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Buffalo Bills News & Rumors

Bills Fire Rex Ryan

December 27th, 2016 at 11:07am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are not waiting for the season to end to make a head coaching change. Rex Ryan has been let go and offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn will take over as the interim head coach. Rob Ryan (assistant head coach/defense) has also been relieved of his duties. Rex Ryan (Featured)

“I spoke with Rex earlier today and we mutually agreed that the time to part ways is now. These decisions are never easy. I want to take this opportunity to thank Rex for all his efforts and wish him all the best moving forward,” owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. “Kim and I and our entire Bills organization share in the same disappointment and frustration as our fans, but we remain committed to our goal of bringing a championship to Western New York.”

Rex Ryan was not given a third year to turn things around in Buffalo despite finishing with a .500 record in his first year and guiding the team to a 7-8 mark so far this season. The Bills will not qualify for the playoffs for the 17th straight season and the organization is not willing to take the patient approach any longer.

Lynn has gone from running backs coach to offensive coordinator to head coach in just three months. His first promotion came when Greg Roman was forced out earlier this year and he’ll now get to audition for the team’s permanent role. Reportedly, the Bills wanted to push Ryan out in part because of their desire to retain Lynn. Lynn has long been identified as a strong head coaching candidate for this offseason.

There are conflicting reports regarding GM Doug Whaley’s job security. A little over a week ago, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported that Whaley is not in jeopardy of getting fired. However, over the weekend, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe said that his status “remains up in the air.”

As of this writing, there are now three teams that will be looking for head coaches in the New Year: the Rams, Jaguars, and Bills.

2017 NFL Draft Order Through Week 16

December 26th, 2016 at 10:53am CST by Zachary Links

This weekend, the Browns got the best of both worlds when they won their first game of the 2016 season while the 49ers also found their way to victory. Now, the 1-14 Browns remain in the top spot as we head into the final week of the NFL season.

Here’s where we stand through Week 16. (Note: Ties are broken by strength of schedule):

  1. Browns 1-14
  2. 49ers 2-13
  3. Bears 3-12
  4. Jaguars 3-12
  5. Rams (pick belongs to Titans) 4-11
  6. Jets 4-11
  7. Chargers 5-10
  8. Bengals 5-9-1
  9. Panthers 6-9
  10. Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 6-9
  11. Cardinals 6-8-1
  12. Bills 7-8
  13. Colts 7-8
  14. Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-8
  15. Saints 7-8
  16. Titans 8-7
  17. Ravens 8-7
  18. Buccaneers 8-7
  19. Broncos 8-7
  20. Redskins 8-6-1

Opinion: Hard To Defend Rex Ryan

December 26th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Zachary Links
  • It’s hard to defend Bills coach Rex Ryan in the wake of Saturday’s overtime loss to Miami, Sal Maiorana of the Democrat & Chronicle writes. Late in the game, Ryan punted on fourth-and-3 from the Buffalo 41, exhibiting little faith in his offense to convert and perhaps putting too much trust in a defense that has not held up this year. With the loss, the Bills’ playoff hopes were extinguished and, perhaps, Ryan’s fate was sealed. On Friday, GM Doug Whaley declined to give Ryan a vote of confidence. Over the weekend, it was reported that the Bills could have extra motivation to dump Ryan because of their desire to keep offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn in the organization. Lynn is expected to be interviewed for coaching jobs this offseason.

Doug Whaley's Status Still Uncertain

December 25th, 2016 at 9:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • While a Rex Ryan firing is a “near-certainty,” Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports that Bills‘ general manager Doug Whaley‘s status remains up in the air. The Bills could finish with a .500-or-better record in consecutive seasons for the first time since Wade Phillips’ 1999-2000 stretch, but the Ryan era has produced major turmoil and seen the Buffalo defense regress considerably from the Jim Schwartz season in 2014. The 2015 Bills ranked 19th in total defense, and the ’16 version sits there as well. While not horrendous, Jay Ajayi‘s monster day to eliminate the Bills notwithstanding, it’s well off the pace of 2014, when the team ranked fourth defensively.

Anthony Lynn A Candidate For Rams?

December 24th, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Zachary Links
  • Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn and Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter are two to watch in the Rams‘ coaching search, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets.

