According to John Czarnecki of FOXSports.com, the Lions, who pick second in the first round, have their fingers crossed that the Rams don’t pick a quarterback so they can trade down with either Cleveland or Buffalo, who apparently are in the quarterback market. The thought process is that new Browns czar Mike Holmgren won’t want to lose his favorite quarterback to Washington and new coach Mike Shanahan. The Redskins are perched at No. 4, three spots ahead of the Browns and the Lions really don’t want to spend $33 million in bonus money on a defensive tackle.

Terrell Owens will have something else to talk about on his reality show this offseason, as he won’t be coming back to the Buffalo Bills. The team announced Saturday they do not plan to offer him a contract. By doing that, Owens will be allowed to sign with any team starting at midnight on March 5th.

The Bills also declined to offer contracts to defensive end Ryan Denney and wide receiver Josh Reed.

“We wanted to inform all three players ahead of the start of the free agency period so they could begin making their plans,” Bills general manager Buddy Nix said. “We just felt that was the right thing to do. All three have represented our organization with class and we thank them for their dedication and hard work.”

Last season in his only year with the Bills, Owens caught 55 passes for 829 yards and five touchdowns in his only season in Buffalo. He also ran for a touchdown. He will turn 37 this December.

“I would like to thank the great fans in Buffalo, Ralph Wilson & the Bills organization for all their supports this past season,” Owens said on Twitter.

The six-time Pro Bowl receiver caught his 1,000th pass in Week 16 at Atlanta to become the sixth player in league history to reach the milestone. Owens then moved into third place on the career list with 14,951 yards receiving in a 30-7 win over Indianapolis in Week 17.

Denney and Reed were both second-round picks in the 2002 draft. Denney made 318 tackles and 23 1/2 sacks in his career, while Reed is fifth on the club’s career receiving list with 311 catches for 3,575 yards.

In an offseason that has been filled with change, and the changes that are still to come, there doesn’t seem to be any likelihood that the Buffalo Bills backfield duo is going to change in 2010.

According to an article appearing on nationalfootballpost.com, Bills head coach Chan Gailey has given no indication the team intents to part ways with former first round pick Marshawn Lynch.  Rather, it very much sounds as if Lynch is staying put and will be a focial point for the offense along with fellow backfield running mate Fred Jackson.  Here’s some of Gailey’s thoughts regarding Lynch in the article by Aaron Wilson:

“Marshawn is an excellent football player,” Gailey said today at the NFL scouting combine. “The guy’s extremely talented, can catch the ball, can run it. He can run with power. He can get around the edge. He’s a very good football player. I hope we’re able to take him and use him.

“I’m not so sure that today it doesn’t take two quality guys to get you through a season,” Gailey said.  “We’re finding that more and more and more in our league. The players are getting so much bigger and stronger and faster that the collisions are bigger every year. It takes you a couple guys to be able to get you through a year.”

There were rumors earlier this month regarding a possible deal between the Bills and the San Diego Chargers involving Lynch and Chargers corner Antonio Cromartie.  Given Lynch’s colorful and alarming off-the-field history, along with the Bills’ new regime takeover, Lynch returning to Buffalo seemed very much in question.  But the latest comments from Gailey seem to suggest the Bills have every intention of hanging on to Lynch.

There’s been plenty of chatter about the return in 2010 of Jason Campbell to the Redskins. It seems that despite never doing much of anything good in his NFL career, new coach Mike Shanahan is ready to see what Campbell can do once again under center. Maybe.

Jason Reid of the Washington Post was having dinner with old co-worker Jason La Canfora Wednesday night, and they both were talking about a rumor about Campbell being sent off to the Buffalo Bills:

we both were busy checking out rumors about a potential Redskins trade that supposedly would send Jason Campbell, a restricted free agent, to the Buffalo Bills for safety Donte Whitner and a draft pick. The Campbell-Whitner talk has been out there a while and really got rolling on a Buffalo Bills message board recently.

The Bills need a QB, and Campbell is a guy that could come in and take the starting job right away. In his career in 52 games, Campbell has a QB rating of 82.3, and has thrown for 10,860 yards with 55 touchdowns and 38 picks. Stay tuned to see if there is smoke on this rumor soon.

