Rex canned, denying Jets shot at revenge

The Jets won’t get another shot at revenge against Rex Ryan.

The Buffalo Bills announced via the team’s official Twitter account that Ryan was fired as head coach. Anthony Lynn will serve as interim head coach for Sunday’s season finale against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, while it looks like E.J. Manuel will start at QB in stead of Tyrod Taylor, who had a career-best 329 yards passing against Miami last week.

The Bills were 7-8 in Ryan’s second season in western New York after an 8-8 rookie campaign. His defense had allowed 30 or more points five times this season. “I spoke with Rex earlier today and we mutually agreed that the time to part ways is now,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. “These decision are never easy. I want to take the opportunity to thank Rex for all his efforts and wish him all the best moving forward.

The highlight of Rex’s tenure in Buffalo was a season-ending victory over Gang Green that kept his former employer out of the playoffs.

The Bills haven’t reached the playoffs since 1999, the longest current drought and tied for the fifth-longest dry spell in league history. Bills defensive end Leger Douzable defended his coach on social media. “I’m tired of people talking about the 17-year drought,” Douzable wrote on his Twitter account, “REX was here for 2 of those years, hard to build a winner if the coach changes every two years. We let Rex down as players.”

Marv Levy is the last Buffalo coach to survive more than three full seasons. Buffalo has had seven full-time head coaches since Levy retired after the 1997 season.

Ryan, fired by the Jets after a 4-12 record in 2014, got a five-year, $27.5 million deal.

The Bills also fired Rex’s brother, Rob, who was the team’s assistant head coach.