Archives for January 5, 2013

‘So far the Bills have reportedly scheduled interviews with six candidates. Here’s how I rank them…’.

‘Here’s a look at where things stand with respect to head coaching candidates for the Buffalo Bills heading into the weekend. Below are the confirmed candidates with whom the Bills have conducted formal interviews.’

‘Kelly interviewed with the Bills following 7 hours of meetings with the Cleveland Browns. There are various reports that Kelly and the Browns are close to a deal on a contract to make him their next head coach. Despite that, Kelly told his agent he still wanted to go through the interviews with the Bills and Philadelphia. Kelly was expected to meet with the Eagles on Saturday but that might not take place. There are reports claiming the Eagles are “going in another direction”.’

‘The Broncos have home-field advantage throughout the postseason and have a bye this weekend. McCoy’s in a plum role as offensive coordinator on a team with Peyton Manning at quarterback, which allows him to be choosy about which jobs he pursues. “You’ve got to make sure it’s the right one,” he said. “It’s not about just taking any job, that’s not my goal. You’ve got to make sure when you take the next step, or any job you take, that it’s the right one.”‘

‘Warlick went on to a career as a sportscaster and businessman. He lived in Amherst for nearly 50 years. He also played a role in making fair housing a possibility for thousands of Western New Yorkers.’

‘The Bills search committee, headed by newly promoted team president Russ Brandon, has spent the past four days in Arizona interviewing several candidates to replace Chan Gailey, who was fired on Monday. They were scheduled to interview Oregon’s Chip Kelly on Friday, a day after the coach led the fifth-ranked Ducks (12-1) to a 35-17 victory over No. 7 Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.’

‘The challenge for Smith would be hiring the correct offensive coordinator, a task he struggled with during his time in Chicago. Smith is believed to have a solid relationship with former Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson, who despite coaching the Cincinnati Bengals’ secondary this season, is still considered one of the NFL’s bright offensive minds. Jackson was scheduled to interview for the Bears’ offensive coordinator position in 2010, but he accepted the same job in Oakland before he ever spoke with the Bears. Jackson called plays for the Raiders in 2010 before being elevated to head coach the following season. Although the Raiders finished 8-8, Jackson got fired after just one year. Another high-profile offensive coordinator who might interest Smith is former Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur.’

‘”You really don’t hear of too many African-American athletes who have horses and go riding and enjoy being around it like I do,” Williams said with a laugh. “When I tell guys I’m into it, they’re really shocked. But it’s just my getaway from life. Whenever I’m stressed, I saddle up and go ride.”‘

‘Ryan Fitzpatrick is on his way out after three inconsistent seasons as a starter and the Bills are set to add two new faces through free agency and the draft. If the Bills can hit on a quarterback, a lot of their other problems will go away — but that’s a big if.’

‘The Bills were reportedly in line to interview Kelly for their opening at coach. Philadelphia was also reportedly interested in the Oregon coach. His team won the Fiesta Browl Thursday night and said after the game that he’d like to wrap up plans for his future quickly.’

‘The problem illustrated by nearly all fired coaches is that none have failed with a star quarterback, unless you count Jay Cutler as a star (I’m a Cutler fan. The Bears had no one beyond Brandon Marshall at wide-out besides rookie Alshon Jeffery, who was hurt for 1/3 of the season). Whisenhunt has succeeded with Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner. The Buffalo Bills quite simply need that guy as they have for years and years. Smith has proven he can succeed with nearly anyone (went to a Super Bowl with Rex Grossman and an elite defense), so perhaps he’s best in this instance but what if you found him an elite quarterback? What if it’s Aaron Murray or Mike Glennon or whomever else? Would Smith all of the sudden go from solid coach to Belichickian?’

‘”I’ve visited practices and talked to people about it, but the one thing about that and about everything is you’ve got to have good players. Sometimes the coaching aspect is way overrated. We don’t play the game. I think college football is a personnel-driven game and the NFL is a personnel-drive game. Your job as a coach is put your players in a position to make plays and then get out of the way and let them go make them.”‘

‘”I think it is the ultimate compliment to Doug’s coaching abilities that his name is being mentioned in NFL circles,” Gross said. “None of us should be surprised by the attention given his experience and success.”‘

‘Smith has cut his teeth as a coach on the defensive side of the ball and is a proponent of the ‘Tampa 2′ defensive scheme first popularized by former Tampa Bay and Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy, under whom Smith served as a linebackers coach with the Buccaneers (1996-2000).’