ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Rex Ryan lived and died by the mostly hollow ultimatums made during his stint as coach of the Jets.
Now with one season under his belt with the Bills, and after falling short of his latest preseason playoff guarantee, Ryan gained a small feel-good victory Sunday when his current team, already denied a winning season and playing only for Ryan's redemption, keep his former out of the playoffs.
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The Jets didn't lose a playoff spot; Ryan took it from them. And the Bills coach, fired by the Jets a year ago after six seasons, took time after to savor in the win. He insisted the teams' first meeting, another 22-17 Bills win in Week 10, felt sweeter. Already vindicated, this was strictly business.
"I feel great, there’s no question," Ryan said, the familiar smirk that became both lauded and loathed in New York stretching ear to ear. "I was very honest about how I felt going into this game. I got a lot of friends over there, there’s no question about it, and I want them to be successful.
"But not at my expense, and that’s what I said and that’s really how I feel."
Much ado was made of Ryan's departure from the Jets and the tension between he and Jets owner Woody Johnson.
Johnson, who was vocal after last season's 4-12 finish, briefly spoke with reporters in the tunnel after the game, but declined to comment on Ryan.
Though the Bills missed the playoffs for the 16th straight season, Bills owner Terry Pegula issued a statement last week affirming his support for Ryan and general manager Doug Whaley after their talent-laden roster fell short of expectations. Pegula said he was confident that the "coaching staff are very capable and work well together," addressing rumored turmoil between Ryan and Whaley.
Pegula's statement put to rest reports that Ryan was coaching for his job Sunday.
Ultimately, Ryan got the better of Jets successor Todd Bowles in both of their meetings this season. And though meaningful victories were elusive, the Bills did achieve the dubious distinction of failing to make the playoffs with a winning record within the division. They were 4-2 against the AFC East, sweeping the Dolphins and Jets.
Bills running back Anthony "Boobie" Dixon moved the media needles last week when he declared Sunday's game as the Bills' "Super Bowl," hyperbole that Ryan downplayed all week. The Jets faced a win-and-in situation and failed, leapfrogged by the Steelers for the final AFC wild-card spot.
The stakes were high, but it never did reach peak magnitude, Ryan said, opting to take the high road and denying any added satisfaction in the win.
"I mean it really doesn’t," he said. "I know it sounds crazy but they had no choice but to let me go and I’ve said it before. But that’s not it. I wish that team was going in somebody’s place. Now, I like Mike Tomlin a great deal, too, so I’m happy he goes.
"But hell, I want to go myself and I want to take my team the next year."
