Titans fans loose coach!
FOOTBALL FANS ( Titans )
Gregg Williams Hired As Bills Coach
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Three weeks ago, when Tom Donahoe began looking at
prospects for head coach of the Buffalo Bills, Gregg Williams didn't make the short list.
Williams, the Tennessee Titans' defensive coordinator, got the job Thursday.
``We could only pick one, and he had to be the best guy for the situation,'' said Donahoe, the
Bills president who only added Williams to his search after prospective candidate Dom Capers
was hired by the expansion Houston Texans.
Williams, who will be formally introduced at a press conference in Orchard Park on Friday,
becomes the Bills' 12th head coach, taking over for Wade Phillips, who was fired last month.
The Bills were the final NFL team without a head coach this offseason.
Williams, 42, was hired ahead of three other defensive coordinators: Marvin Lewis, of the Super
Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens; John Fox, of the NFC champion New York Giants; and Ted
Cottrell, the former Bills assistant who has since joined the New York Jets.
Not bad for someone who became a defensive coordinator in 1997, only seven years after
breaking into the NFL as a quality control assistant with the Houston Oilers.
``Gregg Williams was coaching in high school 12 1/2 years ago,'' Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.
``That says an awful lot for where he's come.''
While he didn't have the hot-commodity status that Lewis established with the record-setting
Ravens defense, Williams earned a reputation of being a meticulous coach who is open to
players' suggestions.
``He's a good one. You guys are going to enjoy him,'' Titans general manager Floyd Reese
said.
Referring to Williams as organized to a fault, Reese added: ``He's very well spoken, very bright,
but more importantly, he would have things covered that you wouldn't have thought about. He
will have everything organized and laid out in detail so there's no doubt about where he stands.''
It's that attention to detail that impressed Donahoe, who had never met Williams until last
Friday's interview in Nashville.
``He did a remarkable job during the interview process and made a strong presentation for his
plans to lead our team into the next chapter of Bills winning football,'' Donahoe said.
Under Williams, the Titans finished first in the NFL in fewest yards allowed this past season
and set a club record with 55 sacks.
Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse, in Hawaii to compete in this Sunday's Pro Bowl, was
happy for Williams.
``He's a great coach to play under. I kind of adopted him as a father,'' Kearse said. ``It's fun
playing for him. ... He's certainly paid his dues.''
Williams' next step will be to begin hiring a staff, as numerous Bills assistants -- including
Cottrell and offensive coordinator Joe Pendry -- have joined other teams the past two weeks.
The Titans are preparing to give Williams permission to interview secondary coach Jerry Gray
and quality control assistant Ronnie Vinklarek for jobs in Buffalo. Gray is considered Williams'
top choice as defensive coordinator.
The most disappointed candidate for the Bills' job was Lewis, whose Ravens defense was
considered the NFL's best after allowing the fewest points in a 16-game season.
Lewis' agent, Ray Anderson, was dismayed by the Bills' decision.
``We just are disappointed in the process and the lack of any consistent dialogue or
communication during the process,'' Anderson said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thu, 1 Feb 2001 23:30:18 PST Story from AP / JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer Copyright
2001 by The Associated Press (via ClariNet) NASHVILLE, USA, 1-FEB-2001: Tennessee
Titans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams watches his defensive team warm up before the
Titans' AFC playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens in Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 7, 2001.
Williams has been hired as the Buffalo Bills next head coach, The Associated Press has
learned. Williams was hired Thursday and will be in Buffalo on Friday to be formally introduced
to the media, an NFL source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. [Photo by Chuck Burton,
copyright 2001 by AP and ClariNet]
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