Rex Ryan

AFC Notes: Bills, Browns, Jags, Bengals, Colts

December 29th, 2016 at 9:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Rex Ryan was a beloved players’ coach with the Jets from 2009-14, but it doesn’t seem that was fully the case during his nearly two-year run in Buffalo. Reacting to the Bills’ Tuesday decision to fire Ryan, one defensive player informed Bleacher Report’s Tyler Dunne, “That was music to my ears.” Similarly, some other Bills never bought into Ryan and felt he tore down the elite defense he inherited in 2015, according to Dunne (Twitter links). On the other side of the ball, wide receiver Sammy Watkins told the team’s official website that a “culture change” will be in order with Ryan’s successor. “Change the culture, change the mindset and get players on board,” he said. “If they’re not listening, cut them, kick them out, whatever. Sit them on the bench. I think that will help us move forward.”

Bills Notes: Lynn, Whaley, Tyrod, Rex

December 28th, 2016 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The decision to shelve Tyrod Taylor for the Bills’ Week 17 game against the Jets did not involve interim coach Anthony Lynn, creating an interesting situation for Sunday.

Lynn said today, via Joe WKBW’s Joe Buscaglia (on Twitter), he was not in the room when the decision was made to start EJ Manuel over Taylor, the team’s starter throughout the Rex Ryan era and obviously Lynn’s tenure as a major decision-maker on the team. Promoted to OC in September, Lynn has emerged as a head-coaching candidate but won’t have a choice as to who he starts at quarterback in what could be his only instance as the Bills’ HC. However, the Bills may be leaning toward keeping the former longtime running backs coach as their next sideline boss.

Taylor has played in each of the games during Lynn’s OC run, with Manuel’s last significant stretch of work coming under Greg Roman‘s offensive guidance midway through last season. The decision came down from ownership since the Bills do not want to risk injury to Taylor as a decision on whether or not to pick up his option — one tying the run-centric quarterback to the team long-term — looms after the season.

Here’s more from western New York.

Doug Whaley having the chance to pick a third Bills head coach strikes ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak as strange since it sends a message the new coach will not have control of the team’s 53-man roster and thus would have to agree to work with Whaley. But Rodak points out this could be an attempt by owners Terry and Kim Pegula to give Whaley one more chance to prove his worth since this next hire not working out — which basically means a playoff berth for north American professional sports’ most postseason-starved franchise — would lead the organization to move on from the GM.
Ryan previously said the Bills would be his last coaching job, but the former Jets leader did not count on a two-year run in Buffalo. A close friend of the Ryans does not believe Rex Ryan will settle for a TV job for good, insisting the 54-year-old coach will want another chance — even in college — to lead a team again, Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN.com writes.
The Bills made Ryan the scapegoat for the 17-year playoff drought, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes, believing the decision is a premature one indicative of a directionless franchise. Mehta also notes Whaley wanted to hire Hue Jackson before the Pegulas set their sights on Ryan.
If Taylor wants to remain in Buffalo, he will likely have to renegotiate the contract he signed in August, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap writes. Believing most teams would see Taylor as a high-end backup ($7-$9MM per year), Fitzgerald points out part of Ryan’s downfall in Buffalo could be his infatuation with Taylor’s athletic skill set by referencing to the coach’s desire to sign Michael Vick, trade for Tim Tebow and his coveting of Colin Kaepernick while with the Jets.

Fallout From Rex Ryan’s Firing

December 27th, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Bills are on the hunt for a new head coach after firing Rex Ryan on Tuesday, but the presence of general manager Doug Whaley is likely to limit their options, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. With Whaley entrenched atop the Bills’ front office, head coaching candidates who want significant say in roster construction might be less inclined to take the job.

That could include longtime NFL head coach Tom Coughlin, with whom the Bills spoke last offseason about a front office role before he took a position with the league. Coughlin is now a possibility to end up back in Jacksonville – where he coached from 1995-2002 – but Bills owner Terry Pegula is interested in tabbing the two-time Super Bowl winner to succeed Ryan, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is also high on the Bills’ list, reports Cole, who adds that the team would want to retain interim head coach Anthony Lynn as its offensive coordinator under either Coughlin or Austin.

Lynn entered the season as the Bills’ running backs coach, but they elevated him to O-coordinator after firing Greg Roman on the heels of an 0-2 start. Buffalo’s Lynn-led attack ranks first in the league in rushing, seventh in scoring, eighth in DVOA and 12th in total offense. Now, given his impressive work this season, it’s possible Lynn is actually the favorite to take over for Ryan on a permanent basis. Whaley “pushed” ownership to place the interim tag on Lynn, tweets the Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci, who wrote last week that Lynn could be primed to grab the reins going forward. Lynn garnered attention from head coach-needy franchises last winter and will again be on teams’ radars this offseason (the Rams are reportedly eyeing him), so the Bills could lose the 47-year-old if they don’t select him as Ryan’s replacement.

