By hiring Rex Ryan, the Buffalo Bills made the rare move to grab a head coach who was just with one of their division rivals. Players on the Bills have battled against Ryan twice per season, some of them for nearly his entire tenure with the New York Jets.
Bills players are excited about Rex Ryan
Ryan went from one of Buffalo’s top enemies to a source for enthusiasm.
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Ryan has spent over a decade guiding some of the best defenses in the NFL. Still, he’s best known for his charisma and player-friendly approach to coaching football. For a team that just saw its last head coach voluntarily leave to interview with a team they face twice a year while still receiving a $4 million check from the Bills, having Ryan come to Buffalo is an exciting proposition.
Longtime running back Fred Jackson is happy with what Ryan can do for the team and who he is as a person.
“He’s a coach that is known for winning,” Jackson said. “He’s a character and I think anytime you have a coach who is a character that brings a lot of excitement.”
Boobie Dixon is intrigued by Ryan’s reputation.
“I’ve never been able to play for him,” Dixon said. “But the thing I hear about him is he brings intensity and excitement.”
Few will question that Ryan can fire up a team. Along with Darrelle Revis and Mike Tannenbaum, he was a central figure in the 2010 edition of HBO's documentary series Hard Knocks. Ryan came across as a boastful but likable figure. More importantly, he was a coach players enjoyed having around. A poll conducted by Sports Illustrated that same season found that Ryan was the head coach that NFL players most wanted to play for.
Whether Buffalo’s players remain excited about Ryan will depend on how the team does. If he helps push the Bills over the hump and into the playoffs, there won’t be much chatter about locker room dissension. If the team’s 15-year postseason drought continues, that excitement could quickly wear off.
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