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Top Billing Titans' Williams emerges as front-runner for Buffalo post
Updated: Thursday February 01, 2001 2:44 AM
By Don Banks, Sports Illustrated The Buffalo Bills will not announce a decision on their head-coaching vacancy until Thursday, but indications are Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has emerged as a surprisingly strong contender for the job and could be offered the position, according to sources in Buffalo. Williams has apparently passed Giants defensive coordinator John Fox on the Bills' list, and he may be on the verge of supplanting Baltimore defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis in the race for the only remaining vacant NFL head-coaching job. Williams, 42, is the architect of a Tennessee defense that was ranked No. 1 in the league this season, finishing just ahead of the Ravens' more celebrated unit in terms of yards allowed per game. But he all along has been viewed as the third-leading candidate for the position, at best, behind Lewis and Fox. Williams interviewed last week and has no former ties to Bills general manager Tom Donahoe, unlike both Lewis and Fox. Just days after his star couldn't possibly have ascended any higher -- with a Super Bowl championship added to his credentials -- Lewis appears in danger of being shut out of a head-coaching vacancy this offseason. Lewis was contacted by Donahoe early Wednesday evening and told that a decision would not be made until Thursday morning, said Lewis' agent, Ray Anderson.
"Tom told Marvin that a decision is forthcoming in the morning," said Anderson, who has been ensconced in a Baltimore hotel since Monday evening, when Lewis interviewed for five hours with Donahoe. "We've come this far, so we're going to stick it out." Anderson said he did not want to over-interpret what the longer-than-expected decision-making process meant for Lewis' front-running candidacy, but from all indications the delay is in no way seen as a good development for his client. "We're not real comfortable with the timing of the thing," Anderson said. "Our experience is these things happen a lot of quicker. Certainly it causes us some pause, but staying [with the Ravens] is always an option for Marvin. "It's certainly not something we want to do or I wouldn't be staying up here in Baltimore waiting for a decision. It's not our preference that he stay in Baltimore. Hell, he wants the Buffalo Bills' head-coaching job. That's what we're waiting on." If the Bills do indeed cross up conventional wisdom and hire Williams rather than Lewis, Buffalo will no doubt be leaving itself open to a potential storm of criticism, coming from both within the NFL and the coaching community. Lewis was considered the hottest of the head-coaching prospects this offseason, and his defense is coming off two consecutive years in which it ranked No. 2 in the league. In addition, the Ravens set NFL records this season for fewest points allowed (165) and fewest rushing yards allowed per game (60.0). Baltimore stormed through the postseason led by Lewis' defense, and gave up just 23 points (5.75 per game) en route to winning the franchise's first Super Bowl title. Lewis was considered the top choice in both Buffalo and Cleveland, but because of league rules prohibiting teams from contacting coaches of teams still playing, he had to wait until after the Super Bowl to interview. When Cleveland pulled its own surprise Monday, hiring University of Miami head coach Butch Davis without even interviewing Lewis or Fox, as planned, Lewis' leverage in the job market was cut in half. In addition, the Bills would be bypassing their own former defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, who was the first to interview for the job. Cottrell's Buffalo defense was ranked No. 1 in the league last season and his candidacy had the overwhelming support of Bills players after owner Ralph Wilson fired third-year head coach Wade Phillips on Jan. 8. Both Lewis and Cottrell are well-qualified African American coaches with strong coordinator experience -- precisely the type of candidate the NFL has been eager to see rewarded in light of its dismal recent minority hiring record. When the Jets hired former Tampa Bay assistant head coach/defensive backs coach Herman Edwards two weeks ago, it appeared, with Lewis waiting in the wings, the league would double its contingent of black head coaches to four. Indications are the Bills' reasons for leaning toward Williams might in large part be financial. Lewis appears to have the strongest resume and would be in position to command more money than either Williams or Fox. While Lewis has yet to have detailed contract discussions with Donahoe, the Bills are believed to be fearful of the salary he might request. In 1999, Baltimore head coach Brian Billick received a six-year contract averaging $1.5 million a season from the Ravens. Billick is also represented by Anderson, and it is believed that Lewis' contract demands would be in line with the deal that Baltimore handed out two years ago. Buffalo is not thought to be ready to make that kind of financial commitment to any candidate without prior head-coaching experience. Wilson is known as one of the most thrifty of NFL owners and has a long track record of paying his coaches and key front office personnel in the bottom third of the league. Wilson fired his longtime and successful general manager John Butler in mid-December, for in effect refusing to accept a contract extension offer that was well below Butler's value. Butler later accepted the San Diego general manager job for a significant raise. Wilson nearly lost out on hiring Donahoe as Butler's replacement when the financial package Wilson offered was something less than overwhelming. Donahoe hesitated for several days, as his name came up in regard to other NFL general manager openings, before agreeing to terms with the Bills. If Lewis loses out on the Bills' job, maybe the happiest people will be his wife, Peggy, and his two children, Whitney and Marcus. Lewis' family does not want to leave Baltimore, and especially not for Buffalo. Sports Illustrated's Peter King contributed to this story.
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