Rob Ryan is enjoying being back with the Raiders – and being part of ‘a great defense’

Rob Ryan was the defensive coordinator for the then-Oakland Raiders from 2004 to 2008, a less-than-glorious period when the franchise averaged four wins per season and had four head coaches. The third coach, Lane Kiffin, fired Ryan, after which owner Al Davis reversed the move.

“I love this franchise,” Ryan said last week. “And God knows I’ve been through ten of them, so I should know. When I was with the great Al Davis, I was there for five years with four head coaches. The reason he kept me, well… I was great.”

And with that he smiled big. Ryan, now 61, is in his third season back with the Raiders as a senior defensive assistant. When he spoke to reporters last week, he was a very happy mini-camper.

“We got better every week and I think you saw some great defense towards the end,” Ryan said. “I think that’s what you’re going to see this year.”

Ryan has been an NFL assistant since 1994, although he took a four-year hiatus to become a college coordinator. His brother, Rex, was the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, as well as an assistant and defensive coordinator before turning to broadcasting. His father, Buddy, was an NFL coach (mostly a defensive assistant) for 26 years and won Super Bowl rings with the Jets in 1968 and Chicago Bears in 1985.

“I want to beat my dad’s record for longevity,” Ryan said. ‘I definitely won’t be the best Ryan. But I want to coach longer than all of them, so that would be good.”

Rob Ryan loves it here 🏴‍☠️#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/B2PjNxAoh2

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) June 13, 2024

He plans to retire as a Raider and believes he is back in the right place at the right time. It all starts with head coach Antonio Pierce, defenseman Maxx Crosby and the defensive line.

“There was a whole stadium screaming ‘AP, AP’. That was the coolest thing ever,” Ryan said, referring to the final home game of the 2023 season. “He really is… the genuine article. He’s literally straight from Compton, so he’s a complete badass. He wants our players and our coaches to be themselves and (then) bring them all together and create a culture.

‘He doesn’t bore anyone. He will be himself and make us winners.”

As for Crosby: “You’re talking about the best defensive player in the league, probably … that I’ve ever seen,” Ryan said. ‘Now I’ve only been at it for thirty years, but I mean, it’s that good. … Maxx makes everyone stronger. Maxx makes everyone better.”

The Raiders also added defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, and Ryan expects Malcolm Koonce to be the big beneficiary on defense.

“You’re going to see Koonce take off like crazy because if it’s me, I think I’m going to put all the protection on the other side,” Ryan said. “Koonce will wear you out. … Whatever people (do), good luck.”

One of the unsung highlights of last year’s ninth-ranked Raiders defense was safety Marcus Epps, a leader in his first year after coming over from the Philadelphia Eagles.

“What did that Philadelphia defense look like without Epps? Oops,” Ryan said. “You know, they blamed their eight coordinators, but the simple fact is, when you take a great player out of the middle of your defense, it hurts. He knows the game and slows the game down for everyone. Epps is just… that gritty guy, that gym rat who makes everyone better.”

Ryan also had plenty to say about…

• Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham:

“He’s going to be an incredible head coach in this league,” Ryan said. “I mean, the simple fact is we stole AP’s best (Antonio Pierce), period. But this guy right here is number 2. And if he gets his chance, he’ll make it happen because he has a way of making people better. But he also has a way of mentally tailoring a complicated schedule and making it simple. He has a big brain and knows exactly how to use it and how to communicate with the strongest among us.”

• Cornerbacks Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs:

“They are beautiful people – they are something else. … I tell you what, they can play. You can throw that ball at Jack if you want, but be careful because half the time he will bring it back at you.

“And Hobbs, I don’t know what position is on his trading card because he plays everywhere. And he’s smart, he’s tough. I like those guys who hit a 200 pound bigger offensive tackle, hit his tail and come off and make the tackle. Hey, no one’s telling him you can’t do that.’

• Safety Tre’von Moehrig:

“Tre’von is the most talented safety in football. Now all he has to do is take it with him. … Everything is possible.”

Moehrig smiled when he heard that. He later spoke about what Ryan has done for player confidence.

“Coach Rob, we’re having a good time in that room,” Moehrig said. “He always helps us, he always gives us knowledge whenever he can, always in advance, but we always have a good time. He tells us stories about his time coaching and how we can implement this into our game. He helped me enormously.”

Ryan is just one of 28 coaches on the Raiders’ massive staff, and Pierce said he purposely mixed up older and younger coaches.

“Just because of time and technology,” he said, smiling. “Do you think Marvin Lewis is going to go crazy on that computer, or Rob Ryan and Joe Philbin? No. The younger guys from the college ranks and other places are very tech savvy. … And I think for all of us, we always say we have to coach the players, but coaches have to be coached. And when you have the expertise of a Marvin Lewis, a Joe Philbin, the years of a Rob Ryan, how can you pass that up?”

Al Davis would certainly agree.

(Photo: Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)