Marcell Dareus

Rex Ryan on loss to Bengals: 'We've got to flush the toilet'

Published Oct. 21, 2015 9:34 a.m. ET

foxsports

By Jason Rowan

The Buffalo Bills are in London preparing for Sunday’s match-up with the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium and head coach Rex Ryan already is at his colorful best as he attempted to deal with the fallout from the team’s 34-21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Ryan’s defensive schemes has come under criticism of late, even from his own players, including standout defensive linemen Mario Williams and Marcell Dareus, both of whom bemoaned how the Bills are not generating a lot of sacks this season.

The specific complaints forwarded by the two players is that Ryan’s scheme forces them to drop back in coverage far too often, making it obviously difficult for them to generate consistent pressure on the quarterback.

But Ryan insists sack totals don’t matter to him and shouldn’t be a point of emphasis for his players.

“We don’t have to lead the league in sacks. We just want to win,” he said, via the Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci.

Not only that, the fiery head coach insisted the 3-3 Bills simply have to turn the page and leave the loss to the Bengals in the past, although Ryan did in a very descriptive manner.

“We’ve got to flush the toilet on the one game,” Ryan said, via the Buffalo News’ Tyler Dunne. “Are guys checking out? No, they’re hungry.”

Ryan has demonstrated throughout his coaching career he knows how to manipulate bad press and controversy into a means to foster team unity and an “Us against them” mentality. But it arguably is more difficult to transform internal criticism from his own players into a means to rally the team around him.

If not, Ryan may need a plunger after all the flushing he suggests is needed.

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