game.’ That’s kind of (bleeping) obvious. I’m sure there’s times where you put your work out there that sometimes it doesn’t work out like Pulitzer Prize stuff either. Only difference is, you guys, when you’re out there, you can hit spell check. After I call a bad one, I can’t hit spell check. That’s a big difference.

I’ve seen a lot of things out there, written, and there’s styles of play, guys, that are different. Our style of play is putting our players, which we have a strong belief in, to win one-on-one matchups and that’s how we’re best. Last year we lost six games by giving up one offensive touchdown, something like that. We’ve played Denver five times in a row, before last week, where we hold them to 19, 18 points a game, probably play them better than anybody does. So it didn’t go well. But I’ve seen Tampa, ah, let’s play Tampa. The three worst plays we had last week, we were in `2.’

There’s a lot of people that want to be experts at my job and I understand that, it comes with the territory and when the whole stadium is booing my name, I kind of got the message. Understand this, guys. There’s a chain of command that we have here in Oakland, and I’m just going to say it, that story is wrong and I usually don’t read the press, especially after a (expletive) game. But that’s all on me. I put the game plan in. I run the defense, and it’s all on me. The meeting with the owner, during the week _ I meet with Mr. Davis in the offseason, guys. That thing is just (BS) and I want to make sure you got it right. I meet with the owner in the offseason. He’s the boss, he’s the man that hired me, and that’s been well-documented. I don’t meet with him on game plans or come up with all this. Hell, it’s amazing when things like this come out when we have a bad week.

Let’s just be honest about it. Put it on me, that’s where it belongs. I’m the man that runs the defense. I’m the man that played Tampa 2 three times and went to (bleep). OK, that’s me. I’m that guy. I’m the guy that that had a max pressure in the teeth of max protection and they hit a triple move on our corner, DeAngelo Hall. That’s not on him. That’s on me, for just a poor call. So put it on me, and that’s OK. You guys do a great job, but if it’s just not right I just can’t not say anything.

It’s been too long. I’ve been here five years, and I’m just going to tell you how the mode of operation works. I’m hired to be the coordinator. That’s what I do. If it goes great, that’s great. If it goes like (bleep), you’ve still got the same damn guy up here. I’ll be the same guy up in front of you next week when we kick ass. But I’ll be the same guy if we stumble again. Hell, I’ve been through some tough times. Look at this (removes hat), I’ve got gray. This is that National (bleeping) Football League.You’re not going to be on point every week. Am I pissed off about Monday night? You’re damned right. It’s on me, and come on, guys, enough’s enough.

Hey, my last name is Ryan. Why aren’t you blitzing more? Well, a Ryan won’t even blitz _ and we will blitz _ but a Ryan won’t blitz in a max protection and all close receivers. Nor will anyone else. Nobody else will. The great documented Tampa coverage teams, and there’s some out there that had just as (expletive) weeks than I did. You can look ‘em up. Detroit, Tampa, Indianapolis. All of us lost.

Our style of play is what it is, and that’s me. That’s Rob Ryan’s style of play for our defense and for our players. Do we have great players? Yes. Every one of those guys, DeAngelo Hall, who seems to be under attack, Nnamdi Asomugha, who nobody gets a completion on. What, did they hit a hitch route on him? C’mon guys. Put it on me, let’s not make up some (BS). I’ve been here five years, let’s just get it out on the (bleeping) table, and get it done with. I’m man enough to do that.

Our whole team is disappointed. We have excellent players, guys working their ass off, and it didn’t go well. And I’m not telling you how to do your job because you guys are great journalists. (Bleep), we had one Ryan in journalism, my older brother, and that lasted for like two months because he’s a starving journalist, a football coach. Guys, I’ve been around this business a long time, the Ryans have six Super Bowls, I’ve won two of them, I’ve been on defenses that have been in the top one or in the top three, for sure, in run defense at least a couple of times, in pass defense — hell, I did that here — in total defense, in turnovers, in sacks. OK, come on.

I’m not some incompetent guy standing up here and I’m getting a little bit tired of this (bleep). Put it on me for a bad performance but it ain’t going to be that way every week, all right, and just come off our players. Just put it on me where it belongs and get off our players, OK?

Q: You are bothered because the players are under attack?

