Rob Ryan says he ‘respects the game,’ won’t use bounties

Even though his dad, Buddy Ryan, allegedly used bounties for his players as a coach with the Bears and Eagles in the 1980’s, Rob Ryan says he doesn’t want any part of bounty systems that made the New Orleans Saints the most-discussed NFL team this offseason.

“We always teach properly,” the Cowboys defensive coordinator said, according to the San Antonio Express-News. “I respect the game. The best thing about the game is the players. (Bounties) never concerned us. Warren Sapp played for me (with the Raiders) and he said if he ever heard a coach talk about that he’d walk out on a coach and beat the (expletive) out of the coach. I’m here. And I haven’t been beat up yet.

“I teach the game properly and I respect the game. I love the game. And I love the players in it.”

Other than avoiding bounties because you respect the game and its players, there’s also those parts about being exiled from the league and becoming a pariah that don’t sound much fun. That’s exactly the deterrent the league hoped to establish with the punishments it handed down to the Saints. But it would be naive to think every coach has the same mindset as Ryan.

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