As for Ryan, his downfall in Buffalo was his inability to live up to his reputation as a defensive guru. The Bills had a top-tier defense in place when they hired him in advance of the 2015 campaign, but it was a below-average unit in each of his two years with the club. Ryan’s move last January to hire his twin brother, the now-fired Rob Ryan, to team with him and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman didn’t produce positive results. In fact, Bills players told ESPN’s Jeff Darlington that the Ryans lost the defensive portion of the locker room because there were “too many cooks in the kitchen” (Twitter link). Defensive end Leger Douzable took to Twitter to bash Buffalo’s decision to ax Rex Ryan, whom he also played under as a Jet, but star D-tackle Marcell Dareus doesn’t seem too broken up about the coaching change.

While Dareus told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he likes Ryan, the franchise’s highest-paid player explained that the defensive scheme “was just too much detail for a lot of guys, and I feel like for a lot of guys it was too much going on for them to check here and check there, if this happens and that happens. Then nine times out of 10, a team will throw something out there that we weren’t prepared for, and then the adjustment to it, we had to get use to and try to make it happen and make plays.”

The 26-year-old Dareus will be among a few marquee talents the Bills’ next coach inherits (running back LeSean McCoy and wide receiver Sammy Watkins are the others), though the environment “from top to bottom” is “toxic,” relays Carucci (Twitter link). Considering the Bills have gone a league-worst 17 years since their latest playoff trip, that’s not overly surprising.

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.

“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.

Coaching Notes: Bills, Payton, Jaguars, Bucs

December 24th, 2016 at 11:16am CST by Ben Levine

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has compiled a 101-57 record during his 10 years in Pittsburgh, and he’s also led his squad to a pair of Super Bowl appearances, winning one. Despite the apparent success, Terry Bradshaw isn’t impressed.

The Hall of Fame Steelers quarterback said on FOX Sports 1 that Tomlin isn’t among the best active coaches in the NFL.

“I don’t think he’s a great coach at all,” Bradshaw said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “He’s a nice coach. To me, and I’ve said this, he’s really a great cheerleader guy. I don’t know what he does. But I don’t think that he’s a great coach at all. His name never even pops in my mind when we think about great coaches in the NFL.”

Bradshaw attributes much of Tomlin’s success to the current head coach’s predecessor, Bill Cowher. While Tomlin certainly inherited an elite roster, you can’t deny his success over the past decade.

Let’s take a look at some other coaching notes from around the NFL…

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.
Sean Payton could have been the Colts coach this season, reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Ultimately, the current Saints head coach didn’t want to take a pay cut from $10MM per year to $8MM per year.
The Jaguars have hired Jed Hughes of Korn Ferry International to help assist the front office in hiring a new head coach, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The firm specializes in conducting “executive searches.”
The Buccaneers defense has been on a roll recently, and defensive coordinator Mike Smith has predictably been mentioned as a potential head coach candidate. However, with the team looking to make the playoffs, Smith is trying to block out all of that speculation. “Rumors are rampant this time of the year,” Smith told ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine. “I’m enjoying my time here. I want to make this team the best team it can be. You don’t address rumors. That’s what happens this time of year.”

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.

“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 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.

Bills “Preparing To Move On” From Rex Ryan

December 18th, 2016 at 7:15pm CST by Rory Parks

Another week, another report about Rex Ryan‘s tenuous hold on his job as head coach of the Bills. We heard last week that Ryan was exceedingly unlikely to return to Buffalo in 2017, and that if the team had lost in an embarrassing fashion to the Steelers, he could have been handed his pink slip immediately.

While that did not happen–although the Bills’ matchup with Pittsburgh was not as close as the 27-20 final score would indicate–ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports this morning that Buffalo is indeed preparing to move on from Ryan. Ryan himself is aware that he is probably coaching his final three games for the Bills, which Schefter writes has created an “awkward situation” for the team.

For what it’s worth, denied having any knowledge of his decreasing job security following the Bills victory over the Browns.

“Can I say that I never heard about it until you just said it or is that going to be another weeklong discussion?” Ryan said (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). “Because I never did and I really don’t care because I can tell you this, here’s what we all have in common, everybody in here. Nobody knows what my future is. A lot of you don’t know what your future is either so, to me, I just prepare the team to the best of my ability and that’s what I’m going to do.”

General manager Doug Whaley, meanwhile, is expected to keep his job, and will therefore have a chance to hire his third different head coach.

The Bills had a disappointing start to the season but then surged to an unexpected four-game winning streak, briefly putting rumors of Ryan’s job security on the back burner. But the team has slipped to 6-7 after losing five out of their last seven games and are all but out of the playoff hunt. Although the Bills could still realistically finish the 2016 season with a winning record, or at least with an 8-8 mark, team ownership has apparently not seen enough improvement (Ryan, who is in the second year of a five-year contract, also guided the Bills to an 8-8 record in 2015, his first year with the club).

