SAN DIEGO (AP) – Flashing a Super Bowl ring, which is a strange sight around here, Rex Ryan spoke about how he’d love to win an NFL championship with the San Diego Chargers.
“That would be something that we’d be targeting. We’d like to get several of those,” Ryan said after emerging from his interview with Chargers executives on Thursday.
Ryan is the son of former NFL head coach Buddy Ryan, who was the defensive coordinator when the 1985 Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl.
Rex Ryan earned his Super Bowl ring as defensive line coach of the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. He just completed his second year of the Ravens’ defensive coordinator.
The Chargers have been to the Super Bowl once, after the 1994 season, losing 49-26 to the San Francisco 49ers. They appeared to be Super Bowl-caliber in going 14-2 last season, but shockingly fell apart in their playoff opener, a 24-21 loss to New England.
Ryan’s interview came three days after the Chargers suddenly fired Marty Schottenheimer to fix what team president Dean Spanos called a “dysfunctional situation” between the coach and general manager A.J. Smith.
Hall of Famer Mike Singletary, the San Francisco 49ers’ assistant head coach, was the first candidate to interview, on Wednesday.
Niners offensive coordinator Norv Turner was believed to be interviewing Thursday afternoon, although the Chargers wouldn’t confirm it. A 49ers spokesman said Turner took a 12:30 p.m. flight out of San Francisco.
Turner recently interviewed for the Dallas Cowboys’ head coaching job that went to Wade Phillips, who had been the Chargers’ defensive coordinator. Turner, a former head coach at Washington and Oakland, was San Diego’s offensive coordinator in 2001.
Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera was scheduled to be interviewed on Friday morning.
It was the first interview for Ryan for any head coaching job.
“It was quite an experience. I think once you go through this process, you realize how much you really do want to be in this position,” said. “I know I’m ready.”
Buddy Ryan was head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986-1990, and the Arizona Cardinals in 1994-95. He was 55-55-1, with an 0-3 playoff record. He was a brash and abrasive Korean War veteran who brought a military ethic to his coaching.
“I think my personality might be a little different,” his son said. “I think maybe all of ours would’ve been. I think I’m just the opposite. I’ve learned a great deal from my father, how to attack offenses and how to do different things in football. But I’ve also learned what not to do as well. With his help.”
Rex Ryan said he’d deal with the media differently.
“And you hope you don’t punch out an assistant coach on the sideline,” Rex Ryan said.
He was referring to Houston’s 1993 season finale, when Buddy Ryan, the Oilers’ defensive coordinator, threw a punch at offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride on the sideline.
Gilbride was hired as Chargers’ head coach in 1997 and fired after just 22 games.
Rex Ryan said he would bring “a great passion. It’s something that I was born to do, is be a football coach. It’s something I know how to do. I’m not exactly a media darling. I know that surprises everybody by my appearance,” he said, referring to his charcoal gray suit.
“But I’m a football coach, No. 1. I love the game. I’m committed to the game. My family is committed to it and I think that will be obvious once I do hopefully get the opportunity to be a head coach.”
Would he get along with Smith?
“Oh, absolutely,” Ryan said.
“Everybody just wants to win around here,” Ryan said. “Obviously, 14-2 record, it would be a unique situation to come into as a head coach. Usually, it’s reversed. If I got a job, my job would be not to screw it up, quite honestly. They have things going in the right direction. I think I could add to the program and help in certain areas.”
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