Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com is reporting, via Twitter, that the Buffalo Bills have fired their entire coaching staff a day after the Bills’ 2009 season came to a close.
ESPN echoed a BuffaloBills.com report that interim head coach Perry Fewell was interviewing for the Bills’ vacant head coaching spot on Monday. It’s still unclear how, exactly, Glazer’s news reflects Fewell’s interview process and his job status.
Fewell took over for the fired Dick Jauron on November 18 and led the Bills to a 3-4 record in his seven-game run as interim head coach. Now, it appears that his staff, at least – which includes solid coaches such as Bobby April, Bob Sanders and Sean Kugler – has been shown the door.
Forty-one down, forty-one to go. At the halfway point, Buffalo (26-11-4) is leading the Northeast Division, is second in the Eastern Conference, and fourth overall in the NHL. All of that, and they still have games in hand over most of the league. They’re currently on a four-game win streak, and have only missed out on points twice in the last 10 games.
They haven’t, however, been perfect. Their offense has been less than stellar, and their power play has been all but anemic, especially since November.
Let’s see how the grades come in. Feel free to chime in with your own comments. What do you see happening in the second half?
Behind a two-goal effort by senior Egor Mironov (Thornhill, Ont.), the Niagara men’s hockey team (4-11-2, 1-3-1 CHA) defeated the Colgate Raiders (7-8-4, 5-3-1 ECAC) by a score of 5-1 in the consolation game of the 2010 Shillelagh Tournament on Sunday afternoon.
The senior notched his seventh multi-goal game of his career by striking for two goals in the second period, which put the game out of reach. Mironov’s play not only helped Niagara improve to 3-1-1 in its last five games against Colgate, but also propelled him into ninth place on Niagara’s career goal-scoring list, passing former teammate Vince Rocco with his 46th and his 47th career goals.
You don’t have to be a football connoisseur to figure out what head coach would make the biggest impact in Buffalo. Bill Cowher has made no secret to his circle of friends he’d like to coach again in 2010 and with a vacancy available in Orchard Park; the Buffalo Bills are always a possibility.
Recent reports, including those by ESPN and right here have said the organization has already met and Cowher came away impressed. The problem with Cowher or any big ticket coach is they’re unlikely to jump on a Buffalo offer. Like it or not, Cowher or anyone else with multiple options is going to explore all of them before making a decision.
The University at Buffalo wrestling team edged Binghamton, 19-16 on Sunday evening at Alumni Arena. Sophomore Kevin Smith propelled the Bulls to victory as he earned his third technical fall of the season at 133. Earning bonus points for the Bulls were junior Jimmy Hamel and senior Dan Bishop as each recorded major decisions at 197 and 133, respectively.
The Bulls (6-1-1, 0-0 MAC) captured opening decisions at 149 and 157 to create a 6-0 margin. At 149, sophomore Desi Green defeated the Bearcats’ Donnie Vinson, 4-3. Following a first period consisting of simultaneous lockups, Green broke the scoreless match as he took down Vinson with just three seconds remaining in the period. With Green holding a 4-0 advantage, Vinson brought the match within reach off an escape, penalty and riding time but Green held on for the win.
Granted the game meant absolutely nothing to the Indianapolis Colts. Five defensive starters didn’t even suit up and Peyton Manning and the rest of the offense made little more than a quarter cameo. In fact the Colts were clearly more concerned with setting a few personal milestones than winning a football game.
Nonetheless, the Buffalo Bills approached their season finale as if it were the Super Bowl and rolled over the Colts, 30-7 in near blizzard conditions at Ralph Wilson Stadium. It was the first Bills win in a season finale in their last seven tries.
Buffalo outgained the Colts, 403-157 with 72 of Indianapolis’ yards coming on their second drive of the game.
The one way to ensure a furious comeback won’t be needed is to not allow the opposition a goal. The Buffalo Sabres did just that, riding a second period Tim Connolly tally for the duration as Ryan Miller turned aside all 30 Montreal shots in a Sunday afternoon 1-0 victory.
With 13:04 left in the second period Jason Pominville carried the puck down the left side of the ice and fed Connolly in front. Montreal goaltender Carey Price stopped the first attempt, but Connolly whacked the rebound past him to get a point for the sixth straight games.
After the Bills wrap up their dreadful season against the Indianapolis Colts, stay right here for Sal Capaccio’s “Bufffalo Bills Now!” live UStream show. Sal will review the game, bring you the latest Bill Cowher news and set you up for what’s sure to be an intense week for Buffalo Bills fans everywhere.
On Saturday evening, Buffalo News senior NFL writer Mark Gaughn added some names he’s hearing to the mix, including a few surprises in Jim Harbaugh, Cam Cameron and Chris Peterson as well as the usual suspects in Jim Haslett and Jim Fassel. Perry Fewell courtesy interview thanks for stopping by is also expected to receive an interview according to Nix.
