ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buddy Nix’s introductory news conference provided quite a bit of between-the-lines insight on how he plans to approach the Buffalo Bills.



His first major decision will be to hire a head coach, and although he declined to discuss names, it sure sounded like interim coach Perry Fewell won’t be the choice.



Here are a few highlights I picked up from Nix’s Q&A with reporters Thursday at One Bills Drive.



The Bills want a coach with a proven track record. In outlining the qualities he most values in a head coach, Nix stressed the ability to assemble a staff. Fewell’s only head coaching experience will have been the seven games Buffalo gave him after firing Dick Jauron.



“Another thing that’s important, more so maybe sometimes than the head coach, is the assistants and the coordinators,” Nix said. “If a head coach is a good CEO, then you got good coordinators and good offensive and defensive line coaches, you gotta have a good quarterback coach, somebody that can get that guy better — and I’m not reflecting on anybody we got — those are the guys you gotta have, a guy that can put a staff together.”



Nix said Fewell will be interviewed for the job when the season is over, but Nix indicated he values experience in that role.



“I believe that a guy that’s been a head coach probably has an advantage,” Nix said. “There’s not a way to prepare for it. It’s different. I don’t care how good an assistant you are or whatever, when you get to be the head man and got it all, you might be successful and you might not. You’re rolling the dice.



“It’s not a must that a guy’s been a head coach, but it is important, I think.”



Don’t expect the Bills to dump a lot of cash into the free-agent market. Nix expressed his preference to building through the draft, dedicated money to players already on the roster and supplementing areas of need with mid-range free agents, not superstars.



Nix’s philosophies sounded to be in direct contrast to the way the Bills have operated in recent years. The Bills have lost such players as Jason Peters, Pat Williams, London Fletcher, Nate Clements and Antoine Winfield because they refused to pay them.



“I’ve seen it done both ways over a number of years,” Nix said, “but free agency to me should be middle-priced to below-priced guys, not the high-dollar guy that’s going to bring you the big bang when you sign him.



“That money ought to go to our guys that played good and you reward them by extending them and keeping them around. We know what we got. Let’s build that way. Let’s make that team know that we’re going to do that.



“Then we take places that we’re weak after the draft and plug in guys. They don’t have to be star players.”



An overhaul in the strength-and-conditioning department could be looming. One of the first moves Bill Parcells made when the Miami Dolphins hired him as football operations boss was to fire the strength and conditioning coaches because of a relentless number of injuries during their 1-15 season in 2007.



Unsolicited, Nix broached similar concerns about the Bills’ health problems. They have 19 players on injured reserve.



“To me, there’s a lot more to a player being successful than how he was picked or what he was when you picked him,” Nix said. “Obviously, the selection process is first, but second you’ve got to put him in an environment where you can get better.



“You’ve got to have good medical people, good strength trainers. You’ve got to have a coach that knows something about teaching. We ought to be getting better. You ought to get better. They’re not rookies after about eight games, I mean, they’re sophomores. They move up a peg.



“A lot of the things that happened to this team this year injury-wise is unbelievable. And that’s a major concern, and I think something you’ve got to address and see if it’s something that we’re doing or not doing or whether it’s just bad luck. But I think we’ve had it two or three years in a row. That keeps you from getting better.”

One more late-arriving post today. Minnesota defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier offered some cryptic comments Thursday regarding cornerback Antoine Winfield and the team will navigate a foot injury that has clearly limited his effectiveness.

Winfield

After reading the transcript of Frazier’s weekly media session, it’s pretty reasonable to conclude Winfield will have a reduced role Sunday against the New York Giants. Winfield missed six games earlier this season because of what the team has termed a sprain. Here are the relevant questions and answers:



Is it clear that Antoine Winfield is not going to be 100 percent, and do you then plan and adjust accordingly?



Leslie Frazier: That’s pretty much the way we are looking at it. There are some things that we have to do to adjust and help him, and that’s how we have to do it going forward.



Is that the deal, whether he plays or not, that he’s not going to get better until the offseason? Do you think that if he would have been out a couple more weeks it would have helped him?



LF: From everything I understand, for him to be 100 percent, it probably won’t happen until we get through this offseason, actually. He can do certain things, but there are some things he has trouble doing. He’s come a long way, but there are some things that give him a little trouble. From everything I’ve been told, I don’t think giving him more time would have made that much of a difference, based on where we are in the football season.



Given where he is at now, is he still a better option than a healthy backup?



