Day 128.5

Fresh Start_128.5: No More Sexy Rexy
I don’t normally do this, but with the death of Carrie Fisher and the firing of Rex Ryan happening in the same day, I decided to split up the Fresh Start into 2 parts. Usually I would have just pushed the Rex Ryan article to tomorrow, but I decided to make this Fresh Start into two different pieces. I like this idea and I will be doing this on occasion—being that two different news stories like this, that impact two different communities like this doesn’t normally happen.

The firing of Rex Ryan is impactful for both parties because of the position that Buffalo finds themselves in. It became evident that Buffalo wanted to part ways with Ryan after the team stalled midway through the season. It was a safe bet that Ryan wouldn’t have made it back as the head man in Buffalo even if the team didn’t stall at the midway point anyway. Rex Ryan has most likely had his last head coaching job in the NFL, and it was a good run. He had immediate success coming over from Baltimore with the Jets, and his system seemed to work with the Jets for his first couple of years. Rex had the habit of predicting a Jet SuperBowl win before every season as the head man of Gotham, and that was part of why the Jets fans loved him at the start. But, as the team started to age and players didn’t return, the scheme went flat and so did the team, which lead to his exit with the Jets.

When he moved on to Buffalo, it is safe to say that is was a shock to most people (me included). I didn’t think there was a position for Ryan in the NFL and I was proven wrong quickly with the hiring that Buffalo made. In way it didn’t make sense at all. Ryan was inheriting a Buffalo team that was almost identical to the team that he left, but with a worse defense. The Bills didn’t really have much in place, but I will give credit to Ryan and his staff for making that team definitely better than when he found it. The Bills will have to thank Rex Ryan when they win a SuperBowl. What Ryan did in Buffalo was change the culture and draft players that made a difference. He did get handed one of the best runningbacks in the entire league, but everything else was made from who Ryan is as a coach. It is absolutely not a secret that Rex Ryan is a players’ coach. He has been that way since his defensive coordinator days in Baltimore. He gets his guys ready for battle, and his guys will fight for him through thick and thin. It just so happens that doesn’t win you as many football games as you think. Ryan is just not fit to be a head coach anymore given his decision making throughout his tenor as a head coach. It was a smart decision from Buffalo’s perspective to move on, because it was time. Rex Ryan when you are looking at this long term, was a stop gap for the Buffalo Bills. He was the guy to get this team on the right path and let someone else take other the ship, once it was time.

If you are looking at the Buffalo head coaching hole it is an interesting position. They need an offensive guy that will hire a good defensive coordinator. Jeff Fisher might be a good call if you were going that way. I am not personally high on Fisher, but given his persona in the league, I wouldn’t be surprised if he got the job in Buffalo. I am not willing to put money on it, but the chances are extremely high. This Bills job should be at the top of the list; given the talent and the possibilities with the jobs that are on the market in the NFL. But for Rex Ryan, it was a good run and now you can enjoy being a color commutator or studio personality for the rest of your career.
Sources:(nfl.com, espn.com)

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