Buffalo Bills: Rex Ryan Had His Chance and Failed
By Paul Taylor
If the latest reports are any indication, Rex Ryan’s tenure as Buffalo Bills’ head coach is about to come to an end.
As members of the media, we are meant to be objective, presenting both — or however many — sides of a story and allowing the general public to make up their own mind. Of course, this isn’t always possible. (Especially if who you work for has a certain agenda, some more blatant than others. *Cough!* FOX News *Cough!*)
With this in mind, I’ll confess I’ve never been Rex Ryan’s biggest fan, mostly because of the way he shoots his mouth off. The fact he often fails to back it up, makes him look — for lack of a better phrase — like a buffoon, especially when he then continue with the same approach.
Despite Bills’ owner Terry Pegula publicly denying it’s playoffs or bust, Ryan’s job was already on the line after his first season, after how poorly the Buffalo Bills‘ defense performed. With a reputation as a guru in this area, he took a unit which the year before ranked fourth for points and yards allowed, and saw them drop to 15th and 19th respectively.
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The pressure only intensified, when the former New York Jets’ head coach fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman just two games into this campaign. Whether it was a justified move or not, it sure seemed like Roman was being used as a scapegoat.
Regardless, you can only dodge bullets for so long, before your time is up, particularly when the defense is performing just as badly as last season. In that respect, it sure sounds like Ryan’s time in Western New York is — mercifully — about to come to an end.
As reported by CBS Sports‘ Jason La Canfora, the 53-year old is hanging on by his fingernails. In fact, referencing sources with knowledge of the situation, Canfora writes that the 27-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers might have sealed his fate.
One of the sources — who apparently has contact with Pegula — told Canfora: “I’d say I’m 95 percent sure Rex is gone by the end of the season, and he could be out as soon as Monday.”
It has been previously speculated that Ryan’s relationship with general manager Doug Whaley and other Bills executives was always considered an uneasy alliance. Now though, it is fast approaching the point of no return, with the front office believing results on the field are not reflective of the talent level in Buffalo.
Even if the Ardmore, Oklahoma native isn’t fired on Monday, he would likely have to win his remaining three games to have any hope of returning in 2017. Ironically, a three-game sweep is theoretically feasible, given the Bills’ remaining opponents are the Browns, Dolphins and Jets.
Overall, you can appreciate Pegula’s mindset from earlier this season, when he talked about how organizations need stability, which isn’t helped by frequently changing coaches. Ultimately though, Ryan has had his chance with the Bills, and he quite simply isn’t good enough to turn this team into winners.
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What’s your position on this situation? Do you believe it’s time for Ryan to leave Buffalo, or would you like the Bills to give him one more season to get it right? Share your thoughts in the comments section.