Rex Ryan Says Bills’ Playoff Drought Will Come To An End Next Season

USA Today

The Buffalo Bills haven’t made the NFL playoffs since 1999. The franchise came close a few times, but always fell short and have been living in the shadow of the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

With the hiring of head coach Rex Ryan, the Bills have ushered in a new era that may drastically turn things around for the struggling franchise. Ryan is so confident that Buffalo is ready to right the ship that he believes the team will end the playoff drought next season, via Rich Cimini of ESPN:

“I think we’ll be in [the playoffs] this year,” the Bills’ first-year coach said Wednesday night before playing in a charity softball event at Yankee Stadium. “So we’ll see.”

The playoffs? The Bills?

“I think we will,” Ryan said matter-of-factly. “Yep, I think we will.”

Ryan didn’t go as far as guaranteeing a playoff birth, as he was accustomed to doing while with the New York Jets, but it’s pretty clear he already believes in this team’s potential without seeing them against an opponent on the gridiron.

Along with the Bills bringing in a big-name coach in Ryan, widely considered to be a player’s coach that everyone loves to play for, Buffalo was also able to swing a deal for star running back LeSean McCoy with the Philadelphia Eagles. Although the quarterback position is still a major question mark for the Bills, McCoy coming out of the backfield, Sammy Watkins, Percy Harvin, and Charles Clay downfield gives them some offensive firepower to build around.

Obviously, the biggest road block for the Bills in terms of clinching a playoff spot will be competing with the Patriots in the AFC East division. New England will be without Tom Brady for four games, one of which will be against the Bills in Week 3, but many expect the Patriots to win the division title once again.

It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out for the Bills, but with a solid defense and an improved offense, Ryan and company are off to a good start.