Are we going to see a bigger Rex Ryan this season compared to last year? Apparently, he’s already up 30 lbs.
In a recent ESPN feature starring the Ryan twins, Elizabeth Merrill noted that Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan has gained 30 pounds since his twin Rob Ryan joined the team. Hopefully, he wasn’t the real reason behind Karlos Williams’ weight problem.
Let’s flashback to when Rex Ryan had just finished his first season as head coach with the New York Jets. If you don’t remember, he was A LOT bigger back then. In May of 2014, in an interview with the NFL Network, Rex explained his decision to finally slim down:
"“I was always huge and all of that. I just kept getting bigger and bigger, would lose weight, gain weight. We’re getting ready to play Indianapolis in the championship game my first year with the Jets. I hopped on the scale expecting to see 310, something like that, which is still way too high: 348 pounds. I had put on 30 pounds or whatever in a season. When a doctor told me, ‘How many people 350 pounds do you know that’s over 50 years old?’ Not many. He said, ‘Yeah, because they don’t exist.’ And I’m, like, I knew I had to do something.”"
He ultimately decided to go through with lap-band surgery, which makes your stomach smaller. As a result, Rex saw some impressive results with his weight:
"“I knew I had to do something drastic because I had done the other things. So there were a couple of options, I figured out what was the best one. I did this lap band, very minor procedure. I’m down 130 pounds. It’s unreal to think that I was dragging that kind of weight around. But I did it because I want to see my kids grow up and I want to see their kids grow up. That’s why I did it.”"
Even more impressive, he managed to keep that slim-version of himself as he moved to Buffalo to coach the Bills.
Now, with his brother in town on the sidelines next to him, he apparently started to gain that weight back. However, he’s not going to let it become a problem again. According to Elizabeth Merrill, he has organized a walk with several other Bills’ staffers — including Rob Ryan. It’s a 30 minute walk that the group enjoys to stay healthy. Afterwards, the weighing begins.
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As explained by Merrill:
"“Now, their precious leisure time is relegated to what they call the ‘Huck Finn walk.’ When they clear those last steps, creaky bones be damned, they throw their arms in the air, Rocky style.‘I’m down a pound!’ someone in the group exclaims after a weigh-in.‘I’m up 13!’ says Bills staffer Ernie Gutierrez, who, according to Rex, really enjoys camp food"
It’s good to see Rex Ryan still managing his weight and not letting it get to the 350-mark it was at just years ago. One thing’s for sure, no matter how much Rex weighs, he will still remain the same-old guy we are used to seeing out there.
Let’s just hope those pounds translate to wins.
With Rob in town, Rex started to gain weight. Do you think he can stay slim as the season progresses? Leave your comments below!