Less than 24 hours away from his introductory press conference, Bills head coach Rex Ryan has already put his staff in place.
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The Buffalo Bills and head coach Rex Ryan have announced the firing of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and the hiring of OC Greg Roman.
JIM SCWARTZ
The Bills issued a statement stating that Schwartz had been terminated and allowed him to pursue other coaching opportunities.
Ryan said in the statement, “I have the utmost respect for Jim and what he has been able to accomplish throughout his career and I know he feels the same about me. Jim’s defenses are always tough and ranked near the top of the league standings. I wanted to give Jim the opportunity to pursue other opportunities and so we have terminated his contract. He did a terrific job with the Bills defense this past year and our plan is for our defense to continue to play well and be a dominating force.”
In his lone season with the team, Schwartz elevated the Bills to the No. 4 defense in the NFL, sending three defensive linemen to the Pro Bowl and leading the league in sacks.
Former New York Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman is expected to replace Schwartz in the same capacity. Thurman served in the role for two seasons in New York and has worked with Rex Ryan throughout his tenure with the Jets.
GREG ROMAN
The Bills issued a a separate statement that announced the hiring of offensive coordinator Greg Roman to fill their vacant OC position.
Roman spent the past four seasons as the San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator, during which time the 49ers advanced through seven playoffs rounds—including a trip to Super Bowl XLVII in 2012. The 49ers held a 5-3 playoff record during Roman’s tenure in San Francisco.
Including playoffs, the 49ers had an overall record of 49-22-1 during Roman’s four seasons with the team—the third best mark in the league over that time span. The 49ers also excelled at protecting the ball under Roman, only committing 66 turnovers from 2011 to 2014 which tied with the New England Patriots for the least in the NFL.
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