BillsfaninSixburgh

The other thing to remember (compared to last year's hiring dates) is the Bills don't have a lot of competition with other teams seeking head coaches. If the Raider's end up firing Tom Cable, they would be the only other team looking right now. (So you'd have Ralph Wilson and Al Davis as the only two owners looking for coaches....talk about the inmates running the asylum!!)). Sure it's frustrating not knowing who the coach is going to be, but since we don't have much choice, let's hope that Buddy Nix is using time to his advantage and ends up landing the best available coach who actually would like the opportunity to coach the Bills.

Grimm doesn't excite me. He didn't excite the Steelers either three years ago when they hired Tomlin. He was the Steelers 2nd choice to Wisenhunt, and became the 3rd choice after Tomlin interviewed and knocked the socks off off the Rooneys and Wisenhunt went to AZ. At best, he might end up being a poor man's Andy Reid (I guess that makes him a perfect fit for the Bills!). That is, he might be a decent X and O's guy, but relatively unemotional on the sidelines (doesn't that also describe Dick Jauron!) - I say keep looking.

A big name and former Super Bowl coach isn't always a gaurantee. In fact, its almost the opposite. Look at Lombardi, Gibbs, Parcells and Holmgrem's record with their new teams after they won their Super Bowls. All disappointing. Also, look at the current coaches of the eight remaining playoff teams (and their previous positions). Only two of them had previously been a head coach (and guess who one of them coached!!) Jim Caldwell-Colts (coordinator) John Harbaugh - Ravens (coordinator) Sean Payton-Saints (coordinator) Ken Wisenhunt -Cards (coordinator) Rex Ryan-Jets (coordinator) Brad Childress -Vikings (coordinator) Norv Turner - Chargers (head coach, but came up a coordinator) and of course...Wade Phillips - Cowboys (head coach, but came up a coordinator) Hiring Cowher would make a splash, and he would certainly be a presence on the sideline. But, as I live in Pittsburgh, I can tell you that many of the locals, while they love Cowher, think he underachieved given the players and teams he had here. The difference bewteen Cowher being successful in Pittsburgh compared to Buffalo is that Steelers management runs a well run organization. If Cowher could come in and replicate the Steelers philosophy and organization, that would be great. (But wasn't that what Tom Donahoe was supposed to do when he came to Buffalo from Pittsburgh?). Les Frazier doesn't excite me, nor did Perry Fewell for that matter. But given the Bills management structure, for better or worse, they have just as much of a shot at success or failure with a B-tier coordinator as they do with a big-name like Cowher. If the front office can't figure out how to pick good players, it really won't matter who the coach is. One last comment - Mike Tomlin didn't excite too many people in Pittsburgh the day he was hired.

You never know when its over. Did anyone think when Kelly got carted out of the Jax game in '96 that was the last time we would see playoff football in Buffalo?