New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan relished his team's meeting with his old team as the Dallas Cowboys allowed a franchise-worst 625 yards and the Saints marched on to a 49-17 victory which made Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wonder if perhaps firing Ryan was a mistake.
"We thought it was best for us to go in the direction that we are, and it doesn't look good right now," Jones said Sunday night, according to ESPN.
Monte Kiffin replaced Ryan after he was let go as defensive coordinator of the Cowboys in January. Ryan's replacement hasn't had an easy go of it as the Kiffin-led Cowboys defense has given up 500-plus yards in four different games this season. New Orleans' defense didn't give up much to the Cowboys while Dallas allowed a record 40 first downs to their opponents.
Injuries have begun to stack up on the Cowboys defense, and Jones admitted that the injury bug struck the team last season when Ryan had the reigns.
"Candidly, we're having some of the same things that Rob had last year," Jones said per NFL.com. "Frankly, to be fair to Rob, he lost a lot of guys on defense. We lost more this year. That's the game, though. That's what we play. That's the NFL."
After an 8-8 season last year, Jones promised changes throughout the franchise which led to the release of Ryan. The decision was very controversial as a lot of people believed that Ryan wasn't part of the problem. The Cowboys dropped to 5-5 on the season after Sunday's latest loss, and the team has failed to take advantage of a lagging NFC East.
Ryan's New Orleans defense has been one of the best in the NFL, but the coordinator hasn't shown himself to be the bragging type as he's remained mum on its success.
The Saints out-gained the Cowboys by boasting 625 total yards compared to just 193 for Dallas. New Orleans had 242 rushing yards and 383 passing yards while the Cowboys had 89 yards on the ground and 104 through the air.
Ryan's defense shined against Dallas, and with Kiffin unable to help the flailing Dallas defense, it stands to wonder if perhaps Jones will make more changes this offseason.
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