The Ryans...

[Angry Pope]

Defense is all in the family for Ryans

Matt Palmer
Sep 14, 2006 5:00 AM (6 hrs ago)


BALTIMORE - Throughout the 1980s and early ’90s, Buddy Ryan defined defensive intimidation. His role as coordinator of the Chicago Bears unit during the 1985 season is often regarded as the reason the franchise won its lone Super Bowl.


Now, his legacy lives on in his 43-year-old twin sons, Rob and Rex, the latter being the Ravens’ defensive coordinator.

“We had the chance to learn under one of the great defensive minds of all time,” Rex said Wednesday.

Rex will face his brother, Rob, the defensive coordinator of the Raiders, on Sunday when Oakland arrives to play at M&T Bank Stadium. Each sibling has been successful in their own right. Rob was an assistant coach for two of the Patriots’ three recent Super Bowl victories, while Rex is the lone remaining assistant from the Ravens’ Super Bowl XXXV championship, when he was the defensive line coach.

Interestingly enough, both men were on the opposite ends of 27-0 shutouts last weekend. The Ravens, of course, were on the winning side in a dominating defensive effort. Rob’s Raiders unit struggled to contain Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson in their loss.

Rex said he has given little thought to facing his brother.

“Not for a second,” he said. “As far I am concerned, he’s just another guy on the sideline.”

Rex, whose defense ranked fifth overall in 2005 in his first season, has schemes that are constantly evolving. Players move furiously before the snap. Where onlookers might see confusion, Ravens players see organized chaos.

“He’s consistent,” linebacker Adalius Thomas said. “That’s the biggest thing. He’s learnable, likable and fun. That’s always how’s he been. He’s a player’s coach. He allows you not to be a robot, and that’s the best thing.”

Cornerback Samari Rolle took it one step further.

“He’s the best I’ve had,” Rolle said. “He makes you want to play for him. He’s always upbeat, and he puts us in position to make plays with his calls.”

Off the field, Rex is a warm, funny man. Reports from the West Coast say his brother is more reclusive. Recently, Rob spoke with the media for the first time in two seasons.

“We’re the Raider defense, and we’re going to get after people’s butts this year,” Rob told the San Jose Mercury News. “That’s what we’re all about.”

While Rob has fewer tools to work with in Oakland — save for aging tackle Warren Sapp and defensive end Derrick Burgess — he still has the faith of the organization.

“I like Rob,” Raiders head coach Art Shell said. “He’s a fiery guy. The players respect him. He’s a chip off the block — off his dad, you know, whom I have a lot of respect for. And I think Rob is doing a heck of a job with the group he has.”

Raiders (0-1) at Ravens (1-0)

When: Sunday, 1 p.m.

Where: M&T Bank Stadium

TV: CBS Radio: 97.9 FM/1090 AM

 

[Angry Pope]

I am happy we didn't fire him as some had suggested.

 

[Rupert]

He was frustrating his first season, but last year was an eye opener. He did a lot with very little, and definitely needed at least another shot with a little more talent. I think he has it now, and could definitely mold this group into something special. He'll need a couple more players in years to come as a couple guys get too old (Sapp, Johnstone), but the unit definitely looks better. I'm excited.

 

[Crossbones]

I agree. I was rally donew on ryan his first year but he looks to be tghe real deal. He was working with very little talent and he still could use some help on that DL.

 

[Rupert]

I think we have some of it. Sands looks to have arrived. Hawthorne will continue to emerge and could be a real force next year, if not later this year. I think we're thinnest at DE. Johnstone plays the run well, despite what some people are saying, he just doesn't have too many years left (and I don't want to experience his McDaniel year). Brayton is good, but he's more of a workhorse than someone who will blow things up (still he's perfect for the kind of backers we have, just eat your blocker up and let the backers get the glory). Burgess is very good. Maybe this Huntley kid is worth something, we'll just have to see. Kelly didn't have a standout performance in his first game, but he was solid. Sapp made a couple plays, in both the running game and the abbreviated passing game.

