Gregg Williams ousted as Bills coach

The Gregg Williams era ends after three years of frustration. Two days after the Bills finished with a 6-10 record, the Bills announced that his contract was not going to be renewed for next season.

Williams came to Buffalo after what Bills GM Tom Donahoe said was an outstanding job interview. Williams finished with a dismal record of 17-31 and Donahoe was forced to concede his mistake of hiring Williams.

It was not a good day for Donahoe. Getting rid of Williams was like having his teeth pulled. Donahoe, a proud man, showed his reluctance in ridding the team of the head coach he had hand picked for the job three years ago.

"We just didn't feel we had made enough progress this year," Donahoe told the media at the press conference. "The first year that Gregg was here there were a lot of extenuating circumstances. It wasn't really fair to judge him on the roster and salary cap situation. The second year we made significant progress and we felt we had improved the roster to take another step this season-we did not. We have regressed this year and I didn't have the confidence going forward that we could get that turned around."

Williams was gracious in his goodbye speech.

"These three years I think it speaks volumes of the character on this football for them to work as hard and buy in to the things we did in the offseason," said Williams. "I really appreciate their efforts even down to the last football game to do whatever we could to try and get into the end zone there at the end of a game. They were fighting to the bitter end and I feel real good about them and the relationship that I had with them in the three years that I've been here."

Donahoe had his axe to grind with the media. Unfortunately for him, he did not choose his words wisely and they were conveyed in a way that it included the entire Buffalo community.

"People are going to criticize (us), that's fine as long as it stays on the level of criticizing the job that people do," Donahoe began his tirade towards the media. "I think what is inexcusable is personal attacks, name-calling and some of the things that I've heard, not just directed toward Gregg, but directed toward Lindy Ruff and directed toward other people in Western New York. I don't think there is any place for it."

"I'd also would like to apologize to Gregg," said a clearly indignant Donahoe. "I think some of the personal criticisms that were leveled at him were unfair. I think there are many people in western New York who should be ashamed of themselves for some of the things they said about the coach. You don't have to like the coach's ability to coach, but some of the personal attacks I've heard over the last three years embarrasses me to be a part of this community."

With that statement, Donahoe triggered the alarms throughout the media in Western New York and angry fans were dialing into the radio talk shows by the thousands. Donahoe had made a serious error in communicating what he actually intended. He spent several hours after the press conference calling radio and television stations in Buffalo to apologize for his misstatements.

Donahoe also took exception to a question about how he felt Williams "blew him away" in the interview that landed him his job and if that would affect how he does the new interview process.

"Let me say this about the interview process," shot back Donahoe. "Unless you guys and ladies sit in on the interview process, you have no idea who says what. And you have no idea who is interested in the job and who isn't. I have to decide that. I'm the person who is responsible for making that decision. I have to make a better decision this time than I made the last time. As far as the interview process, it will be thorough, it will be complete and we will adhere to the rules of the Diversity Committee and we will do it the right way. It will take as much time as we feel it takes to get the right head coach."

Donahoe was asked if Drew Bledsoe would be part of the conditions the new coach would have to accept.

"I think that you have to give the coach say in everything, just as Gregg has had say in everything," fumed Donahoe. "I get portrayed here as some power-hungry control freak. I don't know who people are writing about and who they are talking about. I have one agenda, just like everyone in this building has one agenda. We want to win a championship and we want to find a coach who can help us win a championship.

"Our coach, whoever it is, he will have input on personnel, he'll have input on salary cap, he will have input on everything relating to football in this organization. That is the way that I believe the organization should be run."

On one radio sports show, Donahoe said this about his calling so many stations to apologize for his remarks:

"It was getting misinterpreted that I was talking about the fans," Donahoe explained. "And I didn't say it properly, and that's what I was upset with. People who know me, know that I love Western New York. I love this area, my family loves it here, I love the people here. It upsets me terribly that we have not done better with the football team because I know how important it is for Western New York.

"I think that as a community, we are above some of the things that get written and said about people in this sporting business. And (what I said) didn't come out that way. My remarks were intended for the media and all I wanted to say was ‘Let's be above this.' Let's have programs where we can constructively criticize our sports teams, our coaches, our management people, and let's keep it at that level. Why it ever has to get on the level of name calling and personal attacks and insults to Gregg and insults to his family, I don't get that. I just don't think that's Western New York and I don't think that's what we want to be about."

With the way Donahoe answered the questions, it was as if he were the one leaving Buffalo. He was on the defensive the whole time and minced his words. Now only time will tell if the Bills fans will forgive his nasty words and continue to sell out every game next season under the new coach.

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