Two Bills Drive

‘Irked at being characterized as a control freak, Donahoe went out of his way to take swipes at the western New York media during Monday’s press conference at One Bills Drive. Deflecting the blame from yourself by shifting it to the media is an age-old strategy, but not a very wise one. I’ve never seen it work.’

‘Speaking before a packed house over in the team’s media center, where there are plenty of team logos, Donahoe, as always, looked in control. But on this eventful day, looks were deceiving.’

‘”It will take as much time as we feel it takes to get the right coach. It could be a week; it could be a month. There’s no real timetable.”‘

‘Gregg Williams is through as coach of the Bills, but Drew Bledsoe remains and the top priority of Williams’ successor should be rejuvenating the career of the shell-shocked quarterback. Bledsoe isn’t as bad as his most severe critics contend, but he clearly no longer is as good as team owner Ralph Wilson and general manager Tom Donahoe are trying to tell us. The truth is somewhere in between and Bledsoe probably isn’t good enough to take the Bills deep into the playoffs unless a top-notch running attack becomes the top offensive priority. He should be a complement and not the centerpiece.’

‘While he was supportive of Williams personally, Donahoe admitted that he has to “do a better job” with his next hiring and said all logical candidates will be considered.’

‘The Dolphins are expected to seek permission Tuesday to interview current Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Tom Modrak. It is all but a given that Bills general manager Tom Donahoe will grant permission.’

‘Donahoe cited his coaches’ inability to adjust as part of the problem. “Players change, circumstances change, and you have to be adjusting all the time to that,” Donahoe said. “We could’ve done a better job in some areas of making these adjustments.”’

‘”We were getting so much pressure we started throwing shorter, getting rid of it quicker,” Bledsoe said, a reference to Gilbride’s protection schemes which usually failed. “If that’s what we’re going to do, what the hell do they need me here for?”‘

‘The offensive staff was totally baffled by New England’s array of blitzes and could not find a solution to give Drew Bledsoe more time to throw. On defense, the Bills had one of their worst games of the season, especially on pass defense. New England came out in a shotgun no-huddle and the Bills weren’t able to get the proper matchups, plus they reacted far too slowly to New England’s quick passing game.’

‘”It’s always nice if you can get (a coach with NFL experience). But I don’t want to say we need ‘A, B, C, D’ to have a head coach. I think we need to have the right head coach. I’ve got to do a better job of doing that this time around. We have to do it objectively. We have to do it with an open mind. I don’t think we can necessarily put “x” amount of criteria on it and say, ‘this is what we have to have.'” — GM Tom Donahoe on what he will be looking for in the team’s next coach.’

‘Please understand, Williams deserved a lot of criticism, and most the blame, for the Bills 6-10 season, and it was quite disappointing to me that Williams whiffed on the chance to shoulder at least some of the blame at his ‘thank-you I’m outa here’ news conference. But Williams is more than a bright football guy, good husband and father. He impressed Donahoe enough to be named an NFL Head Coach after a successful stint as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator, and there are literally thousands of coaches at all levels who can only dream of reaching such heights at the age of 42. There was nothing to be happy about at Monday’s Williams farewell, because nobody “won”.’

‘It’s not Tom Donahoe’s job to reprimand the media or anyone in the Western New York community. It’s his job to put a competitive football team on the field. If he’s embarrassed by certain members of the Western New York media, think about how embarrassed the media and fans were to see the performance we saw Saturday in New England.’

‘”Somebody’s going to come into a pretty good situation,” said Donahoe, who said the search will begin immediately as he, along with owner Wilson and Tom Modrak, head of personnel, compile a list of candidates.’

‘”(The things) we do, people are going to criticize, that’s fine as long as it stays on the level of criticizing the job that people do. I think what is inexcusable is personal attacks, name-calling and some of the things that I’ve heard, not just directed toward Gregg, but directed toward Lindy Ruff and directed toward other people in Western New York. I don’t think there is any place for it.”‘

‘”I’d also like to thank the community. This is a special place to be. I say that now. My family and I have really enjoyed the time we’ve been here in Western New York. It’s a beautiful area of the state and it’s a beautiful area of the country and it’s a great place to raise a family. I can see why the rich tradition of the Buffalo Bills is what it is. The Buffalo Bill fans are tremendous fans and are well known throughout the country. It has been special times and I’ve enjoyed my time in the community.”‘