Buffalo Bills

Has Rex Ryan lost the Bills locker room? He doesn't believe so

Published Dec. 23, 2015 2:14 p.m. ET

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Aside from being a huge disappointment this season, the main storyline surrounding the Buffalo Bills has been the supposed rift in the locker room. Players haven't exactly bought into Rex Ryan's defensive scheme, and it's showed on the scoreboard and in the stat sheets. The pass rush is one of the worst in the NFL, and it's not for a lack of talent.

Mario Williams has called out the coaching staff several times, while Sammy Watkins wants more accountability in the locker room. Yet, through all of the despair and frustration, Ryan doesn't believe he's lost the locker room.

"I don't believe that," Ryan said Wednesday, via Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com. "I've been around this game a long time. I don't believe that to be the truth."

Ryan also defended his policy of having an "open locker room" despite all the criticism he's received for his role this season. He's happy to allow his players to speak out and give the media and fans a true look at what the team is like.

"My locker room is open and you guys will get a chance to go in there and see firsthand," he said. "I think this locker room is a little closer than anticipated. I just don't think that you're getting the majority of the opinions when you're mentioning about one or two or whatever guys. I know there's frustration in about 100 percent [of players], but I think this locker room a little closer than what you give us credit for."

It hasn't been easy for Ryan to silence critics this season, but the fact that he had success with the New York Jets is telling. On the other hand, the Bills have almost all the same players as they did a year ago when they were the fourth-ranked defense. It comes down to a combination of personnel and scheme -- something that hasn't meshed well this season.

However, Ryan believes a win this week and another to close out the year will cure a lot.

"Winning cures a lot of things, I can promise you that," Ryan said. "Hopefully we get a big win this week. Again, I keep saying, a lot of it's built on frustration that we never achieved what we wanted to."