I really think the line is better than people are giving them credit for, but I also think most people tend to make it a black and white situation. They're either very disruptive, or they're worthless. I don't think this line is either, and I think it has room to grow and will improve some, but I think a key player here or there, especially at end, would help. Regardless, seeing how Sands has improved: from driven off the line 2 years ago, to achoring at the line last year, to tossing guys around this season is a statement for the work of the defensive coaches. I've seen similar improvement from Hawthorne, who is roughly as strong but much quicker. With a similar leap next season he will be the disruptive force we need in the middle. Then it will be a matter of depth behind him. I want a solid rotation.

 

[Angry Pope]

Ryans match defensive wits
Twins face off against each other Sunday in Ravens-Raiders game

By Bill Soliday

ALAMEDA — Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan wishes his twin brother, Rex, was the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator instead of on defense.

"I wish he was (on) offense because we would for damn sure shut them out," Rob Ryan said.

A little brotherly love showing there. As the Raiders coach put it, "There are a lot of bragging rights, as you can expect ... a lot of beers are riding on this one."

Rob and Rex are the sons of the legendary Buddy Ryan, who coached what may have been the best defense of the modern era, the 1985 Chicago Bears, to a Super Bowl title. Just like the old man, they gravitated to coaching defense, and both have matched their father by earning Super Bowl rings — Rob with New England and Rex with Baltimore.

But Pops didn't always think it was in the cards when his twin boys decided to take up coaching shortly before they graduated from Southwest Oklahoma.

"At first he was like, 'You guys don't know anything about football coaching. You tried to play.' We weren't very good. But the thing is, we knew football. He was shocked by it when he took us in the hotel room and wanted to find out what we knew."

At that point, Buddy Ryan gave his boys his blessing.

Last time Rob and Rex coached against one another was when Rob was at Oklahoma State and Rex was on the Oklahoma staff.

"Going in, there was a lot of stuff being talked," Rob Ryan said. "You know, 'Hey, we're going to do this and do this and win 3-0 or whatever.' But at the end of the game, we were trying to convince everyone we were the offensive coordinators."

Rob Ryan won that day in a high-scoring affair.

"I think we tore the goalposts down, too," Rob Ryan said. "It was the first time Oklahoma State beat OU in 30-something years."


THE HURTS JUST KEEP ON COMIN': In addition to tackle Robert Gallery, the Raiders are facing the possibility they might have to play


Sunday without two defensive starters — cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (foot) and linebacker Sam Williams (ankle).

"It is going to be a Sunday (decision)," coach Art Shell said. "They are still wearing those (walking) boots, so that doesn't bode well."

Both missed practice Thursday, as did kick returner Chris Carr and defensive end Kevin Huntley.

Tyrone Poole would replace Asomugha, and the combination of Robert Thomas and Grant Irons would fill Williams' spot at strongside linebacker.

Shell also said that Carr would likely be a gametime decision as well. His calf injury had improved by Thursday "but not as well as (trainer Rod Martin) expected it to be."


GOTCHA, COMING AND GOING: Sometimes you just can't win for losing.

The NFL announced Thursday that the AFC offensive player of the week was San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson after his 131-yard performance against the Raiders.

The defensive player of the week? It was Baltimore's Ray Lewis, whom the Raiders must deal with Sunday.


EXTRA POINTS: The team released former Cal WR Burl Toler and signed Kansas rookie WR Leo Bookman to the practice squad. ... The Baltimore Ravens added two names to their injury report — De La Salle rookie WR Demetrius Williams (knee) and LB Gary Stills (hand). Both are listed as questionable. Williams was the Ravens' fourth-round pick out of Oregon this year. ... Shell said with the injury to Gallery, Brad Badger would be active this week as backup tackle on both right and left sides. ... Other than possible injury replacements, Shell said he has no starting lineup changes planned.

 

[Angry Pope]

It's defensive ties that bind for Ryans
Ravens, Raiders coordinators come by their craft honestly

By Jamison Hensley


September 15, 2006

A week after the Manning brothers dueled on national television, football's next sibling rivalry shifts to the first family of defense.

