Bills fire Ryan, name Lynn interim head coach

[December 28, 2016]  (The Sports Xchange) - The Buffalo Bills announced on Tuesday that coach Rex Ryan and assistant head coach Rob Ryan, his twin brother, have been fired.

Offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, who replaced Greg Roman in Week 3, will take over as the interim coach of the Bills (7-8), the National Football League team said.

Buffalo wraps up this campaign on Sunday with a road game against Rex Ryan's former club, the New York Jets (4-11).

"I spoke with Rex earlier today and we mutually agreed that the time to part ways is now. These decisions are never easy," Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement Tuesday.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank Rex for all his efforts and wish him all the best moving forward."

The Bills have dropped six of their last nine games and have been eliminated from playoff contention for the 17th straight season.

A 34-31 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins on Saturday officially extended the longest active postseason drought in North American sports.

Rex Ryan posted a 15-16 mark in his two seasons as Buffalo's head coach and had three seasons remaining on the five-year contract he signed with the Bills.

The 54-year-old Ryan, a former defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens, inherited Buffalo's fourth-ranked defense upon joining the team, but the Bills have seen that ranking plummet to 19th this season.

Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi rushed for 206 yards on Saturday after putting up 214 yards against the Bills earlier this season. Two weeks ago, Pittsburgh's Le'Veon Bell ran for 236 yards against Buffalo. Those are the three highest rushing games in the NFL this season.

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan puts his arms up during the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Lions win 31-0. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

 The son of late NFL coach Buddy Ryan, Rex Ryan owns a 61-66 overall mark in eight years as a head coach, including four consecutive non-winning seasons before being fired by the Jets following the 2014 campaign after reaching the playoffs his first two years in New York.

Lynn, 48, had served as a running backs coach since 2003 prior to being elevated to offensive coordinator after the Bills limped out to an 0-2 start this season.

(Corrects Ryan's age to 54 in ninth paragraph)

(Editing by Larry Fine)

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