Could Mike Pettine re-join Rex Ryan and the Bills?
By Oliver Connolly, Editor-In-Chief
After a miserable spell came to an end in Cleveland on Sunday night, it’s fair to wonder what’s next for Mike Pettine?
Pettine struggled in Cleveland, consistently at odds with the front-office, ownership and seemingly had a lack of institutional control. It’s unlikely that he gets another look as a head coach again in this current cycle, but he’ll be in high demand as a defense coordinator.
Cue Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills.
Rex and the Bills won their Super Bowl on Sunday — knocking the Jets out of the playoff picture — but it was a disappointing year for Buffalo who expected to be playing in January themselves.
Despite preseason predictions to the contrary it was the defense, not the offense, that let Buffalo down. Fun fact, the Bills offense finished 7th in offensive DVOA . An outstanding job by Greg Roman and a first year offensive coaching staff with a first year quarterback and a number of first year players; Richie Incognito, LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams and Tyrod Taylor to name a few standouts.
By comparison, the Buffalo defense flattered to deceive. After leading the league in adjusted sack rate in 2014 (8.8%) the Bills fell all the way to last in 2015 (3.7%). It’s a striking drop for a team with the same defense talent, being coached by one of the best defensive minds in Pro Football.
Ryan, unlike his predecessors Pettine and Jim Schwartz, utilises a system with largely three down lineman and a number of disguised pressures — blitzing from multiple spots, while dropping out lineman or linebackers to still only rush four. The system has worked for Ryan at almost every spot he’s been, but was a poor fit with the Bills personnel and they struggled more than any other team to pressure the quarterback despite a talented roster and extremely talented secondary.
The defensive struggles of 2015 should lead to a change in the Bills coaching staff, if not philosophy, and could see Pettine team back up with Rex for whom he worked as an assistant in Baltimore before following him to New York as his defensive coordinator between 2009–2012.
As Bills defense coordinator (2013) Pettine lead the Bills to third in adjusted sack rate (8.7%), a percentage that would rank first this season. If Pettine is willing, he seems an ideal fit. He knows the personnel, the staff and their verbiage. If the Bills are to hit the ground running in 2016, in a playoff or bust season, It would be wise to bring in a guy who knows the system and the guys that are going to run it. For Pettine, it’s the perfect chance to join a club with a staff he knows, talented personnel and begin to rehabilitate his image as he looks to become a head coach again.
Oliver Connolly is the editor-in-chief of UKEndZone and a football columnist. He’s a former recruiting advisor for Western Michigan University, a contributor to SI Draft research and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. You can find him on Twitter @OllieUKEZ, listen to his podcast here, or join in the conversation @UKEndZone, in the comment section below or on our Facebook Page.