Rex Ryan is entering his second year as head coach of the Buffalo Bills, but the proverbial clock may already be ticking.
Hall of Fame quarterback and Bills legend Jim Kelly stated that Ryan needs to propel the team to the playoffs in 2016, or he'll be fired at the end of the season.
The Bills hold the dubious distinction of owning the NFL's longest playoff drought, last making an appearance in 1999, where they were defeated in controversial fashion by the Tennessee Titans, a game that's since been dubbed "The Music City Miracle".
Here's how the Bills can make it back to the playoffs and potentially salvage Ryan's job.
The NFL's premier run game is back at it again
Ryan wanted the Bills to bully their opponents into submission on the ground, a strategy that worked well last season. Buffalo led the NFL with 152 rushing yards per game, something the organization likely hoped for after acquiring LeSean McCoy. McCoy rushed for 895 yards on a 4.4 yards per carry average, but Karlos Williams and Tyrod Taylor's secondary contributions elevated this attack from merely good, to the best in the NFL.
Under offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Bills ought to be an run-oriented team for the second consecutive year, a strategy that could lead the offense to grander heights. McCoy is an established star and to be clear, he'll be the focal point of the running game. Yet Williams showed glimpses of star potential in his rookie year, averaging 5.6 yards per carry, while scoring seven touchdowns in 11 games. McCoy, Williams, and Taylor provide different looks and styles for defenses to react to, and a second year under Roman's scheme could pay dividends.
Darby, Gilmore become NFL's best CB pairing
Ronald Darby surpassed anyone's wildest projections in his rookie year, grading out as the seventh-best cornerback in the NFL per Pro Football Focus. Darby emerged as a legitimate star while locking down T.Y. Hilton, Julian Edelman, and Odell Beckham Jr., among others last year.
After holding quarterbacks to a 54.3 completion percentage, Darby will need to avoid a sophomore slump while opposing teams use a year's worth of data to figure out any tendencies or predispositions the 22-year-old may have.
Stephon Gilmore finished ranked ninth among NFL cornerbacks according to Pro Football Focus but is overcoming a shoulder injury that held him out of the Bills' final four games. Gilmore is entering the final year of his contract and must be inspired by the massive sums that Janoris Jenkins and Josh Norman received on the open market. Although the Darby-Gilmore duo is largely infallible to criticism, avoiding a sophomore slump and playing for another eight-figure deal will surely serve as motivation.
Simply, the Bills need them to excel once again to snap their playoff drought.
The return of a dominant pass rush
Buffalo led the NFL with 54 sacks in 2014, but that total dropped to just 21 in 2015, the second-worst mark in the NFL. The decline can be partly attributed to the Bills' shift from a 4-3 base defense, to a 3-4 scheme under Ryan's tutelage last year, but there's reason to believe that last year's slip was an aberration.
The scheme failed largely due to Ryan's insistence on deploying Mario Williams in coverage, and the rest of the pass rush failed to acclimatize to their new roles. Williams is now off the roster, and the core of Marcell Dareus, Jerry Hughes, Kyle Williams, and Manny Lawson will be better versed in their responsibilities in year two of the Ryan era.
It should be noted that team sack totals fluctuate wildly throughout the NFL on a year-by-year basis, but the Bills possess all the talent to become a formidable unit once again. Buffalo realized they needed to make improvements and subsequently selected Shaq Lawson with their first-round pick this summer. Lawson may be held out of the first half of the season due to shoulder surgery, but when he makes it back onto the field, expect him to contribute immediately.
The Bills sport many pieces that can attack the passer, and last year's paltry total appears to be a statistical anomaly, as opposed to an indication of a larger flaw. If the Bills can notch sacks on third down, it will go a long way in keeping the defense off the field, in what's certain to be a compelling yet challenging season.