The fact that Ryan is expected to lose his job while Whaley is expected to keep his lends credence to last week’s report that the relationship between Ryan and Whaley became heavily strained and that Whaley holds the upper hand because he has developed a “strong bond” with team ownership. Whaley and the Buffalo front office have repeatedly indicated that the Bills’ roster is better than its record, laying blame for this season’s results at Ryan’s feet.

We heard a few days ago that a few high-profile Bills players were rallying around Ryan, but support from his players has never been an issue for Ryan, the quintessential “player’s coach.” But he has had trouble delivering consistent results as a head coach, which leads one to believe that he is better-suited as a defensive coordinator.

AFC East Notes: Brady, Watkins, Bills, Revis

December 15th, 2016 at 9:58am CST by Zachary Links

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says that playing until he’s 45 years old is a “great goal” of his, as WEEI.com’s Ryan Hannable writes.

“I think that — they kind of brought that up and I said that would be a great goal,” Brady said. “I certainly think I can do it. It’s just about how long I want to make the commitment to doing the things that get me ready to go. Look, I love playing. I would love to play the game for as long as I can. There are a lot of things that aren’t up to me, but I am going to do everything I can to keep playing at this level for as long as I can. I think I can do it. Why would I stop now? I’ve worked to get to this point and this is I think when I can really capitalize and really try to make the most of everything that I have learned over the years with who I have been fortunate to be around. If I can keep doing it, I certainly think I can.”

Brady is signed through 2019, when he will be 42 years old. Will the Patriots sign him to another deal? That depends on a lot of factors, including his performance and whether they have a succession plan in place involving Jimmy Garoppolo. Last year, we saw Peyton Manning decline sharply in his final season when he was only 39, so Brady will have his work cut out for him.

Here’s more out of the AFC East:

Speaking to reporters – including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com – on Wednesday, Bills receiver Sammy Watkins implied that the team could fire head coach Rex Ryan with a loss to 0-13 Cleveland on Sunday. “We know if we lose, something crazy might happen immediately,” he said. “We need to go out there and win this game.” A loss would drop the Bills to 6-8 this year and 14-16 during the Ryan era.
It has been speculated that the Jets could eventually move Darrelle Revis to safety, but it won’t be happening this season, coach Todd Bowles says (link via Brian Costello of the New York Post). Revis says he would consider moving to safety, possibly as soon as next season. But Bowles says that’s not a transition that should happen in the middle of the season. “It’s not a thought process right now,” Bowles said. “That’s something we may talk about in the offseason. It ain’t going to happen in the next three games.” Revis is under contract through 2019 thanks to the ill-advised deal given to him prior to the 2015 season. Already, Revis has declined sharply and the Jets have to be giving serious thought to taking a dead money cap hit and releasing him before the start of the 2017 season.
The Jets need a quarterback and they reportedly have their eye on UNC signal caller Mitch Trubisky.
This week, the Dolphins passed on activating Dion Jordan.

AFC Notes: Bolts, Bengals, Bills, Browns, Pats

December 14th, 2016 at 5:41pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Cornerback Brandon Flowers‘ NFL future is in question after the Chargers placed him on injured reserve Wednesday, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Flowers had a history of concussions even before suffering two this year, and he told Gehlken in November, “I have to make sure I am sane and can function and remember things after football.” If the soon-to-be 31-year-old does continue his career in 2017, it probably won’t be in San Diego, per Gehlken, who points to the cap savings that would come with releasing Flowers. By cutting the nine-year veteran and three-year Charger, the Bolts would free up $7MM in spending space compared to $4MM in dead money for 2017.

Here’s more from the AFC:

Bengals defensive tackle Brandon Thompson will remain on the physically unable to perform list and will not play in 2016, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. Thompson, 27, tore his ACL at the tail end of the 2015 campaign, but then re-signed with Cincinnati on a one-year deal. He’d been practicing for the past two weeks, but Bengals coaches don’t feel Thompson has progressed enough for a return to action.
A few prominent Bills are publicly rallying around embattled head coach Rex Ryan, whom the franchise could move on from after the season. “I think Rex is the guy for the job,” running back LeSean McCoy said. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins would also like the Bills to stay the course with Ryan, he told the Associated Press. And guard Richie Incognito wants to “fight for Rex. “I want to go out there and get wins and keep him around here” (all links here). With games against winless Cleveland, a Dolphins team that could be without Ryan Tannehill and the Jets, the 6-7 Bills seemingly have a decent chance of hitting the nine-win mark by season’s end. Buffalo went 8-8 last year under Ryan in his first season with the team.
Browns cornerback Jamar Taylor‘s three-year, $15MM extension includes $5.5MM in fully guaranteed money, relays ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link).
The Patriots worked out three free agents – running back Shakir Bell, defensive tackle Michael Brooks and linebacker Deon Lacey – on Wednesday, tweets Doug Kyed of NESN. The only member of the trio with NFL experience is Brooks, who appeared in one game with the Seahawks in 2013.
The Texans tried out a pair of offensive linemen in guard Sean Hickey and tackle Jason Weaver on Wednesday, according to Caplan (Twitter link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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