Archives for November 13, 2015

'Ryan said this game didn't mean anything extra to him. But he was jumping up and down like a little kid in celebration when the Bills iced the victory. Maybe he was just relieved to avoid what could have been a disaster for Buffalo. Now his team is back over .500 at 5-4, and the Bills have everything to play for in the second half.'

'"Pretty satisfying," Ryan said. "Without question, it's definitely satisfying. And you know what, now I can talk the truth and say the truth: This thing is kind of like being dumped by some girl that you had the hots for and all that stuff. Every guy in the room has been dumped by some girl before. That's really what it feels like. You move on, and every now and then they call you back, but they can't get you back."

'Heading into the bye week, the Bills were 3-4 and coming off a rough loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Since getting the week off, the Bills have won two division games in five days, including a 22-17 win over the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. With the win, the Bills are in fifth place in the AFC but will need some help to stay there.'

'Of course, by not coming out for warmups, Ryan ending up making the pre-game festivities all about him, even if that wasn't his intent.'

'"The captain tag is something that every head coach in this league takes seriously," Cowher said. "The captain tag is something that players vote on, head coaches they give their title to. It requires a player that you think exemplifies leadership. You earn that. Rex Ryan has made a mockery of it and to me it's annoying.'

'Ryan seems to be sending a message to general manager Doug Whaley, who traded away backup quarterback Matt Cassel two weeks into the season in a move that was supposed to expedite Manuel's development. That doesn't seem to have gone according to plan.'

'It's difficult to ignore how much Taylor means to this team. When he's in the lineup, the Bills are 5-2. He makes a difference. He can make plays with his arm or legs. He didn't have his best game of the 2015 season, but he protected the ball and made good throws when it counted.'

'But allowing him to taunt other teams is a different issue, and one more reason the N.F.L.’s reputation continues to erode even as the league rakes in money by the billions.'

'In the short term, the Jets did the near impossible: They hired a coach who needs more work on his game management skills than Ryan. Through the first nine games of the season, Bowles has been exposed at the most crucial times. This is his first head coaching job and it’s beginning to show.'

'“It’s definitely satisfying, without question,” Ryan said. “And you know what? Now that I can talk the truth and say the truth … I look at it this way: It’s kind of like being dumped by some girl that you had the hots for and all that stuff. Hey, you move on. And every now and then they call you back. They can’t get you back.”'

'“And I’m still smiling too, New York Post!”'

'Asked if it was satisfying to beat the team that fired him, Ryan said, "Pretty satisfying. Without question. It's definitely satisfying. Now I can say the truth. It's kind of like being dumped by some girl that you had the hots for. That's really what it feels like. Hey, you move on. Every now and then, they call you back. They can't get you back."'

'Ah, Rex. The larger-than-life personality who coaches with a chip on his shoulder the size of the stadium he used to coach in. The best trash-talking wordsmith the NFL has ever seen on the sidelines. Especially when he has something to brag about, something with which to prove his doubters wrong.'

'It was all Rex, all the time. So why should I get in the way of that now? Instead of the usual post-game column, I'm just going to give the five best moments of Rex Ryan talking about Rex Ryan after the team Rex Ryan currently coaches beat the team that Rex Ryan used to coach…'.

'That’s fine for now. But Buffalo’s biggest test lies ahead. This win propelled Buffalo (5-4) into a three-way tie with the Jets (5-4) and Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4) in the hunt for an AFC wild-card berth.'