Buffalo Bills

Rex Ryan says critical timeout he called was ignored by officials in Bills' loss

Published Dec. 24, 2016 9:20 p.m. ET

Nunzio Ingrassia

Rex Ryan’s days with the Buffalo Bills might be numbered, but that doesn’t mean he’s given up on his team. Ryan told reporters that he called a timeout that was not acknowledged by the officials with six seconds left during regulation in hopes of icing Dolphins kicker Andrew Franks.

Franks converted the field goal that sent the game into overtime, where the Bills would eventually lose 34-31. After the game, referee Craig Wrolstad told a pool reporter that head linesman Mark Hittner didn’t hear Ryan call the timeout.

"The guy [Hittner] on the sideline who was standing next to Coach [Ryan] said that Coach had not called timeout before the snap," Wrolstad said, via ESPN. "So he called timeout evidently after the ball was snapped or that is when our guy heard him or acknowledged him after the snap."

Ryan, who has been on the hot seat for most of the season, was quite surprised by Wrolstad’s explanation, which was relayed to him by reporters.

"That's interesting," Ryan responded. "Obviously he never called it, he never blew it dead. I was yelling at him. I went over to him. I'm sure you saw our players trying to call the timeout, trying to put our field-goal block team on the field.

"And so then they're not saying [timeout], and I looked and I was shocked it hadn't been called. Then I'm like, 'Timeout, timeout.' Then I'm even trying to signal it to the guy.

"But I'm assuming the thing's gonna be done. But I'm over there, yelling timeout well before the thing was kicked. It will show up. I'm sure there was audio of it. So we'll get it."

The Bills fell to 7-8 and finish their season against the Jets next Sunday.