Ryan: Sure, you’re damned right. It’s all on me.

Q: What about the perception you don’t blitz enough?

Ryan: I’m going to blitz but I’m going to blitz when it’s smart to do it, just like you guys will put in a picture with your story when it’s the right thing to do. (Bleep), I don’t know. I know my business, I don’t know yours.

Q: And that whatever you do comes from you and not Al Davis?

Ryan: It comes with me and it comes with our assistant coaches. Hell, Don Martindale has been with me for five years. We get paid to make decisions and when it goes astray, just know where to put the blame. Put it on this damned guy in front of you that is just as disappointed as anybody out there and more so. This is my profession. That’s why I was embarrassed by it. That’s why I felt like it was my opportunity to face the music, OK? When we kick ass, that’s cool. I don’t want it. Bu we’re going to get there, guys. We’re going to get there.

We had a bad game. Say whatever you want to say. We were trying some different things, and they didn’t work. Did we get outschemed? Hey, say whatever you want to say. I’ve played this Shanahan a long time who is damned good. They got a good staff over there. Did he hit a couple of plays on me? You’re darned right he did. It’s the NFL, OK? But that’s just the way it is. I just want to make sure that the story is legit, OK, and I’ll be honest with you.”

Q: Just to be clear, Al Davis doesn’t have a week-to-week say on the game plan?

Ryan: Not on a week-to-week basis, absolutely not.

Q: Occasionally?

Ryan: “When I deal with Al Davis, guys, it’s in the offseason. And here’s the thing: Al Davis knows football. And I’ll have four-hour conversations with him in the offseason about everything in this league. About offenses, about players, about scheme, about everything, but during the week, guys, (bleep), I don’t have time to talk to my wife, OK. If I’m going to make one phone call, it’s going to be her, all right? That’s the truth. I’m just telling you the truth. I literally had one conversation with Mr. Davis last week, and it was about Fred Wakefield.”

Q: That’s why we ask you, because we aren’t privy to your weekly goings on . . .

Ryan: OK. I understand that. I just want to say the truth. There’s one Rob Ryan as far as I know and I’m the guy and I would know. That’s just the way it is, and I’m going to tell the truth. I’m a smart man but I’ll say I’m too dumb to lie. I’m going to tell you the damned truth and that’s the way it is. To sit here and say, well, I don’t know what the hell to say, what was really said. I saw one article and I’m like, (bleep), when the shit is it going to stop?’ Maybe if we play good defense. OK, we’ll stop it next week, then. Alright, let’s go. That’s the way it is, all right. If I don’t blitz, then there’s a reason for it. If I do, there’s a reason for it. If we get beat for a damned touchdown during an all-out blitz, well, then, obviously, I had a poor call. If I hit them for a safety or whatever, all right, it was a good call. But, guys, everything I do up here is educated. It may not look like it when you give up 41 points, all right, but it’s the truth.

I’m doing the best job I can and I know it’s good enough to win with. My legacy is going to be with this Ryan name, we’ve been in six Super Bowls, won five of them, five different teams, that’s no accident, OK? That’s no accident. Did last week look like the (bleeping) ‘85 Bears? (Bleep) no. Come on. You know we didn’t (bleeping) look like the (bleeping) Bears. OK? But (bleep), maybe it looked like the (bleeping) Patriots when we won the Super Bowl and went out there and laid an egg against Cincinnati at Cincinnati, who had a (expletive) team and beat the (bleep) out of us the first game. OK? Maybe it looked like that. That’s the way it is. All right guys?

I just want to set it straight because, damn, I’ve been here five years and you know what, I don’t think people necessarily have the right story. I know you guys are doing your best. But (bleep) I can only speak for me. I can’t speak for everybody on the team. I’m disappointed but I just wanted to tell my side of the story for once because there’s so many other things that come out where I have to read it and take it and I just want the truth as I know the truth. There you go.

Q: Anything lacking effort-wise on your players part?

Ryan: Not in effort. Sometimes it looked like we were stuck in mud, I swear, the speed of the game. Denver makes you play an adjusting style of game but we’ve done it before and it just didn’t work out. We were giving up big plays and that’s just not our style and what you don’t want to do against Denver. That was happening and it was damned disappointing. We don’t want to play a game like that. Again, that comes on me. They got us in a couple situations where they got us in a couple different coverages and we just didn’t execute.

