Bills Talking Points Week 17

Could this season drag on any longer? This is the thought process that is running through the heads of many Bills fans during these final weeks of the 2009 season. Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. has promised a thorough housecleaning of the football operations department, and it’s one that has been long overdue. No one knows exactly how this is going to play out, but rest assured there will be a new man roaming the sidelines for the Bills next season.

Even with interim head coach Perry Fewell taking over this team following the firing of Dick Jauron, the Bills still seem to be the same old Bills no matter who is coaching them. Fewell hasn’t overly impressed anyone in the organization in such a way that give him a shot at the job, but how could he? This roster has been decimated with injuries all season-- 18 players are currently on injured reserve. Fewell was never put in a situation in which he could succeed. The roster is just too depleted for him to have any type of firepower to compete with the big boys. For example, this past Sunday he had a quarterback making his first NFL start, six weeks into learning the offense, playing behind an offensive line filled with guys who were out of a job to start 2009. Unfortunately for him, he has zero percent chance of returning as head coach of the Bills next season.

So, where does that leave the Bills? The front office has already been told “No” by former Buccaneers/ Raiders coach Jon Gruden, along with former Denver head coach Mike Shanahan, who appears headed to Washington. There was speculation that Shanahan had been offered the Bills job. Bill Cowher has also told them that he will not interview for any head coaching jobs until the season has ended. But who really thinks that Cowher would take this job anyway? Raise your hand. Yep, that’s what I thought. Nobody.

The Bills still want to make a “big splash” with this hiring, but the names on that list seem to be dwindling down by the day. Some names out there that still could be in play are: Marty Schottenheimer, Brian Billick, Jim Fassel, Jim Haslett, Mike Martz, Russ Grimm, Jason Garrett, Leslie Frazier, Marc Trestman, and, last but not least, former Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis.

Rumors were swirling about this late Sunday night when WIVB-TV in Buffalo reported that the Bills have been in contact with Weis concerning their head coaching job. Although no formal interview has been set up, the source does tell WIVB-TV’s John Murphy that Weis is definitely interested in the job. And why shouldn’t he be? He is very familiar with the Bills and the AFC East, where he coached against the Bills for years as the New England offensive coordinator. If you can remember, Weis was a serious contender for the Bills job back in 2004; but with Tom Donahoe running the show back then, everyone knew that Mike Mularkey was a shoo-in to get that job based on the ties the two had during their stints in Pittsburgh. Not only was he the offensive coordinator for Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, but Weis also held the same position under Bill Parcells when the New York Giants defeated the Bills in Super Bowl XXV in 1990. Weis could also bring in former Browns head coach Romeo Crennel, who also served on the Patriots staff with Weis as defensive coordinator. If the Bills ever want a legitimate shot of dethroning the Patriots in the near future, this may be the best plan to do so. Nobody knows the ins and outs of the New England Patriots as much as Weis and Crennel do.

It still remains to be seen who they decide to bring in as head coach, but in my opinion, the first hire should be the Director of Football Operations. A good candidate will want to bring in his own head coach and not have one already in place for him. Problem is, if the Bills are already doing this, then they have been very quiet in the process.

Finally, Bills fans have the opportunity to get some “inside” information from a trusted source this Tuesday night at 9:05pm ET from the likes of Coach Sal Capaccio and his weekly show called "Buffalo Bills Now." If that name sounds familiar to you, it is because this is the man who broke the story of Terrell Owens signing with Buffalo last off-season. He recently informed me that he has some interesting news regarding the Bills' off-season, including their head coaching search and the team moving forward. As I mentioned before, the Bills have been very quiet on this front and there hasn’t been a peep out of anyone at One Bills Drive, so any news is good news at this point. If you would like to tune into the program Tuesday night, you can do so by following this link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/buffalo-bills-now

You can also follow us on Twitter @BillsBlogBlitz for all the latest rumors and news concerning the Bills. Check back throughout the week for all you need to know about the Bills finale against the Colts, any rumors or coaching news, and updated draft position going into the game this weekend.

TERRY LONG