PHOENIX -- Bryce who?
Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan isn't willing to learn the name of Bryce Brown until the running back fixes a perceived fumbling problem, simply calling him the "fast dude" at the AFC coaches' breakfast Tuesday.
General manager Doug Whaley can see why Ryan might label Brown that way but said he wants his coaching staff to keep an open mind about the fourth-year runner, whom Whaley traded a 2015 fourth-round pick to acquire last offseason.
"It's a perception that's out there on him and this new coaching staff, they haven't worked with him, so they don't really know," Whaley said at the NFL owners meetings Tuesday. "They're just going off what they've heard from Philly, his fumbling problems, he had a fumble here.
"So I just implore them to say, '[You] have a clean slate.' Work with him. If he as a fumbling problem still, that's on him. But I think once they get to work with him they'll see."
Brown was only active last season when C.J. Spiller was on injured reserve. His most significant action (seven carries for 35 yards) came a Week 10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, when Brown fumbled a would-be touchdown as he galloped towards the end zone.
"When you get tagged for being known for something, it's easy to get in this league and hard to live down," Whaley said. "He had one fumble last year. That was a big fumble, and in my opinion it was a hell of a play by the defender. It wasn't him carrying it out there. He was [holding the ball tight]. The guy came in and [dislodged the ball]. Made it right on the ball. If [Scott] Chandler covers it, no one's talking about it."
In his first two answers Tuesday about his backfield, Ryan listed Fred Jackson and Anthony Dixon as depth options behind LeSean McCoy, but not Brown. The Bills were also interested in signing Bilal Powell this offseason, who played for Ryan and running backs coach Anthony Lynn last season in New York.
Whaley gave a high opinion of Lynn and believes he can teach Brown better ball security.
"It's going to be on Bryce, but I know Anthony Lynn is a very good coach," Whaley said. "And out of the 12 guys we interviewed, I think eight of them had Anthony Lynn as their running backs coach. So he's highly-respected in the league. And if anybody can get him out of that fumbling problem, it would be Anthony. So we're excited about that."