Two Bills Drive

‘”We wanted to get a head coach who we felt could be a strong leader. Toughness was an issue with us,” said Donahoe. “The other thing is that in today’s football you have to understand what you have and don’t have and you have to coach to your strengths. That was a criticism that I felt was justified with our team this year. I’m not sure we played to the strengths of our team, and I feel confident that with Mike we’ll do that.”‘

‘”We’re probably going to take a step back (by simplifying things) to take two steps forward offensively here. I know they had great success two years ago. Once the staff is put in place, and the guys who come in here can look at the tapes like I have and give their opinion on it, (we’ll go forward). But no, I think you can win with Drew Bledsoe.”‘

‘Those who saw Mularkey play tight end at the University of Florida and for nine years in the NFL – six with the Minnesota Vikings and three with the Pittsburgh Steelers – will tell you that it takes a lot more than frostbite conditions or broken bones to get him flustered. Though reared in Miami Dolphins country (Bills fans will be pleased to hear that he didn’t root for the Fish), he is more Rust Belt than South Beach.’

‘The length of Mularkey’s deal is also a team record. His predecessor, Gregg Williams, had a three-year deal that averaged about $1 million a season but he originally was offered four- and five-year packages.’

‘McNally was born and raised in the Buffalo suburb of Kenmore and is known to be thrilled with the chance to come home and coach the team he rooted for as a kid in the 1960s. He brings an impressive resume. One of the most respected offensive line coaches in the league, he coached Cincinnati’s offensive line for 15 years and helped the Bengals to a pair of Super Bowl appearances, tutoring Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz along the way. McNally then worked in Carolina for four years and went to the NFC Championship Game with the expansion Panthers, and for the last five years he has been with the Giants and went to the Super Bowl three years ago.’

‘Both Buffalo Bills general manager Tom Donahoe and new head coach Mike Mularkey say in terms of pure physical talent, the Bills are almost where they need to be. But to become a playoff contender and eventually reach the pinnacle — the Super Bowl — both believe a greater emphasis needs to be placed on the team’s mental focus.’

‘”He’s going to be here, there’s no question about it,” Mularkey said at Thursday’s press conference. “I had a conversation with Drew yesterday, and we seem to be on the same page.”‘

‘”We said we would wait for the right guy,” Donahoe said. “We got the right guy with Mike Mularkey.”‘

It appears Cowher has won the tug of war with Buffalo to hire Dick LeBeau as his defensive coordinator as soon as today. LeBeau, who was defensive coordinator of the Steelers in the 1990s when he was an assistant coach under Cowher for five years, was the subject of intense salesmanship by the Steelers and new Bills coach Mike Mularkey, Cowher’s former offensive coordinator.

‘”Mike’s ability to understand players and understand players’ abilities is so essential in the game today,” Donahoe said. “That has always been one of Mike’s strengths.”‘

‘As for the loss of quarterbacks coach Tom Clements (Buffalo, offensive coordinator), that would have been much more of a concern if the Steelers were still trying to turn Kordell Stewart into a quarterback. So, it all comes back to LeBeau. If it’s money he wants, pony up. If it’s defensive autonomy he needs, guarantee it. Coach LeBeau is the key.’

‘Williams, 45, is certainly the best-paid defensive mind in the game. The $1.8 million he’ll earn as Washington’s defensive coordinator in 2004 is $800,000 more than he made as the Buffalo Bills’ head coach in 2003.’

‘”We are very honored to have Mike Mularkey as our coach. I think it’s obvious to people who follow professional football what individuals think of Mike Mularkey. He has been a candidate for numerous jobs over the past few years and certainly was an outstanding candidate for this job. In talking to Mike and looking at our position here with the Buffalo Bills, there are certain things that stood out about Mike in comparison to the other candidates. I think a couple of those things were leadership, which is very important to be a head coach, the ability to teach and to communicate. Mike will bring toughness to our team, which we feel we need. Particularly, mental toughness. Maybe the most important thing is Mike’s ability to understand players and to understand players’ abilities, which is so essential in the game today.”‘

‘”We are very honored to have Mike Mularkey as our coach. I think it’s obvious to people who follow professional football what individuals think of Mike Mularkey. He has been a candidate for numerous job over the past few years and certainly was an outstanding candidate for this job. In talking Mike and looking at our position here with the Buffalo Bills, there are certain things that stood out about Mike in comparison to the other candidates. I think a couple of those things were leadership, which is very important to be a head coach, the ability to teach and to communicate. Mike will bring toughness to our team, which we feel we need. Particularly, mental toughness. Maybe the most important thing is Mike’s ability to understand players and to understand players’ abilities, which is so essential in the game today.”‘

‘”I’m just excited to have a coach because we were all in limbo for a while kind of wondering what was going to happen. I think it’s nice to know what kind of direction the team is going in and I’m just kind of looking forward to getting on the right track this coming year. Every time you get a new coach you take the stuff you learned from other guys and then hopefully learn some more stuff and hopefully that makes you a better player.”‘