Mike Rodak, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Rex Ryan wants Bryce Brown to fix fumbling problem

PHOENIX -- Much of Rex Ryan's hour-long breakfast with reporters Tuesday at the NFL owners meeting was devoted to the trade that brought running back LeSean McCoy from the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bryce Brown -- another former Eagles running back who is now with the Buffalo Bills -- will have to earn respect from Ryan.

Asked twice about the depth of the Bills' backfield early in his gathering Tuesday, Ryan mentioned only Fred Jackson and Boobie Dixon, raising questions about Brown's status with the new coaching staff after being limited to 36 carries last season by Doug Marrone's staff.

Ryan later dropped a not-so-subtle hint about why Brown's name wasn't mentioned.

"With us, when we made the LeSean McCoy trade, with Fred Jackson and Boobie Dixon and, uh, the fast dude. Brown is it?" Ryan said, smiling. "I'm not gonna learn his name until he holds on to the football.

"And if he does, he'll have a chance to play. But until we feel comfortable with it, he won't."

Ouch.

The Bills acquired Brown last spring for a fourth-round pick in the upcoming draft, with general manager Doug Whaley later saying that he had been pursuing a trade for Brown for a year.

However, Brown didn't have a strong preseason and opened the regular season as a healthy scratch. He played in seven games when C.J. Spiller was on injured reserve, gaining a career-low 126 yards on 36 carries. His lone fumble of the season was costly; he coughed up the football while galloping towards the goal line in a 17-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brown didn't fumble in 2013 but fumbled four times on 115 carries as a rookie in 2012.

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