It sounds increasingly likely that both of the NFL's rowdy, rambunctious Ryan brothers will be out of a job at the completion of this season.
Rex, the head honcho in New York, leads a Jets team that is currently 2-9 and in last place in the AFC East. He's being forced by team management to start a quarterback he, nor the players, want and his tenure as the top dog seems all but certain to cease at season's end.
Rob, the longhaired, big-mouthed defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, may be on his way out of his current position as well, if a recent report from CBS Sports' Jason LaCanfora is correct.
"The relationship between Saints head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has been rapidly deteriorating this season, with it privately acknowledged within the team's headquarters that the men strongly dislike each other and a change is inevitable this offseason," LaCanfora reports.
There have been a number of sideline spates between the two this season as the Saints have continued to underperform and Ryan's defense, comprised of a number of fairly highly paid veteran players, has played a major role in that failure.
They're currently ranked 23rd in the league against both the run and the pass, according to ESPN. But while that level of mediocrity is certainly cause for concern, it sounds like the larger issue may simply be one of personality.
"Some sources went so far as to use the word "hate" to describe their frayed relationship, and Payton has gone through several defensive coordinators in recent years, from Gregg Williams to Steve Spagnuolo to now Ryan."
Payton is a notoriously tough taskmaster so it's no surprise that he expects much from his assistants, no matter the side of the ball they coach on.
But with $160 million tied up in the cap for next season, and much of that allocated specifically to the defense, Payton's expectations of Ryan and his unit are clearly much greater than they have been able to achieve this season.
Barring a miraculous final four-game stretch wherein Ryan's defense finally performs up to snuff and his personality somehow changes drastically, look for Rob, along with brother Rex, to be searching for a new NFL home next season.