Seems like all the talk in Miami yesterday was about Chad Ochocinco’s appearance on NFL Network talking about wanting Terrell Owens to come to the Bengals in 2010, lining up opposite him:

Begals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, who was appearing with NFL Network’s Rich Eisen and Warren Sapp, thinks Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens will be a Bengal in 2010. Owens said that it could happen because both players have the same goal in mind, winning a Super Bowl. “Of course we could, I did shared the football with Jerry Rice in San Francisco.” Owens told NFL Network’s Deion Sanders.

Would Ochocinco and Owens work? Sure right now as the guys are sitting around in shorts and flip flops giving love back and forth to each other they say it will, but no one would really know until it happens. Yes, the Bengals could use another receiver, but again, would Owens keep his mouth shut if the team loses a game in which he doesn’t have a lot of passes thrown to him? That’s the real question.

Are the Bills serious about thinking about Mike Vick in to play QB in 2010? The Buffalo News reports that the Bills may trade for Vick, but likely won’t get into a bidding war for him:

Numerous national media outlets are speculating that the Bills might make a run at Michael Vick who is still under contract with the Eagles who may be willing to trade him. If that doesn’t work, they could release Vick, who is due to make more than $5 million in 2010. It’s doubtful the Bills would get into a bidding war, especially when a season without a salary cap is looming, but If the demands aren’t too outrageous the Bills might pull the trigger on a trade.

The battlecry from GM Buddy Nix and company was they wanted an offensive minded coach with previous head coaching experience on his resume. The Bills believe they got the right guy for the job and Chan Gailey has Nix’s full confidence.

Is Gailey the right fit and the right man? Well, that question could be answered as early as next season if the Bills end their decade long playoff drought, or it may take a few years to get a definitive answer. But, there’s only two answers to the question: yes or no. The clock is offically ticking.

To his credit, Gailey’s resume seemed to match what the Bills were looking for. His body of work spoke loudly to Nix and owner Ralph Wilson. In 15 seasons in the NFL, as either a coordinator or a head coach, Gailey has been to the playoffs 11 times. Ironically, the Bills will be facing the prospect of missing the playoffs for the 11th straight time next season.

If you take away two Hall of Fame quarterbacks that Gailey has worked with, John Elway with Denver in 1989 & 1990 and Troy Aikman with Dallas in ‘98 & ‘99, Gailey has done a lot with very little when it comes to quarterbacks. The names aren’t flattering by any means. In Pittsburgh, Gailey worked with the likes of Mike Tomczak, Neil O’Donnell and Kordell Stewart.

In 2000 and 2001 during his time with the Miami Dolphins, he had Jay Fiedler, who as the helm in both seasons in which Gailey was in Miami. The Dolphins went 11-5 in both seasons and reached the playoffs in both years. In his most recent NFL gig, Gailey worked with the Kansas City Chiefs and turned Tyler Thigpen into a capable, serviceable quarterback in 2008.

Gailey has worked with all types of quarterbacks, but maybe his biggest impact on offense is in the running game. He’s run first to set up the pass guy, who wants to pound the rock and pound it successfully. Anyone remember Bobby Humphrey? He rushed for over 1,000 yards in the 2 years Gailey spent in Denver.

Jerome Bettis had his best years as a pro during Gailey’s tenure in the Steel City; in ‘96, Bettis rushed for 1,431 and in ‘97, Bettis enjoyed his best season in the NFL, rushing for 1,665 yards. Bettis combined for 18 touchdowns in ‘96 & ‘97. Emmitt Smith rushed for 1,332 yards in 1998 and 1,397 yards in ‘99, combining for 24 touchdowns in Gailey’s two seasons as head coach in Dallas.

His success in the running game presumably bodes well for Fred Jackson, who is coming off his first career 1,000 yard rushing season, and Marshawn Lynch, assuming he’s in Buffalo and not traded or released. But if Gailey is to replicate his successful rushing attack in Buffalo, his biggest challenge will be upgrading the offensive line.

