Ryan Takes Blame For Mental Mistakes

The Dallas Cowboys defense didn't look so great on Sunday night in their 20-7 loss to the San Diego Chargers.

Like in all preseason games, all the casual fan concerns himself with is the first team's performance, and that first unit on defense looked flat-out lost against the Chargers and their high-octane offense.

Philip Rivers found tight end Randy McMichael for one of the easiest touchdown passes you'll ever see from inside the 10-yard line when McMichael got away from the Cowboys defense as they were double teaming Vincent Jackson across the middle. McMichael went to the flat and was wide open for the easy score.

After the game, new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan took the blame for the mix-up.

"That was all me. I screwed it up,” Ryan told reporters. “Doubled 83, and it was something that we really hadn’t practiced that I was trying to put in during the game. Hell, I screwed it up. Turning a guy loose, hell, that was me turning a guy loose.”

Ryan is doing a good thing for team chemistry by accepting blame, but isn't that the same thing fans and media said irritated them so much about former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips, who wouldn't blame a player for anything, ever?

The first few games of the regular season could be a circus for the Cowboys defense. They are basically learning on the fly what everyone says is a very intricate, scheme heavy defense of Ryan's.

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Expect some struggles early. And with the personnel, struggles could be a regular thing this season. We'll just be playing a game of wait and see, I guess.

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