Chan Gailey Now Buffalo Bills Head Coach: Press Conference/Hire Reaction

Glad that's over. 

Not that I feel the Bills settled, but now we can get down to the fun stuff—like the combine, free agency, and the draft. 

Chan Gailey was announced just moments ago, and you know what? I'm happy. I'll take a guy like him.

The first thing I took from the presser was the fact that he was very determined and made everyone fully aware he would field a tough and disciplined team. He spoke with an attitude, and his vast experience as a head coach at both the collegiate and professional ranks was very apparent.  

Dick Jauron spoke of similar team qualities, but the way he conducted his press conferences—like a terrified fifth grader at a school spelling bee—really got to me. Whether he was preaching those qualities during his pad-less, indoor practices or not, after a Jauron interview you never thought, "Man, that coach is running a tight ship; those Bills are a solid bunch." Am I right, or am I right?

Gailey seems to be more of a disciplinarian, and the thought of practice without pads won't dare cross into his mind. Remember when Fred Jackson said he felt like a new player when Perry Fewell had the guys strap on the pads during his first practice as interim head coach? 

It's also very refreshing that Gailey has a superior offensive mind and background. He evolved the skills of quarterbacks like Mike Tomczak and Jay Fiedler—he knows how to work with unproven signal callers. 

He stated that he'll call the plays on offense, something not done in some time in Buffalo. I'm neither for nor against it, but obviously the Alex Van Pelts, Turk Schonerts, and Steve Fairchilds couldn't get the job done.

Gailey remarked that his coordinators may not be familiar names, but he'll have the best teachers on his staff, something that meshes well with Buffalo's young core of talent. 

Lastly, though he's been fired a lot during his coaching career, at least he's got a winning track record. Many of my Bills-hating "friends" continually pointed to Jauron's lone winning season in Chicago in 2001. 

Gailey finished at Georgia Tech with a winning record, was the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh and Miami during multiple trips to the postseason, and brought a Dallas Cowboy team to the playoffs in both of his seasons, though never advancing past their first contest. I also love the fact that Bill Cowher recommended him, although Gailey declined to confirm that report. 

GM Buddy Nix claimed that 80 percent of the reports were fabricated about coaching candidates declining the Bills, but for whatever reason the top-end guys didn't want to come to Buffalo. We can't fault them for trying.

In the end, it definitely could have been worse, and Gailey fits all the criteria set out by Nix at the start of the new year. 

Now get to work...