Report: Rex Ryan was a coach with a death wish

[Wally The Barber]

Posted by Mike Florio on April 9, 2017, 10:42 AM EDT
https://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/630205576-e1491748912530.jpg?w=224 Rex Ryan, gone from Buffalo but not forgotten since he’ll be getting paid $16.5 million over the next three years (minus the much, much, much lower salary he’ll get from ESPN), entered 2016 with his fraternal twin at his side. It didn’t go well.
Why didn’t it? According to Gary Myers of the New York Daily News, Rex “basically dedicated the 2016 season to resurrecting the reputation (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/dental-issue-no-excuse-odell-missing-eli-manning-qb-camp-article-1.3033455)” of Rob Ryan, who had been fired by the Saints (after being fired by the Cowboys).
“Rob was not the Bills defensive coordinator but had the run of the place,” Myers writes. “He was almost the co-head coach.”
Myers claims the entire staff became dysfunctional, and that “some of [Rex’s] actions behind the scenes were indicative of a coach with a death wish.”
Myers doesn’t specify any of Rex’s behind-the-scenes actions. Given some of Rex’s past actions, it’s easy for the imagination to run wild.
It became obvious last May that Rex and Rob planned to run wild with the Bills, based on a joint interview (http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/05/26/rob-rex-ryan-buffalo-bills-interview-nfl) that provided a glimpse as to how things could go now that the two men who once shared a womb would be joined at the hip in Buffalo. They went all in with their own unique style, and it resulted in both of them being exiled for now (and possibly for good) from coaching jobs at the NFL level.





http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/04/09/report-rex-ryan-was-a-coach-with-a-death-wish-in-2016/ (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/04/09/report-rex-ryan-was-a-coach-with-a-death-wish-in-2016/)

[SpikedLemonade]

I know I had one for him.

[YardRat]

Dead to me, I know that.

[bleve]

How did I hate the hire? Let me count the ways...

I lost some respect for Jenny Vrentas for even wasting her time in interviewing those clowns.

Russ Brandon will go down in history as the "don't let him leave the building" fail.

[Forward_Lateral]

As arrogant and flippant as Rex is, I find it hard to believe he'd risk his reputation just to resurrect his dumdum brother's career.

Rex's ego is too big to put anyone else ahead of himself.

[GreedoII]

EFF THESE TWO A HOLE IN THE ASS AND SIDEWAYS. DUMB HILLBILLY EFFERS

[Historian]

How Russ Brandon stays employed here is beyond comprehension...

[kishoph]

I spent 45 years heavily investing time, money and emotions in this team, but when Rex Ryan came on board, it all started to change. Add Rob Ryan and I've never felt so indifferent about the Buffalo Bills winning or losing. I always felt that the franchise came above any coaches or players, but rooting for the Bills with the Ryan brothers on board may me feel dirty and for the 1st time in my life I felt embarrassed to be a Bills fan.
The best Christmas present I got last year was the Bills firing those 2 clowns. Once again I can feel good about being a Bills fan, not overly optimistic at this time (still some house cleaning at OBD to do), but at least I don't get a sick feeling watching them.

[Forward_Lateral]

I spent 45 years heavily investing time, money and emotions in this team, but when Rex Ryan came on board, it all started to change. Add Rob Ryan and I've never felt so indifferent about the Buffalo Bills winning or losing. I always felt that the franchise came above any coaches or players, but rooting for the Bills with the Ryan brothers on board may me feel dirty and for the 1st time in my life I felt embarrassed to be a Bills fan.
The best Christmas present I got last year was the Bills firing those 2 clowns. Once again I can feel good about being a Bills fan, not overly optimistic at this time (still some house cleaning at OBD to do), but at least I don't get a sick feeling watching them.
The state of the franchise makes me sick to my stomach. No accountability at the top. Who's hiring the coaches? Pegula, Whaley, or Brandon? Under Whaley the team has 30 wins in 4 seasons. That's the definition of mediocrity.

