Two Bills Drive

Fassel’s interview schedule includes Arizona on Saturday, Chicago on Monday and possibly Buffalo on Tuesday. Rosner (Fassel’s agent) said Fassel heard from the Bills for the first time Friday.

‘Tom Donahoe spent his New Years traveling the country looking for a head coach. Today he’s in Foxbourgh to interview Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. Donahoe spent New Years Day in St.Louis interviewing Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith.’

‘Smith already has interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants. Chicago is scheduled to meet him today. There is speculation in Atlanta that he may be the Falcons’ top choice.’

‘A year away from the game did wonders for Coughlin’s persona. He no longer is viewed as a tyrant. Instead, his image is that of a shrewd disciplinarian perfectly fit to a franchise in need of a swift and emphatic kick in the pants. He was a finalist for the Bengals job last season and is being heralded as a solution waiting to be tapped. Whether he’d be right for Buffalo is part of the quandary facing Tom Donahoe, president and general manager of the Bills, who has the unenviable task of sifting through a wealth of candidates, tested and untested, and then rendering the most important decision of his tenure.’

‘”All around I think this has been my best year since I’ve been in the league,” said Winfield, whose tackle total was a career high. “I would have liked to have had a lot more interceptions and changed a few games around, but I didn’t do that.”‘

‘What set him apart, in addition to his smooth voice, was his objectivity. “He’s a consumate pro among home team broadcasters who reacted without emotion when Buffalo lost those four Super Bowls,” says broadcasting veteran Don Chevrier. “All too many others would have whined and moaned when `their’ team lost.”‘

‘Arizona and Buffalo also have been granted permission to sit down with Crennel. The Cardinals and Bills likely will do so today, the last day teams with head coaching vacancies can interview assistants on playoff teams with first-round byes until their seasons have ended.’

‘This team (Buffalo) is close. Very close. Which is why this is the best job out there.’

‘Buffalo will forgive him if he gets this organization turned around. I’m not sure how long Donahoe will be here, but I’m positive he’ll be elsewhere if the Bills keep piling up losses and missing the playoffs.’

‘So what about that escape clause? Well, it seems it never existed, and many people close to the Saints and Haslett think it’s quite possible that Haslett started the rumor himself.’

‘Williams, fired by the Bills earlier this week, is free to do as he pleases. He was defensive coordinator for Tennessee for four years before the Bills hired him as their head coach two years ago. He has an aggressive, pressure-style defensive philosophy, a trait Edwards is looking for in the new defensive coordinator.’

‘Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. is said to respect Jauron, who has a reputation throughout the league as a level-headed coach with a sharp mind. He also has NFL roots in Buffalo, having coached the Bills’ secondary in his first pro job in 1985. Jauron’s close friend Dick LeBeau, who coached Jauron in Cincinnati, spent last season in Buffalo as assistant head coach and remains a possibility to stay on the staff.’

‘”We need to get the right head coach and I need to do a better job of doing that this time around.”‘

‘Aside from QB, finding immediate help at WR, offensive center or guard, TE and defensive end would help nicely. Buffalo needs speed at wideout to stretch the field, take the heat off Eric Moulds, and make the running game work.’

‘Bills assistant GM Tom Modrak will interview with the Miami Dolphins, perhaps as soon as Friday, for a newly created GM-like position. Modrak, a 27-year veteran of the NFL personnel wars, is a leading candidate each year at this time for any top personnel job but he’s not eager to make a move. He has often said he’s content staying in Buffalo and assisting long-time friend Tom Donahoe and this season’s disappointing 6-10 record has left a taste of unfinished business in Modrak’s mouth.’