LF: We’re exploring that and talking that through and trying to come to some conclusions in that area.



Against Chicago on Monday night, you used Winfield more in the nickel and put Benny Sapp outside. Is that why?



LF: That was part of it — just trying to do some things to help him understand where he is physically. We’ll continue to tinker with some things; he’s so valuable to us, we just have to find a way to get the most out of what he is able to do, his energy, the big plays he can make for us. But at the same time, you don’t want to put him at risk and put him in situations where he can’t perform at the level he’s accustomed to performing at as well. We’re conscious of that and just trying to find that happy medium to put him in the right position to be successful.



Among other things, Winfield was beat on Chicago’s game-winning 39-yard pass play Monday night to receiver Devin Aromashodu. If I had to guess, I would say he’ll play Sunday against the New York Giants. How much is not entirely clear.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — My initial reaction when I heard the Buffalo Bills had promoted national scout Buddy Nix to general manager was, “This won’t go over well with the fans.”



The Bills went oh-for-the-aughts when it came to the postseason, but there was promise of new beginnings, with talk of hiring a Mike Shanahan or a Bill Cowher. A sad organization seemed on the verge of a desperately needed systemic change.



Then they not only hired from within, but owner Ralph Wilson revealed at a news conference the organization’s short list of candidates produced two finalists — and both of them were already on the payroll.



How depressing.



On the surface.



There’s one important fact that is being overlooked in the immediate reaction to Nix’s promotion: His fingerprints aren’t on this train wreck. At least not yet.



Nix rejoined the Bills less than a year ago. He’d been a key member of the Bills’ front office under general manager John Butler from 1993 through 2000. But when the Bills fired Butler, he took Nix with him to the San Diego Chargers, where they, along with A.J. Smith, ran one of the finest organizations of the past decade.



Nix wasn’t here when the Bills drafted Mike Williams, J.P. Losman and John McCargo in the first round. He didn’t anoint Trent Edwards the franchise quarterback. He didn’t hire Dick Jauron.



I’m not predicting Nix will draft a LaDainian Tomlinson or swing a blockbuster trade to bring a Philip Rivers and a Shawne Merriman, but at least he has been around winning in the past decade, something that can’t be said for many folks at One Bills Drive.



“I can see a little disappointment on your face that one of the geniuses is not standing up here,” Nix told the assembled media Thursday. “I know this isn’t quite what you expected.



“But I’m going to tell you this. It’s kind of like getting up the morning after the draft and reading the newspaper and seeing where you got an A-plus, and two years later, with that same class, you’re getting your tail beat and you get fired.



“It doesn’t matter what kind of splash we make today. What matters is two years or three years down the road, that we got this thing turned in the right direction and we’re winning.”



There was symbolism the Bills called this news conference on New Year’s Eve (and, truth be told, that was the disappointment Nix recognized in the reporters’ faces).



A new decade begins at midnight. As Bills icon Jim Kelly noted, decades are marked by the teams that dominate them. The Bills dominated the AFC in the 1990s, then went dark for the 2000s.



“It is the end of the year. It is the end of a decade,” Kelly said. “We’re moving on to a new era. When you talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers, the decade teams, this is where we start the decade team for the Buffalo Bills.



“You have to think positive.”



Nix declared the Bills are not that far away from being competitive, but Wilson added “I don’t think it’s going to come immediately because I think you build a football team through the draft.”



When Nix joined the Chargers as director of player personnel, they were coming off of a 1-15 season. He claimed the Bills have more to work with now than the Chargers did then.



“We were further away at San Diego when we went in there,” Nix said. “We had very few players in house. We had some luck along the way and were fortunate enough to draft guys that got better through teaching and good coaching.”



Based on the message boards and reactions on talk radio, Bills fans already are disgusted with the Nix appointment.



I’m willing to wait and see. I don’t see this as the same old, same old.



This move just might work.

Peyton Manning is expected to win the NFL MVP award, which will come to light Jan. 9.



Like the three he’s won before, the MVP award won’t come with the support of Indianapolis Star reporter Mike Chappell or any other reporter from any medium who has seen all of Manning’s games. That’s because no one who covers the Colts has a vote.



Manning’s win will be primarily a testament to his performance, and perhaps a bit of a testament to voter habit. It also speaks to the national scope of the league the voters cover and the neutrality of the panel put together by the Associated Press. Still, I believe the system can be seen as somewhat flawed.