Q: How do you make the adjustments for the Chiefs?

Ryan: Every week you deal with a different offense and a different style. There will be copycat plays but you go and correct them and that’s what you do in those hard meetings, come to Jesus meetings that we all have to have when things don’t go well. I know we’re on point. We’ve got great players. They’re pros. They’ll work. We’ll get better. We’re all disappointed with how things went. Can it be fixed? Hell yeah. And we gotta do it. (Bleep), we will do it.

Q: How much communication do you have with Lane during the week?

Ryan: We’ve had good communication this week. He talked about a front that I’m actually running this week. We talked about this could be a good front to run against Kansas City. We have communication, but understand, my job’s to be the defensive coordinator and Lane’s the head coach. He’s got a million hats, I’ve only got one. Eventually the whole thing comes down to me being a better coach and doing a better job.

Q: What happened with Hall and Royal?

Ryan: A lot of that was me playing loaded coverage over there but the routes went deeper than we were anticipating and so it looked like he was playing soft when he was actually a deep third player. Usually we get up there in their face and press but I was trying to bait their young quarterback with the big arm into a loaded zone and hell he threw right through it. A couple of those plays were definitely on me. The one max pressure where we hit our head the guy had a triple move on him and shit I don’t know who could cover that. Willie Brown, maybe, back in the day. That’s just the truth.
 
Meta4iCAL

Meta4iCAL

Raider Nation
#11
Feb 21, 2005
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#11
September 12, 2008
Kiffin gets Sirius

Below is a transcript from Lane Kiffin's appearance today on "Movin' The Chains" on SIRIUS NFL Radio with hosts Tim Ryan and Pat Kirwa

Host, Pat Kirwan: "Your offense is a work in progress. We've pointed out the good and what looks like it's on the rise but, at this point in their careers and in the program, you need the defense to do more than they did [against the Broncos]. That's flat out true. Lots of big stories about you guys this week. I have a feeling that you and Rob Ryan have actually come a little closer as professionals."

Lane Kiffin: "Well, Rob [Ryan] and I have a good working relationship. There's no issues between the two of us on a day-to-day basis by any means. Do we have the exact same philosophy on defense? No, but I don't think you meet people who do unless they've come from the same scheme. One game won't define who we are on offense, defense, special teams or as a team. We did not play very well on defense in the game and they came out and got us. We're not going to let one game define us. We'll go into Arrowhead and [we've] got a chance to turn it around this week, get back to 1-1 and let people start writing good stories."

Host, Tim Ryan: "How do you get back to that, Lane, and talking to Rob Ryan, your defensive coordinator? With the ability you've got on the corners, and there's a lot of money out there, there's a lot of ability out there when you talk about Nnamdi Asomugha and DeAngelo Hall. How do you jump start this defense, if you will, to getting some early production in a football game and not sitting back on your heels? Talk about that."

Lane Kiffin: "Well, first off I think it was just another lesson and I said at the beginning of the off-season, once we signed all these players and made all this movement, that that's great we're really good on paper but if we don't play together as units and we don't play together as a team it won't mean anything. And I think that was a really good example on defense. We have all this talent on paper like I said all along but we didn't play together. We had some communication issues, some blown assignments. We didn't even make Denver work hard at times. We let them off before the play even started sometimes in some communication things. You've got to play together as a unit no matter how talented you are and talent doesn't win unless it plays together. We've had a good week of practice and I think we'll be back on track this week."

--Jason Jones
 
Chree

Chree

Medicated
#12
Dec 7, 2005
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Hes only taking blame hoping to get fired so he can go somewhere else where he has control of what he needs to do...
 
Meta4iCAL

Meta4iCAL

Raider Nation
#14
Feb 21, 2005
19,635
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#14
no he's not trying to get fired

he's trying to defend himself as much as possible... fat ass bitch ass motherfuvcka

I dont give a shit how many Super Bowls your family won you fuckin oeice of shit

go ask your dad about running a defense... ask him how to blitz... you fuckin suck


seriously... how is this guy gonna get mad that people are mad at him... motherfucka it aint ONE gae u fucked up in... its season after season!!!!!!

sorry Im drunk... and my rant is over now

damn I hope we pull it together in 8 hours
 
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