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Bills fire Rex Ryan
11:47 AM ET

Mike RodakESPN Staff Writer

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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills fired coach Rex Ryan on Tuesday after almost two seasons with the team.

Ryan's firing comes after the Bills lost 34-31 in overtime Saturday to the Miami Dolphins to eliminate Buffalo from postseason contention for a 17th consecutive season.

The Bills also relieved defensive coordinator Rob Ryan of his duties. Offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn will serve as interim coach for the Bills' finale Sunday against the New York Jets.

If promoted to head coach, Lynn would become the Bills' 19th coach in franchise history. The last coach to lead the Bills to the playoffs was Wade Phillips in 1999. Ryan was the sixth coach of the Bills since Phillips was fired after the 2000 season, and none of those coaches lasted four full seasons.

Rex Ryan, 53, lost six of his past nine games before being fired Monday. He posted a 15-16 record in 31 games with Buffalo and has a 61-66 overall record as a coach, including four consecutive non-winning seasons before being fired by the New York Jets after the 2014 season.

The Bills hired Ryan in January 2015 after former coach Doug Marrone opted out of his contract. Owners Terry and Kim Pegula gave Ryan a five-year contract worth $5.5 million per season; Ryan was fired with three seasons remaining on the deal.

Ryan, the son of the late NFL coach Buddy Ryan, said upon joining the Bills that it would be his final stop as a coach. Known for his confident and sometimes bombastic personality, Ryan is expected to draw interest as a television analyst.

Ryan said upon accepting the Bills' job in January 2015 he would not "let our fans down" while declaring Buffalo would make the postseason despite what was then a 15-year streak of missing the playoffs. He also called the Bills' fourth-ranked defense in 2014, prior to his arrival, as "a little disappointing" while adding, "I know we'll lead the league in defense."

Instead, the Bills finished 19th in yards allowed in 2015, prompting Ryan to tell WGR 550 late in the season, "the thing that kind of gives this team a black eye ... is that I let my mouth get ahead of everything." The Bills finished with an 8-8 record last season after Ryan's hiring prompted a franchise-record 60,000 season-ticket sales.

Ryan continued to exude confidence when speaking to his team at the start of his second Bills training camp in July.

"Everything's questioned," Ryan told his players, as captured in a team-produced documentary that aired in September. "I forgot how to f---ing coach. 'The players don't respond to Rex, he don't know what the f--- he's doing anymore.'"

Added Ryan later in his speech to his team: "I'm going to tell you we're the f---ing best because I believe it. Let me f---say it. And if it doesn't work, I'll be the first m-----f----- that goes."

After an 0-2 start this season, Ryan fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman and replaced him with Lynn, a former NFL running back and longtime running backs coach who followed Ryan from the Jets' coaching staff. The Bills won their next four games, powered in part by what is now the NFL's top-ranked rushing offense.

Ryan's defense and passing offense remained question marks. Ryan leaned on his family last offseason by hiring his twin brother, former NFL defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, to assist his defense this season. However, the Ryan brothers' unit remains 19th in the NFL, its same finish as 2015.

Despite the change at offensive coordinator, Rex Ryan also dealt with the NFL's second-worst passing attack this season in terms of yards per game. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, whom Ryan tapped as his starter after a three-way competition prior to the 2015 season, has seen a decline in several key statistics and is in danger of the Bills choosing not to retain him past March and guarantee $30 million of his contract.

Sheesh, black monday is going to be so boring this year.

I don't think he'll ever be a HC again..hes a DC through and through..I'd bring him in as our DC, (rex that is)

Dear Cleveland Browns....PLEASE DO NOT hire either of these jokers. They talk a lot but have yet to prove anything.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of them goes to SF when O'Neill is relieved of duties. If so, within a few years they will be fired, again.

Classy way of speaking to the media. Just all around, a classy family.

They are also benching Taylor for Manuel. Looks like Taylor will be available this offseason.

2 years. Fired. We're contagious.

The NFL is known for giving the same guys a 4th, 5th or 6th chance as a coach, but I think this is it for Rex. He talks too much, wins nothing and is brought in to generate media/fan attention but doesn't make a difference after a few games.

I think it's over for him.

He'll probably be hired as an studio analyst.

I haven't watched one Buffalo game this season, is Taylor worth going after?

Not at the salary he'd want. He hasn't progressed much at all ... he's a good backup IMO

I would rather play EJ Manuel. Taylor isnt a QB. He is Tebow without the cult following.