The Buffalo Sabres skate into Montreal to face their Northeast division rivals Sunday afternoon and if the past two games are any indication, don’t walk away from your television set if the Canadiens grab a 3-0 lead. Buffalo has spotted Pittsburgh and Atlanta three goals in their last two contests before coming back in dramatic fashion to win 4-3 on both occasions. As a result they’re 6-2-2 in their last 10 and with an Eastern Conference second-best 54 points, are full of confidence.
Head coach Lindy Ruff doesn’t expect the massive comebacks to continue.
“We’re not going to keep coming back from 3-0,” Ruff told reporters after practice Saturday. “We’re right on the cusp of either getting it figured out and going one way, or looking pretty bad.”
So the season is coming to a close for the Bills, but that doesn’t mean you can’t watch the final game over an awesome dinner (or lunch, seeing that the game’s at 1:00). Since I’m feeling a little sad and nostalgic about this being my last post of the season, I’ve been looking through my old Buffalo Sports Daily posts, as well as my Unemployed Chef blog posts.
For today’s game against the Colts, you deserve a delicious (and easy) homestyle meal. Yeah, 8 Bills are out for Sunday, and who knows what Colts they’ll pull this time, but YOU will still be watching. So you deserve to be rewarded. Just for you, I’ve pulled (and tweaked) the very first recipe I’ve EVER posted on The Unemployed Chef: Breaded Chicken Strips, Oven-roasted Asparagus & Roasted Potatoes with Roasted Red Pepper Purée. Yeah, it sounds fancy, but I swear it’s not. I don’t give you fancy. I give you easy. I give you cheap. I give you delicious. And, most importantly, I give you a chance to revisit the FUGLY 49′¢ green placemats from my early recipes that all you bitches love to hate (don’t think I haven’t read your comments). Enjoy!
Go Bills! (or Colts if you’re looking to boost your draft stock)
Saturday afternoon was a dreadful day of local college basketball for Niagara, Canisius and St. Bonaventure. All three took the court against tough but beatable teams, and all three came away on the losing end of the stick.
Niagara played at the HSBC Arena as part of a MAAC doubleheader against Iona and the Purple Eagles led by as much at 10 points midway through the second half, but couldn’t make baskets down the stretch and eventually lost 63-60.
Senior Bilal Benn had a game-high 21 points to go with nine rebounds, but missed a potential game winning shot in the waning seconds and a pair of Iona free throws with 1.4 seconds left sealed Niagara’s fate.
It’s still just another step of many things that need to happen, but another alleged Bill Cowher 2010 destination may be closed off.
Last week it was reported that Carolina has offered John Fox and his entire staff the opportunity to return for the 2010 season. Now it looks like Tampa Bay may be out of the Cowher mix as well. Pro Football Talk, citing a source says that Bucs head coach Raheem Morris has been told both he and his staff will be back in 2010.
Carolina and Tampa were both teams where widespread speculation mounted towards Cowher resuming his coaching career.
“I have not had any contact with the Bills so far,” Billick said in the report. Cole said he attempted to contact the Bills but the team didn’t respond with a comment prior to publication.
Billick was the Baltimore Ravens coach from 1999 to 2007, compiling a 80-64 record during that time and coached the Ravens to a Super Bowl in 2000.
Billick was fired at the end of the 2007 season after the team slipped from 13-3 in 2006 to just 5-11 in ’07. He’s been a television analyst for Fox Sports since 2008.
This is the second report of the Bills being interested in a coaching candidate today. Earlier we reported that general manager Buddy Nix will ask the San Diego Chargers for permission to interview defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.
We’ll bring more information to you as it becomes available.
UPDATE:Brian Schottenheimer will also interview for the Bills job, according to Yahoo Sports. He’s been the New York Jets offensive coordinator since 2006. He’s 36-years old. He was a finalist for the Jets head coaching job last year before the team decided to hire Rex Ryan.
There’s a next-to-zero chance Perry Fewell’s transitory run at head coach continues beyond the season finale against Indianapolis. For one, fans will never buy his interim tag being changed to permanent. Keeping Fewell in charge of shot calling would be the same as Ralph Wilson pleading for season ticket sales to plummet. The team is just 2-4 under his leadership and in many ways has resembled the squad that went 24-33 under Dick Jauron. The offense continued to be as wretched under Fewell as it’s ever been, while conservative game planning and foolhardy penalties continue to be the norm.
But that doesn’t mean Fewell’s tenure in Buffalo is completely over. While general manager Buddy Nix said last Thursday he’d interview Fewell for the head coaching job when the season ends, we all know that’s little more than a formality. Fewell won’t be the 2010 head coach, but it doesn’t automatically discard him from continuing on the staff.
Rumors on the Bills head coaching search are sure to fly over the next several days if not weeks, and I’ve learned of one coordinator who could be a strong candidate.
