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PFT: Report: Gruden was Buffalo's first choice


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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/11/20/report-gruden-was-buffalos-first-choice/

Posted by Mike Florio on November 20, 2009 11:54 PM ET

As the Buffalo Bills commence the search for the teams' next head coach, owner Ralph Willson apparently was trying to line up the team's next head coach even before the most recent head coach was fired.

According to WIVB-TV, the Bills "went after [Jon Gruden] hard." The efforts reportedly included a face-to-face meeting.

Given that Dick Jauron was fired on Tuesday and Gruden signed a supposedly "exclusive" contract extension on Monday, it's possible that the face-to-face meeting occurred before Jauron was fired.

It's also possible that Gruden met with the Bills regarding their coaching vacancy after Jauron was fired -- and thus after Gruden signed his supposedly "exclusive" deal.

If the report of the team's effort to land Gruden is accurate, the Bills would have at a minimum violated the spirit of the Rooney Rule, since any interview of a minority candidate that would have occurred if Gruden had tentatively accepted the offer would have been a sham aimed merely at complying with the letter of the mandate.

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it's hard to hire midseason...I doubt they sign anyone before the end of the season.

That being said, I don't think they necessarily will be locked out of the big names, even if the job is less desirable. There are a ton of big name coaches currently available, and many who have experience in small market, cold climates.

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As someone who listens to Buffalo's SportsTalk radio WGR550am -- and quite frankly one of the best sports talk radio stations in the country -- religiously every day... this rumor hasn't been reported at all. So I'd question it's legitimacy.

They have met with Shanahan... and it's rumored he's their highest priority. Shanahan has said he'd "listen" to the opportunity. Cowher has said he's not interested at the moment.... he's looking to get back into the game in 2010 but won't even begin to listen to offers until the offseason.

Schottenheimer has said he has absolutely no interest in coming out of retirement to coach but would offer his services as a consultant.

And Ralph Wilson is rumored (ie. La Canfora) to be willing to spend up to $10M annually to bring in a football czar to take over operations.

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http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/mike-shanahan-talks-to-the-bills/?tid=sfl

Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan met for seven hours in Denver with Bills chief operating officer Russ Brandon on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

"We had an excellent meeting," Shanahan told Schefter today. "I was really impressed with Russ Brandon and everything he had to say. We're going to stay in touch and see what develops."

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