Rex Ryan is the Buffalo Bills' eighth different head coach since 2000. That was the final year that Wade Phillips was in charge of circling the wagons. That season was also the start of the league’s longest current playoff drought. And barring something pretty incredible, the franchise will be home to enjoy the postseason.
So if the team is home for the championship tournament, could Ryan be looking for a new job by Monday morning, January 2? It would mean yet another change at the controls for a club that’s been lacking stability for more than a decade.
And that doesn’t bode well for any club. It will be an interesting two weeks, to say the least.
A lack of faith?
A year ago, no team ran for more yards than the Buffalo Bills. That has been the same case this season thanks to a terrific offensive line and a running back such as LeSean McCoy. Often times, quarterback Tyrod Taylor seems to take a back seat when it comes to respect. In 28 games with the club, he’s thrown 34 touchdown passes and turned over the football only 15 times.
Taylor has also run for 10 touchdowns during his tenure with the club. He owns a 15-13 record as a starter with the franchise. Yet there remain doubts about his long-term future with the team. Via Spotrac, the six-year pro signed a five-year $90 million extension with the club in August, But the Bills have the choice of not picking up the option next year.
Could Taylor’s future be tied to Ryan’s? It’s an intriguing question.
Offensive defense
It is safe to say that Rex Ryan’s forte throughout his NFL coaching career has been the defensive side of the ball. But you could hardly tell that was the case during his brief tenure with the Buffalo Bills. In 2014, this defense was one of the premiere units in the league.
They bottled up the run, came up with takeaways, and harassed opposing quarterbacks to the tune of a league-best 54 sacks.
With coordinator Jim Schwartz moving on, many felt this group could be even more dangerous under the aggressive Ryan. There was a ton of talent with pass-rushing defensive ends Mario Williams and Jerry Hughes.
Cornerback Stephon Gilmore is a key part of the secondary. Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams were interiors beasts.
But the club fell from fourth in the NFL in total defense to 19th in the league in the same category. That aforementioned sack total fell all the way to 21 quarterbacks traps. The team does have 38 sacks in 14 games this year, but the pass rush has been inconsistent at best. And after finishing 16th in the NFL against the run in 2015, only five teams in the league are giving up more yards on the ground than the Buffalo Bills this season.
That unit will be tested by the likes of Miami’s Jay Ajayi and New England’s LeGarrette Blount during these final two weeks. At 7-7, the Bills still have a shot at a winning season this year. But will Rex Ryan be around for a third act in 2017? Only time will tell.
