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Saints Fire Rob Ryan After Dismal Defeat

The Times-Picayune in New Orleans is reporting that Rob Ryan, defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2015/11/new_orleans_saints_fire_rob_ry.html#incart_breaking">has been fired after a particularly embarrassing 47-14 loss to Washington on Sunday.

While Washington has been on an upward trajectory, it was the second time in two weeks that the Saints lost to team with a sub-.500 record. The week prior, the Tennessee Titans beat the Saints in overtime to improve their record to two wins on the season.

Prior to those losses, the Saints, who opened the season at 1-3, had won three of their next four games, suggesting that the team might climb back into the wild card picture in the NFC. Even in those wins, however, the defense frequently allowed opponents to mount significant comebacks in late quarters, including a record-breaking shootout with the New York Giants that resulted in a 52-49 win and a combined 13 touchdown passes.

Ryan's replacement is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Allen_(American_football)">Dennis Allen, who coached New Orleans' defensive secondary during their 2009 SuperBowl season, left to become the Denver Bronco's defense coordinator and then, for a year and change, he was head coach of the Oakland Raiders. He returned to the Saints this year as a "Senior Defensive Assistant," where it's been assumed he was placed to pick up the pieces in case of a Ryan firing.

Allen played college ball as a Fightin' Texas Aggie (whoop!), where he was played safety as part of R.C. Slocum's "wrecking crew" defense.

Here's Allen trying to explain his relatively unique "Senior Defensive Assistant" position at the beginning of the 2015 season:

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