Rex Ryan hires twin brother Rob to Buffalo Bills staff

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan has hired his twin brother, Rob, to his staff. Rob Ryan’s hiring was reported by Bills insider Chris Brown.

Rob Ryan’s title is officially “Assistant Head Coach/Defense,” and his brother was surprised at his accepting the position since he didn’t think Rob would be okay with answering to him.

“I’m excited to have Rob join our staff and I think he will be a great asset for our defense. He has a tremendous working knowledge of our schemes and I look forward to his input,” said Rex Ryan. “On a personal note, it’s been a number of years since we have worked together and so we are both really looking forward to this opportunity.”

Ryan was most recently the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints and was fired midway through the 2015 season as the team’s defense ended up finishing 31st in the league. Despite that, he has a reputation as a strong defensive coordinator and has coached with a number of teams including the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders. Ryan also won two Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots, having served as their linebackers coach from 2000-2003 and played a key role in turning Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest into Pro Bowlers.

And just how did he come to sign a contract with Buffalo? Well, according to his brother, he visited the city for their birthday and liked what he saw.

“He was around for several days and he really, really liked the players that we have, and you know and sees what we are building,” said Ryan. “And he has been around a lot of teams. So I think he was impressed with this organization.”

It’s certainly an unconventional hire, especially since the Bills already have a defensive coordinator in Dennis Thurman, but Buffalo owner Terry Pegula has made it clear that next year is make or break and given how the team finished 19th in total defense in 2015, adding Rob Ryan and his fiery personality could be just what the Bills need to take the next step forward.

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*Featured Photo (above) credit to Twitter (@buffalobills)

Super Bowl I to re-air in full for first time ever
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