May 25, 2013

Rob Ryan: “I’ll be out of work for like five minutes”

January 9, 2013 by 19 Comments

I inherited a team that was 31st in the league in defense and made them better. I (expletive) made them a hell of a lot better. I’ll be out of work for like five minutes.

– Long-time defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, Tuesday. Two years after being relieved of his duties as the defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns, the Dallas Cowboys have cut ties with the fiery, long-haired Rob Ryan. Ryan took over the Cowboys defense which was ranked 31st in the league and improved it by roughly four points per game. Led primarily by pass-rushing specialist DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys defense was fairly stingy early in 2012, but tapered off once injuries caught up to them. In the last two months of the season, the Cowboys signed eight defensive players to the active roster.

[Related: WFNY Roundtable: The Chip Kelly debacle and the ongoing search for a Browns head coach]

(Source: ESPNDallas)

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While We’re Waiting… Cavs Bench Jokes

November 17, 2012 by 1 Comment

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Yeah, it’s gotten so bad that we’re resorting to high school-esque jokes: “The Cavaliers bench is bad. How bad are they you ask? Well, let’s break it down, Yo Momma style:

– The Cavs bench is so bad, I’m jealous of the Charlotte Bobcats’ depth.
– The Cavs bench is so bad, Byron Scott doesn’t sub them in, the bench physically rejects them every 10 minutes.
– The Cavs bench is so bad, I’d rather stick a hanger on the stove, let it sit there for like a half hour, take it off and stab it in my tongue slow like ssssssssss than watch the second quarter of a Cavs game.” [Angelo Benedetti/Fear The Sword] [Read more...]

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Lawrence Vickers and Rob Ryan: “It’s personal”

November 16, 2012 by 3 Comments

Lots of quotes came out of Dallas Cowboys practice in the last 24 hours, including two notable former Browns.

Let’s start with the fullback. Lawrence Vickers, a 2006 6th-round pick by the Browns, left as a free agent following the 2010 season. Here were his comments on facing his former team, as reported by ESPNDallas.com:

“It’s personal, why wouldn’t it be? It anybody tells you it ain’t never personal when they playing their old team they’re lying to you. It’s always personal. They just keep it quiet. Of course it’s personal. It’s not like, oh, I just got to get them or nothing like that. But I’m going to take it personal because I’m playing against my old teammates and my old organization, and I want to win.”

Then, of course, there’s the always-out-spoken Rob Ryan, brother of New York Jets coach Rex Ryan. Now the Cowboys defensive coordinator, Rob was in Cleveland with the same position from 2009-2010. Here were his comments as reported by ESPNDallas.com when asked if his bitter toward his former employer:

“Absolutely. I spent a lot of time in those offices, too. In fact, I slept in them for seven straight weeks when I said, ‘Hey, I’m not going home until we win a game.’ I’ll never say that again. … Any time you pour everything you have into it and apparently management didn’t see it as if it was good enough, of course it’s personal.”

Ryan also added this garb about former Browns head coach Eric Mangini and what he considers to be a lack of opportunity given by the team’s management:

“Eric is a good friend of mine. He hired me to do a job. Hell, I did it and got everybody fired anyway. I don’t know why, but I wasn’t in charge of that decision. But I plan on doing something about it.”

Of course, Ryan’s players had to do some clean-up work so as not to provide too much posterboard material for the Browns — something that usually works the other way around in non-Ryan coaching establishments. Bruce Carter, a second-year linebacker who’s getting more time for Dallas in the absence of All-Pro Sean Lee, retorted with this final comment:

“We don’t want to make it too personal and get out of our game.”

[Related: WFNY Podcast – 2012-11-16 – Browns vs. Cowboys preview with TD]

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Report: Cowboys Slated to Snag Browns Defensive Backs Coach

January 11, 2012 by 6 Comments

All preseason, we heard various Cleveland Browns defensive backs heaping praise on their position coach Jerome Henderson. Today, the Dallas Morning News reports that Henderson could be en route to the Dallas Cowboys to join his former boss Rob Ryan, heading up the defensive backfield for Jerry Jones’ coaching staff.

“Right now nothing has transpired between me and the Cowboys,” said Henderson. “We are in discussions but nothing has happened,” Henderson said. “I don’t want to speak out of turn.”

Henderson was one of the five coaches whom Pat Shurmur retained from the Eric Mangini regime and is thought very highly of throughout the league.  Since his arrival, the Browns have gone from having the 29th-ranked pass defense in 2009 to ranking second-overall in 2011.

