George Edwards Named New Buffalo Bills Defensive Coordinator

There you have it. The Buffalo Bills have announced to the anxious media and fans the hiring of their new defensive coordinator, George Edwards. 

Edwards isn't the household name some may have been looking for, but he's the ideal guy for what Chan Gailey wants to do with this team. 

The Bills' offseason hiring theme has been finding "perfect fit" coaches to lead the team in the future. 

Bio

Edwards, 43, began in the NFL when none other than Chan Gailey brought him on his Cowboys staff to coach his linebackers.

After three years in Dallas, he was named assistant defensive coordinator in Washington in 2002 and was promoted to head defensive coordinator the following season. His time in control of the defense was short-lived with the Redskins, and in 2004 he took a linebackers coaching gig in Cleveland.

After shuffling around the league for three years, Edwards settled in Miami as the linebackers coach in 2005 and has been with the Dolphins ever since.

Defensive Background

Edwards has experience with the 4-3 and the 3-4, although his first statement points to scooting the Bills defense in the 3-4 direction (via BuffaloBills.com):

“Defensively, we will start from a 3-4 alignment,” said Edwards. “But we will do what we feel is best for our players. We are not going to give anything away about exactly what we will do, but personnel will dictate what you can and what you can’t do. As far as the initial alignment, the 3-4 is what we will start off with and we will adjust from there.”

When Gailey was hired, he stated that he wanted to experiment with both defenses, and that's apparently what will happen next season.

Though the switch to the 3-4 alignment seems imminent down the road, Buffalo's current personnel would make it hard for a complete shift in 2010. Guys like Kawika Mitchell, Kyle Williams, and most likely Aaron Maybin could man new positions next year. A hybrid defense is also extremely possible.

Though the transition may be arduous, it's about time the Bills incorporated this pesky defense to their repertoire. They performed well in the 4-3 last year, but when the 3-4 is clicking, it's the toughest defense to play against.

More intrigue building up for next year, and we've still got more than a month until free agency. Awesome.