Bills Head Coach Rex Ryan believes boasting backfired this year

One thing is certain, for better or worse Rex Ryan is a coach who always says what’s on his mind.

At the end of a disappointing 7-8 season in his first year with the Buffalo Bills, Ryan believes that his constant boasting and outlandish comments throughout the year might have backfired on him and his team after all.

“I think the biggest thing, obviously I wish I wouldn’t say some stupid thing that I said,” Ryan said today when speaking to the media at One Bills Drive.  “But you know I get it. That’s just me, but sometimes I wish…you know because I think you see the impact it has. My heart was in the right place, I thought I’m telling the truth. But at the same time, it’s like I never look at it as what if this doesn’t go exactly the way I expect it to go. Well, I’m seeing right now.”

In a year with lofty expectations, Ryan and his team ultimately fell short, but it wasn’t because they didn’t believe what the coach was saying.

When asked about the stupidest thing he said this year, Ryan responded “Well no I just think when I’m like hey, we’re gonna be in the playoffs. I just honestly, 100-percent believed that. I absolutely did, without question.”

Ryan never questioned his players’ efforts through another down year that will see the Bills extent their playoff drought to 16 seasons.

“Well I’m just saying the record,” Ryan said.  “The efforts always there. I’m no different than the rest of the team. Efforts there, the preparations there and all that. But the results haven’t been.”

“No I mean I’m…number one it’s not the criticism that I take,” Ryan added.  “It’s the criticism that our teams takes that bothers me because…and the reason I say that is these guys play hard, man, and they prepare. It just hasn’t gone right. Hasn’t gone the way we wanted it go. But I’m the guy that should be criticized, that’s fine. But when it goes over into the team, that way…you know our fans, look they’re frustrated. They believe like I did and I love the fact they believed in me. There’s no question about that. I feel bad that I didn’t deliver, that’s how I look at it. There’s no question about it. I know what I think and what the future holds for this team. I’m excited about the future but all I want to do is focus on right now, this future is on Sunday and that’s as far as I’ll get in looking ahead. But I’m looking forward to this. I know we have to improve to play against this football team. I know that. But I’m excited about…I know we have a lot of guys that are chomping at the bit to play and they recognize the challenge that’s in front of us also.”

So, are we going to have another Bill Belichick on our hands when it comes to how the Bills’ coach handles the media in the future?

“It’s onto the [New York] Jets,” Ryan concluded.  “I don’t know what to tell you.”