Henderson would replace Dave Campo who was recently told that his contract with the Cowboys would not be renewed.

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Super Bowl Media Day: Rob Ryan’s Defense Getting Some Love

February 2, 2011 by 15 Comments

Though he has now been hired and fired twice in the last three seasons, his hybrid 3-4 defense was the talk of a select bunch during Tuesday’s Super Bowl media day frenzy.

Stifling opponents like New England and New Orleans this season, and the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, there is a growing excitement in Dallas – Ryan’s new home – as they look to improve their defense over what is already a tough defensive division in the NFL East. The Dallas Morning News used the word “mind-bending” when attempting to describe what other quarterbacks face when a Rob Ryan-led unit lines up on the other side of the ball.

“It’s confusion,” Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said on Tuesday. “For me, it was chaos. For them, I’m sure it’s organized chaos. If you have players that can play within that system, you’re going to get a great defense.”

[Read more...]

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The Trip to Destination Shurmur

January 17, 2011 by 35 Comments

As Browns fans, we are certainly a reactionary bunch, aren’t we?  No sooner was Pat Shurmur hired that segments of the population were suspicious, irate, enraged, confused, or inconsolable.   I guess I should get used to it, but I remain surprised every time the Browns do anything at the wide-ranging emotions that are unnecessarily flung about.  Of course in Browns town you might as well throw in a bit of conspiracy theory to boot.  That’s right, a conspiracy theory was hatched with the vigor and energy of Oliver Stone a half a bottle of vodka in at a party of 9/11 “truthers.”

Bob Lamonte runs everything in the Browns’ organization now, according to some.  Instead of just a raise of the eyebrows and a couple of question marks about the connection between all these guys, a full-blown campaign against “nepotism” and “cronyism” has been hatched around the internet and on Cleveland sports talk radio.

You do all realize that this is supposed to be fun, right?  It is supposed to be a wholly welcomed distraction from politics, and other real news. [Read more...]

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Schefter: Dallas Cowboys Will Hire Rob Ryan

January 16, 2011 by 10 Comments

It’s been the worst kept secret in the league since Friday but Adam Schefter is now reporting that Cowboys’ “team sources” have confirmed to him that the team will be hiring Rob Ryan.

It will be interesting to see Ryan cursing up and down the sidelines of Jerryworld next season.  Ryan has been a constant source of material here with his filterless approach in dealing with the media.  A week ago, Craig compiled a list of Ryan’s “Top Ten Quotes” of this past season.

I enjoyed Ryan’s personality on the Browns, who seem to have had either boring or brainless (or both) coaches since their return in 1999.  The defense was obviously the strength of this team during the 2010 season and Ryan was respected, and even loved, by his players on that side of the ball.

[Read more...]

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Random Browns Thoughts: Rob Ryan, Wide Receiver, Alex Mack vs. Clay Matthews

January 10, 2011 by 28 Comments

The Browns are desperately searching for their next coach, but I won’t talk about candidates today, because there is nothing new to say.

Instead, I will point out an interesting question that a friend of mine raised yesterday.

When the Browns fired Eric Mangini, many thought that Mike Holmgren had his dream guy all lined up and ready to go.  At least at this early stage, that doesn’t seem to be the case.  The Browns are certainly offensive coordinator-heavy at this point.  One thing is for certain: the Browns will have a new looking offense (to us, anyway) next season.  Even if Brian Daboll hasn’t been given his walking papers yet, you can be sure he won’t be back.

But what about Rob Ryan?

I have an off-the-wall prediction based in nothing but my version of entertainment.  Rob Ryan will get hired by Al Davis and the Raiders. Why stop the cycle of insanity now?  I’ll admit that I have no basis for this what-so-ever, except that I think HBO should definitely load up the “Hard Knocks” cameras and do the only suitable sequel to last year’s train wreck with the New York Jets. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Cleveland Browns Sadness, Ted Williams, Doran Grant

January 6, 2011 by 16 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Struggling to find optimism within the early candidates for the Cleveland Browns head coaching position: “Each new name thrown out there is like another throbbing pain to an already immensely painful migraine: Mike Mularkey? Pat Shurmur? Perry Fewell?

Someone wake me when this coaching search is over, or when team president Mike Holmgren has a press conference to announce either Jon Gruden or himself as the next head coach of the Browns. And I don’t say that simply because I want to see the team coached by a high-profile guy.” [Steve DiMatteo/Dawg Pound Daily] [Read more...]

