No Kiko Alonso, no problem.
New Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan has a plan for filling the big hole left by Alonso's trade to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for shiftiest of the shifty, running back LeSean McCoy.
While Ryan already has Preston Brown and Nigel Bradham in place, he'll reportedly look to add one of his former Jets defensive stalwarts to help him instill the tough, "bully" attitude he has consistently touted since agreeing to take over the top spot in Buffalo.
"Alonso may not have been a fit in this scheme, but Ryan knows that Jets free agent linebacker David Harris, is, and Harris will be the coach on the field, the mentor to teach the system on-field, like when he brought Bart Scott to New York with him from Baltimore," writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
Ryan, upon his introduction as the next Bills head coach, has spoken of - and more importantly, shown with the trade for McCoy and the addition of Richie Incognito - his intention to construct a team built on strong defense and a punishing running game.
To that end, La Canfora reports that the Bills are likely to make a run at San Francisco 49ers free agent guard Mike Iupati once the NFL free agency period opens in March.
"And with the run game so important, the Bills plan to make a run at top offensive linemen as well, with San Francisco's Mike Iupati atop their list from what I gather."
Ryan is following a similar blueprint to that which he followed in New York.
It, of course, brought him immense early success but Rex's failure to develop a franchise quarterback was his ultimate undoing.
While the potential additions of Harris and Iupati would go a long way toward helping the Bills become playoff contenders in the immediate future, a young quarterback who can consistently move the offense and create opportunities to score points remains the major blockade between Buffalo and Ryan and a Super Bowl championship.
