Grudge match for Rob Ryan?
New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan walks on the field before a game against the Jets. (Nov. 3, 2013) Credit: AP
When Rob Ryan was fired by the Cowboys after last season, he famously boasted, "I'll be out of work for like five minutes."
Well, it took him a bit longer than that to land another job, but the wait has been worth it - for both Ryan and the Saints.
Ryan has turned around one of the NFL's worst-ever defenses, with the Saints ranking ninth in the league after finishing dead last after allowing an NFL-record 7,042 yards. The Cowboys? They're now 31st under veteran defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.
The Cowboys will now see what they're missing when they face the Saints on Sunday. But if the normally outspoken Ryan is looking at this as a grudge match, he's not saying -- even if you know that's exactly how he's feeling.
"Obviously, you want the attention to just be on the team," said Ryan, who has been with four teams since 2004. "If I worried about every team that fired me, I mean, hell, I'd have a grudge match every week."