Bills won't renew head coach Williams' contract

Brian Bahr/Getty Images By the Numbers Gregg Williams' coaching record Year W L T 2001 3 13 0 2002 8 8 0 2003 6 10 0 Totals 17 31 0

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- An inability to meet raised expectations ended Gregg Williams' tenure as head coach of the Buffalo Bills on Monday.

Bills President Tom Donahoe informed Williams that his contract will not be renewed following a meeting early in the afternoon. Williams was in the process of completing the final year of a three-year contract and finishes with a 17-31 record in Buffalo.

The decision comes two days after the Bills (6-10) closed out a discouraging season with a 31-0 loss at New England, and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. It also marked Buffalo's fourth straight non-winning season, the longest such stretch since 1982-87.

Williams' inability to develop a much-improved roster into a playoff contender was considered a key to the team's decision. The Bills played well below expectations this season, after Donahoe had bolstered the team with several major offseason free agent additions, including linebacker Takeo Spikes, tackle Sam Adams and safety Lawyer Milloy.

And the Bills, coming off a promising 8-8 season, raised expectations further when they opened the season with two straight victories.

The Bills unraveled particularly down the stretch, losing seven of their last nine games, including their last two by a combined scored of 51-3.

Williams' play-calling has been questioned and, this year he was blamed -- along with offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride -- for a sputtering Drew Bledsoe-led offense that finished with some of the worst numbers in franchise history.

By the end of this season, several players, including cornerback Antoine Winfield and running back Travis Henry, were openly questioning the Bills pass-first offensive philosophy.

Believing he could lead the Bills to the playoffs this year, Williams took what is considered a calculated risk by turning down a contract extension offered by the team last spring.

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The Bills now join four other teams -- the New York Giants, Atlanta, Chicago and Arizona -- that are currently conducting coaching searches.

Among the initial candidates considered in the running to replace Williams are Jim Fassel, dismissed as Giants coach at the end of this season, and Tom Coughlin, who has spent one year out of coaching after being dismissed by Jacksonville.

Some have also speculated that current New Orleans coach Jim Haslett could be a candidate even though he is still under contract with the Saints. Haslett is a former Bills player.

Williams, a former Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator, took over in February 2001 following Wade Phillips' dismissal.

With a patchwork, salary-cap strapped lineup, the Bills went 3-13 in Williams' first season.

The Bills rebounded in 2002 to finish 8-8, sparked by the acquisition of Bledsoe, who was acquired in a trade with New England.

Williams and Donahoe were expected to speak Monday at separate news conferences.