Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone watched one of his top assistants, former defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, leave the team on Thursday to take over as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
While Marrone will now have to find a way to fill the void left by Pettine’s departure, he wanted to take the time to congratulate his former assistant on the new gig.
“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Mike on becoming the Browns new head coach and thank him for all of his time and efforts with our team this past season,” Marrone said, via the Bills’ official website. “He did an excellent job of improving our defense and we wish him the best.
“We have a plan in place and we will introduce our new defensive coordinator after our final decision has been made.”
There are no names currently attached to the job, but you would have to wonder whether or not the Bills would consider bringing back former head coach Wade Phillips to take over the defense. He has the experience and can work his scheme with the current personnel in Buffalo, so it could be a perfect fit.