Rex and Rob Ryan - the twin sons of renowned coach Buddy Ryan - meet for the first time on an NFL field Sunday, when they oppose one another as defensive coordinators for the Ravens and the Oakland Raiders.

For the Ryan family, it'll be different to see the brothers competing on opposite sidelines because they were inseparable as children.

Rex and Rob always teamed up, whether it was football, baseball or a backyard brawl.

"I know we never lost a fight," Rex Ryan said. "That's one of those things where a guy had to be pretty tough because he had to whip both of us."

Rex is in his second season as defensive coordinator of the Ravens. Rob is in his third year with the Raiders.

They started in the NFL at an early age, working as ball boys for their father's teams. Buddy noticed how Rex and Rob weren't typical kids because they paid attention to the coaching of Weeb Ewbank and Bud Grant.

In addition to football, the brothers learned who they could lean on during this time.

"The good thing was when we moved - like you do in coaching - they took their best friend with them," Buddy Ryan said. "They had each other's back."

Rex and Rob have squared off before, when they were opposing coaches in college. They have been memorable games for most of the family.

Rex can't remember the record between the brothers. Rob, who couldn't be reached for comment this week, had a better recollection when asked a year ago.

"We've been on different sidelines six times, and I've beaten him more times than he's beaten me," Rob said. "Also, remind him that I have two Super Bowl rings and he has only one."

In collecting six Super Bowl championships as a family, the Ryan legacy has been high-pressure defenses that attack the quarterback. It's a philosophy that can be traced back to Buddy, who was the architect of the 46 defense used by the 1985 Chicago Bears.

Rex and Rob, both 43, currently use different styles because they have tailored their playbooks around their talent. Rob regularly sticks with the traditional 4-3 defense (four linemen and three linebackers). Rex mixes it up more, switching in and out of fronts to confuse offenses.

But both are the same when it comes to the creativity of their blitz schemes. It's hard to tell where the pressure is coming from when an offense faces a Ryan.

"We try to help each other," said Rex, who will talk to his brother three times a week during the season.

This week has been different because the brothers haven't spoken since Monday. But don't expect Rex to be chatting to Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Fassel either.

"If I thought it would help, I would sell my brother down the river," Rex said. "When it comes to his defense, our offensive coaches know more than me."

Although this is their first NFL game against each other, the brothers' paths first crossed on the pro level in 2004.

The Raiders were looking to hire a new defensive coordinator and asked to interview Rex. The Ravens, who had lost some assistants that season, denied permission.

As a result, Rob got the job after four seasons as the New England Patriots' linebackers coach. In 2005, Rex finally received his promotion to defensive coordinator when Mike Nolan became the San Francisco 49ers' head coach.

"Baltimore is where I wanted to be," Rex said. "The tradition here is something I'm proud to be a part of."

Buddy has high expectations for Rex, saying that the Ravens will go to the Super Bowl this season. This prediction doesn't mean Buddy will be cheering for the Ravens on Sunday.

"I know who to root for," Buddy said. "It's the defenses."

Whoever wins this game, that brother will have bragging rights until their next meeting.

"Quite honestly, it's more than a normal game to both of us," Rex said. "I'm proud of my brother and his accomplishments. If we kick his butt on Sunday like I hope we do, it's not going to change that fact. I want him to win every game except this one."

 

[Angry Pope]

Ravens have what Raiders want - a stout defense

Talent is critical, but it's the accompanying attitude that makes Baltimore so tough.

By Jason Jones


ALAMEDA -- Physical, fast and intimidating.

Words often used to describe the Baltimore Ravens defense. Words the Raiders hope their defense will become synonymous with -- someday.

The Raiders have stocked their defense with speed this season and want to use it to bring a more aggressive style to the field.

That didn't happen in Monday's season-opening 27-0 loss to the San Diego Chargers.

While the Raiders are looking to change that Sunday against the Ravens, they could be face-to-face with the model for which they long to be in terms of play and swagger.

