Chan Gailey is in his third year as coach of the Bills, and the results so far have not been impressive: Gailey went 4-12 in 2010, 6-10 in 2011 and is now 3-4. But according to his boss, his job is not in jeopardy.
Bills General Manager Buddy Nix says there is no chance at all that anyone other than Gailey will coach the Bills in 2013.
“He’s got a year – or more,” Nix told the Buffalo News.
Nix says he has heard the talk in Buffalo that Gailey should be out of work if the Bills don’t make the playoffs, but he dismisses that. According to Nix, the Bills have a plan in place and they’re going to see that plan to fruition.
“Yeah, and I hope I can put that to rest,” Nix said when asked about talk that Gailey could be on the hot seat. “The age-old thing – and they’ve done it around here for years – is to start over about every three years. What that does is make damn sure you don’t make it. . . . You change every three years and you never quite get there. That’s my take.”
Nix doesn’t sound quite as sold on defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt, however. Although Nix didn’t explicitly say so, it’s sounding more and more like Wannstedt will be the fall guy in Buffalo because the Bills’ defense has played poorly.
“I think Chan is the best – he’s one of the best offensive coaches in the league,” Nix said. “We’re playing three phases of our team – two of them are playing well, and we have to get the other one up to par.”
A lot can change over the final nine games of the season, but at the moment, Nix is insisting that Gailey will stick around. Even if the Bills are out of the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season.
Of course, if the Bills are out of the playoffs, Nix’s job may not be safe.