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Mike Holmgren Talks About Eric Mangini and the Future

January 3, 2011 by 69 Comments

“I can get real excited about finding the right, young guy and letting him run with the ball.” – Mike Holmgren

There was plenty of talk throughout Mike Holmgren’s meeting with the media today, but the above statement is the one that I would use to describe it if I had to choose one quote.  

Mike Holmgren will not say that he will “never” coach again, because he just doesn’t want to make a promise he can’t keep.  Simultaneously, as I told you here earlier in the season, I just don’t think Holmgren was making ovations toward the sidelines.

“I was hired to be the President of the Cleveland Browns,” said Holmgren.

[Read more...]

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Browns Yield in Battle of Ohio

December 19, 2010 by 43 Comments

The Browns started the Bengals’ streak, so I guess it was somewhat cosmically fitting that they would end it too. It was not fitting in any way for a Browns fan base that was elated to see Colt McCoy back under center and hopeful for a late-season explosion like the Browns did a year ago. The Browns just couldn’t seem to get anything consistently going on this day in Cincinnati. They lost the game in all three phases. The Bengals ran all over the Browns with Cedric Benson getting off for 150 yards and a touchdown. Carson Palmer wasn’t pressured into any mistakes. The Browns mustered offense in very rare spurts via Colt McCoy and Peyton Hillis, but it wasn’t nearly enough except to make it look respectable on the scoreboard. [Read more...]

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Could Denver Coaching Change Have Cleveland Implications?

December 7, 2010 by 23 Comments

The Broncos jettisoned head coach Josh McDaniels on Monday, and speculation is underway as to who might replace him in the Mile High city. Browns fans have to be concerned this off-season about losing defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Ryan has been showered with praise for his work in confusing some of the best Quarterbacks in the league. Just today Ron Jaworski was on ESPN radio calling Ryan a genius- “Rob Ryan is doing some of the most unique stuff in the league. His Amoeba D and Creep schemes are nearly impossible for opposing qb’s to figure out.”

Now, we all know that just because a man is a great coordinator doesn’t mean that he will be a good head coach. Ryan however, has the family legacy going for him, and will at some point get the chance to guide an entire team. Even Eric Mangini went on record this season saying he hopes Ryan gets his shot.

The good news, if you’re looking for it, is that at least early on the Broncos don’t appear to have Ryan on the short list. [Read more...]

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Pre-Game Intel: Browns vs. Dolphins

December 5, 2010 by 5 Comments

When and Where: Sunday December 5th, 2010 – 1:00 PM – Sun Life Stadium – Miami, FL

Overview: The Browns won the game last week despite all the negative feelings we have attached to that performance.  I have to admit that it was much easier to talk about the game this week considering the ball bounced the Browns’ way.  Eric Mangini was able to be a bit more lighthearted about the struggles and need for improvement.  It is pretty hilarious that we would seriously entertain coaching “hotseat” conversations if that ball had bounced right instead of bouncing left off that upright.  Because an opposing kicker misses a field goal the conversation is saved for another week.  No matter, the Browns know they got away with one last week, and should be intent on responding this week.

The Dolphins are 6-5 so far this season in a pretty uneven year.  The Dolphins have beaten all kinds of teams they should have beaten like Buffalo, Minnesota, and Cincinnati.  Their most impressive win came in week six over Green Bay 23-20 in overtime.  Other than that win, they have lost to all the decent teams on their schedule including the Jets, Pats, Steelers and Ravens.  Most recently they took care of Oakland 33-17.  You have to think they like their chances this week as five point favorites against the Browns.

[Read more...]

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Open Thread: Panthers vs. Browns

November 28, 2010 by 214 Comments

The Browns are squaring off against the Panthers this afternoon in Cleveland Browns’ stadium.  If you happen to not be at the game or even if you have a snazzy smartphone down there, you can commiserate with all your fellow Browns fans here.

Make sure you come back shortly after the game for a recap of what we hope is a Browns’ first victory with Jake Delhomme at the helm.

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Pre-Game Intel – Browns vs. Jaguars

November 20, 2010 by 6 Comments

When and Where: Sunday November 21st, 2010 – 1:00 PM – EverBank Field – Jacksonville, FL

Overview: First of all, how many of you out there knew there was an EverBank field in the NFL?  I am not even trying to be a jerk.  I had absolutely no idea that it was called EverBank field.  It was formerly Jacksonville Municipal and most famously (to me) as Alltel Stadium.  Regardless, this is where the Browns are headed to do battle with David Garrard, Maurice Jones-Drew and the rest of the Jags.

