By Kimberly Jones | Aug. 3, 2015

That's a slightly different tone than the one Ryan struck on Jan. 14 at his introductory press conference, when he proclaimed: "I know it's been 15 years since the Bills made the playoffs. Well, get ready, man; we're going. We are going."

But the message is the same, and it goes over well here in Western New York.

The past six months have been remarkable for a coach who hasn't had a winning season since 2010, moved to a new office within the AFC East weeks after being let go by the New York Jets and still burns to beat Bill Belichick and Tom Brady's Patriots machine. Ryan immediately won over his players in April with an "I was fired" speech, in which he told them he fully understands what it means to hear that you aren't good enough -- or wanted -- anymore, and that he has the chip on his shoulder to prove it.

Thanks to his time with the Jets, particularly the last two years with then-general manager John Idzik, Ryan recognizes the dangers of having disparate internal agendas. He has emphasized to his Bills staff the importance of having all oars on the boat rowing in the same direction. Or, as he more recently put it, "We're all singing out of the same hymnal."

If Bills fans have faith in the Pegulas, who bought the team in October and vowed to keep it in Buffalo, then they place hope in Ryan, hired to replace Doug Marrone, who opted out of his contract days after the 2014 season ended.

By mid-June, the Bills were selling tickets like never before in their 55-year history, and Jim Kelly was dropping by the training facility on a regular basis.

"Rex," Kelly said, "never ceases to amaze me."

This is not a rebuilding job. The Bills posted a winning record last season for the first time in a decade. Should the promise of the playoffs be realized, it would bring to an end the longest postseason drought in the NFL. But this was already a good team.

The Bills didn't need a savior. But they might have needed Rex Ryan.

"It hasn't been this energized since I was here," said Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Reed, a member of the Buffalo teams that went to four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s. Reed's voice rose as he talked about "the excitement of what's going on here at 1 Bills Drive."

Count the players among the believers.

"We went 9-7 last year," said running back Fred Jackson, a Bill since 2006. "I think with Rex, we (would have won) two or three more games. He's putting his reputation on the line by coming to Buffalo, so he wants to win just as much as we want to win as players. It's going to be the perfect marriage, so to speak."

Jackson added, "We feel like we can definitely make a run at a championship."

Buffalo's roster features an old guard that can still play at a high level (led by 10th-year Bills veterans Jackson and defensive tackle Kyle Williams) and a host of newcomers who will be expected to contribute immediately and mightily (McCoy, wide receiver Percy Harvin and left guard Richie Incognito).

McCoy said he has happily adjusted to Buffalo. He held his charity softball game in June in Rochester, New York, and was delighted when Ryan showed up -- in full uniform and with his own hat, cleats and bat. Others approached the day more casually.

"He didn't get the memo," McCoy said. He added, "I like Rex a lot. His ability to talk to the players, from the stars to the guys we picked up last week, says a lot about him."

Harvin learned all about that last October, when he was traded from the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks to the Jets. As he went to meet Rex Ryan for the first time, Harvin knew he needed a fresh start. He recalled being "uptight," unsure how to approach his new coach. There was no need to worry. Rex asked no questions, told Harvin "to leave the past in the past," and within minutes the two were laughing and joking.

"From there," Harvin said, "the comfort level grew week to week."

By Week 17, Harvin was an avid devotee. He was also nursing a Grade 3 ankle sprain. But Harvin wanted to play in the season finale -- the last game of the Rex Ryan Jets Era -- in hopes of sending Ryan out with a win. The coach said he appreciated the offer but wouldn't let him risk further injury in a meaningless game.

Because of that bond, Harvin had an easy decision when he became a free agent in March. He said he "absolutely" signed with the Bills because of Ryan.

"The ultimate player's coach," Harvin said. "He has no ego. He wants to get the best out of his players."

Incognito -- in dire need of a fresh start himself after a season-and-a-half out of the NFL -- signed with the Bills in early February. Instantly installed as a starter, he is being counted on to bring toughness to the offensive line.

"No doubt I got a second chance because of Rex Ryan," Incognito said. "I just owe (the Bills) everything I have. They're going to get every ounce of effort that I have, on and off the field."

Said Harvin: "For myself and Incognito, Rex is the kind of coach I think we need. A coach who will say, 'Put all that behind you. I got your back. Let's go to work.' "

"The hero of this team is going to be the team," Roman said. "One guy doesn't have to do everything. It's all about the team. That's what we're all about here."

With their overall speed and with McCoy likely carrying a heavy load, the Bills' offense plans to pressure defenses. Asked if he would like McCoy to change his running style -- which apparently no longer fit the Eagles' needs -- Roman scoffed.

"I'm not going to try to change something that's that good," he said. "Why would I?"

Said McCoy: "That's why I love this game. You always have to prove yourself. To answer your question, I look forward to being the player I've been for years and, hopefully, to winning."

Winning, clearly, is the goal here.

"It's time to give these people something new to talk about other than the glory days, which were glorious," Roman said. "But, man, that was a long time ago. They deserve it. The people here deserve it, they really do."

Said Incognito: "There are no excuses. It's win now. Anything less than the playoffs will be a failure for us."

Ryan spent much of the spring teaching his defense, which is based more on concepts than a playbook and has endless possibilities in terms of looks and coverages. Kyle Williams describes it as a "totally unique" defense with multiple schemes and said he "can't help but be inspired" by it. Williams believes the Bills can -- and will -- be a better defense this season.

"The word we've used around here is elite," defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman said. "Can we become an elite defense? That's really the goal. Can we be one of those elite, dominant defenses that people talk about for years to come?"

The answer to that question, at least in part, goes back to belief and faith -- in the system, in the team and in the individual.

Rex Ryan believes. Soul-searching probably would be too dramatic a characterization of how Ryan spent his time between leaving the Jets and taking over the Bills. But if he made any personal adjustment, it might have been in coming to this realization: "I think I'm better off just being who I am," he said.

Thurman -- who, along with longtime assistant Jeff Weeks, probably knows Ryan best -- sees a "rejuvenated" coach and a "regalvanized" staff, most of which followed the head man from Florham Park to Buffalo.

"It's like a weight's been lifted," Thurman said. "We have an opportunity to coach football, to feel free about doing what we do and to feel like you have a legitimate chance to win. When you feel like that, you have to go for it."