 As a testament to this philosophy , Ryan is often willing to defer the coin toss to the opponent so his team can begin the game playing on defense in order to " set the tone " and generate turnovers . This concept has been criticized by ESPN 's John Clayton , who has found the method to be ineffective league @-@ wide . Mark Kriegel , an analyst for the NFL Network , found that between 2005 and 2012 , during his tenure with both the Ravens and Jets , Ryan 's defenses have never been ranked lower than sixth overall in the NFL and have allowed an average of 281 yards per game from scrimmage , second to Dick LeBeau 's 277 @.@ 4 yards per game . LeBeau is generally regarded as one of the best defensive coordinators in the history of the NFL . 
