Over the past two weeks in Buffalo, it felt like the season already was slipping out of coach Rex Ryan’s control. With a up-or-out ultimatum reportedly in place for Ryan and G.M. Doug Whaley, it’s now clear that Rex and Rob Ryan are taking over.
And for good reason. If a failed season is going to get Rex fired, then Rex wants to be the one responsible for it, with his fraternal twin and other trusted lieutenants at his side.
“We never lost a fight in our life,” Rex Ryan said of his brother Rob in a joint interview with TheMMQB.com. “Ever. And we ain’t losing this one. And that’s a true statement. Not just because we are badasses -- because we are, individually -- but collectively, it’s a lot different. To this day, no man is going to whip me. Why? Because I’ve got my brother with me. And I’ve got my brother, [defensive coordinator] Dennis Thurman, with me. Ed Reed is here for a reason. These players are going to be like that, too. We want to fight like brothers. I don’t know if we have 100 percent buy-in from even the entire building. I don’t know yet. But the people directly with me, my coaching staff and the players, that’s where it starts. I don’t know all the business people yet; they should be ‘all in,’ but I don’t know. There’s times when the doubt part, that can be driven through the media. But I’m going to surround myself with the very best, and I’m going to win.”
It’s unclear who isn’t buying in, but the reference to business people would apply most naturally to team president Russ Brandon. There’s also Whaley, who may have already sealed his own fate with that goofy “humans shouldn’t play football” remark from earlier in the week. For him, the outcome very well could be: (1) get fired if the team doesn’t make the playoffs; or (2) get pushed out in a Rex Ryan power play if Rex-Rob manages to get the team to the playoffs.
Rex-Rob are surely aiming higher, due in large part to the failing health of their father, Buddy. Asked for Buddy Ryan’s thoughts on the Rex-Rob coaching reunion, Rob said, “He’s struggling. That’s another reason --"
And then Rex finished the thought: “We’re going for broke, man.”
However it plays out, the Bills have immediately have become one of the most compelling teams in the NFL. They’ll be even more compelling when the games begin, especially if in the process of going for broke everything breaks bad.
