BuffaLowDown: How did you like being coached by Rex Ryan?
Corey: The thing is I’ve tried to stay positive throughout my time there and after being released. I got signed at a point in time where, first of all, Rex Ryan was brought in, and second of all a bunch of big name free agents were brought in. I don’t want to say I got lost in the shuffle, but it was a star-studded cast of people and it might not have given me a chance to stand out as much. I liked a lot of the things that Rex stood for.
I was standing there the day he was sworn in as the head coach and I got goosebumps because he’s standing up there and he’s talking about how much of a blue collar community this is and how he wants nothing but the team to win for the city. I’m sitting there like Jesus this is awesome we finally have a coach who gets it, who connects to people and who is really going to give everything he has to bring a playoff win, a winning season, or a Super Bowl run for the city. I was literally getting jacked up. I’m standing in the field house thinking I just want to get pads on right now. I was ready to prove that I would be one of those guys that he would love to put out there on the field and let loose.
That’s what I’m about and that’s what I worked my whole life for. I’ve never given up because I want the chance to just do that. The chance to give every single Bills fan the satisfaction that one of their own fans was able to get out there and make it happen. So for me, I was really excited when he was first there in OTA’s and minicamp. I thought everything was going pretty well but I think the one thing about Rex that a lot of people are starting to pick up on is that he’s a super loyal guy. He stays very loyal to his former coaches and players. I don’t want to speak poorly on his behalf but I think my situation was affected a little bit because of that type of loyalty that he brings. In some cases, it can be a good thing but in some ways it can be a bad thing.
Like I said, I don’t know if I just didn’t stand out to him, if the writing was already on the wall when they signed Jerome Felton for $9.2 million, or if he thought he might as well bring in his old fullback from the Jets and give him a shot to maybe move on to another team. I was never given a straightforward answer as to why but I guess that’s my experience with Rex. I hope the best for the guy. I like what he brings and I like the idea of what he does.
Next: When did Corey have aspirations of being an NFL Player?