Rob Ryan, Sean Payton spar over cause of Saints' defensive failures

Ex-New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan took some big shots this week at his former team, saying in a new interview that he did a great job running the defense and got fired for it.

The 2015 Saints ranked 31st in yards per game allowed and dead last in points per game allowed.

Ryan now works with his brother Rex and the Buffalo Bills.

In an interview with The MMQB's Jenny Vrentas, Ryan blamed the Saints' insistence that he run a defensive scheme other than his own for the team's failures.

"Everyone wants to run Seattle's defense," Ryan said. "They should have hired a Seattle coach. I did the best job I could. Under the circumstances, trust me, I did the best job I could. I'll be better anywhere else."

He added, "I'll be great anywhere else."

Saints head coach Sean Payton took issue with this assertion.

"The idea that it wasn't his defense, or he wasn’t in charge of it, is silly," Payton said on PFT Live on Friday.

Payton stopped short of blaming Ryan exclusively for the Saints' defensive woes, but explained why the team decided it had to fire him.

"When you’re struggling as bad as we're struggling for two years, and some of the same problems keep coming up - you know, 10 guys on the field - those are things you can't live with," Payton said.

Ryan said he regrets not being more proactive in New Orleans and will make sure it doesn't happen in Buffalo.

"I am not going to sit on my hands, like I did in New Orleans. The biggest mistake I think I made in New Orleans was sitting on my hands and collecting a paycheck, instead of going in, knowing it was wrong and fixing it."