This is an important game for the Jaguars.  They are one game out of first place with their 5-4 record.  In their five wins they have won by a combined 45 points.  Their four losses have been lost by a combined 99 points.  Most recently they played a tough game against the Texans which they won on a miracle hail mary that was batted straight into their receiver’s hands.  They were lucky to walk off the field when they did as winners, but it was headed to overtime, so they might have won the game even without the miracle.

This weekend the Browns might have their work cut out for them, or they might not.  The Jags seem like a team that can’t figure out exactly who they are with such inconsistent performances.  On top of that, they get to face a Browns team that is decidedly banged up coming into this one.   [Read more...]

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Week 10 Open Thread: Browns vs. Jets

November 14, 2010 by 120 Comments

The Cleveland Browns (3-5) host the New York Jets (6-2) today at 1 p.m. as they look to continue the momentum through to Week 10 of the NFL season. Following back-to-back impressive victories against the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots, Cleveland is one of the hottest teams in the league. Riding the strength of running back Peyton Hillis, the consistent play of rookie quarterback Colt McCoy and a impressive run defense, the Browns hope to dominate yet another perennial playoff power today.

Follow along with us here at WFNY and check out some of our earlier posts on the game: “The Browns Will Win If…” is the essential post, but we also are now featuring Craig’s intel info and a weekly staff podcast through Cleveland.com. Go Browns!

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While We’re Waiting… Buckeyes Basketball, Jets Chat, Miami Fans

November 13, 2010 by 3 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something else for WWW? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Solid start to the regular season for the No. 4 Buckeyes: “Even with four returning starters from last year’s team, it was a pair of freshman who made the biggest impact in the season-opener as Ohio State began 2010-11 campaign with a 102-61 win over North Carolina A&T in front of 13,022 fans at the Schottenstein Center, Friday night.” [Matt Barker/Buckeye Banter]

Previewing what to expect from OSU after losing first-round draft pick Evan Turner following 2010′s brief run in the NCAA Tournament: “Ohio State will be two-deep at every position, with several players (both starters and backups) having the ability to play multiple positions. There are five positions, so let’s begin.” [Danny/Inside the Shoe]

[Read more...]

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The Browns Will Win If…

November 12, 2010 by 23 Comments

What a difference three weeks can make. Before the Saints game, I was dreading these three games (Saints, Patriots, and Jets), thinking they would all end horribly badly for the Browns. And now, here we sit on the Friday before the Jets game with a legitimate chance to go 3-0 through this tough, tough portion of the schedule. Oh, and #17 is comin’ back, baby! Getcha Michigan hatred ready!

brownsjets

The Jets’ defense is solid; they’re 6th in the league in yards-allowed per game, and 3rd in the league in points-allowed per game. Their bread and butter on offense is the ground game, as they’re currently fourth in the league at 148.0 rushing yards per game. The Browns counter that with the 15th ranked rushing defense, surrendering 105.9 yards per game on the ground; however, they’ve allowed just 126 TOTAL rushing yards in the past two games. Rob Ryan! Rex Ryan! Eric Mangini and his former team! Braylon and the fans that love to hate him! Let’s get it on!! Without further ado…

The Browns Will Win If…

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Man, That Was Fun

November 8, 2010 by 23 Comments

I’m have been going to Browns games since I was five. From 1981 to the present, I have been trekking down to the Lakefront year after year and since the era of “The New” Browns, I’ll be honest, it hasn’t been all that fun. Dare I say not worth the trouble? I wouldn’t go that far, but Browns fans don’t need reminding that since the return to the NFL, its been dark days at Cleveland Browns Stadium for the most part.

I was lucky as a kid to grow up with a father who lived and breathed Browns Football, and had season tickets to boot. As a kid, he and his brothers went to games with their father, a Hungarian immigrant. By the time my father had his two sons, we all went together. Our routine was the same every game. My Uncle would pick everyone up at our house and pile into his Suburban. My father was always the driver downtown. Usually 10 people in the car – a mix of parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.  We never missed a game, rain, sleet, snow – it didn’t matter. I was raised to know that all weather is football weather. [Read more...]

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The One About Peyton Hillis’ Skills in Red Rover, Red Rover

October 2, 2010 by 3 Comments

If Peyton Hillis is out there trucking over linebackers and safties at 24-years of age, it is a safe assumption that the linked arms of his peers roughly 10-to-15 years ago would have provided little to no challenge.  Well, at least in the eyes of Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan…

“He’s a fullback that can tote the ball,” said Ryan on Friday afternoon. “He gets tougher when he’s got the ball under his arm and I bet he was a [b!@&$] in red rover, red rover.”

[Read more...]

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