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| WEEK IN REVIEW - JAN 6TH - JAN 12TH, 2002 | PREVIOUS WEEK |
Bills Hire Defensive Line Coach
The Bills decided this week not to renew the contracts of LB coach Miles Aldridge and OL coach Ronnie Vinklarek. Aldridge was in charge of a linebacking corp that under achieved. He also didn't use Keith Newman to the best of his ability. Vinklarek is Williams' best friend so the release must have been hard. The offensive line was much improved but the players never bought into the schemes of Vinklarek. Our Take: Neither coach came to Buffalo with any real NFL experience and that hurt them. The Bills are looking for more experienced coaches now, at that is what they should have done two years ago. In their search for experienced coaches the Bills have hired former Bengals great Tim Krumrie to coach the defensive line. He has coached in Cincinnati for the past eight years after retiring from an illustrious career as a nose tackle for the team. Williams said of the hiring, that Krumrie's 20 years of playing and coaching experience will bring a lot to the staff. Our Take: Krumrie was a no nonsense player and is a no nonsense coach. He has been credited with the development of many defensive linemen in Cincinnati and should be a good addition to the staff. The Bills decided this week that they will not fill the open QB coaching spot that was vacated when Steve Kragthorpe went to coach Tulsa University. Kevin Gilbride will take over those duties. That leaves just the two openings that were created by the releases from earlier in the week. The Bills have shown interest in two Bengals coaches. Dick LeBeau will interview in the coming days for an undetermined position with the defensive coaching staff. The team has shown interest in Bengals OL coach Paul Alexander but have yet to ask for permission to speak to him. Two coaches are staying put in their current role. Tom Donahoe confirmed Gregg Williams will be back and Williams confirmed that Jerry Gray will remain as defensive coordinator. Our Take: Gilbride serving a dual role is no big deal. LeBeau would bring a ton of experience to the coaching staff but he would be breathing down Gray's neck which may not be good for the staff. He would also be a Donahoe hire which may not adhere him to Williams. Alexander has had a lot of success in Cincinnati but why are the Bills interested in so many coaches from the lowly Bengals? Three people with ties to the Bills were named among the 15 finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Owner Ralph Wilson, WR James Lofton, and OL Joe DeLamielleure have a chance for induction. Wilson and Lofton have been finalists before. The inductees will be announced the day before the Super Bowl. Our Take: Wilson should be a no brainer addition to the Hall. He is a pioneer in this game and was very instrumental in the success of the AFL which makes up half the NFL today. Lofton will get there, just not this year. DeLamielleure was a Bills great but he may not make the cut to the hall but he's getting closer. One member of the front office the Bills may not be able to hold onto is Tom Modrak. He has interviewed in Jacksonville for their open GM position and may interview in Cincinnati and Seattle also. Our Take: Modrak likes it in Buffalo so the job would have to be a perfect fit for him to go. He probably wants to be the number one man though, so he is intrigued. His loss would be huge for the front office. In other news, Rodney Wright pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a July collision. If he stays clean for a year the felony conviction would become a misdemeanor. Tony Driver was honored as the Bills' winner of the Ed Block Courage Award for his sportsmanship and courage. Our Take: Wright's incident hurt his standing with the club this year, it is good to get it behind him. Driver is a solid citizen.Talk about it on The Stadium Wall
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