From Last Word On Pro Football, John Bava
The Buffalo Bills appear to be in implosion mode.
After a 37-31 loss to the New York Jets on the first Thursday Night Football telecast of the season, the franchise decided to make a coaching staff shakeup. They gave offensive coordinator Greg Roman his walking papers on Friday, as first reported by ESPN‘s Adam Schefter. Roman was the highest paid assistant coach on offense in the league.
Buffalo Bills firing OC Greg Roman, per league sources. Roman was NFL's top paid OC.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2016
Buffalo Bills Fire Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman
Schefter also reported that assistant head coach Anthony Lynn is expected to take over offensive coordinator duties. Lynn has been a mainstay of Bills head coach Rex Ryan‘s staff ever since he took the Jets’ head coaching job in 2009. He was a running backs coach with the Jets and had a similar responsibility in Buffalo.
The move comes after two disjointed games on offense at times on the part of the Bills. In their 13-7 Week One loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo managed a paltry 160 yards of total offense. This included quarterback Tyrod Taylor throwing for just 111 yards and finishing with a quarterback rating of 79.9.
A week later in their home opener, the team looked much improved on that side of the football. Taylor had 297 yards passing and three touchdowns, including scores of 84 and 71 yards. But the Bills struggled to sustain drives, as evidenced by the fact the Jets had twice as much time of possession.
Roman was brought in by Ryan on January 12,2015 immediately after his hiring as Bills head coach. The 44-year-old had formerly been offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers for the previous four seasons. His second season in that capacity saw the Niners make a run to Super Bowl XLVII, where they fell to the Baltimore Ravens 34-31.
The Bills are back in action on Sunday, September 25th when they welcome the Arizona Cardinals to New Era Field. The game kicks off at 1 PM ET and will be televised on FOX.
