Rex Ryan admits he is bothered by criticism from his players

Rex Ryan has a reputation for being a players’ coach, so it’s not too surprising that he admitted he was bothered by criticism from his players.

Amid a disappointing 7-8 season that saw his Buffalo Bills get eliminated from playoff contention two weeks ago, Ryan said he regretted having such a big mouth about predictions for his teams. Now he concedes it hurts him to have his players openly question him.

“When you look at it, I’ve never had a negative—I’ve never been looked at as the problem. That bothers me. No doubt about it. Now, I haven’t said anything publicly until now about it, but, sure, that one bothered me,” Ryan said this week via NJ.com’s Dom Cosentino.

Going back to October, Buffalo star Mario Williams first openly questioned Rex Ryan’s scheme and the way he was using the team’s stellar personnel. Marcell Dareus jumped into the mix and agreed with Williams, leading Rex to respond to both of them. As if the criticism from Williams and Dareus weren’t enough, then you had Corey Graham saying the team’s play-calling has been all over the place.

When you’re a head coach who prides himself on defense and being player-friendly, hearing that sort of criticism has to hurt. It’s no surprise Ryan admits he was bothered by it all.