Rex Explains On WFAN Why He Loves Buffalo And Why He'll Always Love The Jets
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- He's still Rex.
Rex Ryan has the Buffalo Bills on the upswing. On Wednesday, he spoke with WFAN's Mike Francesa about his new team, his old team and this Sunday's game against the Giants.
Ryan went 50-52, including 4-2 in the playoffs, during his six-year run as head coach of the Jets, but was fired along with general manager John Idzik following last year's 4-12 season. He quickly became one of the hottest coaching candidates on the market and was reportedly pursued by several teams before he ultimately signed a five-year deal with Buffalo.
"Every single part of it was lined up," Ryan said, referring to the talent the Bills had on both sides of the ball. "I said, you know what, I want to be a part of them. When they offered me the job I said, 'heck yeah, let's go.'"
The Bills are off to a 2-1 start. Their defeat came at the hands of defending Super Bowl champion New England, 40-32 in Week 2, a game that got away from Ryan's team before it rallied late.
"We played as poorly as you can play. We got sacked eight times, threw three interceptions, had six straight three-and-outs at one point in that game. On special teams, we had six penalties," Ryan said. "We had no business being in that game, but we kept fighting, kept competing."
The Bills then went into Miami last Sunday and destroyed the Dolphins 41-14, due in large part to young quarterback Tyrod Taylor, a player not that highly thought of coming into the season.
"He's looked good throughout, through all of training camp, the preseason games and all of these games. This young man can do it. There's no question about it. He just needed an opportunity and he got it here," Ryan said.
The Giants (1-2) are coming off a 32-21 victory over visiting Washington last Thursday. They hope to have Victor Cruz back against the Bills, teaming the veteran wide receiver with superstar-in-the-making Odell Beckham Jr. for the first time. However, Cruz left Wednesday's practice with a trainer and the fear is he has reinjured his calf and won't be available.
Cruz has not played in a year due to knee and calf injuries, but Ryan said even without the veteran wideout the Giants will be a difficult foe on Sunday, citing head coach Tom Coughlin, quarterback Eli Manning and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
"We know what we are up against. We know how good they are," Ryan said. "I'm glad Cruz is not playing against us, but I feel terrible for the young man because he's such a talent."
Ryan also confirmed some earlier reports during the interview, saying it's highly unlikely the Bills will have running back LeSean McCoy (hamstring) and wide receiver Sammy Watkins (calf) available for Sunday's game.
Rex spoke at length about several other topics, including his emotional last season with the Jets, why he loves Buffalo and what possessed him to jump out of an airplane. To hear his complete interview with Francesa, please click on the audio link below.