The 50 voters will submit their ballots Monday and the news of the seven individual awards and the All-Pro team will start coming out Tuesday.



I’ve voted once, in 1995 when I covered the Raiders for the Oakland Tribune. Back then it was my understanding that there was one voter from each NFL market among the panelists. I am told that hasn’t been the case for some time even though many people, including several voters I’ve spoken with, still believe it is. AP says it has not fueled that impression.



“It’s really pretty tough to put a panel together,” AP sports editor Terry Taylor said. “… We have a core who does a very, very good job — who are contentious, who call, who ask questions, whose jobs really haven’t changed that much. If you look at the list, it is pretty much a national list. That’s not the end all be all, but we don’t tinker with it too much.”



“… If you look at some of the names on here, we’re very proud of this panel. There wasn’t a lot of, ‘Let’s build another contraption.’”



AP is quick to provide the list of voters (see below; it includes three people who work for ESPN: Chris Berman, John Clayton and Chris Mortensen) and I’ve given it a thorough look this week.



Barry Wilner, AP’s football writer, oversees the panel and manages the votes and results. He and AP are not focused on balance, either in terms of voters’ primary focus on their jobs or where they live and work.



“We try to get the most informed vote that we can get,” Taylor said. “That’s not only for this panel, that’s for the polls that we have. It’s folks who pay attention to the game, who cover the game, who make it their business not to focus on just one team but are informed about the sport of pro football.”



The emphasis is on national reporters and analysts who watch multiple games or travel the country getting close looks at numerous teams over the 17-week regular season.



I understand that and think it’s a reasonable approach for the individual awards, though maybe not the most effective way to determine the All-Pro teams. It’s the smattering of local reporters that causes me some concern.



There are 21 by my count who may follow the league but are locked in on one team all season, following a team home and away. Their presence has the potential to throw things off for the 12 teams whose markets don’t have such a focused representative.



It’s complicated, of course. In these economic times, a “national” NFL newspaper writer often isn’t heading to see a different game every week. Instead he can be cast as a home-team columnist on game day or she can report to work one day to find out she’s become part of the coverage team on the local beat. At least a dozen panelists fit that category.



Two voters the AP considers national cover the Cleveland Browns full time, including home and away games. I suspect if a left guard from the AFC South or NFC South — divisions that have only one voter tied to them — lost an All-Pro spot narrowly to a member of the Browns, there could be fair grounds for debate.



“What would we tell somebody if he lost out to a guy from Cleveland?” Taylor said. “We’re pretty transparent. We’d call the voters. You got the list. We don’t keep that a secret. We can ask them what they thought.”



Seeing a player more often in person doesn’t necessarily sway an opinion or a vote. I believe all these people strive to be impartial, following the entire league more than well enough to fill out a fair ballot.



It takes reporting beyond what they do for their jobs to do it well, and if they do it well the AP holds on to them tight. They are unlikely to be praised for getting it right, and very likely to be bashed if something comes to light where they are perceived to be wrong. All for free.



But each person is on the panel because of his specific expertise, which surely has a bearing on his opinion. And through networks that connect them, semi-formal and informal, they exchange thoughts on candidates and make the case for or against players or coaches they cover.



National or not, the fact that the AFC East has a voter connected to each of its teams means more visibility through voters’ lenses for a player on a team in that division than for one in the AFC South or NFC South.



In 2003, when Manning and Steve McNair split the MVP award, there was a voter who covered the Titans, but not one who covered the Colts. The Titans writer backed McNair. If there had been a vote out of Indy, it could have offset that and McNair might not have won his half of the trophy.



That’s an extreme example, and we can pick apart any vote in any variety of ways. But when we’re talking league history, Hall of Fame résumés and contract bonuses, perhaps the potential for such things needs to be minimized.



Geography is not a big factor for AP when considering national voters.



Why should their location be an issue?



Well, I lean toward Cincinnati running back Cedric Benson for comeback player of the year, but Tom Brady is a popular candidate as well. Maybe with TV and the Internet, no one really qualifies as local anymore. Still, I’d feel better about Benson getting a fair shake against such a notable name and story if a Cincinnati representative were in position to make a case for him in the chatter building up to the voting.



It seems most fair to me to have a voter from each of the 32 markets plus national folks, but the days where that’s feasible are probably ending as the media landscape continues to evolve. There were about six spots that changed hands this year.



We shouldn’t expect a perfect distribution, and it shouldn’t be the AP’s goal. It’s not realistic to seek national NFL reporters or analysts who are based in San Diego or Kansas City or Indianapolis.



