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Rob Ryan denies he’s coaching with a chip on his shoulder.

Perhaps the Saints’ new defensive coordinator should check under his long gray locks. He’d likely find a very big one there.

A combination of Ryan’s naturally aggressive style and lingering hurt feelings over what he considers an unjustified firing after just two seasons in Dallas has given him motivation to redeem himself at this, his fourth stop as a coordinator.

And with the Saints, Ryan has found himself in charge of a unit just as anxious to redeem itself after yielding the most yards in NFL history in 2012.

“Rob has something to prove, and this defense has something to prove, too,” said outside linebacker Victor Butler, who played under Ryan in Dallas for two seasons before coming to the Saints as a free agent. “Coach Ryan’s level of intensity is up from what he was like with the Cowboys, and that kind of passion is contagious. This might be the perfect storm.”

Certainly if the enthusiasm shown during last week’s minicamp is any indication, this could be the beginning of something special. It could be like the defense installed by Gregg Williams during the Super Bowl season of 2009, before Williams’ outsized personality rubbed coach Sean Payton the wrong way too much and things came crashing down in the pay-for-performance scandal.

Ryan, too, has his own outsized personality, and his defenses have been criticized for having so many wrinkles that players cannot remember their assignments. But organized team activities are just the time for experimenting with those wrinkles. The minicamp featured players moving with renewed energy as Ryan mixed and matched his 3-4 defense in myriad combinations.

“Under Rob, you’ll always see guys going after the ball,” Butler said. “We want sacks. We want turnovers.”

Read more: With Rob Ryan aboard, Saints

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Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

All little common sense goes a long way.