#52. Buffalo Bills Fire Coach Rex Ryan, Slamming Door on a Boisterous Presence

from the New York Times: Rex Ryan needed just one more win — against the faltering Jets, no less — to become the first Buffalo Bills head coach in 16 years to post back-to-back .500 seasons. As it turns out, he will not be afforded that opportunity on Sunday, when the N.F.L. concludes its regular season. In a move that was surprising more for its timing than its outcome, Ryan was fired Tuesday and replaced by his offensive coordinator, Anthony Lynn, on an interim basis.

Ryan still has three years left on a five-year deal worth $5.5 million per season, an indication of just how badly the Bills’ owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, wished to be rid of the boisterous Ryan. The dismissal had been rumored for more than a week, though the Bills had been expected to wait until the so-called black Monday, the day after the regular season ends, to pull the trigger.While coaching the Jets for six seasons — and reaching the A.F.C. championship game in his first two — Ryan built a reputation for creating strong, aggressive defenses. He was never able to manage that with the Bills, however, and his teams in Buffalo also suffered from the same shortcoming he endured with the Jets: the absence of a top-tier quarterback. In New York, Ryan managed games tightly with erratic performers at quarterback like Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith. In Buffalo, he tethered his wagon to quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who appeared to take several steps back in recent weeks.