Still, that 20 percent of the voters are New York-based or 32 percent come from New York, Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia lends itself to complaints of East Coast bias — an issue I am usually loath to give any credence. For a league that extends from San Diego to Miami to Minneapolis, could things be better dispersed?



“You’re looking at this regionally, and I’ve just never looked at it regionally,” Taylor said. “You can see there are voters from the West, the South, the East. I just never broke it down geographically.”



I’ve seen no huge controversy erupt out of AP award results, and I hope one doesn’t come up. If it did, I suspect we’d revisit much of this again.



I also can’t remember a conversation hashing this out, and thought it wouldn’t be a bad thing if we started one here as you check out the 50 people who will cast ballots Monday.

While we rev up the engines for the Redskins’ coaching “search” next week, we should also keep an eye on the Giants’ defensive coordinator position. Head coach Tom Coughlin has defended Bill Sheridan at times this season, but he can’t be happy with the first-year coordinator’s results. On Thursday afternoon, Sheridan may have addressed reporters for the final time as Giants defensive coordinator. Asked about his shaky job status, Sheridan provided this response:



“I’m not concerned about it,” Sheridan said. “I know you guys are very concerned about it, but I’m not concerned about it. You guys do a great job of being concerned about it, but I’m not.”



This is either the most focused guy in the league or Sheridan has attended the Jim Zorn school of denial. There’s no doubt that Sheridan’s job is in serious jeopardy. You can certainly give him the benefit of the doubt on the injury to talented safety Kenny Phillips and the late-season loss of linebacker Antonio Pierce. But there’s no good reason for why some of the most feared pass-rushers in the game came up empty for much of the season. A secondary comprised of men such as C.C. Brown, Aaron Rouse and Bruce Johnson was torched, in part, because Pro Bowlers Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck couldn’t get to the quarterback. And almost as disturbing, the Giants were gashed in the running game by the Cowboys, Eagles and Panthers. This is suddenly a defense without an identity — and someone will have to pay the price.



Sheridan was asked Thursday what he would say to Coughlin if the head coach asks him why he should keep his job:



“The same reason why he gave me the job, because he thinks I’m competent and do a conscientious, diligent job,” Sheridan said. “That’s what I told him when I interviewed for it before. I said, ‘To me the most important thing is competence, that you can give [the players] a plan on a weekly basis that will put them in the best position to defend and beat your opponent. That’s why he gave me the job. And if he’s evaluated I’m still competent in that area, that’s what I would tell him.”



Sheridan has said that he “absolutely” thinks he’ll return as the team’s defensive coordinator. Again, he’s either living in denial or Coughlin has privately assured him that his job is secure. I highly doubt the latter part of that statement.

Doug from Chicago writes: Hey Mike,Where do you see Beanie in the rookie of the year race? I feel he has a strong shot. Better YPC than Knowshon Moreno, more TDs than Percy Harvin.

Harvin

Wells

Mike Sando: NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert and I had this debate before the season (and before Brett Favre turned the Vikings’ receivers into stars, I might add). I took Wells. He took Harvin.



My perception is that Harvin has had the greater impact. But if the stats are close enough for us to revisit that one, maybe I should take another look. Harvin is the more dynamic talent, but Wells will get the ball more frequently. I thought Wells could have been a 1,200-yard rusher this season if Arizona wanted to lean on him more heavily. I still think that could have happened. Tim Hightower stepped up some, however, and Hightower is clearly more reliable on passing downs.



Harvin’s role as a kick returner might swing the argument in his favor. He has 2,000 total yards even though migraines have slowed his pace. Wells is gaining momentum as the he gets more opportunities late in the season.



This debate is worth revisiting periodically because both seem headed for productive careers.

Speaking to reporters at Valley Ranch on Thursday, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo lent his support to wide receiver Roy Williams, saying that he would not stop throwing in his direction. Of course, recent numbers suggest that Romo has already decided to lean on other receivers, which is quite understandable given Williams’ penchant for dropping balls this season.



“No one has lost any confidence in Roy,” Romo said Thursday. “Roy is going to be a huge part of this going forward. He knows that. Hopefully, we’re all going to have some good football ahead of us.”



