Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens Face Former Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Ravens head coaching job was Rex Ryan’s dream job. Now the Ravens former defensive coordinator comes back to Baltimore as the Bills head coach:

The head coach of the Bills returns to take on the Baltimore Ravens, the team he coached for ten years. Rex Ryan defined his defensive aptitude in Baltimore during his tenure with the team.

Ryan, the son of defensive legend Buddy Ryan, jump started his career with the Baltimore Ravens when he joined the team in 1999 as Defensive Line Coach. He coached in the NFL prior to joining the Ravens. In Arizona, he coached the defensive line and linebackers in 1994 and 1995 while his father was the head coach. Ryan then spent three years coaching in the college ranks.

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After named Head Coach, Brian Billick brought Ryan back to the NFL. Ryan held the position of Defensive Line Coach until 2004 when the 49ers hired Mike Nolan, then the Ravens Defensive Coordinator, as their new head coach. That’s when Ryan accepted the promotion to Defensive Coordinator.

The Ravens’ defense continued to dominate under Ryan’s leadership. This led to the New York Jets hiring him as their Head Coach in 2008. Baltimore fans knew the huge personality that Ryan possessed. With the Jets, the rest of America got to see it.

“I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick’s, you know, rings,” Ryan said a few months after getting hired in a radio interview with WFAN. Never short on confidence, he struck out immediately against not only the most dominant team in his new division but the most successful team in the league.

Immediately, Ryan back up his boisterous comments as he led the Jets to the AFC Championship Game in each of his first two seasons. After this early success, the wheels came off the bus. Constant trash talking and over confident bravado was blamed for the Jets decline. When he finished the 2014 season with a 4-12 record, the Jets fired Rex.

The division rival Buffalo Bills quickly hired Rex as their new head coach. Buffalo brought in a slew of free agents to bolster the roster. Injuries and an uncharacteristically under performing defense resulted in a disappointing 8-8.

To begin his second year with the Bills, Ryan returns to Baltimore to face the team that put him on the map. This year he helped redesign the defense by removing dead weight who didn’t understand the concept of teamwork. He also brought in his brother Rob Ryan and Ravens’ legend Ed Reed as assistant coaches. If this is his last season, he plans to go out on his own terms.

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