‘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.’
BillsBeat - January 3, 2001
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.’
Donahoe sold on Bills entering 2nd meeting
‘"We had a good meeting and talked about a lot of things," said Donahoe, who met with Wilson on Wednesday. "Ralph’s doing what any good owner should do at the end of a season and that’s evaluate things in the organization. We decided we’d talk further at some point next week."’
Ticket sales, loyalty to coaches could doom Phillips
‘If the fans voted on whether to retain Phillips he’d probably be a landslide loser — with no recount necessary. Phillips refusing to fire at least two close friends on his coaching staff might be the perfect excuse for Wilson to can the coach — and he might anyway.’
BillsBeat - December 29, 2000
Waiting For Donahoe
‘Donahoe’s endorsement of Doug Flutie … promises to make the Bills’ first major offseason decision especially intriguing.’
Butler dazzles Spanos
‘"His experience and success in the past speaks for itself. He’s got a great résumé. The thing that struck me most was his approach to player personnel."’
Spanos meets with possible GM Butler
‘Spanos, in Aspen for a family ski vacation, is expected to meet with Butler again next week.’
Donahoe to get 2nd interview with Bills
‘There have been reports that Wilson is prepared to turn over some of his own duties to his next general manager and perhaps even name him president and general manager.’
Bills closing in on Donohoe
‘While Wilson could grant interviews this weekend to other candidates for the GM job made vacant by the firing of John Butler last week, it was learned, Wilson’s meeting with the highly regarded Donahoe in West Palm Beach on Wednesday went well enough to just about convince the 82-year-old owner to look no further.’