Rex Ryan predicts playoff berth for Bills again
Rex Ryan never lacks confidence.
During his introductory press conference as the new coach of the Buffalo Bills, Ryan assured fans that the team’s long playoff drought (since 1999) would come to an end in 2015. He doubled down on that prediction on Wednesday night at a charity celebrity softball game at Yankee Stadium.
“I think we’ll be in it this year,” Ryan said per NJ.com. “So we’ll see.”
Asked specifically if he thought the Bills would be in the postseason this year, Ryan didn’t back down, but he stopped short of calling it a guarantee.
“I think we will. Yep, I think we will,” Ryan said. “I’m not going to say it’s a guarantee. But I guarantee you one thing: Teams aren’t going to want to play us. I can tell you that much.”
That confidence is classic Rex. Even during his up and down tenure with the New York Jets, Ryan was never afraid to say what was on his mind. That boldness and confidence is a breath of fresh air in Buffalo, especially after Doug Marrone opted out of his contract, deciding he’d rather leave Buffalo (and $4 million on the table) than coach the Bills.
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The Bills return a great defense and have plenty of playmakers on offense (“We’re loaded on defense. We’re loaded at the skill positions,” Ryan said), especially after the acquisition of LeSean McCoy. The quarterback position, however, remains a huge question mark. Matt Cassel or E.J. Manuel? Ryan says they’ll make do with what they got.
“Obviously, it’s not an ideal situation, or there would already be one guy there (as the starter),” Ryan said. “But we have enough talent there that I’m confident that when it’s all said and done, we’ll be fine.”
Good luck, Rex.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
