Desperate Bills make a desperate choice: Chan Gailey
Why does no one want the Buffalo Bills head coaching job? Even several current coordinators who have never been a head coach have turned down the chance to interview in Buffalo, but it appears the Bills finally got someone to take the job: Chan Gailey.
This is not arguably the least “sexy” hire the Bills could have made and smells like a retread hire.
The Bills were hoping to hire someone with head coaching experience and they wanted the candidate to have his expertise on the offensive side of the ball — the Bills’ offense has ranked among the bottom eight in the NFL seven straight years. So I guess Gailey fits that bill. He spent some time this season with the Kansas City Chiefs but had his duties removed from him prior to the start of the season.
Gailey has coached in four Super Bowls and has had his teams go to the playoffs in 11 of his 15 NFL seasons. He was coach of the Cowboys in 1998-99, following Barry Switzer, reaching the playoffs in both seasons but failing to win a playoff game. He coached Georgia Tech from 2002 through 2007 and led the Yellow Jackets to a bowl game in all six seasons at the helm and a 44-33 record. Gailey also was an offensive coordinator in Denver (1989-90), Pittsburgh (1996-97), Miami (2000-01) and Kansas City (2008). He also was his own offensive coordinator in Dallas.
Gailey interviewed for the Steelers’ head coaching job after Cowher stepped down in 2007, and he was Cowher’s choice as his successor. Pittsburgh instead hired Mike Tomlin.
He will be the fifth coach hired by the Bills in the last 10 years.
The Bills had sought out or interviewed former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazie, New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, former Bucs coach Jon Gruden and current Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh. The team also interviewed its former defensive coordinator, Perry Fewell, who took over as interim coach after Jauron was fired midway through the season. Fewell took a job as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator.
Not sure how the Bills’ job became so unworthy to so many coaches – Buffalo has some of the most passionate fans in the league and a great owner. But the franchise is perceived to be on tenuous ground in that area with rumors of a move to Los Angeles or even Toronto always following the team.
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