Rex Ryan on return to MetLife: Jets are ‘just another opponent’

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan claims he’s not putting any added pressure on playing his former team, the New York Jets, on Thursday night.

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan claims he’s not putting any added pressure on playing his former team, the New York Jets, on Thursday night.

“I promise you, it’s just another opponent right now,” Ryan said when asked about the first time meeting with the Jets since he was fired from the team. “Now will that change when I’m there? That’s a possibility. But I can tell you this -- it’s all about, you're playing another team. And I know about that team really well.”

Ryan added he has not thought about his return to MetLife Stadium for “one second.”

The Jets don’t appear to be putting extra emphasis on the matchup either. “We love Rex here,” said cornerback Marcus Williams, “He's a great coach. But it’s not about Rex this week. It’s about the New York Jets against the Buffalo Bills.”

Ryan spent six years with the the Jets before being fired in December 2014. The Bills hired Ryan as their new head coach the following month. 

The Bills (4–4) are coming off a victory over the Miami Dolphins, while the Jets (5–3) picked up their fifth win of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

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- Xandria James