Maybe it wasn’t Rex Ryan’s move after all. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Buffalo Bills players had a say in Greg Roman getting fired this week.
Bills owners Kim & Terry Pegula had private meetings with key offensive players Fri. before firing Greg Roman. Rex Ryan was not in the room
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2016
#Bills coach Rex Ryan was not happy, I’m told, when he learned of owner-player meetings. He said publicly it was his decision to fire Roman.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2016
This doesn’t quite fit into what Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports reported when he quoted an anonymous source as saying, “I haven’t talked to anybody that isn’t excited about the move.”
Unless, of course, Ryan was not one of the people he talked to.
The bombastic head coach had made a big fuss about how firing Roman was “my move, without question.”
Yet based on what we’re hearing now, it wasn’t exactly a dictatorship move to replace Roman with Anthony Lynn.
It’s no secret that Ryan is on the hot seat right now. His Bills have gotten off to an 0-2 start this year, and his defense has been a hot mess, as we predicted it would be.
Granted, it’s not entirely Ryan’s fault. Buffalo lost Marcell Dareus for the first four games due to suspension, while rookie studs Shaq Lawson and Reggie Ragland both suffered significant injuries this offseason. The front seven is severely depleted.
But the defense was atrocious last year, too, And the Bills still haven’t made the playoffs since Bill Clinton was in office.
Ryan’s leash is extremely short. It wouldn’t be shocking whatsoever if he ended up getting fired this year if things continue to spiral downwards.