Rex Ryan thought Mike Pettine was just a video guy, someone who could help him put together film that would keep his Baltimore Ravens players interested and focused on the game plans.
That was 16 years ago, when Ryan was the Ravens' defensive line coach and Pettine worked in the team’s video department.
He quickly discovered that Pettine was much, much more.
“He’s the smartest guy in the room,” Ryan said.
And that comes without a caveat, Ryan said. It doesn’t matter who’s in the room.
“I was trying to spice up my presentations, and the more I talked to him, I realized, ‘Holy cow, this dude knows everything, he’s a real football guy,’” Ryan, now an ESPN analyst, said in an interview Wednesday – one day after the Packers hired Pettine as their new defensive coordinator.
“So when we had the chance, we made him quality control coach, and then outside linebackers and then defensive coordinator. He was my right-hand man forever.”
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