The Bills don’t have to make the playoffs for head coach Rex Ryan and general manager Doug Whaley to keep their jobs, Bills owner Terry Pegula told USA Today.
“You have to have continuity,” Pegula said. “I don’t care if you’re drilling oil in gas wells or you’re running a sports team. If you keep changing things, nothing’s going to work.”
Pegula has made his money in the oil and gas industry, and so far it looks like his patience is paying off in the football industry. The Bills (4-2) have won four straight after an 0-2 start. A lot can go wrong, however, and a lot still stands in the way of the Bills’ first playoff berth since 1999.
If they miss the playoffs, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Ryan and Whaley are done. Pegula spoke up this week to calm that perception.
At the same time, it probably doesn’t hurt if the players feel that they’re playing to save their coach’s job, especially a players’ coach like Ryan.
Bills guard Richie Incognito expressed a playoffs-or-bust mentality before the start of the season. That hot-headedness in the locker room and cool-headedness in the front office seems to be a winning combination over the last month.
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