[JoeMama]

I spent 45 years heavily investing time, money and emotions in this team, but when Rex Ryan came on board, it all started to change. Add Rob Ryan and I've never felt so indifferent about the Buffalo Bills winning or losing. I always felt that the franchise came above any coaches or players, but rooting for the Bills with the Ryan brothers on board may me feel dirty and for the 1st time in my life I felt embarrassed to be a Bills fan.
The best Christmas present I got last year was the Bills firing those 2 clowns. Once again I can feel good about being a Bills fan, not overly optimistic at this time (still some house cleaning at OBD to do), but at least I don't get a sick feeling watching them.

Exactly how I felt.

Hiring Rex Ryan did what the previous 15 years of losing could not do. It robbed me of my enthusiasm as a Bills fan.

For two reasons.

One is that I knew Rex would fail. To the point where I was angrier about hiring him than I was about Chan Gailey or Dick Jauron. And I'm on record has hating both those hires since day one.

The other is that it felt like the Bills lost their identity as a team. When Rex became the defacto face of the franchise, it made me feel like the Bills were no longer MY team but rather HIS team. As if he somehow acted as a partition between me and the team I love.

Took the wind right out of my sails.

It feels good to be connected and emotionally invested in the team again. They may be ****ty and ruin every one of my Sundays but at least they're MINE again.

[BertSquirtgum]

How Russ Brandon stays employed here is beyond comprehension...
Cue the great businessman horse**** excuses.

[Bill Cody]

It's not Rex's fault. The guy made no effort to pretend he was someone he wasn't. He was the exact same guy he was in Buffalo he was in NJ. It ended horribly there but for some reason we couldn't wait to bring Barnum and Bailey to Buffalo thinking it would be different. I was deeply skeptical when he brought on but agreed to keep an open mind. After a month it was obvious we had blown it very badly. We did a pruning when we fired Rex and Rob but what was needed was to take an axe to the whole organization, 100% failure on them for bringing in the fatsy twins. Keeping Whaley and Brandon around is like banging another girl without changing rubbers.

[kishoph]

The state of the franchise makes me sick to my stomach. No accountability at the top. Who's hiring the coaches? Pegula, Whaley, or Brandon? Under Whaley the team has 30 wins in 4 seasons. That's the definition of mediocrity.

When Rex was hired I gave Pegula a pass, being a new NFL owner and probably never expecting Rex Ryan to be nothing more than a snake oil salesman, but when he allowed Rex to bring Rob on board, there was no such pass. Pegula is the top of the Bills organization and there is no way he should have allowed anyone to make that move. Teflon Terry seems to be escaping any rath from Bills and Sabres fans at this point, how long will that last ?

[Oaf]

To think we could've had a quality leader like Frank Reich instead of this buffoon.

[Forward_Lateral]

When Rex was hired I gave Pegula a pass, being a new NFL owner and probably never expecting Rex Ryan to be nothing more than a snake oil salesman, but when he allowed Rex to bring Rob on board, there was no such pass. Pegula is the top of the Bills organization and there is no way he should have allowed anyone to make that move. Teflon Terry seems to be escaping any rath from Bills and Sabres fans at this point, how long will that last ?


When the novelty of him "Saving" The Bills wears off. For me, it's already worn. I almost wish the Bills had just moved so I could finally free myself of this cursed fandom.

[cba fan]

When the novelty of him "Saving" The Bills wears off. For me, it's already worn. I almost wish the Bills had just moved so I could finally free myself of this cursed fandom.

Yes but with our luck we would chose Bengals Cards Browns Jets. Just as cursed as Bills.

[Turf]

Just wait until he wanders into ESPN late and spends less than time working than any broadcaster in the history of the station does. He'll be gone shortly.

[HHURRICANE]

As arrogant and flippant as Rex is, I find it hard to believe he'd risk his reputation just to resurrect his dumdum brother's career.

Rex's ego is too big to put anyone else ahead of himself.

He hired him so that's says enough.