"Each team's got different schemes," said Raiders defensive end Derrick Burgess. "As far as their enthusiasm and the things they get done on the field, of course I admire that. But we've got different teams, different schemes. But the way they play the game, I like that."

What's not to like about a defense that is stout against the run with fleet-footed linebackers and ball-hawks in the secondary? Talent is key, but so is the Ravens' confidence.

"That doesn't just come overnight," said Raiders linebacker Sam Williams. "The Ravens, they built that over the years and throughout the games making plays."

The Raiders remain confident, Monday's game aside, and they're working on the "making plays" part of the equation.

"I think in a lot ways where we're similar in that is we're young, we're fast, we're running to the football," said linebacker Kirk Morrison.

Behind seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time defensive Player of the Year Ray Lewis at linebacker, the Ravens have been a dominant defense this decade.

In 2000, the Ravens lost just four games. In those losses Baltimore's offense scored six points three times and three once. The defense, meanwhile, held teams to 10 or fewer points 11 times. The Ravens beat the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXV after the 2000 season, and Lewis won MVP honors.

In all but one season since 2000, Baltimore's defense has ranked sixth or better in yards allowed. The blemish came in 2002 when the Ravens' defense was ranked 22nd with Lewis missing 11 games because of a shoulder injury.

The Raiders were ranked 27th last season in total defense after being 30th the two previous seasons.

This season didn't start much better with the Raiders giving up 131 rushing yards to LaDainian Tomlinson, 101 in the first half.

"We weren't happy with the results from last week," said defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. "To be a great defense you've got to show up every week."

The Ravens' defense is built around veterans like Lewis, cornerback Chris McAlister and safety Ed Reed, stalwarts who have been with the Ravens for years.

The Raiders start two rookies in safety Michael Huff and outside linebacker Thomas Howard among several young players.

"The more familiar we get with each other, we're going to be OK," Morrison said. "I think everybody's playing a part in it. It's team defense. There isn't one player that just sticks out."

Ryan's twin brother, Rex, is the Ravens' defensive coordinator. Their father is former NFL coach and defensive guru Buddy Ryan.

"They've got great players and a great scheme," Rob said of the Ravens. "They're moving all over. We have great talent here and we're trying to develop it and use our talent the best we can. We're on the right track with that. We're going to be a great defense."

 

[Angry Pope]

Twins on opposing sidelines

The sons of Buddy Ryan will match wits for the first time as NFL coordinators when Oakland plays at Baltimore


BALTIMORE -- A little more than two years ago, the Raiders called the Baltimore Ravens and inquired about the possibility of interviewing defensive line coach Rex Ryan for their defensive coordinator vacancy.

No, came the reply. The search expanded. Former Arizona Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis was considered, but he accepted a job with the Tennessee Titans. Then-Patriots defensive backs coach Eric Mangini said no to the Raiders' overture. Finally, the Raiders lured away Rob Ryan from the New England Patriots.

On Sunday, Rex and Rob Ryan, the twin sons of former NFL coach and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, match wits for the first time as dueling NFL defensive coordinators.

"I look forward to it," Rob Ryan said Thursday. "There's a lot of bragging rights, as you can expect, a lot of beers riding on this one. But the bottom line is, we need a win bad and we're going to get it any way possible."

Rex and Rob might be twins, but their philosophies differ quite a bit, Raiders coach Art Shell said.

"Rob doesn't do as much as his brother," Shell said. "His brother is all over the place. Rob is a little more conservative."

Rob Ryan's schemes have varied in his three seasons, from a three-linemen, four-linebacker alignment, to a 4-3 and even a 4-2-5. Rex always is tinkering with ideas, anyone who has been around him says. Shell said the Ravens present as many looks defensively as any team in the league.

Everyone agrees that the Ryan boys differ in philosophy, but they are similar in that players love playing for them.

"I don't think it gets any better than Rex Ryan," Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis said. "He is a guru."

That both brothers made it this far is quite an accomplishment, especially given a father-sons chat they had just before they graduated from college at Southwest Oklahoma.

The senior Ryan told his sons that they weren't cut out for coaching. To prove the point, he grilled them on the nuances of the game.

