ct bills fan
01-23-2003, 02:51 PM
From ESPNinsider:
Steelers and Bills fight over LeBeau
The Buffalo Bills are not the only team interested in bringing aboard Dick LeBeau, the venerable defensive mind that helped create the zone-blitz. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher would love to bring back LeBeau, 65, in an effort to improve a secondary that ranked 20th in the NFL in the regular season and allowed 767 yards passing and five touchdowns in two playoff games.
Cowher has already talked to the former Cincinnati Bengals head coach about returning to Pittsburgh, where he served as defensive coordinator in 1995-96. As part of the deal, LeBeau would bring along former safety Darren Perry to serve as safeties coach.
But LeBeau is scheduled to talk to the Buffalo Bills, whose team president, Tom Donahoe, was the former director of football operations for the Steelers. LeBeau will be targeted to become a defensive assistant on that staff. But in Buffalo, there is a greater chance that he'll have more input, and should second-year defensive coordinator Jerry Gray falter, LeBeau might take over the job.
The Bills just re-signed defensive backs coach Pat Thomas, but they could switch him to just cornerbacks and make room for Perry. If Buffalo has a problem finding space for Perry, LeBeau will assuredly take the job in Pittsburgh unless another team pursues him.
Steelers and Bills fight over LeBeau
The Buffalo Bills are not the only team interested in bringing aboard Dick LeBeau, the venerable defensive mind that helped create the zone-blitz. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher would love to bring back LeBeau, 65, in an effort to improve a secondary that ranked 20th in the NFL in the regular season and allowed 767 yards passing and five touchdowns in two playoff games.
Cowher has already talked to the former Cincinnati Bengals head coach about returning to Pittsburgh, where he served as defensive coordinator in 1995-96. As part of the deal, LeBeau would bring along former safety Darren Perry to serve as safeties coach.
But LeBeau is scheduled to talk to the Buffalo Bills, whose team president, Tom Donahoe, was the former director of football operations for the Steelers. LeBeau will be targeted to become a defensive assistant on that staff. But in Buffalo, there is a greater chance that he'll have more input, and should second-year defensive coordinator Jerry Gray falter, LeBeau might take over the job.
The Bills just re-signed defensive backs coach Pat Thomas, but they could switch him to just cornerbacks and make room for Perry. If Buffalo has a problem finding space for Perry, LeBeau will assuredly take the job in Pittsburgh unless another team pursues him.