Archives for January 10, 2017

'Interviewed, so far, have been former Bills offensive coordinator and current interim coach Anthony Lynn plus Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin and two defensive coordinators, Sean McDermott (Carolina) and Kris Richard (Seattle). Not exactly a quartet that has you rushing out to renew your season tickets.'

'Kemp was the backup quarterback for the East All-Stars, had just won the AFL Championship with the Bills, and was also the president of the league’s players’ union. He and San Diego Chargers offensive lineman Ron Mix were among the white players at that final meeting. The two agreed to lead white players to stand by their teammates — but not all white players embraced the move. Patriots linebacker (and later Hall of Famer) Nick Buoniconti called the walkout a “raw deal” which “hurt the league a great deal.”'

'But how do you sell that to a prospective head coach? Would the new guy really have a say on Taylor? What first-time head coach wants to start out with an inferior situation at the game's most vital position? And what if the next coach wants to win right away and pushes to trade for, say, Tony Romo?'

'Richard is the youngest candidate the Bills have interviewed so far. He has less than a decade in coaching, but has moved up the ranks quickly.'

'All four candidates are also under the age of 50, with Richard (37) being the youngest. With this head coaching search, it appears the Bills front office wants all egos and previous reputations checked at the door — seeing as how their previous head coach pointed to his track record far too often when asked about 2016 in-season failures. However you slice it, the Bills are looking for something quite a bit different than what they just had.'

'Going back to his work with the Browns, Lynn coached running back Jamal Lewis — who was at the tail end of his NFL career — to a pair of 1,000 yard seasons. In 2007, the Browns finished No. 10 in yards rushing, and No. 6 in rushing yards per play.'