"He was shocked exactly how much we could pick up and how much we knew about football," Rob Ryan said.

The stern lecture soon evolved into a teaching session, with Buddy Ryan passing on the knowledge of his famed "46 defense."

This isn't the first time the Ryan twins have been on opposing sidelines. The most memorable one came when Rob's Oklahoma State team upset Rex's Oklahoma squad.

"Going in there, there was a lot of stuff being talked," Rob said. "You know, 'Hey, we're going to do this and do this and win 3-0.' But, at the end of the game, we were trying to convince everyone we were the offensive coordinators. But I won that one. ... we tore the goal posts down, too."

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Defensive end Tyler Brayton and defensive tackle Terdell Sands are the lone two Raiders who started against the Ravens the last time the teams met, Dec. 14, 2003.

"Oh, gosh, I can't even remember that far back," Ravens coach Brian Billick said in a conference call with Bay Area media Wednesday. "Yeah, you're talking about a totally different makeup of the team and style, the personalities of the players, the coaches. It might as well be a totally different city and a totally different football team."

By comparison, the Ravens still feature a slew of players who started that day -- running back Jamal Lewis, middle linebacker Lewis and left offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, among others.

Extra points

Outside linebacker Sam Williams (foot) on Friday was downgraded to questionable. Robert Thomas or Grant Irons would replace Williams in the starting lineup if he can't play. ... The availability of kick and punt returner Chris Carr (calf) won't be determined until just before kickoff, Shell said. ... Shell said he has not determined whether wide receiver Jerry Porter will be activated for Sunday's game. Porter was inactive for Oakland's opener.

-- Steve Corkran

 

[Angry Pope]

Ryan twins more than Buddy's -- they're buddies

Bruce Adams

Sunday, September 17, 2006

(09-17) 04:00 PDT Baltimore -- It's been an unusual week for Rob and Rex Ryan. The twins haven't talked on the phone or had anything to do with each other.

"We're close as close can be," Rob Ryan said.

But not right now.

"This week," he said, "it's on."

It's throwdown day at M&T Bank Stadium for the 43-year-old twin sons of legendary NFL defensive innovator Buddy Ryan -- Rob as defensive coordinator of the Raiders and Rex as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens.

"We've done it before," Rob Ryan said, noting the last face-off came in 1998 when he was the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State and his brother at Oklahoma. Rob's Cowboys beat Rex's Sooners 41-26 -- the most points OSU had scored against OU in 53 years.

"We're just anxious to play again," Rob said, hoping for another landmark result this time.

The twins are best friends, with "the same likes, the same dislikes," he said.

"We worked out of the same wallet," Ryan said. "Usually only one of us had a license at a time, so it always worked out."

And they were destined for lives in football -- unlike older brother Jim, who became a lawyer.

"If any of the Ryans were in a fight -- besides my dad -- it was always one of the twins," Rob said.

They were teammates at Southwestern Oklahoma. Just before they were to graduate, their father gathered the carousing twins in a hotel room for some tough love from the man best known as the architect of the "46" defense, a blitzing scheme that was key in the 1985 Chicago Bears' drive to the championship in Super Bowl XX.

"At first he was like, 'You guys don't know anything about football. ... You tried to play. You weren't very good,' " Rob said. "But the thing is, we knew football."

They convinced the old man, who Rob said was "shocked" by their knowledge. He taught them the "46" on the spot. And, after they had bounced around the college coaching circuit, he gave them their first NFL jobs, adding both to his staff in 1994 when he was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

"It was great," Ryan said. "But there we were, trying to prove ourselves as coaches. We belonged in the NFL, but no one else knew it. Our players did, but in the media ... they'd bring up nepotism and all that. You don't hear that crap anymore because we've all got Super Bowl rings" -- Rex with the Ravens and Rob with the Patriots.

Rob is in his third year at Oakland and Rex in his eighth year at Baltimore, his second as defensive coordinator.

