Two Bills Drive

‘The Bills new head coach, Mike Mularkey, got his first job as an NFL coach by going to the Senior Bowl. One of his key assistants, offensive line coach Jim McNally, a graduate of Kenmore West, is spending this week in Mobile before coming to Western New York.’

‘Certainly, the setback must have motivated the Patriots. Some good must have come out of such a problem-filled opener. “Good?” coach Bill Belichick said. “No. No. No.” In the four months since then, Buffalo faltered and missed the playoffs while the Patriots are 16-1.’

‘”I think he’s going to be a great fit for Buffalo. As a guy who has covered the Steelers for the last 10 years, I’ve watched him as a tight ends coach and then as an offensive coordinator and he’s always had the look of a head coach. The way he sees the game, the way he teaches out there, the way he interacts with players and other coaches and with the media, he’s just got that thing. He just looks like a head coach.”‘

‘Buffalo Bills star Lawyer Milloy gets the custom treatment as his 2003 Hummer is torn apart and turned into a special-order masterpiece.’

The issue became moot last week when Buffalo’s new coach, Mike Mularkey, chose to retain Gray as defensive coordinator. Gray intends to keep his defensive staff intact, meaning the Redskins will also lose out on two other Bills assistants: linebackers coach Don Blackmon and defensive line coach Tim Krumrie.

‘At any point Sunday, did you look at Weis, or at Carolina’s head coach, John Fox and say, “They could have hired that guy?” Did you find yourself wondering if Tom Donahoe, the Bills’ president and GM, really got the best man when he picked Mike Mularkey as his coach?’

‘In 2003, Carolina continued to improve while Buffalo regressed. The Panthers were 11-5, outgained opponents by 26.0 yards per game and outscored opponents by 21 points. They ranked 16th in offense and eighth on defense. The Bills finished 6-10, outgained opponents by 2.2 yards per game and were outscored by 36 points.’

‘However, the ‘Wheelers organization is celebrating that fact, with last season’s af2 sackmaster set to sign today with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, and bound for an important pre-training camp in the spring developmental league, NFL Europe. Francis’ agent, Martin Prince, confirmed Monday his client was in Buffalo, N.Y., for a physical. If he passes that, it would clear the way for Francis to sign a contract believed to be for the NFL’s minimum salary, $230,000, according to the NFL Players Association Web site.’

‘Gilbride and Trestman are expected to lose their jobs following head coaching changes in Buffalo and Oakland. Noel said he traveled to each coach’s home to meet with him before inviting them to Ithaca for a formal interview.’

‘”Hi, this is Mike Mularkey. The new head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Just wanted to take a second and introduce myself, and thank you for this outstanding opportunity. A proud tradition and the history of the Buffalo Bills is recognized around the league, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a part of it. My goal as your new head coach is to not only put a team on the field that you’ll be excited to watch, but proud to call your Buffalo Bills. I’m looking forward to becoming a part of this community, and looking forward to seeing all of you at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Thank you for your support. And I hope you have a great off-season.”‘

‘”He comes from an offensive background, looking at last year that is where we had some problems. I’m not saying we were perfect on defense but as a whole I think an offensive minded coach of this caliber is definitely a big positive for our team.”‘

‘Mike Mularkey, the Buffalo Bills’ new head coach, and Tom Clements, his offensive coordinator, are going to install the sort of offense missing around these parts for more than two decades — a Power Running Game…Problem is, we’ve heard this all before.’

‘It will be interesting to see how Donahoe’s comments resonate with the rank-n-file fans. As the highest executive the team has ever had, Donahoe’s stamp is on virtually everything the Bills do. Yet it’s those staffers under him, many on board prior to his arrival, who developed and redeveloped much-needed marketing ties and now are faced with defending and/or explaining their boss’ words, all the while trying to again get them to commit on long-term business deals.’

‘The Eagles are making the Buffalo Bills look like overachievers.’

Jauron also interviewed for the Buffalo Bills head coach opening early this month. He had been contacted by, but did not interview with, at least two other teams who needed to hire a defensive coordinator.