Rob Ryan blitzed Tom Brady with a series of questions at a Super Bowl press conference
When Brady recognized Ryan in the sea of reporters, he smiled and said, "Oh no."
Tom Brady has had to contend with just about every variety of disguised blitz from the Ryan brothers.
Rob Ryan threw another the quarterback’s way Wednesday, blending in with a crowd of reporters at a Super Bowl LIII press conference before peppering Brady with a series of questions.
When Brady recognized the familiar face, he smiled and said, “Oh no.”
The pair shook hands, then Ryan reflected on his time in New England. Ryan, son of defensive guru Buddy and brother to former New York Jets head coach Rex, was hired Wednesday as inside linebackers coach for the Washington Redskins.
The new job — Ryan’s first NFL gig since 2016 — will complete a full circle of sorts for the longtime defensive coordinator, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots as their linebackers coach from 2000-03.
Ryan reminisced about first encountering Brady during a workout at Michigan. (Earlier this week, Ryan told WEEI that he initially thought the young man under center “wasn’t any good.”) Then he described watching Brady tirelessly work to improve himself with the Patriots.
“Thank you for my two Super Bowl rings, by the way,” Ryan interjected at one point.
The Washington Redskins hired longtime defensive guru Rob Ryan as inside linebackers coach Wednesday.
Ryan asked Brady about his sustained greatness and named him the best ever in late game situations. Ryan wondered, how does No. 12 keep calm and execute on those last-second, come-from-behind drives?
“I’ve always looked at that as an opportunity,” Brady replied. “Because if you’re losing with two minutes left, what’s the worst that can happen? You’re already losing.
“It’s a win-win situation. If you lose, well, we were already losing. If you got a chance to go back and win and make the plays, then that’s what everyone’s going to be talking about the next day. So you figure, you know what, I’ve got a chance to be a hero.”
Brady noted that the Super Bowl tends to come down to defenses getting tired in the final minutes, which means the offense that has the ball at the end marches down the field and wins the game.
After answering the fourth and final question from Ryan, Brady said the barrage hadn’t caught him by surprise.
“I’m still ready for a lot of blitzes, I know,” he said. “I look at him and I just think all the variations and B.S. blitzes he can bring me.”
Ryan laughed and responded, “If you’re not lying, you’re not trying.”
Later in the press conference, Brady was asked by a different reporter if he would have had the same success without Bill Belichick as his head coach.
“To have the same success without the greatest coach doesn’t make any sense to me,” Brady said. “He’s an incredible coach and I think players need coaches and coaches need players. He can’t do my job and I can’t do his job. It’s just been a great partnership.”