On paper, it looks like a mismatch. The Ravens usually have ranked among the best defenses in the league, while the Raiders have been near the bottom. Last year, with Rex installing some elements of the old "46," the Ravens ranked fifth in the league in total defense and the Raiders finished 27th.

"They've got great players and a great scheme," Rob said of Baltimore.

"What we're doing," he added, "is we have great talent and we're trying to develop it and use our talent the best we can. ... We're going to be a great defense. They've got all the accolades, and we're going to put it out there and see who's better."

And the results will no doubt be a hot topic once the twins start speaking to each other again.

"There's a lot of bragging rights, and as you can expect, a lot of beers riding on this one," Rob said.

During their regular talks, the twins don't exchange much football information. Both are too busy with their respective teams.

"No one is going to outwork the other, I know that," Rob said. "I haven't studied his defense, but I've seen it enough to know it's damned good. It's effective."

Rob does acknowledge that right now he regrets his twin didn't pursue other football interests.

"Well, I wish he was offense because we damned sure would shut them out," he said. "But no, defense just runs in our blood. That's just how it's always been."

 

[Angry Pope]

More Rob, more Rex

It was great to speak with Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, his brother Rex and father Buddy this week. That's a family with a lot of gruff charm. I wish Rob talked - or was allowed to talk, whichever the case may be - more often.

Anyway, there wasn't enough room in my print version of the Ryan-vs.-Ryan story to accommodate their many anecdotes. In particular, they had some good stories about the boyhood ball games.

"We used to take on (older brother) Jim in football," Rex told me. "And what he would do, he'd pass it to himself, and he'd tip it, catch it and all that. One year we were finally gonna beat him. I had thrown a pass to Rob, my older brother blew the coverage and Rob got behind. And he's running with a touchdown, and he turns back to kind of mock my brother, and he ran into a tree. And he fumbled, and I missed the tackle and my older brother went for a touchdown. So we lost."

Through high school, and even college, the family would get together for more inclusive football games. "And the only rule was you had to cheap-shot the receivers," Rex said. "One time I got run into a moving car."

"Yeah. It was moving after he hit it, for sure," Rob noted.

And it wasn't just football.

"One would play short, one would play second and I'd hit the ball," Buddy said. "My wife played first and we'd turn double plays."

I think Rob has the Raiders' defense on the right track, though they're not among the NFL's better defenses yet. Rex was fortunate enough to inherit a strong defense when he was promoted to coordinator, but the Ravens haven't backslid at all under his watch.

Rex said the twins' experience as NFL ball boys and locker-room spooks plays to their advantage now.

"We grew up around Alan Page and Walter Payton and great players," he pointed out. "So now if a player has a problem or whatever, that's no big deal to us. Where a lot of coaches come in and they may be intimidated by this player or that player, it doesn't mean anything to us."

 

[Angry Pope]

Brotherly love to take the day off
Ryan twins will be on opposite sidelines running defenses for Raiders and Ravens

PHIL BARBER

BALTIMORE - Somewhere near Louisville, Ky., on a lush farm with 17 horses, a 72-year-old football icon will turn on his television in time for the Raiders' game at Baltimore today. Most fans tend to follow the football when they watch on TV.

"I'll watch both defenses and hope it turns out 3-0, or 6-3," said Buddy Ryan, former head coach of the Eagles and Cardinals and architect of the famed 46 defense, which gradually permeated the NFL after the 1985 Chicago Bears rode it to a Super Bowl victory.

Ryan always watches the defenses, really, but today's game at M&T Bank Stadium goes straight into the family scrapbook. His twin sons, Rob and Rex, will be the opposing defensive coordinators - Rob with the Raiders and Rex with the Ravens.

The game doesn't have a name, like the ballyhooed Manning Bowl last week, but it is an oddity.

The brothers have squared off before, when Rob was at Western Kentucky and Rex was at Eastern Kentucky; when Rob was at Tennessee State and Rex was at Morehead State; when Rob was at Oklahoma State and Rex was at Oklahoma. But this is their first showdown in the NFL.

"There's a lot of bragging rights, as you can expect," Rob said this week. "A lot of beer's riding on this one."

