Rex Ryan let go after two seasons with Buffalo Bills

Gottlieb: Bills fire Rex Ryan

Rex Ryans inability to back up his boasts of building a bully particularly on defense in Buffalo led to the Bills firing their high-profile coach one game short of completing his second full season.

Terry Pegula, who made Ryans hiring his first big splash as owner, was the person who informed ryan of his dismissal Tuesday. The decision came three days after a 34-31 overtime loss to Miami which eliminated Buffalo (7-8) from playoff contention, and extended the NFLs longest active playoff drought to 17 years.

We mutually agreed that the time to part ways is now, Pegula said in a statement released by the team. These decisions are never easy.

Ryan replaced Doug Marrone, who opted out of his contract following a 9-7 finish in 2014, and three months after the Pegula family purchased the Bills from the estate of Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson.

Assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn will coach the Bills in their season finale at the New York Jets (4-11) on Sunday.

Tomlin vs. Bradshaw

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin doesnt mind Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw criticizing his performance. It comes with the job.

Bradshaw likening Tomlin to a cheerleader, however? Well thats another matter entirely. Tomlin said Bradshaws comments last week describing Tomlin as no more than a rah-rah guy fall more into the area of disrespect and unprofessional.

Tomlin is one of eight coaches in league history to win at least 100 games in his first 10 seasons. The Steelers (10-5) wrapped up the fifth AFC North title of Tomlins decade-long tenure with a last-second win over Baltimore on Sunday.

Bradshaw won four Super Bowls with Pittsburgh in the 1970s. He said he didnt view Tomlin as a great coach.

Tomlin said hes fine with that assertion. Its the cheerleader comment that made him raise his eyebrows. Tomlin added, What do I know? I grew up a Dallas Cowboys fan. Hollywood Henderson in particular.

Henderson, a former linebacker who faced Bradshaw in a pair of Super Bowls, once said Bradshaw couldnt spell the word cat if you spotted him the C and the A.

Carr has surgery

While Derek Carr underwent surgery to repair his broken right leg on Tuesday, the Oakland Raiders began preparing for a playoff run without their star quarterback.

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Carrs mother, Sheryl Joyner-Carr, wrote on her Facebook page that Carr was out of surgery in Los Angeles and is doing EXCELLENT! She thanked fans for their support and prayers.

The Raiders have given no timetable for how long Carr will be sidelined, but his brother, David, said Monday on NFL Network, where he is an analyst, that the initial estimates are he will miss six to eight weeks.

Source: http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/20161227/rex-ryan-let-go-after-two-seasons-with-buffalo-bills

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Bills fire Rex Ryan after nearly two seasons

ESPN First Take - Is Rex Ryan Done As NFL Head Coach?
Bills fire Rex Ryan after nearly two seasons

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Bills fire Rex Ryan after nearly two seasons

Ryan compiled a 15-16 but never made the playoffs in Buffalo.

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Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan leaves the field after losing in overtime to the Miami Dolphins at New Era Field.(Photo: Kevin Hoffman, USA TODAY Sports)

The Buffalo Bills have fired head coach Rex Ryan with one week remaining in the season.

The move is not entirely a surprise, given the Bills disappointing 7-8 mark before the Week 17 finale. Buffalo was eliminated from playoff contention with an ugly 34-31overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins on Saturday.

I spoke with rex earlier today and we mutually agreed that the time to part ways is now," owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. "These decisions are never easy. I want to take this opportunity to thank Rex for all his efforts and wish him all the best moving forward.

Kim and I and our entire Bills organization share in the same disappointment and frustration as our fans, but we remain committed to our goal of bringing a championship to Western New York.

Ryan went 15-16 in his nearly two seasons in Buffalo. He previously spent six seasons as the head coach of the New York Jets. He becomes the third coach to be fired this season after the Los Angeles Rams parted with Jeff Fisher and the Jacksonville Jaguars dismissed Gus Bradley.

Ryans twin brother, Rob Ryan, has also been fired as the team"s assistant head coach, the team announced.

The Bills named offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn as interim head coach for Sundays season finale against the Jets.

Bills players were quick to react to the firing Tuesday morning, with defensive end Leger Douzable tweeting: "Makes no sense. Smh"

PHOTOS: Best of NFL Week 16

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Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bills/2016/12/27/rex-ryan-fired-buffalo-coach/95873350/

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Sources: Rex Ryan, Buffalo Bills close to deal

Jets-Bills just got a lot more interesting.

After six years as Jets coach, Rex Ryan will agree to become Buffalo's coach, sources told Newsday. He reportedly will get a five-year deal worth about $5.5 million annually.

The Bills reportedly will hire 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman to serve in the same capacity. And according to sources, Ryan will take former Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman and Jets defensive assistant Jeff Weeks -- his former college roommate -- with him.

Ryan went 46-50 during the regular season with the Jets and failed to make the playoffs the past four seasons, but he was a hot commodity after being fired by owner Woody Johnson on Dec. 29 along with general manager John Idzik. Besides the Bills, Ryan drew interest from the 49ers, Falcons and TV networks.

Ryan apparently had his sights set on becoming Atlanta's coach. According to sources, he had hoped his second interview with Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula on Saturday night would spur the Falcons into action. But that didn't happen.

Instead, the Bills "made him feel wanted,'' one source said.

Ryan will be the first since Bill Parcells to be the head coach of teams in the same division in consecutive seasons. The Jets will have to face their former coach twice a year.

The Falcons appeared to be the perfect landing spot for Ryan. They have a standout quarterback in Matt Ryan and big-time wide receivers, and they play in the weak NFC South.

In joining the Bills, Ryan has inherited a situation similar to the one he left behind. The Bills have a very good defense but don't have a first-round pick in the 2015 draft. There also are a lot of questions at quarterback.

First-round pick EJ Manuel was benched in favor of journeyman Kyle Orton during the season by former Bills coach Doug Marrone, who opted out of his contract on New Year's Eve and later interviewed for the Jets' coaching job. But after Orton surprisingly announced his retirement after the season, the Bills likely will be forced to turn back to Manuel in 2015.

Ryan is no stranger to coaching young quarterbacks. As a rookie head coach, he helped the Jets reach the AFC Championship Game after the 2009 season with a rookie quarterback in Mark Sanchez. The following season, the Jets also reached the conference title game. But they struggled during the next two seasons with Sanchez, finishing 8-8 and 6-10, and a change in quarterback did little to help. With Geno Smith -- who was selected 23 spots after Manuel in the 2013 draft -- the Jets finished 8-8 and 4-12 the past two seasons.

The Bills went 9-7, their best record since 2004, but missed the playoffs for the 15th consecutive year.

There's also the question of whether more Jets assistants will join Ryan in Buffalo or if Bills assistants will defect to other teams. Bills defensive line coach Pepper Johnson is scheduled to interview with the Giants on Monday. The Giants also are interested in interviewing Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Source: http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/rex-ryan-buffalo-bills-close-to-deal-sources-say-1.9795100

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