Latest On Bills’ Coaching Staff

After the Bills fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman earlier this week, it was natural to wonder if head coach Rex Ryan would also receive his walking papers sooner rather than later, especially in the wake of Buffalo’s disappointing start to the 2016 season. However, we learned shortly after Roman’s dismissal that Ryan’s job is safe for the time being, and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports confirms that ownership is not presently considering any other staff changes.

Rex Ryan

La Canfora reports that “it would take a fairly epic collapse to initiate more firings in-season,” although team owners Terry and Kim Pegula are more than willing to make sweeping changes in the offseason if the Bills do not demonstrate marked improvement. One of the problems, though, is that the team’s brass is hardly presenting a united front to its players. For instance, GM Doug Whaley clashed with former head coach Doug Marrone and Roman over the usage of skill players like Sammy Watkins that Whaley brought in, and now Ian Rapoport of NFL.com paints an even more damning picture of the club’s internal divide.

According to Rapoport, the Pegulas held private meetings Friday morning with several offensive standouts–like quarterback Tyrod Taylor–to discuss the offense and potential solutions thereto. Ryan, however, was not present for those meetings, even though he publicly stated the decision to fire Roman was entirely his own. One of Rapoport’s sources indicates that the Pegulas simply used the meetings to confirm that Ryan was considering getting rid of Roman after the Bills’ Week 1 loss and that the Bills remain “Rex’s team.” But other sources believe the move to fire Roman was spurred by the Pegulas’ meeting with players, and that the suggestion was subsequently brought to Ryan.

Either way, Ryan is reportedly unhappy that ownership would hold a meeting with players without him, and even though the Pegulas will apparently give Ryan a chance to right the ship, there is clearly something rotten in upstate New York.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

View Comments (2)