Bills owner Terry Pegula sees big things ahead during the Sean McDermott era.
"My expectation is that we earn some respect on the field," Pegula told reporters Wednesday, via ESPN.com. "I believe that that's important. Then wherever it falls, it falls. I really believe that."
He added: "That's part of any winner. People respect organizations and teams that win. That's where we have to get. We have to earn the respect of the rest of the league.
"When teams come into Buffalo to play, they need to be talking about it on the way up -- that those guys are good in Buffalo [and] we need to get out of here."
While the theme of Pegula's talk seemed to be about returning to a time when the Bills routinely competed for an AFC East title, or at least a time when they weren't kneecapped by some apparent disconnect between coach and general manager, it could also be taken as a message about Rex Ryan.
This is the second time Ryan has left a job and the second time the organization has tried to completely rebrand itself with the next head coach. In a profile of Ryan's last days in New Jersey, the MMQB wrote that the Jets tried to become bold, electrifying and united and made sure to note the difference between bold and brash, a descriptor frequently used for Ryan during his tenure there.
Now Pegula is praising the "diligent" planning skills of new head coach Sean McDermott and the type of players he's bringing in to fit that mold.
To be clear, Pegula never mentioned Ryan and seems to be over the days of playoff guarantees and graphic-wrapped pickup trucks. But he does seem to be excited that McDermott is taking a different route.