This isn't even close to being true and not because Taylor is good. He can run an NFL offense effectively, Tebow could not.

Ryan will be great on TV next season. He is too big of a name to back to being a coordinator (and his defense hasn't been good lately).

And Robby too. Going into a prevent D forever.



DAMN!

I'd love to bring on Rex as our coordinator. But I agree that he will be on TV and he'll be great.

Schedule is much easier, and he can still get the next three years the Bills owe him

No friggin way!

He basically ruined the Bills defense when he fired Jim Schwartz.

Rex Ryan's defense is Mike Pettine's defense with a better agent.

I always thought Eric Mangini came in to NY and won with Herm Edwards team right away, then it got worse, but slowly got better.

Then He got fired because Brett Favres arm fell off.

And then Rex came in and won right away with Manginis team.

But then it got worse, but never seemed to get better..

The Bills weren't good before Rex got there, so he never had that to lean on..

Some times, teams that are underperforming just need a new voice to spark them, Rex is good for that. For a year, two tops..

That is all a bunch of BS, but I get your point.

The Bills had one of the best defenses in the league under Jim Schwartz (who was hired after we hired Mike Pettine), Doug Marrone left after the year, and then Ryan fired Schwartz to run his defense.

In 2014, the one year under Schwartz, the Bills' defense had three players with ten or more sacks (Mario Williams with 14.5, Jerry Hughes with 10, and Marcell Dareus with 10). The next year under Ryan; Williams and Hughes had ten sacks combined and Dareus had two.

Ryan was fired because he talked a big game and didn't get the results he claimed he would get and because he is a defensive guy and their defense stinks.

(It also seems like he had conflict with the front office, they wanted him to play E.J. Manuel [Doug Whaley, the Bills GM, drafted E.J. Manuel in 2013 and has somehow survived that and an ownership change], which is not surprising given his personality.)

I hope with these HC vacancies those teams don't try and hire our assistants!!

Bills defence ranked fourth in the season before he was hired. At his press conference then, he said that was "disappointing" and made drastic changes, installing his D.
Not very smart IMO although I understand that new HCs do that.

My take is way different from everyone else. Firing Rex this early is stupid. He rubs a lot of people [like our board members] the wrong way, but he isn't a bad coach.

Firing coaches two years in is stupid. The Bills really don't have that much talent. They have made some bad draft picks and of course, the coach gets the blame for the dumb moves that the FO made.

A very good friend of mine is a hardcore Bills fan and he is glad they are gone. To be fair, I think he was prepared to give Rex one more year but, he was bummed when Schwartz left and especially disgusted to see Rob damage what defense they had. They showed no improvement and the defense, which was #4 when he took over has dropped to #19. Add to it....he talks a lot but he has yet to prove he can win and his temperament rubs people up the wrong way (including many in his own locker rooms). If he was able to turn a team around and go deep into the playoffs or beyond then most may forgive him for his obnoxious brashness. But, even in the early years when he had a pretty loaded Jets team he talked a big game but when it counted he fizzled out.

Can we get Rob to be our cheer leader? I don't miss him as a coach, but he did bring an energy to the defense that I miss.

Yeah, of course, can we use his hair to mop the floor, too?

I'd be elated if he was our press secretary.

I thought the Jets made it to the AFC Championship game a couple of times? Am I mistaken?

We'll see what Buffalo's record is next year. I say they lose more than they did this year.

Instead of Taylor I'd rather have Cardale Jones baby!

Looks like Rex has a foothold on his future.

Which college will Rob Ryan be the defensive coordinator at next season?

Dear Lord, please allow one the fine NFL teams in need of a head coach to hire Ray Horton. Amen.

I wonder if they have any worthwhile players to fleece when they blow things up with the new HC

then we get rob again?

we need a defense that is current yet not complicated.

Yea they did in Rex's 1st and 2nd year. But, they lost both games and how much of their 1st year was due to what Mangini left/built and then their draft/free agency picks to keep them at the top in his 2nd year? Nevertheless, they went into a freefall by 2011 and eventually he was sacked.

Sorry, I just don't get the love for the Ryan's and hope he and his brother come nowhere near the Browns.

Regarding Buffalo's record next year....well, we shall see who they hire. Whoever it is they will have to pick up the pieces the Ryan brothers left behind.

You want to have Cardale Jones's bab .....

Oh wait, I mis-read that.