They say twins know everything about one another. When asked at a season-ending press conference if his twin brother Rob would be opposed to having him as his boss, Bills head coach Rex Ryan said he probably would. Apparently there's something that Rex doesn't know about Rob because he accepted a position on Buffalo's coaching staff over the weekend.
Rob Ryan was officially hired as Assistant head coach/Defense Sunday by the Bills. Ryan, 53, is an 18-year coaching veteran of the NFL, the last dozen of which have been spent as a defensive coordinator.
"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."
Among his more notable accomplishments was winning a pair of Super Bowl rings under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots as linebackers coach from 2000-2003 where he helped to turn Willie McGinest and Tedy Bruschi into Pro Bowl linebackers.
In 2003, the Patriots ranked first in the league in points allowed, while ranking seventh in the NFL in total defense. His success in New England helped him land the defensive coordinator post with the Oakland Raiders where he served for five seasons. In 2006 the Raiders ranked third in total defense.
He's also been the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns (2009-2010), Dallas Cowboys (2011-2012) and most recently the New Orleans Saints (2013-2015). He was relieved of his duties by the Saints late in the 2015 season at which point he paid his brother a visit in Buffalo during their birthday week in December.
According to Buffalo's head coach, his brother was impressed with everything about the club.
"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."
Rob Ryan is expected to help oversee the defense and assist with offseason preparations and game planning during the season. It is the first time the two brothers have coached together since they served as assistants under their father Buddy Ryan from 1994-1995 when he was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
