Gregg Williams knocks Donahoe's socks off
with great interview

Bills new head coach beat the competition hands down

By Rick Anderson

After weeks of speculation, the Bills finally named their new head coach on Thursday. The man who steps into Wade Phillips old position is Gregg Williams. This was a big surprise until the last minute when rumors of front runner Marvin Lewis dropping in the race for the head coaching position surfaced. Lewis, who was considered the top candidate for the Bills coaching position, was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, who just won the Super Bowl over the New York Giants.

Meet the new men in charge! The man who has been the owner and president of the team since it's inception in 1959, Ralph Wilson, holds a Bills helmet as he is surrounded by the new men who will guide his ship. Gregg Williams (left), who was introduced as the new Bills Head Coach, joins the new Bills GM, Tom Donahoe (right) in laughing it up with the Bills owner.

[AP Photo/David Duprey]

Bills new GM Tom Donahoe interviewed Lewis, the Giants defensive coordinator John Fox along with the Bills defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell. Williams delivered such an overpowering interview that it blew the socks off of Donahoe.

"Gregg brings to our franchise a long list of very impressive credentials," said Donahoe. "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. His strengths are in the areas of leadership, knowledge of the game of football, organizational skills, and people skills."

Donahoe explained what went into the extensive interview process.

"This was a rather exhaustive process with several very qualified candidates being seriously considered for the position," Donahoe said. "But I am confident that we have selected the candidate who best fits our needs and we are excited to have Gregg join our staff."

Then Donahoe delivered a bombshell. One of the Bills quarterbacks will be let go. Although it was assumed that the Bills could not afford the huge salaries of both Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson, with Donahoe acknowledging it drove the point home that Flutie's days with the Bills may be over.

"Because of the cap, we can't afford to keep both quarterbacks," Donahoe threw out his hand grenade. "I don't think economically it's feasible to do it, and secondly, it's not good for your team. From what I've heard from players and people here, they seem to feel it was divisive. We have to make a commitment to one quarterback and go with it."

Donahoe tried to smooth the tidal waves he had just created.

"I realize that the quarterbacks always get more attention than they probably deserve," Donahoe explained. "They get too much criticism, they get too much credit. But they are part of the team. If you look at the teams that were in the Super Bowl this year, it wasn't about the quarterbacks. It was about team."

Then Donahoe introduced the Bills new coach and Williams made his first speech from the podium at one Bills Drive as the Bills head coach.

"I'd like to lead off by thanking Mr. Wilson and Mr. Donahoe for giving me the opportunity, and I am honored," said Williams. "I'm very honored, it's a storied franchise, and it's recognized as a special place to be at. I'm honored that they have enough faith in me to continue that tradition. I'm proud to say that I've coached at every level of football in the United States right now, from Little League, to junior high, to high school, college football, and the pinnacle of the NFL. I'm proud of that."

Williams was determined to explain why he felt that he deserved the job.

"I'm a football junkie that Tom Donahoe talked about a few minutes ago," Williams said. "Throughout the courses of the short career that I've been looking for that opportunity right here, and I'm eager to get started with this opportunity, hit the ground running, and do the things that Mr. Wilson and Mr. Donahoe have hired me to do. If we think the job is done after today in hiring me, we're all mistaken. This is a we business, this is about us, and about the Bills, it's about this city, and about this team. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, and I mean we. We're bringing a great staff in here, starting off on the right foot, getting our systems in place and be ready. When we hit training camp, we're off and running, and we're prepared to win ball games from the time training camp closes."

"Along the way, I wear a badge of honor for working with the Oilers/Titans organization for going on 12 years, and I wear that as a badge of honor. Mr. [Bud] Adams treated me very fairly, and gave me an opportunity to break in the National Football League and I've worked with great people there … But I've worked with the great coaches there, but none better than Jeff Fisher … I'm the only coach he retained when he took over seven years ago. … It's been a good opportunity to learn with some pretty good people and each and every year, each and every year when I've felt like I was ready to tackle the next hurdle I was given the opportunity."

Williams then explained how he won over Donahoe. He was a dark horse candidate and did something to impress Donahoe so much that two more obvious choices were quickly eliminated from the process.

