Jeremy White is at One Bills Drive for today's announcement that Chan Gailey is the team's next head coach.  Here's a running commentary of thoughts along the way.

1:40 - I’m sitting here looking at everyone in the media room.  Reporters are exchanging “so what do you make of it”s just to get a feel for the press conference.  I get the feeling that Chan Gailey on his OWN MERIT is qualified to do this.  It’s going to be somewhat unfair to Gailey to have to put up with: 1. The thought that we might have had Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan.  2.  The failures of Dick Jauron, Mike Mularkey, Ralph Wilson, Tom Modrak, John Guy, and the list goes on and on and on.

1:52 - Going through my emails, it’s going to be a tough sell to most fans.  I’m waiting for/planning on asking this question:  Were you surprised to find how difficult it was to get through this process? (or some variation of it)

1:57 - This room is as full as I’ve seen it.  One media member comments, “Imagine what this’d look like if they’d hired a real coach.”  My thought?  They might have had to open the stadium for one of the guys we talked about.  But alas, into reality....and the new coach.

2:08 - Still waiting.  

2:11 - Buddy Nix begins...

Sometimes it’s like Christmas morning...you don’t get everything on your list.  This search included Perry Fewell, Leslie Frazier.  Those are the two guys that have been reported accurately that we talked to.

They’re not admitting that they talked to Harbaugh or Cowher.  Makes sense...why would you?  

20% of the things that were reported had some truth to them.  80% was complete fabrication.  It was amusing and made some good stories.  I’ll come back to this later FOR SURE!!!!

THIS makes me mad.

2:20 - Chan takes the stand

Here’s a guy who is BACK in the NFL.  I’m convinced in one second that he’ll be motivated to succeed.  These guys are generally motivated.  Will that be enough?

He goes out of his way to make the point that he and Buddy are in charge of the football, and that they are on the same page.  

2:21 - Just occurs to me now...no Ralph here.

2:22 - Do coaches take classes in how to give their OPENING speech to the media?  They all have great things to say on day one, dont they?  Chan is firing off about trick plays being fun, but fundamentals being more important.  Ok.  Right.  

2:23 - Last but not least he believes in character.  That’s fine.  Chalk this up as the “I’ll probably do away with Marshawn Lynch” portion of the speech.

QUESTIONS:

Cowher comes up:

Gailey says he’s learned a lot from Bill Cowher.  If he REALLY wants to win over Buffalo Bills fans, he might want to lob a phone call to his former coach and tell him to come on WGR to talk about how great he is.  I’m not kidding.  If Bill Cowher really believes that, wouldn’t he want to scream it to the mountaintops?  

Did you ever think you’d get back to the NFL?

Hey, sometimes you see chances go by and wonder.  He’s excited.

How are you going to deal with a disspirited fanbase?

“Win games”

Will you be HC and OC?

YES.  A FIRM ANSWER.  I like that.  A lot.  Good answer.  Score a few points for Chan Gailey.

2:27 - 

How are you going to attract a good strong offensive coordinator if he’s not going to HAVE the job?

They’re essentially going to have a no name staff.  It’s not about big names, it’s about TEACHERS.  Everybody on the team has a role, and they’re going to try to get the best people to help them build a winner.  GREAT question from Sully.

What kind of offense will we see...what’s your offensive philosophy?

We don’t have a name for our offense.  We’re going to do whatever it takes to score touchdowns.  He seems like the kind of guy that is going to cater to the talent on the team, rather than try to get the talent to fit HIS scheme.

“Gotta run the football” (The Colts and Chargers would beg to differ, so would last year’s AZ Cardinals)

How about those QBs?

It’s unfair to evaluate the QBs at this point.  He needs film.  How about instead he has a web poll about who the Bills starting QB should be.  Here’s what it’d look like:

1. Someone on the roster
2. Someone else.

Blowout.

2:32 - I get the sense the media is just warming up and I know that we’ll be cut short soon...count on it.  5 more minutes tops.

2:33 - He’s VERY open to the 3-4.  It seems that’s the way that this league is going.  It might be time to catch up.

Question:  Seems this is the “Siberia of the NFL”? (from Leo Roth)

Chan has the right answer.  It’s nuts not to want to come here.  That’s the “Right” answer.

Buddy Nix WANTED to answer but it got brushed away...I’m going to bring it back.

Buddy battles back and fights it off.  Says he gets 15 calls per day about this job with some big name guys interested in the position.  He even goes to:  “Oakland gets a lot of calls”....Oh....My....GOD....

Sully challenges the idea that 80% of the stories out there were false.  THIS might be what comes out of the press conference more than anything. 

We will not know whether or not Chan Gailey is going to be any good for a few months, maybe a year or two.  We do know this.  EVERY NFL reporter and source is claiming that all of the top name candidates wanted nothing to do with the Bills job.  They claim that those stories are mostly fabrications.  

What’s the truth?

Here’s the TOUGH part of the NFL and the relationship with the media.  Buddy Nix among his comments says “I thought that’s how we play this game”.

So who’s telling the truth?  Who’s playing the media?  What are agents out there for?  Their own clients.  What is the team out for?  It’s own interests.

What do WE want to do?  Sift through it and give you the truth.  That’s the battle and that’s why random blogs can sometimes come through with good information.

Funny isn't it?  The thing that made me mad, and irked me 5 minutes into the press conference came back around to be a big sticking point in the end.
 

All the best...signing off until tomorrow morning at 6 AM.  Talk to you then.