Bills

Defense

Edwards, who was hired in 2010, will be replaced by former Bears and Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt, who served as the Bills’ linebackers coach in 2011. Edwards’ firing is hardly without cause, as the Bills were 30th in points allowed and 26th in yards allowed one season after ranking 28th and 24th, respectively. Wannstedt should be an upgrade, but lacks building blocks outside of NT Marcell Dareus and FS Jairus Byrd.

Pettine’s contract with the Jets expired after the season and he reportedly wanted to stretch his own wings outside of Rex Ryan’s defensive shadow. So he makes the lateral move inside the division and joins new coach Doug Marrone’s staff. Pettine’s unit ranked eighth in 2012 despite losing Darrelle Revis for the season in Week 3. And in the three years before that, the Jets’ defense was inside the top-five each season. The Bills, who have bounced between a 3-4 and a 4-3 over the last two years, have some serious building blocks on defense in DE Mario Williams, DT Marcell Dareus and CB Stephon Gilmore. Pettine figures to bring an aggressive, blitz-heavy scheme to Buffalo.

Bills-to-Jets defensive coordinator would be a lateral move, so the Jets could block Pettine from interviewing if they so choose. Pettine has consistently fielded top-notch defenses in New York, after following Rex Ryan over from the Ravens in 2009. He’d be joining new coach Doug Marrone’s staff in Buffalo.

The Jets were widely known as a 3-4 team during Pettine’s four-year tenure, but he called that a misconception. “The cornerstone of our system is its flexibility and its multiplicity,” Pettine said. “We’ll be in 3-4, we’ll be in 4-3, we’ll be in 46. If you can draw up a front, we’ll probably be in it.” Under Pettine (and Rex Ryan), New York’s defense never ranked lower than eighth in the NFL in yards allowed. Last season, the Bills ranked 22nd.

Pettine’s contract runs through the 2012 season, so he will technically be a coaching free agent in a few weeks. Normally, the Jets could deny the request by the Bills, but they don’t really have much control over Pettine. As you may recall, Pettine turned down an extension in New York just last month. Bills head coach Doug Marrone is said to be seeking experienced coordinators, and Pettine would fit the bill.

Tucker is among the Jacksonville assistant coaches currently in limbo as the organization searches for a new GM. Tucker interviewed for the University of Wisconsin head-coaching job last month. His 2012 defense ranked No. 30 in the NFL in total yards, but checked in as the sixth-best defense in 2011. Tucker has been the defensive coordinator in Jacksonville since 2009.

The dates of the Smith and Marrone interviews are undisclosed. The Kelly interview took place late Friday in Arizona. It must’ve been brief because he was with the Browns all day. Kelly will interview with the Eagles on Saturday. The Bills interviewed Ken Whisenhunt on Wednesday. They will apparently interview Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton on Saturday.

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora also confirms that Cleveland, along with Arizona obviously, will also interview Horton for the head coach job. The consensus on Monday seems to be that Buffalo will hire a defensive mind to help turn around an uber-talented and high-priced defensive unit that badly underachieved in 2012. Lovie Smith has also been connected to the job. Horton’s defense in Arizona ranked No. 12 in total yards per game this year.

Much like Andy Reid, Whisenhunt is not expected to be out of work for long after getting fired by the Cardinals on Monday. He’ll be interviewing for the Bills’ job along with the likes of his former defensive coordinator Ray Horton, Syracuse coach Doug Marrone and possibly ex-Bears coach Lovie Smith. Whisenhunt went 45-41 in six seasons with the Cardinals and led them to their only Super Bowl appearance. He has a connection to fast-rising Bills assistant GM Doug Whaley, who was in the Steelers’ front office when Whisenhunt was a coordinator there.

The Bills are casting a wide net in their search to replace Chan Gailey. They’ve been linked to Chip Kelly, Ray Horton, Doug Marrone and Ken Whisenhunt. Smith’s turnover-forcing Cover-two defense that worked wonders in Chicago would certainly fit well in Buffalo. Although the Bills ranked 26th in points allowed last year, their defense is laden with talent. Smith was fired by the Bears Monday despite going 10-6 this season and posting a 81-63 overall record during his tenure that included one Super Bowl appearance.