Archives for January 17, 2004

‘”One of the attractions to me being in Pittsburgh was the fact that, philosophically, Coach (Cowher) and I have always been on the same page, and that is attack,” said LeBeau, who takes over a defense ranked ninth in the NFL last season. “We will be a pressure defense, and I know the head coach feels that way, too.”‘

‘”I can be an ally to help him on the other side of the ball,” Gray continued. “He doesn’t have to worry about me making a transition. I know what went on here. I can help him with players and personalities. I can help him with things that you can’t learn by watching film.”‘

‘Gray, who was rumored to be interested in returning to his alma mater, the University of Texas, to be the Longhorns’ defensive coordinator, said he was more than pleased to return under Mularkey as the defensive coordinator. “To me, I went into the process thinking it was an honor,” Gray said of being interviewed by general manager Tom Donahoe. “I knew it was a long shot to get the head coaching job so it wasn’t a letdown. After we found out that Mike was going to be hired, I didn’t know if I’d have a chance to stay here or not. I knew our defense performed well and hopefully the guy would give me a chance. It just so happened that things fell right.”‘

‘Western New Yorkers will love him in time. Not only is the approach blue collar, but so is the man behind it.’

‘The Redskins also have been interested in Bills defensive line coach Tim Krumrie and linebackers coach Don Blackmon. LeBeau’s departure means Washington has a shot at signing Krumrie. The assistant was considered a lock to remain in Buffalo if LeBeau stayed there: Krumrie was a defensive line coach under LeBeau in Cincinnati from 1997 to 2002. Mularkey hasn’t announced his decision on Blackmon and Krumrie. And Gibbs — who is considering New York Giants running back coach Eric Studesville — is eager to find out.’

‘But now, Donahoe has Mularkey and offensive coordinator Tom Clements, formerly the Steelers’ quarterbacks coach, in charge of the offense. Clements was a leading candidate for the same job two years ago, but Williams insisted on hiring Kevin Gilbride. Gilbride has failed to properly fit quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe of the Bills and Kordell Stewart of the Steelers into his offensive system, but Donahoe defended him. “Kevin has gotten a lot of criticism (in Buffalo),” he said, “and it wasn’t all Kevin. I thought there were things that the head coach should have stepped in and controlled better than he controlled it.”‘

‘Dick LeBeau could have joined Mike Mularkey’s coaching staff in Buffalo as the defensive coordinator. If so, he would have had a lesser shadow lurking over his shoulder. Instead, LeBeau chose a similar and, perhaps, a more challenging path with the Steelers, opting to reunite with coach Bill Cowher’s strong personality, notable defensive mind and many more years of experience. Friday, LeBeau become the new coordinator in Pittsburgh, replacing the fired Tim Lewis.’

‘Since Gray has been the coordinator, the Bills have improved from 21st defensively in his first year to 14th in 2002 and second this past season.’

One guess on who could be the most improved player under the Mularkey system: Two-year veteran wide receiver Josh Reed, who caught just 58 passes and scored only two times in ’03, after replacing Peerless Price as a starter

Gray has been the Bills defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. The defense had its best season under Gray in 2003, ranking second overall in the league.

“One of the attractions to me being in Pittsburgh was the fact that philosophically, Bill and I have always been on the same page, and that is to attack,” he said. “We will be a pressure defense and I know the head coach feels that way, too.”