Gailey: not sexy choice, but logical

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - OK, I know. It’s not the sexy move. It’s not the guy many Bills fans were looking for. I have yet to hear anyone say…”Chan-tastic.”

Ten years of frustration will do that to a fan base. You can’t really blame them, the loyal fans of the Bills, for looking at the today’s move with a jaundiced eye. They wanted a big splash - the Bills made a ripple. They wanted an “A-lister” – the Bills dropped down to an A-minus, maybe a “B.” They wanted a home run – the Bills look like they hit a double.

But consider this: the Bills made a good faith effort to reach out to the “A-listers.” Think of it. They reached out to Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher, and Jim Harbaugh. The only one from that list who’s going to work in the NFL next season is Shanahan. And he went to the Redskins, where the owner spends wildly on free agents.

Gruden – not in the league. Cowher – not coaching this year. Harbaugh – gonna stay at Stanford. The Bills swung for the fences and missed.

Would you feel better if the Bills had not reached out to the top coaches? How much better would you feel if the Bills hired an untested coordinator? Brian Schottenheimer, Leslie Frazier, Russ Grimm — nobody knows if they’ll be successful head coaches someday. They might be. We don’t know.

We’ve talked to a half-dozen NFL insiders over the last day or so about Chan Gailey. Former or current coaches, GMs, scouts. They say hiring Chan Gailey is a solid move – a logical move. They say he’s a good coach. That’s NFL people saying that. Not me. Not other reporters, bloggers, or opinion makers.

Will Chan Gailey be a success as the Bills head coach? I don’t know. It’s a tough job. He admitted it today. They've got quarterback issues and a lot of other holes to plug on both sides of the ball. But he is a solid choice. A logical choice. A realistic option.

He’s just not real sexy.