‘The firing apparently was a result of Phillips’ refusal to release three of his assistant coaches – offensive coordinator Joe Pendry, offensive line coach Carl Mauck and special teams coach Ronnie Jones.’
BillsBeat - January 8, 2001
WILSON GIVES PHILLIPS THE BOOT
‘”I want to make it very clear that I like Wade, both as a person and a coach,” Wilson said in a statement released this afternoon by the team. “Wade has done a good job for us, reaching the playoffs two out of the last three seasons. But I felt the dismissal of the special teams coach was imperative for the improvement of our team. I did not want to release Wade, but his refusal left me with no option.”‘
PHILLIPS BUILT REPUTATION WITH DEFENSE
‘But for all his success, Phillips was 0-3 in the playoffs, including his only postseason appearance in Denver. The Bills suffered a last-minute 24-17 loss in Miami in the first round of the 1998 playoffs and were victimized by Home Run Throwback in a devastating 22-16 wild-card playoff defeat at Tennessee last year.’
BUMBLING PHILLIPS WAS IN OVER HIS HEAD
‘At any rate, let’s wish him luck in his next position. If it’s a head coaching job, he’ll need it. Regardless of his record, he has proven twice (here and in Denver) that he’s unsuited for a head coaching job. Houston, where the expectations would be minimal, would be a good fit if the Texans were foolish enough to hire him.’
PHILLIPS FIRING COULD CLEAR DECKS FOR DONAHOE NO CONTACT HAS BEEN MADE WITH OTHER GM PROSPECTS
‘Donahoe, 53, is widely viewed around the NFL as the most respected available GM candidate on the market. He spent 14 years with Pittsburgh, the last eight in charge of the personnel department. He helped the Steelers to six straight playoff appearances and three trips to the AFC championship game.’
BillsBeat - January 7, 2001
Jim Haslett wins AP NFL Coach of the Year
Former Bills LB Jim Haslett (’79-’85) has landed The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award. Haslett is only in his first year of coaching the Saints and he guided them to the division title, despite a rash of injuries to his skill players. This is not the first AP award Haslett has won. He was the recipient of the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 1979. An interesting side note is that NFC coaches have received the Coach of the Year award 17 times in the past 20 years.
HOUSTON INTERVIEW MAKES LIMBO EASIER FOR COTTRELL
‘”It’s not easy, but I’ve been in this situation before,” Cottrell said. “It happened with the Cardinals on Joe Bugel’s staff before they hired Buddy Ryan (in 1993). There’s a lot of uncertainty. You just keep going until something happens. The bottom line is you can’t worry about things that you have absolutely no control over. That’s the situation here.”‘
ONE BILLS DRIVE MAY BE BURNING AS WILSON FIDDLES OVER DONAHOE HIRE
‘For the last decade, NFL rivals have considered the Bills a model franchise, a team to copy in their search for success. Right now, the Bills appear to be modeling themselves after the Cincinnati Bengals.’
BILLS FACE SERIOUS COMPETITION IN ATTEMPT TO RE-SIGN MOULDS
‘Those subtractions alone could put Butler and the Chargers in position to sign Moulds, but there would be serious competition for the Bills’ sole offensive superstar. The Green Bay Packers are homing in on Moulds as successor to Antonio Freeman, whom they don’t intend to re-sign.’
BillsBeat - January 6, 2001
Chargers' new GM doesn't wince when talking about wins
‘But Bills owner Ralph Wilson let Butler go last month when negotiations for a new pact stalled. "Don’t say fired," Butler asked. "That sounds like you didn’t do your damn job."’
Big boss's appetite takes in hunger to win
‘"I’m overweight," he says. "And I love football."’
Big man, big job
‘Butler, 54, said he’s a "big believer" in building through the draft. At one point in the 2000 season, 18 of Buffalo’s starters were drafted by the club. By contrast, only eight of the Chargers’ starters in their season finale were San Diego draftees.’
Donahoe says talks with Bills ongoing
‘And while his name surfaced for top personnel jobs with the New York Jets and Detroit Lions the past two days, Donahoe insisted his focus is still on Buffalo.’
Butler to bring old pal to S.D.
‘But it appears undisclosed NFL officials, interpreting language in the league’s anti-tampering policy, have determined that’s it’s unreasonable for the Bills to hold Smith to the final six weeks of his deal.’
Chargers pin their future on Butler
‘Of immediate concern is whether Butler will be able to bring along A.J. Smith, the Bills’ pro personnel director. Butler and Smith have worked together since the early 1980s. Smith is under contract to Buffalo through mid-February, and reportedly will be forced to serve out the time, unless the Chargers can get the NFL to intervene.’