‘The San Diego Chargers fired their top two talent evaluators Wednesday, presumably to clear the way for John Butler to be hired as general manager of the NFL’s worst team.’
BillsBeat - January 4, 2001
Christie: Bills divided by QB controversy
‘He is the first Bills player to admit publicly how deeply the rift affected the team. Bills officials were not immediately available for comment.’
BillsBeat - January 3, 2001
Chargers close to landing Butler
‘It’s believed Butler will be accompanied to San Diego by a number of his underlings in Buffalo. The most prominent person is A.J. Smith, the Bills’ director of pro personnel.’
Titans miracle is thing of past, Gash concludes
‘"I don’t care what happened back then, because it’s not going to change," Gash said. "It’s one of those things where you’ll always remember it; you’ll never forget it, but you learn from it."
Chargers set to name Butler GM
‘Barring an unexpected setback, the Chargers will announce fired Buffalo Bills executive John Butler as their new general manager by the end of the week, a source close to the situation said last night.’
Phillips job appears secure following meeting with Bills owner
‘"Mr. Wilson confirmed, as he did three weeks ago, that Wade Phillips is head coach of the Bills," team spokesman Scott Berchtold said after Wilson and Phillips held a daylong meeting at Wilson’s home in West Palm Beach, Fla.’
Chargers, Butler to meet again
‘"He’s the one I’m putting most of my focus on," Spanos said. "He’s the one who struck me as the most outstanding guy."’
Phillips' fate remains uncertain
‘Reached last night, Wilson praised the job Phillips has done in his three seasons but stopped short of saying Phillips would return for the 2001 season and the final year of his contract. That decision apparently will have to wait until the next general manager is named. Wilson fired former Bills GM John Butler on Dec. 19.’
Go west
‘Butler is expected to receive a multi-year deal worth in the range of $1.3 million to $1.5 million per season. He was fired two weeks ago by Bills owner Ralph Wilson, after in essence refusing to accept a contract offer of about $1 million per year from Wilson.’
WILSON TAKES NO ACTION ON PHILLIPS
‘Whether Phillips remains the head coach after a general manager is hired remains to be seen. Whether his coaching staff will survive the week intact is even more uncertain.’
HOUSECLEANING OF BILLS NEEDS TO START NOW
‘It certainly didn’t help Phillips’ prospects any when Marv Levy referred to the firing of Bruce DeHaven as a “scapegoating” in a recent interview. That’s pretty harsh criticism coming from Levy, who coached with Phillips and is usually judicious in his choice of words.’
BillsBeat - January 2, 2001
SEMINOLES STILL REMEMBER BILLS' COWART
‘”He taught me how to read offenses and play at a fast pace at all times,” FSU linebacker Tommy Polley said. “I just admire how he plays.”‘
BillsBeat - January 1, 2001
PUNT, PASS AND FAIL THE BILLS EARNED A FEW GOOD GRADES, BUT ABYSMAL SPECIAL TEAMS HELD THEM BACK
‘There were plenty of shortcomings on the Bills this year, but bad special teams was No. 1.’
BillsBeat - December 30, 2000
If Chargers want Butler, they'll have to hurry
‘Butler, who was fired by the Bills last week, said yesterday he would like to sign with a new team before Jan. 8, the date teams open practice for the East-West Shrine Game in San Francisco.’
Donohoe seems like a natural fit for Bills
‘The only reason Donohoe is out of a job is because he lost a power struggle with Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher. To settle it, Steelers’ owner and president, Dan Rooney, opted to fire the personnel man, feeling it would have less effect on the team than axing the coach. He never said Cowher was more valuable than Donohoe.’