Buffalo Bills Head Coach: Are You On the Buddy List:?

Do you know about the "Buddy List? "

This little list of names first became public knowledge when the Buffalo Bills held a press conference announcing that they had hired Buddy Nix to become the team's general manager on Dec. 31, 2009.

Nix created this list as part of his formal interview process with Ralph Wilson, and Wilson must have been impressed with it, or he wouldn't have offered Nix the job.

Few people have seen the "buddy list," but I'm guessing Ralph Wilson, Russ Brandon, Jim Kelly, and Thurman Thomas saw it. These people have publicly stated that Nix shared it with them.

Fast forward two weeks, and now we are left to wonder which version of the buddy list that Nix is operating from. Buddy list 1.2, or buddy list version 1.3?

We may never know what the original names were that appeared on the list, but we can speculate. I suspect the list included the names of Bill Cowher, both Schottenheimer's, (Marty and Brian), Ron Rivera, Perry Fewell, and possibly Cam Cameron.

Short and sweet.

These are the people that were thought to be deserving candidates that Nix had a close personal working relationship with during his years working in the NFL.

During the past two weeks, the Bills have apparently conducted at least one meeting with Cowher, possibly as many as two. Even now, Wilson is unsure of what Cowher's level of interest is in the job; Cowher has maintained a very low profile.

Marty Schottenheimer has talked to Buddy Nix via the phone, but he has not interviewed for the job, and says he doesn't want to return to coaching.

Earlier today, Brian Schottenheimer formally rejected the Bills' offer to even be interviewed for the job, stating that he prefers to stay with the New York Jets as offensive coordinator.

Ron Rivera has also turned down the request to be interviewed. Speculation swirls that since the Bills have already interviewed Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, and Frazier and Rivera are tight from their years together with the Chicago Bears, that Rivera doesn't want to jeopardize his friend's chances of getting the job.

Cam Cameron has not been mentioned much at all over this two week period.

Perry Fewell had his formal interview—which apparently went well—but not well enough, since the job wasn't offered to him. Fewell has since conducted formal interviews for the defensive coordinator roles at Chicago and with the New York Giants, but is holding out hope that the Bills will give him the head slot.

So, that in effect has completely exhausted the original buddy list . Now to the second list.

During the first press conference when he was hired as G.M., Nix stated that the big issue for him was finding somebody with a track record of winning as a head coach in the NFL, and somebody that he was personally comfortable with.

These are reasonable qualifications, but now when you look at the current names on the short list, things are not quite adding up to the original job specifications and qualifications. 

The search appears to be narrowed down to a short list now of Leslie Frazier and probably Russ Grimm, the assistant head coach of the Phoenix Cardinals.

Neither Frazier nor Grimm have had NFL head coaching experience. In fact, Perry Fewell actually has more head coaching experience than any of them.

What Are We Left To Conclude?

When Bills' fans blew their collective tops this past season and decided to take action and erect a billboard to express their displeasure with Ralph and the Dick Jauron regime, Wilson came out with a number of big promises.

He talked to Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas and assured them that he was willing to spend whatever it took to get a big name coach in to Buffalo that could turn the team's fortunes around.

Buddy Nix was not the best known GM candidate in the market, but he was somebody that Wilson was personally comfortable with, so Bills fans were forced to take him at his word and live with the choice.

Now Nix is backing off of what he said he was looking for, and once again Bills fans will be asked to accept a second tier type of head coach that has no prior head coaching experience?

This pattern of making promises and doing whatever they want to do when "Plan A" falls flat on its face is just shameful. It is a disgrace that the Bills team can't command more respect throughout the league, and that we have to continually put up with second class professionalism, treatment, and respect.

So, What Will All This Eventually Mean to the Bills?

As things appear now, unless a miracle occurs and Bill Cowher finally comes to his senses and realizes how badly he is wanted here, the Bills are poised to hire a first—time head coach and promote somebody else's coordinator to come be our top dog.

The new coach will have to overcome his own growing pains and learn on the job. You already know there will be some bumps along the road.

There will be another new coordinator hired to run the offense and the defense, as that is old hat for Bills' fans and players like Trent Edwards.

After all, what is a new season for the Bills, without at least one new coordinator coming on board to teach a brand new system for everybody to have to learn? I know, sarcasm, but think about it from this angle.

If the Bills hired Cowher, at least he could put together a staff of people that he had already worked with in the past and was comfortable with.

If Frazier was hired, he would have to relinquish his defensive coordinator role—D.C. mentality—and let a new guy come in and run his own show. Frazier would have to change and adapt to a new way of doing things. 

Same thing with Russ Grimm. He would have to hire his own offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, once again stepping aside from his old comfortable role, to let somebody else do what he was best at.

There are none of those issues with Cowher.

Is There Some Other Piece of Logic I Am Missing Here?

Taking a step backwards for one second, let's look at the big picture.

Buddy Nix said head coaching experience was important and finding somebody he was personally comfortable with, correct? So how do Grimm and Frazier rate on either big question?

Can somebody tell me what was or is his relationship with Frazier and Grimm before now? Granted, they are probably deserving of a chance to be a head coach in the NFL, but this is the Bills we are talking about, and we deserve to have a top flight head coach after the last ten years of futility.

Since Nix has already broken his "must have qualifications list" then why isn't he also granting interviews to people that have actually won Super Bowls before like Brian Billick or Mike Martz?

What is wrong with granting an interview to Jim Haslett, or Jim Fassel, or to other former head coaches that are out there? Mike Tice is another name that comes to mind.

Why not open it up to other up—and—coming types like Bob Stoops or Jim Harbaugh? At least they have head coaching experience.

Reports last week had surfaced that the Bills had zeroed in on their man, and a hire could be announced early this week—which by the way—has already come and gone.

So, now we may be forced to sit tight and wait for the playoff fate of the Vikings and the Cardinals to be determined, and then the team will announce a formal hire.

How far do both of those teams advance in the NFC? During that time period, will other coordinator personnel take on a new job and leave Frazier or Grimm with second tier choices when the dust finally settles?

All of these things that continue to push the hire back will ultimately have a trickle down effect. Wilson hired Nix, thinking he was the right guy for the job. Nix can't make the hire he wanted, and now he is scrambling for back up candidates.

Each day and week that passes, means the Bills fans are left to pace and wonder, like an expectant parent, waiting for the delivery of their child to finally happen.

For all of our sakes, I hope that announcement is one that we can look back at with pride, and not more regret. Stay tuned.