SAN ANTONIO – Rob Ryan has promised that his Dallas Cowboys defense will be great. He’s not interested in dwelling on the obstacles to greatness.

Ryan didn’t have an offseason to begin implementing his version of the 3-4 scheme. He certainly didn’t seem too concerned after his first practice as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, a walkthrough to open training camp Wednesday in the Alamodome.

“We’re going to get it,” Ryan said. “It’s not going to be a problem. We don’t have to make excuses. We’re going to be ready.”

Ryan’s scheme is considered complex even by NFL standards. Like his father Buddy and twin brother Rex, Rob has a heavy arsenal of blitzes out of a wide variety of personnel packages, such as the two-lineman, five-linebacker look we got a glimpse of during the walkthrough.

The Cowboys’ defensive players certainly have a lot of material to study in the month and a half between now and the season opener against Rex’s Jets.

“I’ve got my luggage bag. It’s that much information,” inside linebacker Bradie James said. “I think he’ll definitely call what’s best for the defense. I don’t know if we’ll put everything in, but we’ll put the majority in.”

Ryan downplayed for importance of the offseason workouts, as far as implementing the scheme goes. He said the value of that time for new coaches is the opportunity to get to know the players. Most of the defensive staff – secondary coach Dave Campo and safeties coach Brett Maxie are the only holdovers from Wade Phillips’ staff – will do that on the fly.

“That’s the thing we don’t have,” Ryan said. “They don’t know how great our coaching staff is yet, but they will.”

Ryan expects that greatness to be evident from the get-go, never mind the unique circumstances.