Rex Ryan

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan answers questions during a post-game press conference after Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore.

(Associated Press)

Orchard Park, N.Y. -- Rex Ryan can only keep quiet for so long.

Just over a month after the Buffalo Bills fired him, Rex opened up about his time in Buffalo in an interview with the New York Daily News. Yes, he may have gone just 15-16 in his 31 games as a head coach, but that didn't stop him from lashing out at the organization that handed him his walking papers before the team's season finale against the New York Jets.

"I set the expectations too high," Ryan told the Daily News in a wide-ranging interview on Monday night, his first since getting fired before the Bills season finale against the Jets. "Like, boy, that's a shock. In a way, I felt, why not us? I stepped in where the head coach had quit, the defensive coordinator quit and the quarterback quit on them. So, I thought that it was important at the time to say, 'You know what? Shoot, I believe in you. And I'm proud to be the coach here.' Every bit of that was true. I put that truck (with the Bills logo) around town. I was all-in. Even though those other three had quit, I wasn't a quitter. I was ready. And I wanted to be there. And I wanted to win. And I thought I could win.

"... Let me tell you, I stripped that damn truck the day I got fired," Ryan said. "F--- you guys."

Rex's truck now has Clemson logos in support of his son Seth, who plays for the Tigers.

"Dude, national champions," Ryan said. "I'm supporting a winner."

"Supporting" a winner is all Rex ever did, unfortunately. He went seven straight seasons without a winning seasons. He went six straight seasons without the playoffs, becoming just the fourth coach since the merger to do so. His defense was a constant source of disappointment in Buffalo. In 2016 alone, he allowed three 200-yard rushing performances and had 10 players on the field for arguably the most pivotal play of the season.

The Bills were justified in firing him. The way it happened, with leaks from the front office and general manager Doug Whaley and ownership ducking questions, was shady. He didn't deserve that, and the problems with the Bills run much deeper than Rex. Even if he wasn't the entire problem, though, he was certainly part of it.

"I don't wish them bad will," Ryan said. "I don't. But I don't wish them luck, either. I'll be honest: I don't wish them good luck. I don't wish them bad luck. I just don't wish them luck. I wish the Jets luck."

The Bills' playoff drought has now extended to 17 seasons, the last two courtesy of Rex. Buffalo owes him more than $15 million on the final three years of his contract, and Rex lined up a job with ESPN working Super Bowl Sunday this week. Life for Rex isn't that bad, while the Bills are staring at a potential rebuild after Rex wasted two prime opportunities for the team to contend.

"I'm really not that bitter and maybe that $15 million is one of the reasons," Ryan said. "I'm not bitter, man. Yeah, I'm hurt. I was hurt by it. There's no question. But bitter ain't how I feel. I'm like, 'Shoot, if they never wanted me here, then fine. I ain't here. I'm not your coach anymore. Fine and dandy.' But I got an opportunity in front of me that a lot of guys don't get. I'm going to see where it takes me. Maybe this a different career and I really enjoy it. I'm hoping that's the way it is. Maybe I get into and I don't like it. Maybe they don't like me. Maybe I go back to doing something I love, which is coaching. I'll never say never. I'm a young guy still. ... I'm healthy. But bitter? Nah. Not bitter, man. I'm really not."

Not bitter? That, of course, flies in the face of the "f--- you guys" comment and the whole "I don't wish them luck" bit. If that wasn't enough evidence of Rex's bitterness, he added one more for good measure when asked about whether he would coach again.

"The one thing about (being on TV) is that you don't lose," Ryan said. "You'll remember every damn loss. But the wins? You don't necessarily remember. So, it takes a lot out of you. I'm tired of getting f---ed. Unless it's a real situation, there's no sense of getting into it again."

Yeah, not bitter at all. The teams who hired him are tired of getting f-----, too. He went 65-68 as a head coach in the NFL. His defenses fell off the map in Buffalo, and his words were empty more often than not. He's quick to point out injuries to Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins, linebacker Reggie Ragland and pass rusher Shaq Lawson, though.

"I wasn't real lucky coming in there with the situation I did," Ryan said. "Hey, that's the way it goes. No excuses. We went in there and did the best we could. I wish things would have been different. I wish Sammy Watkins wouldn't have had a broken foot and been healthy the whole year. I wish our draft picks would have played. There's a lot of things that I wished for, but at the end of the day, I'm responsible for the product on the field."

The product on the field is what led to his demise. Though Rex said owners didn't give him a specific reason for his firing, Rex said it wasn't up to him. He also has not plans to be a defensive coordinator at this point. He just feels lucky he got the chances he did.

"I've been real fortunate," Ryan said. "I got two opportunities when a lot of great coaches don't get any. How many were realistic opportunities? I'm not sure, but at least I had a chances to step up to the plate. So, that's something I'll always be grateful for."

There's another slight from Rex. Even when he starts to take blame he has to question how realistic his opportunities were in Buffalo and New York, as if the situations were the only thing standing between Rex and perennial Super Bowl contention.

At least this weekend Rex gets to head to the Super Bowl to talk on television, something he's always been good at. He'll probably have plenty to say then, too.

Just don't call him bitter.