'They say take the emotion out of the game when you're calling a defense. I don't. I believe in the emotion'
Friday 17 November 2017 14:50, UK
"I would get home at around 3.30am and get up again for work at 6am.
"The first thing I'd do is get some coffee. That's mandatory. Then put on some music - I always have that on in the background - and look at my film that I've made to cover with the team in the day's meeting - it might have looked good at 3am in the morning, but maybe not first thing."
Rob Ryan knows the dedication required to be a coach in the NFL, having served as one in the league for 17 years, and a defensive coordinator for 13 of those.
Even in those two and a half hours sleep, and during his current break from coaching after being let go by the Buffalo Bills last year, his thoughts are never too far from the day job.
"Every dream I have is about football," Ryan tells Sky Sports. "I might be different to most coaches, and maybe that's not the right way to be, but that's how I am.
"Being on the outside of it right now, I miss it. As a coach, while you don't get to make any of the tackles, I enjoy being a part of the chess match that goes on.
"They say take the emotion out of the game when you're calling a defense. I don't. I believe in the emotion.
"Sometimes the crowd is so intense and the moment is there; you think 'let's go for the blitz and go for the win'. Sure, it may backfire, but the bottom line is, you're all in, in whatever decision you make as a coach.
"I have never second-guessed myself ever."
It's exactly what you expect to hear from Coach Ryan. He and his twin brother Rex, who he worked under in Buffalo, are known as two of the game's biggest characters.
Their father too. Buddy Ryan was a two-time Super Bowl-winning coach, first as a defensive line coach with the 1968 New York Jets and then as defensive coordinator for what's widely considered the greatest defense in NFL history, the 1985 Chicago Bears. He set the example.
"I'm not a good student," adds Ryan. "I can't sing. I can't dance. But I love everything about coaching.
"I was fortunate to be around my dad growing up and he always said, 'just be yourself and work hard'. To me, that is the greatest advice you can get in any line of work.
"If you're yourself and you work hard, how can you fail?"
That advice has served him well since. Ryan has matched his father's two Super Bowl rings, during his time as linebackers coach with the 2001 and 2003 New England Patriots, while he also classes his first year as defensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints as one of his greatest achievements.
Prior to his hiring, the 2012 Saints defense was the worst performing unit in the history of the NFL, in terms of yards allowed. Under Ryan, they improved that mark to fourth-best in the league the following year.
"Other than me, it was the same people, same players, same coaching staff in New Orleans," says Ryan. "The key was just getting that group to refocus.
"They had guys on that roster that had won Super Bowls; there was great leadership there with the likes of Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper. The difference from year to year was all of us had something to prove.
"That's the key to coaching in the NFL. Sure, teaching technique and things like that are important, but you need to have your players focus on mentally.
"Guys are going to have their way of doing things, how they want to play a block, or how they want to cover as a corner against a receiver. It's about getting those 11 people to then play as one.
"To do that, you've got to get them to believe in your philosophy, everyone to buy in and be on the same page."
As Ryan knows first-hand, nobody does that better than the Patriots.
Following those first two Super Bowl successes, of which Ryan played a part, New England have since gone on to claim three more, the latest coming last year courtesy of the greatest comeback of all time to beat the Atlanta Falcons - down 28-3 in the third quarter before scoring 31 unanswered points to win in overtime.
"In New England, no doubt the whole team buys in," says Ryan. "That's the culture head coach Bill Belichick creates.
"Don't get me wrong, it takes some individual brilliance too. In my time there, we had Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest, Mike Vrabel - three of the best of all time.
"But one of the best attributes they all had was being selfless. To bring it all together, to be successful and world champions, that is the ultimate."
So, as the Patriots continue to dominate through the decades, is that selfless attitude needed to be successful prevalent enough at other teams? And are younger players new to the league attuned to it?
"There are less and less of those guys around nowadays," adds Ryan. "The preparation time for players isn't how it was when I first got into the business. I don't think they are studying anywhere near as much as they used to.
"There's no malice to hurt the team behind that, it's just they've got all these other distractions now - agents, publicists, their 'brand'.
"That's why when you do coach a Sean Lee, like I did in Dallas, or Cam Jordan and Junior Galette at the Saints, they stand out. Their preparation is more than anybody else.
"But generally, there's not these great individual leaders like the ones that were in the game before and, as a coach, you have more of the burden on you now than you ever did."
Hence the 3.30am finishes and 6am alarm calls. Even so, and despite the sour end to his one season in Buffalo, Ryan is itching to get back into the league.
"I love every part of coaching," stresses Ryan. "I love being on the field with the players, but I also love the scheming. I love mentally challenging myself against the best in the world.
"This year away has been good for me because I've spent a lot of time with my wife and my kids, it has been fun to see a different part of the world you've never seen before, like coming out here to London and covering the NFL.
"But it's more fun to be in the arena, and I've been away long enough now that I know I'm going to do this better, and that better. If you don't look in the mirror first as to say 'why am I here?' then that's a mistake.
"But, did the Bills make a mistake in getting rid of me? Hell yes, they did.
"They can say whatever they want to say, but I know I'm a great coach, and I'm going to be better when I come back."
