Ryan dismissed as Bills’ head coachORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Rex Ryan’s inability to back up his boasts of building a bully — particularly on defense — in Buffalo led to the Bills firing their high-profile coach one game short of completing his second full season.Terry Pegula, who made Ryan’s hiring his first big splash as owner, was the person who informed Ryan of his dismissal. The decision came three days after a 34-31 overtime loss to Miami which eliminated Buffalo (7-8) from contention, and extended the NFL’s longest active playoff drought to 17 years.Ryan had three years remaining on his contract.General manager Doug Whaley’s job appears secure after being put in charge of the Bills coaching search, the team’s third in four years. Buffalo is also moving on to its eighth coach since the playoff drought began during Wade Phillips’ final year as coach in 2000.Ryan replaced Doug Marrone, who opted out of his contract following a 9-7 finish in 2014, and three months after the Pegulas purchased the Bills from the estate of Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson.

Ex-Bills assistant DeHaven dead at 68UNDATED — Bruce DeHaven, a longtime special teams coach who helped the Buffalo Bills go to four consecutive Super Bowls, has died following a battle with prostate cancer. He was 68.Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold said DeHaven passed away in Orchard Park, New York, with his family by his side.DeHaven spent 29 years as a special teams coach in the NFL, most recently with the Carolina Panthers. He took over in Carolina in 2013 but was diagnosed with prostate cancer in May of 2015. He stepped away from his full-time role last summer but remained on as an adviser while receiving medical treatment.

Jackson, Buss call off engagementNEW YORK — New York Knicks President Phil Jackson and Lakers executive Jeanie Buss have ended their engagement.Jackson tweeted a statement in which the couple said because of their professional obligations and geographic distance, “sustaining the relationship has been difficult.” They added that they had shared wonderful moments and “expect to remain supportive of each other in the future.”Buss, the Lakers’ executive vice president, later tweeted that she would always love Jackson but that the Lakers were the love of her life and “it’s not fair to him or Lakers to not have my undivided attention.”