Meanwhile, ESPN’s Ed Werder has delivered a strong piece on Williams this week. He thinks Jerry Jones’ refusal to admit his mistake with Williams and Wade Phillips’ belief that the wide receiver should receiver an “E” for effort could undermine the Cowboys in the playoffs. And Werder brings up another strong point. Here, I’ll let him say it:



“Not only has Williams’ ineptitude provided Austin the opportunity to become the Cowboys’ most feared offensive player, but Jones is already confronting the reality that Austin is seeking $10 million a season to sign a long-term contract extension, according to league sources,” writes Werder. “Unless the Cowboys remove Williams and his guaranteed money from the roster, they are going to be taking an indefensible position on negotiations with Austin.



“Austin is the player Roy Williams was supposed to be. Meanwhile, Williams is trying to avoid becoming the next Sam Hurd, a wide receiver whose career is devoted to covering kickoffs.”



Hey, let’s not drag poor Sam into this. He’s an undrafted player who’s doing a superb job on special teams. I don’t think Williams can fill that role, either. But strong work by Mr. Werder, as always.

This piece on Jay Cutler’s limited opportunities to move outside the pocket got me wondering: How did Chicago scheme for its new quarterback this season?



There are many ways to look at that question, and here’s one. ESPN Stats & Information tracks each NFL team by key formations over the course of the season. In the chart below, you’ll see how often the Bears have used each of the primary NFL formations and how it compares to the rest of the league.



Keep in mind that these formations are determined by where players line up, not what positions they technically play. In other words, a tight end lined up in the slot would be considered a receiver in this rendering.





As you can see, the Bears have used a basic one-back, two-receiver set more than any other this season — and more than all but two other teams in the NFL. Typically in those situations, you’ll have two tight ends on the field as well.



I think this points to a number of issues we’ve touched on this season. First, the Bears brought a downfield passer into an offense that had de-emphasized the receiver position over the past few years. Second, they’ve displayed limited flexibility in changing their base sets over the course of the season. Third, the Bears’ offense has conflicting intents.



We don’t know whether coach Lovie Smith will return next season, but if he does, it’s hard to imagine him not swapping out at least some members of his offensive staff. Smith shares some of the blame for a rocky transition to Cutler, but offense is not his expertise. He’ll need to find someone with a clear vision for what this offense should be and how best to use its existing personnel.

Last year, the Baltimore Ravens were the ultimate party crashers.



As the sixth and final seed in the AFC playoffs, Baltimore knocked off two division champions in the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans before falling short in its bid for the Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers.



This season, the Ravens find themselves in a similar position. With a win Sunday over the Oakland Raiders (5-10), Baltimore (8-7) once again will be a wild card looking to take down the AFC’s elite.



But with this year’s team not playing at the same level as last season, will the Ravens get into the postseason and make another deep run?



The AFC North blog checked in with Scouts Inc.’s Matt Williamson to examine six reasons why a repeat of 2008 is no slam dunk for Baltimore.



Issue No. 1: Penalties



Why it’s a problem: The Ravens are the second-most penalized team in the NFL behind the Raiders. Last week, Baltimore had 11 penalties for 113 yards in a loss to Pittsburgh, and two infractions negated touchdowns. As we noted Wednesday, most of Baltimore’s recent errors are physical mistakes. The Ravens play a hard-nosed brand of football. But it won’t help if going too far too often costs the team crucial yards in a postseason game.



Matt Williamson: “I definitely think that’s a weakness of this team. It showed last week, and I thought it showed against the Green Bay Packers — that was a hard game to watch on both sides of the football. One of the reasons I think penalties are a problem is Baltimore’s secondary is not very good. They get a lot of penalties clutching and grabbing downfield with pass interference calls, because they’re outmanned on the outside.”



Scale of concern (1 to 10): 8



Issue No. 2: Thin secondary



Why it’s a problem: Williamson brings us to the next topic, which is a thin secondary. Quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Carson Palmer all are waiting for the Ravens in the AFC playoffs. We’ve already seen what Palmer can do against Baltimore, as the Cincinnati Bengals swept the Ravens in two games. Brady and Manning also led the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, respectively, to wins over Baltimore in the regular season. Despite a slow start, Baltimore’s defense has been very good down the stretch and is ranked third in the NFL. But expect top quarterbacks to test the Ravens through the air at every opportunity.



Williamson: “To me, their corners and safeties, if Ed Reed is not playing, are massive liabilities. If I were to rank [their issues], that would be my No. 1 concern, especially considering some of the firepower they’re going to have to face.”



