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Coaching Carousel (Gilbride to Cincy??)
......COACHING CAROUSEL:
Gregg Williams enters year three of a three-year deal and while the team's five-game improvement appears to be satisfactory progress, owner Ralph Wilson and GM Tom Donahoe are reserving the right to clarify Williams' future until after a sweeping year-end review of the organization.
Donahoe said it wouldn't be unprecedented for a coach to enter the final year of his contract as a "lame duck." What makes Williams' situation complicated is that the contracts of all of his assistant coaches are set to expire, except for coordinators Kevin Gilbride and Jerry Gray. Any head coach with only a year on his deal is in a compromised position when it comes to organizing a decent staff.
That could warrant Williams' getting an extension through say 2004, allowing him to re-up his assistants for two seasons and giving him enough time to complete Buffalo's rebuilding project.
Donahoe has cut Williams a lot of slack, considering he stuck him with a roster the past two years gutted by salary-cap cuts and "dead" money. Williams' game-day decision making has been very questionable, but in general, his team has made progress and he's well-respected by the players.
Meanwhile, one stipulation in Williams' keeping his job could be that he shake up his staff - last year he was forced to fire offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard and bring in Gilbride.
Firing Gray this time would also be justified - the Bills have allowed the second- and third most points in team history under his guidance (420 and 397). Buffalo did make strides the final month of this season, however, and with another round of player upgrades, Williams could convince Wilson that Gray is a good, young coach who also deserves to keep working on establishing the kind of 4-3 defense the two put together in Tennessee.
Off Buffalo's offensive success and his work resurrecting Drew Bledsoe's career, Gilbride, former head coach in San Diego, might earn an interview for the Cincinnati Bengals' head job. The Bengals will be breaking in a young quarterback, either Carson Palmer or Byron Leftwich, two players who will be dreamboats after Gilbride's experience with Ryan Leaf.
Finally, there are definitely two holes Williams has to plug on his staff if it returns as is: defensive line coach John Levra has retired and quarterbacks coach Steve Kragthorpe is the new head coach at Tulsa.
Assistant O'Neill Gilbert could be promoted to replace Levra and Gilbride, if he stays, may merely assume the quarterbacks coach position, something he's done in the past.......
article provided by USAtoday.com http://www.usatoday.com/sports/footb...bills/home.htm
Gregg Williams enters year three of a three-year deal and while the team's five-game improvement appears to be satisfactory progress, owner Ralph Wilson and GM Tom Donahoe are reserving the right to clarify Williams' future until after a sweeping year-end review of the organization.
Donahoe said it wouldn't be unprecedented for a coach to enter the final year of his contract as a "lame duck." What makes Williams' situation complicated is that the contracts of all of his assistant coaches are set to expire, except for coordinators Kevin Gilbride and Jerry Gray. Any head coach with only a year on his deal is in a compromised position when it comes to organizing a decent staff.
That could warrant Williams' getting an extension through say 2004, allowing him to re-up his assistants for two seasons and giving him enough time to complete Buffalo's rebuilding project.
Donahoe has cut Williams a lot of slack, considering he stuck him with a roster the past two years gutted by salary-cap cuts and "dead" money. Williams' game-day decision making has been very questionable, but in general, his team has made progress and he's well-respected by the players.
Meanwhile, one stipulation in Williams' keeping his job could be that he shake up his staff - last year he was forced to fire offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard and bring in Gilbride.
Firing Gray this time would also be justified - the Bills have allowed the second- and third most points in team history under his guidance (420 and 397). Buffalo did make strides the final month of this season, however, and with another round of player upgrades, Williams could convince Wilson that Gray is a good, young coach who also deserves to keep working on establishing the kind of 4-3 defense the two put together in Tennessee.
Off Buffalo's offensive success and his work resurrecting Drew Bledsoe's career, Gilbride, former head coach in San Diego, might earn an interview for the Cincinnati Bengals' head job. The Bengals will be breaking in a young quarterback, either Carson Palmer or Byron Leftwich, two players who will be dreamboats after Gilbride's experience with Ryan Leaf.
Finally, there are definitely two holes Williams has to plug on his staff if it returns as is: defensive line coach John Levra has retired and quarterbacks coach Steve Kragthorpe is the new head coach at Tulsa.
Assistant O'Neill Gilbert could be promoted to replace Levra and Gilbride, if he stays, may merely assume the quarterbacks coach position, something he's done in the past.......
article provided by USAtoday.com http://www.usatoday.com/sports/footb...bills/home.htm
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