The Buffalo Bills have requested interviews with offensive coordinators Pep Hamilton and Hue Jackson for their head coaching vacancy.
The Buffalo Bills are searching far and wide for their next head coach after being spurned by Doug Marrone. They’ve been tied to just about every major known candidate out there, and now they’re turning to some less obvious choices in the field. Two men hard at work on Wild Card weekend will have the chance to interview for a head coaching vacancy at One Bills Drive.
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First, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Bills have requested permission to interview Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who would bring offensive acumen and head coaching experience to the table. Jackson coached one season for the Oakland Raiders, going 8-8, before becoming a victim of the never-ending Raiders coaching carousel.
Bills fans would like Jackson because of the work he’s done improving the running game at virtually every stop of his in the NFL. The Bengals ranked 6th in the league with over 134 rushing yards per game, despite injuries and inconsistency plaguing starter Giovani Bernard.
The Bills — one of the best rushing teams from 2013 — finished 25th in the league in rushing in 2014 and will need a strong running game to deal with whatever difficult situation at quarterback they end up with in September.
Rapoport also said the Bills plan to request an interview with Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, who is considered a rising star in the coaching ranks. As Mark Sessler writes:
"One source close to Hamilton told Rapoport: “I promise you he’s going to impress any owner he sits down with. He is literally a machine with his wealth of knowledge.”"
Rapoport does note however that Hamilton is in no rush to jump at the first head coaching position available. Life is good when you’re calling plays for Andrew Luck and Hamilton recognizes as much. Given the QB situation in Buffalo, it would be an uphill battle to match the offensive success he’s had in Indy.
The Bills have already been tied to offensive coordinators Adam Gase and Darren Bevell of the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, but it’s hard to tell if this is the route on which the team is set.
They’ve been rumored to be after a ‘football czar‘ of sorts despite being turned down by Bill Polian, which could change the course of their focus in their search for a new sideline boss. Whoever the Bills choose, that coach will be tasked with maintaining the status quo with a top five defense while improving an offense in dire need of a quarterback.
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