Now John Harbaugh is officially in as head coach, complete with a lucrative contract and the authority he wants, the next step will be filling out his staff for the New York Giants, and the Super Bowl winner has teased the possibility of hiring a former New York Jets head coach to take over the defense.
Rex Ryan to the Giants is not out of the realm of possibility, according to Harbaugh. The latter explained as much during a conversation with WFAN hosts, including Giants all-time leading rusher Tiki Barber, on Tuesday, January 20.
Harbaugh was asked about Ryan and Don ‘Wink’ Martindale, both of whom called defenses for the Baltimore Ravens. As Harbaugh put it, “Yeah, I’m gonna tell you what, why not? Can you imagine Rex coming back in here, you know?”
Going into more detail about Ryan, who was Harbaugh’s first coordinator in Baltimore way back in 2008, the new man in charge of the Giants explained, “Nobody calls a better game than Rex Ryan. He built great defenses, but he called a great game and there’s a lot to be said for that.”
When pressed if he’ll place a call to Ryan, Harbaugh said, “we’ll have to give him a call. Why not? I talk to Rex a lot.”
Whether Harbaugh was completely serious or not, Ryan is a credible candidate to be Giants defensive coordinator. Provided the 63-year-old, who is currently an analyst for ESPN, would welcome a return to the NFL sidelines.
Rex Ryan and John Harbaugh Partnership Worked
They only worked together for one season, but the partnership between Ryan and Harbaugh proved a fruitful one. The Ravens went from 4-12 to the AFC Championship Game, largely on the strength of Ryan’s defense that ranked third in points and second in yards, per Pro Football Reference.
Awesome personnel like Hall of Famers, middle linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed, kept the Ravens strong on this side of the ball. Yet, Ryan’s schemes were also a major reason for the unit’s dominance.
He called a defense based on elaborate blitzing and disguised coverage. The Ryan playbook borrowed from the legendary ’46’ defense created by his father Buddy Ryan, along with concepts similar to the fire-zone blitzes Dick Lebeau made a staple of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Giants would surely welcome a return to playing defense the same way.
Giants Need Defensive Overhaul
Almost two years of Shane Bowen’s predictable and vanilla schemes left key players frustrated. Bowen was dumped during the season, allowing outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen to call a more aggressive game.
Bullen earned enough plaudits for NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo to reveal he’s a “name that’s come up a few times as a defensive coordinator candidate for prospective head coaches.”
If Bullen is lured away, Ryan is the perfect play-caller to continue what he started. Ryan would implement something similar to what the Giants were running under another of Harbaugh’s former DCs, Martindale, who clashed with former head coach Brian Daboll.
There would be no such clashes between Harbaugh and Ryan. Not when they have an extensive history that includes having “worked together at @GoBearcatsFB in 1996 when Rex was DC and Harbaugh was ST Coordinator. Ryan would be outstanding hire,” according to author Gary Myers.
Harbaugh was smart enough as a rookie head coach to lean on Ryan’s expertise 18 years ago. Doing so again makes sense when Harbaugh is firmly in charge of how to rebuild a Giants team coming off three-straight seasons with double-digit losses.
John Harbaugh Teases Hiring Former Jets Coach to Giants Staff