Coordinator or Coach?

The Buffalo Bills have started the process to hire a new coach.  They have reached out to several big name head coaches in hopes of turning around the fortunes of a once successful and proud franchise.  First on Buffalo’s list will be former Bronco’s head coach Mike Shanahan.  If he wants the job he would most likely clean house and look to bring in his own people.  What makes this process even more interesting will be the future of Russ Brandon who currently makes all personnel decisions.  Russ Brandon may actually be in a position where he will actually be hiring his successor.

Any established coach will not be happy going into this Bills team as just the head coach.  The only allure Buffalo will have to an established coach is if they give him the ability to make all player decisions as well.  Ralph Wilson has said that he is committed to fixing the problems with the Bills and will spare no expense.  We heard that before.  Wilson has gone one step further and cited the Terrell Owens signing as a sign of his willingness to spend money to field a good product.  Let’s not get confused here Mr. Wilson.  The Terrell Owens signing was more marketing than it was an attempt to field a winner.  Going into the season the offensive line was severely depleted and lacked starters and depth.  Buffalo was also missing a starting linebacker, an offensive coordinator who knew what they were doing, a head coach who could actually coach to win, a starting corner (I am just not sold on McGee), a starting LE, and maybe a decent backup Qb if we really want to get picky.

Ralph Wilson may actually be serious this time but may be shocked to find many coaches are not jumping to be the next head coach of the Buffalo Bills.  This is a team that has historically not been willing to sign impact players.  They have also mismanaged the money that they actually chose to spend (Rob Johnson, Derrick Dockery), and continue to hire coordinators and coaches that just don’t get a passing grade.  The only allure Buffalo will have is if Ralph Wilson can separate his staff and himself and allow the incoming coach veto power and control.  A coach like Mike Shanahan will not want to start from scratch, and Buffalo at this point is practically a blank canvass.  But, with that said, if he is given ultimate and final say over how the salaries are spent and whom the team brings in to help, it is possible that an established coach will want to come in and build a winner.

I still feel that Buffalo will end up hiring a top end coordinator rather than an established head coach.  But if Buffalo wants to create a winning football club it is time everyone in the front office and ownership swallows their pride and concedes that someone else may have a better idea what this team needs to become a winner again.

Just as a side note, a few blogs ago I did say that Brian Billick would be a good fit as a coach for this team. Interesting enough they will be reaching out to interview him.  Good luck Mr. Billick and make sure to ask lots and lots of questions.

Tags: Brian Billick, Buffalo Bills, Mike Shanahan, Ralph Wilson, Russ Brandon