Identical except in looks

Rob and Rex Ryan, 43, are not identical twins, though they have the same voice, the same build, the same aphorisms ("It's not your position, it's your disposition") and the same passion for defense. Rex says he's at least 50 pounds heavier, and his crew cut contrasts Rob's unkempt mane. Otherwise, they are carbon copies.

"We're fraternal, but you'd sure think we were identical," Rex, older by five minutes, said by phone. "I mean, we're both the same height. . .. We have the same exact likes, dislikes."

The Ryan twins were always inseparable, whether playing football against their older brother, Jim, or living "out of one wallet," as they like to say.

"We got in a lot of fights in our day, but we never lost," Rex said. "Your brother might have had to be there to help you, but we never walked away a loser, I promise you that."



'Thugs of Canada'

And they had plenty of opportunities. To hear Rob and Rex describe it, they were nearly feral as kids. The first time they played organized football, they were kicked out of the league for two games for hitting too hard. That was in Toronto, where they lived with their mother after she and Buddy divorced.

"We were kind of like the thugs of Canada," Rob said. "We'd take on everybody, and we'd think we were the heavyweight champions of the world back there."

Their exasperated mother ultimately packed up the twins and sent them to live with Buddy and his second wife when the boys were in seventh grade.



Tough love from Buddy

"When we were in Toronto - and I love my mom, she did her best - but we were kids that, if we had curfew, we never made it," Rob said. "We had two paper routes, delivered one 5 a.m. in the morning, and then (another) in the afternoon, go to school if we wanted to, or not. And then at night, we'd just run the streets. That's the type of kids that my father inherited."

Their transformation was swift. Buddy laid down some tough love - think Kevin Gilbride - and the twins never missed another curfew. It was after moving in with their dad, not surprisingly, that Rob and Rex dived into football. They became ball boys for the Jets, then the Vikings, and they ate up the culture.



Twins knew their stuff

Buddy discouraged his three sons from going into coaching. Jim wound up as a lawyer and now practices in St. Louis. By the time Rex and Rob were ready to graduate from Southwestern Oklahoma State, Buddy urged them to enter a food-service management program. They insisted they were football coaches.

So Buddy called their bluff. He rented a hotel room for two days and went over tapes of his 46 defense, explaining the coverage schemes and blitz packages in detail. The twins, he found, already knew much of what he had to say.

"While the other ball boys were playing grab-ass," Buddy said, "they were paying attention."

All three Ryans were united in 1994 when Buddy, the new coach in Arizona, hired both Rob and Rex for his defensive staff. They had one strong year with the Cardinals, then a horrible one. The local media cried nepotism, and all were purged before the 1996 season.

Since then, Buddy has retired to breed horses, while Rex and Rob went back to college programs, then advanced to their own successful NFL careers. Rex joined the Ravens in 1999 and worked under coordinators Marvin Lewis and Mike Nolan before taking over the defense last season. Rob studied under Bill Belichick and Romeo Crennel in New Eng-land and was hired as the Raiders' defensive coordinator two years ago.



Defensive similarities

Through the arc of their careers, the Ryan twins have become a living nature-vs.-nurture experiment. They started as pure 46 disciples, but have added layers and twists while working other places. There are similarities in their defenses. But if Rob is known for moving players among positions, he doesn't do it so much during a single game. Rex, on the other hand, shifts his players around the field like chess pieces - and the pass pressure moves with them.

"I think they have the same philosophy," Buddy said. "Maybe Rob doesn't have the free hand Rex has."

Today, the brothers will take their schemes and play-calling onto the same field. It won't be a direct confrontation, as their squads will never face each other. But you can bet it's worth more than beers.

"We're as close as close can be," Rob said. "(But) during this week, it's different. We don't really call, don't talk. Most weeks, you're rooting like hell for the other team. But this week, it's on, and he knows it and I know it."

"Tell Rob, shoot, he knows how much we think of him," Rex replied. "But on Sunday, he's just going to be another guy on the other sideline."

 

[Angry Pope]

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