Bills Want To Keep OC Anthony Lynn

December 24th, 2016 at 11:16am CST by Ben Levine
  • The Bills haven’t decided on head coach Rex Ryan‘s future with the organization. However, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that if the team does move on from Ryan, it could be partially motivated by the team’s desire to keep offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn in the organization. Lynn will likely get some interviews for head coaching gigs this offseason, and he’d presumably be a candidate for the Bills’ gig if the position opens up.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Bills GM Declines To Back Rex Ryan

December 23rd, 2016 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

Rumor has it that the Bills are preparing to move on from Rex Ryan and the team is doing nothing to refute such talk. In an interview on WGR 550, Doug Whaley refused to put his support behind Ryan. Rex Ryan (vertical)

“Let’s put it this way: None of us know our future,” Whaley said (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). “Look where we are. We owe it to our fans and our owners to keep it focused on Miami, because we’re still in this.”

Meanwhile, owners Terry and Kim Pegula are keeping quiet and, aside from his scheduled radio appearances, Whaley has not been made available to reporters since Nov. 1. The silence speaks volumes and lends additional credence to word that Ryan is a goner after the season.

Recently, people within the Bills front office opined to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report that it’s unfair for Ryan to be on the hot seat while Whaley is reportedly safe this offseason. Personally, I would go a step further and say that it is Whaley who should be out while Ryan should be given a third year to try and turn things around. The Bills are .500 under Ryan’s watch and that’s actually impressive given the major holes in the team’s roster and the rash of injuries they’ve dealt with this season. Those holes, including the team’s lack of a franchise quarterback, are the result of Whaley’s spotty roster construction.

Bills RB LeSean McCoy On Future

December 21st, 2016 at 2:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Bills running back LeSean McCoy turns 29 in July, but he believes that he can continue to play at a high level, as The Associated Press writes. The veteran is under contract for three more years at a reasonable rate and it sounds like he has every intention of playing out that deal. “I feel young,” McCoy said. “I feel good. I’m not like other backs that only take a pounding. So I’m not really concerned about time.” In 13 games this year, McCoy has rushed for 1,129 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. Shady’s hamstring has bothered him a bit this year, but all in all, he hasn’t really shown signs of slowing down. Here’s more from the AFC:

Bills Notes: McCoy, Roman, Ryan

December 20th, 2016 at 3:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Did Bills players help influence the team’s decision to push out former offensive coordinator Greg Roman? LeSean McCoy seemed to be hinting at that yesterday. “They actually listen to the players. The whole thing with [Roman], they were very involved, which was cool,” McCoy said (Twitter link via Tom Martin of News 4).

Here’s more from Buffalo:

  • People within the Bills front office feel it’s unfair that Rex Ryan is on the hot seat while GM Doug Whaley is reportedly safe this offseason, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The Bills’ aggressive trade up for Sammy Watkins, the ill-advised extension for Marcell Dareus, and the team’s failure to identify a franchise quarterback have left the Bills with significant holes, they argue. Ryan is in his second season in Buffalo.
  • Will the Bills renegotiate Tyrod Taylor‘s contract this year to keep him? Mike Rodak of ESPN.com explains that Taylor would have leverage against such a move and wouldn’t be inclined to go along with it. If he reaches free agency, there will be multiple teams searching for a quarterback and it would probably behoove him to explore those options instead of returning to Buffalo on a discount.
  • Over the weekend, one report indicated that the Bills are preparing to move on from Ryan.

2017 NFL Draft Order Through Week 15

December 20th, 2016 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

With just two weeks to go, the NFL playoff picture is starting to get clearer. The Cowboys, Seahawks, Patriots, and Raiders have already punched their playoff tickets while the Chiefs, Steelers, Falcons, and Giants are considered near locks by the forecasts at Five Thirty Eight.

Here’s a look at where the draft order stands for the teams not currently slated to make the cut (Note: Ties are broken by strength of schedule):

1. Browns 0-14

2. 49ers 1-13

3. Jaguars 2-12

4. Bears 3-11

5. Jets 4-10

6. Rams (pick belongs to Titans) 4-10

7. Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 5-9

8. Chargers 5-9

9. Cardinals 5-8-1

10. Bengals 5-8-1

11. Panthers 6-8

12. Saints 6-8

13. Bills 7-7

14. Colts 7-7

15. Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-7

16. Redskins 7-6-1

17. Titans 8-6

17. Ravens 8-6 (Note: The Titans and Ravens are currently knotted up in terms of both record and strength of schedule. In all statistical likelihood, the SOS logjam will be broken by the end of the season.)

19. Texans 8-6

20. Buccaneers 8-6

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