"There are things that go on in the National Football League, and back-door policies that we all hear. This is one of the most fair processes I have dealt with in this profession. I was extremely impressed with how fair the process was. Tom met with me a week ago and laid out the format of what we were going to go through in Nashville, and had a very structured approach that this is what I want to do, and this is how I'm going to go about this process. He explained to me right off the bat, or he wanted it to be a fair and honorable process. The fact that I was willing to lend my allegiance to this organization is I believe I'm getting involved with a fair and honorable man. … There was no stone unturned in that process, six hours with one restroom break, no lunch, and we got right down to business. He's a down to business person and that's exactly the kind of person I am. Because of how I went through that process and enjoyed that process, I immediately withdrew from the other situation [in Cleveland]. There was nothing promised to me in that meeting other than this, that they were going to through the process, be fair to each and every candidate. … I was very, very confident and I felt I had done a good job, and was comfortable in my job in Tennessee, I had a very good job I wasn't willing to leave for any situation. Because of the process, I was impressed."

Donahoe told the media on why he chose Williams.

"It was a combination of things that Gregg said with regard to philosophy, the disciplined approach that he would bring to our team," Donahoe explained. "I liked his work ethic. Here's a guy who started as a high school coach and a (college) graduate assistant. And each step of the way, he proved himself, so someone presented him with another challenge. Now we've presented him with a challenge of being a head coach in the National Football League, and I'm very confident he'll be successful. In my opinion, and time will tell, we got the best guy."

Williams liked the role of being the underdog in the head coach competition.

"I've always considered myself an underdog," Williams said. "I've taken that with pride that I'm an overachiever, and that way I've been able to bond with players and coaches and administrators. I've never had a silver spoon in my mouth. This game is about working hard. … I've never viewed myself [as an underdog], but I like the fact that other people view me that way, and that's easy to motivate me and players that feel that way."

Then Williams turned his attention to the man who hired him.

"I felt like I could trust the man I was working with every single day. I put trust in the plan that is going to be put in place over the next several months, and that impressed me. If this situation did not work out, I was willing to wait on the next situation."

Williams, who had the path paved for him by Donahoe about the quarterback

"This is a we situation. This an organizational decision, we will all have say. The head coach will not total say, no. It's something we will work together about and something we have discussed, it's something we will continue to discuss, it's something when I have the opportunity, and Tom has the opportunity to bring those individuals in and talk to them face-to-face about the direction we're going to go, then we're going to present it to everyone what the plan is."

Now Williams first job was to do some hiring himself. He had to form his team of assistant coaches.

"We're going to go about the process of notifying the teams with the system that's in place, with permission and to have the permission denied or honored," Williams said. "There are two people that was made public last night with coach Fisher, that he has given me permission to talk to and interview from the staff I just came from, and that would be Jerry Gray, 5-time Pro Bowler, one-time MVP and secondary coach, and he's ready to be the coordinator. At some point in time, you will see him standing up in front of you across the country being a head coach in the National Football League, I believe that strongly in him. Another coach off that staff is Ronnie Vinklarek. Vinklarek will be brought up here to coach position on the offensive side of the ball. I've done a unique situation on how we've brought Ronnie into the National Football League, but he worked on the defensive side this year, and his whole career he's been on the other side of the ball. … [Coach Fisher and I] brought him into the fold at the Tennessee Titans, for the first time to have there's a defensive staff to have an offensive guy on their side of the ball, because we're about beating protections, knocking their quarterback down and so we had that guy on our defensive side. He'll be coming up here on the offensive side of the ball."

Finally, Williams gave his first State of the Bills address.

"This team has a nucleus of good young players," Williams said. "Tom's reputation and the scouting department that was here before Tom and I got here has a reputation of scouring the back-wood streets and small colleges finding people who can play at this level. This team has a good nucleus and a base of veterans to lead those guys and teach those guys to play in the National Football League."

Now that the Bills have finally settled on their two head honchos, it is time for both of them to roll up their sleeves and get to work. The Bills are reportedly $13.4 million over the projected NFL Salary Cap. They have to sign free agents Eric Moulds, who is reported close to being offered a 6-year contract in the neighborhood of $58-60 million. Marcellus Wiley is another free agent the Bills brain trust considers a must to sign.

One of the quarterbacks will be released. It is projected that Flutie will be the one let go as the Bills would save $3.5 million by cutting him free as opposed to Johnson, who's $7 million in bonus money would have to be paid anyway, would only save the Bills around $1.5 million. Also considered as ex-Bills are Ted Washington, who's on tab to make $7.66 million next year, Sam Rogers, who would make $6.34 million and Joe Panos, who would make a whopping $3.91 million. The Bills may restructure a couple of those contracts to make room for Moulds huge contract.

The fun has yet to begin as the Bills have to give their final answer in the NFL's who wants to be a Millionaire contest. The Bills have already used up all of their lifelines in acquiring Donahoe and Williams. Now they must brainstorm to decide what answer is the right one.

Copyright © 2001 Bills Thunder & Rick Anderson, all rights reserved.