Two Bills Drive

'“That’s a loss that you lose sleep over,” Ryan said Monday afternoon. “For myself, questioning things and what we should have done different or whatever. I can say this, it’s a hell of a lot easier to do that in hindsight than it is the moment it happens. To say that this is obviously the toughest defeat that I’ve taken to this point as the Bills coach, they all hurt, but this one especially.”'

'And if Ryan is axed, as expected, do owners Terry and Kim Pegula really want Whaley, who has had tenuous relationships with both Marrone and Ryan, picking the next coach too?'

'"You know, when you look at, you gave up 200 yards, albeit we gave up 60 on a play when there's 10 guys out there, which is my responsibility, I'm responsible for everything," Rex said. "But everybody professionally has a job to do. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen, and it should have never happened, but it did happen. And it cost us the game. That's how I look at it. That play right there contributed mightily in costing us the football game."'

'But he is responsible. Ryan put those people in a position of power. It’s a tough break for Ryan that it looks bad on him, but it does.'

'Exactly who was to blame for the massive communication gaffe, Ryan wouldn’t say on Monday. But he wanted everyone to know there is a ‘someone.’'

'Now, you have to wonder whether this is it for Ryan as a head coach, whether he’ll slip seamlessly into the waiting network TV booth. Head coaches who’ve been fired twice in less than three years and who’ve coached six consecutive seasons without a playoff berth usually are not a hot commodity.

'The one major issue unsettled is Ryan's status as coach , a decision that rests with team owners Terry and Kim Pegula. Ryan left it to the Pegulas in dismissing a question whether it's fair to judge a coach after just two seasons.'

'Taylor has endured heavy criticism most of the season for his inability to make anything happen in the passing game. Entering the Miami matchup, the Bills ranked 31st in the NFL in passing, a position they've occupied most of the second half of the season. Taylor's difficulties with seeing the entire field, his penchant for leaving clean pockets and his nagging habit of waiting too long to deliver were all factors in the criticism.'

'“(It) is my responsibility,” the head coach told reporters during his scheduled Monday press conference after his team’s 34-31 loss to the Dolphins. “I’m responsible for everything, but everybody’s a professional. You have a job to do. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen and it should never happen and it did happen. And it cost us the game. That’s how I look at it. That play right there contributed mightily in costing us the football game.”'

'“That’s about as painful of a loss I can remember,” Ryan said as he stepped to the mic. “To come up short, and the magnitude of the game, it’s painful.'

'And that’s all part of the problem. Rather than giving his offense — which had nearly 600 yards to their names — a chance to extend the drive, he believed that his defense would get a stop. The same defense that had been getting beaten all game long, and the same defense that surrendered 31 points to that point in time.'

'“Big Charles dominated in all phases,” Robert Woods said. “We needed him to come up big. You never know what play or moment is going to be yours, and this game Charles Clay came up big. He took the hit (on his first touchdown), still stayed up and got six. Those are the type of plays big playmakers make. We love to have him on our team.”'

'Taylor also ran for 60 yards helping him to eclipse his own single-season rushing best last season of 569 yards. He now has 580 rushing yards this season.'

'The Bills are still alive for a top-10 pick. They could move up as high as ninth overall with a loss, or they could drop to the high teens with a win depending on next week's results.'

'It is hard to imagine Dan Fouts, CBS’ second-team analyst, would have passed on instantly criticizing or supporting a decision Ryan told reporters he made because he trusted his (porous) defense.'