[Quesadilla Joe]

Broncos' Martindale, Ryan linked

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Don Martindale notified the hostess he and his son would be ready for a table, just as soon as his good friend and mentor joined him.

A minute or two later, Rex Ryan stepped up to the Pro Bowl hotel restaurant, ready for lunch. By the looks of them, Martindale and Ryan weren't going to be ordering watercress salads.

Was Ryan, who is now head coach of the defensive-oriented New York Jets, surprised that Martindale was promoted to his first NFL defensive coordinator gig by the Broncos?

"No," Ryan said. "He's not a first-year guy. He's been with the Ryan family forever."

"I've been with the Ryans for about 12 years," Martindale said. "It's that type of mentality, get guys playing hard. Schematically, you don't tip what you're going to do. But mostly, I know our guys are going to play hard, and we're going to be fun to watch."

If the Mannings — Archie, Peyton and Eli — are the first family of quarterbacks, the Ryans — Buddy, Rex and Rob — are the most prominent tribe of NFL defenses.

Martindale is part of the Ryan family. He may work directly for Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels now, but much of his defensive coaching education came from the Ryans. Martindale was part of Rex Ryan's defensive staff at the University of Cincinnati in 1996-97 and coached linebackers for Rob Ryan with the Oakland Raiders from 2004-08.

"Wink's going to be great, no question," Ryan said. "I told him he can finish second in the league."

The numbers say Ryan is the best defensive coach around. His Jets ranked No. 1 in total defense this past season, while his previous team, the Baltimore Ravens, ranked No. 2 in 2008.

The Broncos were No. 1 through six games in 2009 with Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator and Martindale as linebackers coach. But the Broncos' defensive performance fell precipitously in the final 10 games.

Showing he already has one vital characteristic of becoming a quality defensive coordinator, Martindale doesn't pretend to know more than anyone else.

"It's hard to pinpoint one thing," said Martindale, who is here at the Pro Bowl as a guest of the prominent linebacker he coached this year, Elvis Dumervil. "If I had all the answers, we wouldn't have had that problem. I think it was the accumulation of things as a team. Just coming together, and staying together and working in unison. We saw that formula works. We saw that in the beginning of the year."

In the 3-4 defensive system, Ryan and Martindale trust. And yes, Martindale knows how to scheme the famed "46" defense devised by Buddy, the Ryan patriarch, in the mid- 1980s with the Chicago Bears.

"Mike used to always give me guff. Every time we'd go into a game, he'd say, 'OK, Rex,' " Martindale said.

Mike Nolan is another common link between Rex Ryan and Martindale. Nolan was the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator until he left in 2005 to become head coach in San Francisco. His job in Baltimore was filled by Ryan.

Nolan returned to Denver and the defensive coordinator position in 2009, until he left two weeks ago to take the same position with the Miami Dolphins. His job with the Broncos was filled by Martindale.

Oftentimes, an awkward strain can develop in a relationship when an underling succeeds his boss. Not so between Nolan and Martindale.

"He called and congratulated me," Martindale said. "I told him I was glad he left so I could take his job."

Martindale smiled. It sounded like something Rex Ryan would say.

http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_14298690#

Martindale = Rex Ryan part 2?

I am glad that Elvis Dumervil invited Martindale to be his guest at the Pro Bowl, means that he wants to stay in Denver.