Despite hinting strongly during his introductory press conference that he’d likely hire a head coach with previous experience, a source tells me defensive coordinator Ron Rivera will be high on new general manager Buddy Nix’s list of candidates for the Bills head coaching position.
To interview Rivera, Nix would have to get permission from the San Diego Chargers. He’s been their defensive coordinator since the midpoint of the 2008 season and previously served in the same role with the Chicago Bears from 2004-06. Chicago went to the Super Bowl in ‘06 with a defense that ranked fifth in the NFL under his leadership.
The Buffalo Sabres certainly don’t want to make this habit, but for the time being they’ll gladly take it. For the first time in franchise history the team erased a three-goal deficit for the second consecutive game. Buffalo spotted the Atlanta Thrashers a three spot late into the second period before coming back to eventually win in overtime, 4-3.
The end came when a Tyler Myers shoot in took a funny hop along the boards past Atlanta goaltender Johan Hedberg that took a funny bounce out in front to the waiting stick of Derek Roy, who put the puck into the uncontested net.
I’ve received a lot of questions recently regarding what will happen next year if the league goes to an “uncapped” year. I’ve also read a lot of misinformation on many websites about the rules governing the 2010 “uncapped” season, and how 2010 free agency is impacted.
So, I’ve listed the common questions asked, and the factual answers to each, straight from the NFL.
Q. When does the CBA expire should there be no extension to the agreement?
A. In March of 2011.
By now, you’ve probably heard that the Buffalo Bills have a new General Manager in long-time scout and front office executive Buddy Nix. The news is still fresh and initial opinions are still rolling in; as such, I’m in need of a mind dump. Here’s everything I think about the Nix hiring while it’s still hot off the presses.
This was a step in the right direction. I’ve maintained for quite some time – and most Bills fans thoroughly agreed with the sentiment – that Buffalo needed to get a GM in place. That deed is now done. Buffalo’s got a football guy calling the shots, which no matter which way you slice it is a step in the right direction.
As impassioned as UB fans have been about the close losses and play calling in football this past season, nothing, and I mean nothing, is more likely to make two UB faithful come closer to exchanging blows than the state of UB Basketball. In a way last season’s football title, combined with mixed basketball results, have brought the issue to a head.
Anyone who has not long followed UB Basketball might not know the circumstances behind the arrival of coach Reggie Witherspoon. In December of 1999 UB Coach Tom Cohane resigned when substantial allegations arose around his recruiting practices. In march of 2001 those violations would result in probation and penalties. So days before one of the biggest home games in UB history, the university hired the then ECC head coach as their interim coach. He took over a team that was just 5-24 the year before he arrived.
Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com is reporting, via Twitter, that the Buffalo Bills have fired their entire coaching staff a day after the Bills’ 2009 season came to a close.
Forty-one down, forty-one to go. At the halfway point, Buffalo (26-11-4) is leading the Northeast Division, is second in the Eastern Conference, and fourth overall in the NHL. All of that, and they still have games in hand over most of the league. They’re currently on a four-game win streak, and have only missed out on points twice in the last 10 games.
Behind a two-goal effort by senior Egor Mironov (Thornhill, Ont.), the Niagara men’s hockey team (4-11-2, 1-3-1 CHA) defeated the Colgate Raiders (7-8-4, 5-3-1 ECAC) by a score of 5-1 in the consolation game of the 2010 Shillelagh Tournament on Sunday afternoon.
The University at Buffalo wrestling team edged Binghamton, 19-16 on Sunday evening at Alumni Arena. Sophomore Kevin Smith propelled the Bulls to victory as he earned his third technical fall of the season at 133. Earning bonus points for the Bulls were junior Jimmy Hamel and senior Dan Bishop as each recorded major decisions at 197 and 133, respectively.
The one way to ensure a furious comeback won’t be needed is to not allow the opposition a goal. The Buffalo Sabres did just that, riding a second period Tim Connolly tally for the duration as Ryan Miller turned aside all 30 Montreal shots in a Sunday afternoon 1-0 victory.
♦ The Bills close out their NFL season today against the Colts and Indianapolis Star reporter Phil Richards examines the 
Saturday afternoon was a dreadful day of local college basketball for Niagara, Canisius and St. Bonaventure. All three took the court against tough but beatable teams, and all three came away on the losing end of the stick.
The Buffalo Sabres certainly don’t want to make this habit, but for the time being they’ll gladly take it. For the first time in franchise history the team erased a three-goal deficit for the second consecutive game. Buffalo spotted the Atlanta Thrashers a three spot late into the second period before coming back to eventually win in overtime, 4-3.
As impassioned as UB fans have been about the close losses and play calling in football this past season, nothing, and I mean nothing, is more likely to make two UB faithful come closer to exchanging blows than the state of UB Basketball. In a way last season’s football title, combined with mixed basketball results, have brought the issue to a head.
