Bills should venture outward for new G.M.

By Connor Byrne  |   Tuesday, January 01, 2008  |  Comments( 34 )

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Thanks to the sudden, surprising departure of Marv Levy on Monday, the Buffalo Bills -- for the third time this decade -- have to find a new general manager. Levy, an 82-year-old who coached the Bills to four AFC titles in the early 1990s, ran the personnel ship in Buffalo for two seasons but felt he accomplished his goal, which was to stabilize the franchise, and stepped down.

Whether Levy did anything of great significance in two short years is open for debate, but the bottom line is that the Bills must find a suitable successor to take them from back-to-back seven-win seasons to the playoffs, a place they haven't been since 1999. Levy, despite his eagerness to pursue other interests, will stay with the Bills as a consultant and help them find his replacement.

Since Levy's decision became public Sunday evening, plenty of possible successors have been bandied about by fans and media. While some believe the team ought to find a way to land a high-profile, proven G.M., others think the organization is headed in a positive direction and should promote from within, thus keeping things 100 percent stable.

In truth, though, stability is not necessarily what the slightly below-average Bills need right now, and that is why they should look outside of team headquarters for Levy's replacement. Had the Bills miraculously made the postseason or even finished with a winning record, perhaps it would have been prudent to hire an in-house candidate, whether it's director of pro personnel John Guy, executive vice president of business operations Russ Brandon or salary-cap guru Jim Overdorf.

But with the team not really going anywhere in particular, a fresh face from elsewhere is its best bet.

If owner Ralph Wilson -- whose search for the new G.M. will begin next week -- makes the wrong decision and puts his stamp of approval on mediocrity by hiring someone from inside the organization, expect the Bills' eight-year playoff drought to live on for a while longer with dull head coach Dick Jauron at the helm.

"I don't know what we'll do," Wilson told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

For now, Wilson's unwillingness to commit to either Jauron or whether Levy's successor will come from within One Bills Drive should be good news for fans.

After all, a vote of confidence for the status quo would be nothing more than OKing a team that is a long way from true contention.

*E-mail: cbyrne@realfootball365.com.

RealFootball365.com: Where there is never an offseason for the Buffalo Bills.
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CommentsComments: 34  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
florida dennis		09:55 AM
01/01/2008
Marv leaving really caught me by surprise. I was really depressed for awhile but I got over it. If I still lived in Buffalo it...
No.2
Ron		10:42 AM
01/01/2008
Connor, kudos to you for posting an article when you could have been reasonably expected to sleep in after a night of binge...
No.3
Nate		11:11 AM
01/01/2008
Happy New Year! Connor I think you're being New Years generous calling the Bills slightly above average. Three consecutive...
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