Scale of concern: 10



Issue No. 3: Injuries



Why it’s a problem: For the most part, the Ravens have done well fighting through injuries. That’s a testament to the team’s depth and talented roster. But Reed (groin, foot) is the team’s most dynamic player, and he will not be 100 percent the rest of the way. A year ago heading into the playoffs, he was much healthier and playing at an extremely high level. Recently, left tackle Jared Gaither (foot) has been banged-up. That’s another concern. With season-ending injuries to cornerbacks Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb, the Ravens need to keep the rest of their roster healthy.



Williamson: “I would say it’s a medium issue compared to the others we’ve talked about. Reed is obviously a great player and he’s vastly missed. He makes a lot of problems go away with his range and ability to make up for the players around him on the back end. If he’s out, I don’t like their [playoff] chances at all. Gaither, I thought, was a massive loss against Pittsburgh, too, because Oniel Cousins got killed by LaMarr Woodley.”



Scale of concern: 6



Issue No. 4: Lack of a pass rush



Why it’s a problem: To beat some of the aforementioned quarterbacks in the playoffs, the Ravens will need to pressure them. The Ravens are ranked No. 22 in the NFL with 29 sacks in 15 games. Struggling teams such as the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Raiders all have registered more sacks than Baltimore.



Williamson: “I would say this is a moderate issue, right in the middle of the road. I think the Ravens generate a little more pressure than their sack numbers indicate. They don’t always get home. But they are nowhere near the pass-rushing team they were with [former defensive coordinator] Rex Ryan or in recent memory, and that’s a big problem.”



Scale of concern: 7



Issue No. 5: Offensive identity



Why it’s a problem: All year the Ravens have gone through an identity crisis offensively. Last year they were a running team. This year Baltimore has gone back and forth in trying to become a pass-oriented team with quarterback Joe Flacco or run-oriented team with tailback Ray Rice. It appears the Ravens are sticking to the ground game for now, which is smart to do this time of year.



Williamson: “Because they drafted so well, it made the Ravens change their identity. Flacco far exceeded expectations, and their second-round pick in 2008, Ray Rice, they quickly realized was a stud. He’s best when you incorporate him in the passing game and out of the shotgun. They used a lot of shotgun when Rice was at Rutgers. He can do everything, but he’s best when he’s used as a Maurice Jones-Drew, do-it-all type of guy. So, in turn, their offensive identity changed and there’s always going to be growing pains with that.”



Scale of concern: 5



Issue No. 6: Road record



Why it’s a problem: When clicking, Baltimore is a team that can go on the road, punish the home team and quiet any stadium in the NFL. This year, that usually hasn’t been the case. The Ravens are 2-5 on the road, and playoff-bound teams such as the Bengals and Packers pounded the Ravens physically at home. Baltimore probably will not host a game for the rest of the season. So if the team does make the playoffs, the Ravens need to re-establish that rugged road mentality.



Williamson: “I know why they’re good at home. That’s one of the hardest stadiums to play in the league. But I don’t know why they’re not excelling on the road. My first thought is the Ravens have really young offensive tackles and a young running back and quarterback. Maybe they aren’t adjusted to the road life so much.”



Scale of concern: 8

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Two years ago, Buddy Nix and Marty Schottenheimer were shopping around for jobs together and appeared close to landing with the Atlanta Falcons.



With news the Buffalo Bills have promoted Nix from their scouting department to general manager, you have to wonder if this opens the door for Schottenheimer to be the Bills’ next head coach.



On Nov. 24, Schottenheimer told the audience of “The Red Zone,” his show on Sirius NFL Radio, that he wasn’t interested in returning to the sidelines.



“From the coaching standpoint of it, you know, I’ll be very candid with you and say it’s nice to think that people would consider you,” Schottenheimer said, “but the reality of it is is that after 30 great years, I’m really not going to go back down that road again.”



Sure, and Bill Parcells was done coaching after the New York Jets. And Nick Saban wasn’t a candidate for the Alabama job.



Could Nix’s promotion sway Schottenheimer, who played linebacker for the Bills in the 1960s?



When the tandem was being considered for the Falcons, Chargers general manager A.J. Smith noted how close Nix and Schottenheimer were in San Diego.



“If true, I believe a Buddy Nix-Marty Schottenheimer team in Atlanta would be a perfect fit,” Smith told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Buddy got along well with Schottenheimer. They socialized together, went out to dinner, golfed together, sat together on the plane, talked football all the time.”



The Falcons instead hired Thomas Dimitroff, from the New England Patriots front office, to be general manager and Mike Smith to be head coach.