AP

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Rex Ryan thinks the Bills can be a playoff team.

It’s only noteworthy now that he’s the former coach of the Bills, but the now-ESPN analyst took exception with the notion that his former team was going to struggle this year, including a USA Today prediction that they would go 4-12 this year.

“There’s no way in hell,” Ryan said, via Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News. “That’s a coach’s dream, to have that kind of prediction because there is no pressure on you but I think that is total bull. If that is the case, why was I fired when I was fired if that’s how bad this team was? So I don’t get that. To saddle them with four wins, I totally disagree with that.

“I feel the Bills will surprise a ton of people. They are kind of trying to float this under the radar stuff, which I get. That’s probably the way to go, that’s the way everybody goes. Undersell and overproduce. I get it. I believe they will have a lot better year than the experts. Could they be a playoff team? They might very well be.”

Ryan went through the litany of reasons the Bills did not last year — injuries to key players, late losses, close games – but remains bullish on his old team in large part because he believes in quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

“I love him,” Ryan said of Taylor. “I think he’s a winner. I think . . . if he has some healthy receivers, a healthy Sammy Watkins, some other guys who can play and give this guy a chance, . . .

“I know he prepares. He has got what it takes to play quarterback in that league.”

Of course, Ryan’s made bold predictions and staked himself to Taylor previously, and is now a television analyst. But it’s interesting that he’s happy about the Bills dealing with low expectations, since he spent so much time building them when he was coaching there.