What do you do when your defense gives up 37 points and allows a quarterback playing for his sixth NFL team to throw for 374 yards, including more than 100 to two receivers and 92 to a third, while still finding time to surrender 100 yards and three touchdowns to the same team's running back?
Fire the offensive coordinator, of course.
Apparently, Greg Roman was responsible for the defensive scheme, such as it was, that somehow managed to let Ryan Fitzpatrick's receivers run free down the middle AND along the sidelines in the New York Jets' 37-31 victory at New Era But Same Results Field on Thursday night. And also the lack of gap control and tackling technique that permitted Matt Forte to grind out that aforementioned 100 yards and trio of scores.
Yes, the Bills might still have pulled out an unlikely and largely undeserved win had what turned into an apocalyptic short-yardage situation in the fourth quarter been handled in just about any other way imaginable. And maybe the whole backup-quarterback sneak, timeout, speed-back-dive-up-the-middle fiasco went exactly the way Roman drew it up.
Seems like the head coach usually has the final say on such potentially game-wrecking and possibly season-sabotaging decisions, though.
To place the blame anywhere but on Roman, though, would mean Rex Ryan diving on that grenade, or at least tossing twin brother and co-defensive guru Rob in that general direction.
Instead, Roman -- who received ample credit for Tyrod Taylor's development from career backup to possible quarterback-of-at-least-the-immediate-future in his first season as a starter, as well as turning Buffalo's running game into the league's most productive in 2015 -- is looking for a job.
If the Ryan Boys, with the help of new offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, can't figure out a way to pull at least one upset in the next two weeks (with Arizona and New England poised to double the futility level of the 0-2 Bills) they should join him.
Sounds about right.
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