Filed under: Raiders, AFC West, NFL Coaching
After the Raiders were blown out by the Broncos Monday night, head coach Lane Kiffin threw a shot at his defensive coordinatorRob Ryan.
If you remember, Kiffin wanted to replace Ryan as his defensive coordinator by owner Al Davis said "no". Soon afterward, Davis drew up a letter of resignation for Kiffin to sign ... which Kiffin said "no".
So Ryan decided to fire back at Kiffin ... sorta ... by taking on all the blame for Monday's loss:
"That's all on me. I put the game plan in, I run the defense, and it's all on me," Ryan said Thursday. "I just want to set it straight because I've been here five years and I don't think people necessarily have the right story.
"I'm disappointed, but I just wanted to tell my side of the story for once because there's so many other things that come out where I have to read it and take it and I just want the truth as I know the truth."
Ryan did go on to dispel any rumors that he and Kiffin don't get along but wasn't shy about knocking Kiffin's comments down a peg. Responding to Kiffin's comments that he frequently meets with Davis, Ryan said that is false.
"I meet with Mr. Davis in the offseason," Ryan said. "That thing is just (wrong), and I want to make sure you got it right. I meet with the owner in the offseason. He's the boss, he's the man that hired me, and that's been well-documented. I don't meet with him on game plans or come up with all this. It's amazing when things like this come out when we have a bad week. Put it on me, that's where it belongs. I'm the man that runs the defense.
"That's what I'm up here for. We have to bounce back. It's not one of my players. It's me right here, all on me."
The Raiders take on their rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, this Sunday.
