Kenny Vaccaro spent part of his second season in the NFL bouncing in and out of the starting lineup, but that doesn't mean he wants his defensive coordinator gone.
"Rob will be here," Vaccaro told reporters on Monday via The Times-Picayune, less than 24 hours after the Saints were bounced from the playoffs. The team is currently 31st in total defense.
The dichotomy is interesting. New Orleans is first in total offense, which would allow head coach Sean Payton an easy rationalization to get rid of Ryan if he truly wanted to.
Payton spent part of the season down playing rumors that this was his plan all along.
But Vaccaro was one of two high-profile members of the secondary who stood up for the boisterous defensive coordinator who looked to be closer than ever to getting head coaching consideration after the Saints ended the 2013 season as a top five defense.
"I want him back," cornerback Keenan Lewis said. "I'm going to ride with him, one hundred. He's a great coordinator. You just can't blame him when things go wrong. We're the ones out there playing."
More than that, though, is how unique Ryan's scheme is. It might be difficult to rebound quickly with players who seem specially tailored to fit this system. But does Payton really want to wait that long?
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