Viewers streamed 460 million minutes of the Buffalo Bills painful 34-31 loss in London to the Jacksonville Jaguars. That was the only way NFL fans could watch the game — it was Internet only. Bills head coach Rex Ryan will probably watch another million minutes of it between now and when the Bills take the field again in two weeks. None of the Bills players will have to subject themselves to the footage though: they have the week off.
“To battle all the way back and give it up like we did, this is an extremely painful loss.” #BUFvsJAX pic.twitter.com/2yEzEzK8Wh
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) October 25, 2015
Rex Ryan is known as a player’s coach. (Eagles cast-off LeSean McCoy said he likes the way Ryan doesn’t enforce a curfew.) So with a bye-week on the schedule Ryan gave the team the week off — a midseason vacation — a very unusual move. When he decided he’d do it, Ryan probably didn’t figure the Bills would be 3-4 and coming off a brutal loss. It’s exactly the kind of scenario where most coaches want to double-down and grow team solidarity, and use the extra time to fix what’s wrong and build confidence. Ryan will have to wait for his guys to get back — hopefully rested and ready — to begin that process.
Rex Ryan doing the unusual in giving the #Bills the entire week off for their bye. — Vic Carucci (@viccarucci) October 26, 2015
