There was a moment during Rob Ryan’s tenure when Sean Payton approached him on the sideline and asked him if he had his brother Rex’s phone number.
The former Saints defensive coordinator was confused and wanted to know why Payton was asking him this.
“Because I want to call a Ryan who’s not afraid to blitz,” Payton replied.
Ryan was many things during his tenure with the Saints. He was at times creative and innovative. Sometimes he got results; sometimes he didn’t. But no one will ever attempt to define his time in New Orleans by calling him an aggressive blitzer.