The Dallas Cowboys have a void at defensive coordinator, and Stephen A. Smith believes Rex Ryan is the right man to fill it.
Earlier this week, Jerry Jones made the seemingly obvious decision to fire defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus following a season where the Cowboys defense gave up over 500 points while ranking 30th in yards and takeaways. Wednesday afternoon on his Mad Dog Sports Radio show for SiriusXM, Smith called on Jones to hire his ESPN colleague to fix the Cowboys’ defense.
“I think they should hire Rex Ryan from ESPN,” Smith said. “I think Rex Ryan should be your defensive coordinator in Dallas…I believe that Rex Ryan would do what Vic Fangio is doing in Philadelphia.”
“Rex Ryan is one of the elite defensive minds in football,” Smith continued. “And Jerry Jones should hire him as the new defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Not just because of his football acumen, but also his personality. Because he’ll get in people’s ass! He’ll get in people’s ass and hold them accountable.”
Ryan was once an elite defensive mind in football. And Smith believes his ESPN colleague is still an elite defensive mind, but 10 years removed from the last time Ryan was on an NFL sideline, that remains to be seen.
The biggest hurdle, however, in getting Rex Ryan to Dallas is whether his ego can handle being a coordinator again. Current Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was Ryan’s offensive coordinator for three seasons with the New York Jets. At the time, Schottenheimer was an Eric Mangini holdover and handed to Ryan as his offensive coordinator so, it was a bit of a forced marriage. And at Ryan’s first speed bump with the Jets, Schottenheimer resigned.
More than a decade later, maybe Ryan and Schottenheimer would enjoy working together again. But while Ryan might get in or on the players’ ass in Dallas, he would probably get on Schottenheimer’s ass too. For Ryan’s ego to accept being a defensive coordinator, he would need clearance to conduct his own interviews and press conferences while essentially being known as the head coach of the defense.
With Jerry Jones, Schottenheimer and Rex Ryan all doing their own interviews and press conferences each week, that seems like a situation destined for disaster in Dallas.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com