Archives for December 2016

'After Buffalo announced it had fired the blowhard coach on Tuesday, just before the final game of his second season with the team, several Bills players showed how Ryan could be a role model — in that they were outspoken in defending him.'

'For weeks, there have been rampant reports and rumors that the Bills planned to fire Ryan. But for the Bills to do it on a Tuesday before their season finale reeks of some behind-the-scenes confrontation between Ryan and team management.'

'“That’s bad. It’s just bad,” Sheldon Richardson said Tuesday. “He wants to win the game, so he puts his best players out there and he gets fired for that. It’s kind of bad.”'

'The networks were lining up for Ryan after the Jets fired him in 2014. He nearly took a job there before deciding to keep coaching with the Bills. Ryan was known for his press conferences, so he should be entertaining on TV, but he will need some coaching of his own on how to express himself on the air.'

'Management’s patience with him grew thin after he was unable to make good on his lofty promises. The Bills finished 8-8 in 2015 and are currently 7-8. They haven’t made the playoffs in 17 years, the NFL’s longest active postseason drought.'

'Ryan, meanwhile, may not get the chance to be a head coach again. It is highly unusual for a coach to be fired twice and then get a third job, and Ryan isn’t likely to get another look. His track record is too predictable for another owner to buy into his act. Perhaps he is better suited for a career in the media.'

'Ryan's next stop almost certainly will be as a well-paid television analyst, since he's not going to get hired as an NFL head coach next season — or ever again.'

'How did those boasts, promises and guarantees turn out? Let's take a look…'.

'Ryan knows and loves the New York market. Jets owner Woody Johnson likes Ryan. The strong presence of Ryan could help solidify Todd Bowles' coaching staff, presuming the Jets retain Bowles for a third season in 2017.'

'He's younger and more talented than veterans Josh McCown and Brian Hoyer. He has more upside and experience than Mike Glennon. Whichever team gets Taylor will need to pay him, but there's a chance he'll be worth the money.'

'Ryan fell just short of two seasons with the Bills. He went 8-8 in his first season and went 7-8 in 2016 before the Bills let him go.'

'I'm going to miss Rex Ryan. He is a nice guy. He really wants people to like him, which is a fault for anyone in his position and with his mouth. He just picked the wrong division at the wrong time. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are still in their prime and don't appear to be going away anytime soon. But this isn't about them, it's about Rex. He had a chance here but wasn't up to the challenge.'

'But like all NFL coaches of this gregarious, flamboyant variety, Ryan, who once said he didn't come to the division to "kiss Bill Belichick's ring," tends to wear out his welcome. Good bet he'll be a coordinator again somewhere — just not in the AFC East. He's got three more years on his contract, which calls for $5.5 million a year, so he'll manage.'

'His decision to punt in OT with just more than four minutes left and the Bills on their own 41-yard line also came under fire. Ryan defended the decision to members of the media, saying reporters’ “livelihood” wasn’t on the line the way his was.'

'The Bills, for their part, probably will next seek an offensive-minded head coach. That is the direction that the entire league has taken, and it would represent the counterpoint to the hiring of the defensive-minded Ryan the last time around. NFL teams tend to operate that way.'