ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn purposely avoided interviews for head-coaching vacancies last offseason in which he felt he was simply being used to fulfill a team's requirement for a minority interview under the NFL's Rooney Rule.

That wasn't the only obstacle Lynn faced in his quest to become a head coach. Until Week 3 of this season, Lynn was the Bills' running backs coach, a position he held with four other teams beginning in 2003. Aside from an experiment during a preseason game with the Jacksonville Jaguars early in his coaching career, Lynn had never called plays until this season.

"That was actually used against him [in interviews] as, 'Well, you've never called plays,'" Bills coach Rex Ryan explained Oct. 13. "I think that's an overrated thing, to be honest with you."

As the NFL's coaching carousel begins to turn once again with the Los Angeles Rams' firing of Jeff Fisher this week, Lynn's name is likely to come up again in head-coaching searches. He interviewed for the New York Jets' vacancy after the 2014 season, and again with the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins for their top jobs last January.

This time, Lynn has the playcalling experience that teams covet, although the longtime position coach believes it would be a mistake for teams to assume that being promoted to offensive coordinator in September suddenly flipped the switch and made him a viable head-coaching candidate.

"I think you can coordinate an offense or a defense, but that doesn't make you a great head coach, or a good head coach," he said Thursday. "I think that's pretty obvious. We're firing six or seven head coaches a year, so obviously the criteria is a little jacked up right now."

Lynn believes he had the traits to become a head coach before he began coordinating the Bills' offense earlier this season. Ryan agrees. He has been Lynn's boss since their first season together with the Jets in 2009 and was a vocal supporter late last season of Lynn's potential candidacy for head-coaching jobs.

"He gives you a player perspective," Ryan said Thursday. "He's been around this league a long time. He's got two [Super Bowl] rings as a player [for Denver]. I think he can relate to the players. He does a great job, he knows the game. He does a good job motivating. I think he's a team-builder. So I think there's a lot of things to like about Anthony Lynn."

Added running back Mike Gillislee: "He's going to bring everybody together and push them to their limit, and bring the best out of his players. Most of all, he's just a guy that you can look up to because he played in the game before. He's just a great coach."

After managing LeSean McCoy and the Bills' top-ranked rushing offense in 2015, Lynn has delivered results in that area again this season. Since Lynn replaced Greg Roman as coordinator, the Bills' offense has ranked first in the NFL in rushing yards per game (169) and yards per rush (5.6), sixth in third down conversion rate (43.1 percent) and fourth in red zone conversion rate (65.8 percent).

On the flip side, teams considering Lynn will have trouble looking past the performance of the Bills' passing offense this season. The Bills rank 31st in passing yards per game, 24th in net yards per pass attempt (6.09) and 32nd in sacks per pass attempt (11.7 percent) since Lynn took over. Working on the fly with Roman's playbook, Lynn has yet to correct some of the deficiencies in quarterback Tyrod Taylor's game that might give the Bills pause about keeping Taylor as their starter next season.

Veteran running back Reggie Bush, who has gained only five yards on 11 carries this season while playing on just 10 percent of offensive snaps, was complimentary Thursday of Lynn's abilities, but cautioned from his 11 years of NFL experience that Lynn might need more time to develop before making the next step to head coach.

"To jump from that first year -- not even a whole season as an offensive coordinator -- to right now, trying to jump to head coach, I would have to assume that would be pretty tough," Bush said. "And he's been in the league a long time, but I'd also have to assume there should be certain steps you would like to take before you just jump into a head-coaching spot.

"Not to say he can't do it -- I think he definitely has what it takes -- but it's definitely not easy. My last five, six years, I've been through a lot of different head coaches and offensive coordinators. But I think he definitely has the ability to be a great head coach."

Lynn might not have to look far for his first head-coaching opportunity. In reporting Sunday that the Bills could fire Ryan before the end of the season, The Buffalo News also reported that Lynn was the favorite to become interim head coach.

"I don't know about those rumors. I'm just focused on the Cleveland Browns, to be honest with you. I've heard, but it's just a rumor," he said Thursday. "It's something I hope to pursue one day, and maybe after the season. I don't know. But right now, if we don't take care of these next three opponents, those opportunities may be limited."