When Terry Pegula hired Rex Ryan it raised the team’s national profile, excited fans and media, but it has not changed the results on the field. The Buffalo Bills 30-22 loss to Kansas City was an example of Ryan talking the talk, but unable to walk the walk.
For starters the Bills defense is a pale resemblance of the unit Jim Schwartz put together last season. Ryan’s unit has had plenty of injuries, but other than his “one week” scheme confusing Tom Brady for three quarters last Monday, Ryan’s unit just doesn’t get it done.
Sunday it took Andy Reid and Alex Smith one quarter to figure out what Ryan was doing against Kansas City and they carved the Bills up the rest of the way. Buffalo was without two starters in both Mario and Kyle Williams, but the Chiefs lost two offensive line starters as well. Smith had no problem avoiding the rush and time and time again Ryan chose not to apply pressure.
Offensively Tyrod Taylor is better than either Kyle Orton or EJ Manuel and has high percentage numbers in several categories. However, part of that is because often he holds on to the ball instead of trying to thread the needle. With the game on the line Taylor has only the Tennessee win on his resume and that was because of his running.
Sammy Watkins was outstanding in the first half against KC, but Taylor chose not to look his way for almost the entire final 28 minutes. How does that happen over and over again with this team?
At the end of the day the one thing that sticks out the most with Ryan is what some would call “lack of organizational skills”. A very well respected NFL executive quietly warned some involved with the Ryan hire that he was a good defensive coach, but not a great head coach.
Ryan’s “let’s have fun and stay loose” style can account for his team’s lack of discipline at critical times. This team has been at the top of the league in penalties all season, especially on special teams. Fans have grown to look for a flag every time the Bills have a decent return or make a big play.
We all remember how much Marv Levy stressed and practiced special teams in the 1990’s. The Bills unit has been less than special all season.
Ryan’s system of his coaches reviewing replays and then relaying the message down on whether he should challenge a call failed miserably against KC. There were two critical calls made on the field that were reversible, but Ryan blamed the lack of video replays available to his coaches for the decision not to challenge.
Interestingly enough Ryan has blamed numerous delay of game penalties on technical gremlins in the headsets in London and New England. This team seems to be snake bitten by high-tech abnormalities.
Rex Ryan is a likable guy and his news conferences are entertaining, but he has brought nothing new to the table. The Bills are under .500 after eleven games and again sit on the outside looking in for the playoffs with five games remaining.
Ryan can’t be held accountable for the landslide of injuries, but good coaches find ways to make backups perform. Andy Reid’s Chiefs won with two of his “O” lineman going down plus one of his best defensive players.
I’m not starting the “dump Ryan” chant, but the bloom is off the rose. The Buffalo Bills too many standout players having poor seasons, despite Ryan drooling as he ran down their names at his inaugural news conference. What happened?
I’ll continue to chuckle at Ryan’s glib comments during the week and entertaining demeanor, but give me a game in January to really bring a smile to my face.
Filed under: Koshinski's Korner
Tagged with: Andy Reid, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Rex Ryan, Sammy Watkins, Terry Pegula, Tyrod Taylor
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