As far as what he can expect at the quarterback position, well it’s probably a good thing Gailey has experience doing more with less because the Bills have a trio of quarterbacks who aren’t franchise material. Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm don’t scream starting quarterback, let alone the franchise.

It’s like what former Notre Dame and South Carolina head coach Lou Holtz used to say: “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none”. There won’t be a honeymoon period for Gailey in Buffalo. Here’s here, he’s the guy and he, along with Nix, better have their lunch pails backed and their boots tied tight because now the real work begins.

Two things tend to cover up a lot of stink: winning and deoderant.

The longer the Buffalo Bills have gone without winning, the worse the smell has gotten. And now, with the hiring of Chan Gailey as the head coach, the odor has become too overwhelming. Now we’re all in need of gas masks and hazmat suits.

That smell comes directly from owner Ralph Wilson’s office. They say the fish stinks from the head and well, let’s face it, the esteemed Hall of Fame owner reeks. Wilson was once a man revered in Orchard Park. He surrounded himself with great guys like Bill Polian, John Butler and Marv Levy. Business was good.

For a span of nearly five years, the Bills were king of the mountain in the AFC. But sadly, like when a roller coaster reaches it’s apex of incline, free fall was imminent. Buffalo used to bury teams underneath the mountain, making it bigger all the time. Now, that ride is out of order. It has been for a long time.

It’s hard to have faith in the decision making of the Bills, which is why I never believed their search for a head coach would end with smashing, take-your-breath-away results. I knew better. We all did. What I’m about to say isn’t newsworthy, expect maybe to Ralph Wilson. He’s probably never had anyone say it straight to him because he doesn’t want to hear the truth: The Bills are not attractive. Nobody believes in Wilson, Russ Brandon, Buddy Nix and now we can add Chan Gailey to that illustrious list.

The jury has deliberated and the verdict is in. I’m not going to talk right or wrong, guilt or innocence because that’s neither my job nor my area of expertise. And frankly, I don’t need to. The court of public opinion has done a beautiful job painting the Bills in an unflattering light.

Why else would Brian Schottenheimer not even take the chance and interview for the job? Why have Russ Grimm and Ron Rivera dodged and ducked interview opportunities? Why would Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden turn down the Bills and elect to return to broadcasting? There are 32 precious head coaching jobs in the NFL and normally anyone would jump at the chance to be a head coach. Other than Marty Schottenheimer, who according to ESPN’s Tim Graham badly wanted the job, no one jumped.

The Bills have become a second-rate team incapable of making any signifcant noise or even a blip on the radar. They have the market cornered on irrelevant. Buffalo is buried at the bottom the AFC East and it doesn’t appear likely that pecking order is going to change anytime soon. Both the Dolphins and the Jets have reemerged into playoff contenders. The Dolphins won the division last season and the Jets are playing in the AFC Championship this weekend. Then there’s the Patriots, who currently own a 13-game winning streak over the Bills.

Essentially, the Bills are the East Coast Oakland Raiders. Their meddlesome owner is stubborn in his ways, refusing to change or go outside the norm. Wilson hates change. He wants to surround himself with ‘yes men’, guys who will won’t rock the boat. Guys who will fall in line and tell him what he wants to hear, rather than what he needs to hear.

When Marv Levy left, who vacated the empty GM post? Not a real football man with real general manager experience. That would’ve meant relinquishing those comfortable reigns to an outsider. Instead Russ Brandon, whose specialty is marketing, was promoted to the job. The same song broke again when the Bills hired Buddy Nix, an inhouse hire, to be their new genernal manager with newly promoted CEO Russ Brandon overseeing the hire. It all adds up to familiarity with Wilson. When you’re embrace that which is familiar, it pretty much shuts and locks the door that opens to what’s new.

In the end, the negatives heavily outweighted the positives during what can be loosely described as the Bills’ lately head coaching search. They have no leader, no franchise quarterback to lead them back to prominence. The offensive line is terrible. They can’t compete, let alone beat, with New England and now they’ve fallen further behind Miami and New York. Let’s not forget forfeitting one of their home games to play in Toronto. Do we even know if the Bills will be in Buffalo in five years?

The Bills have become dysfunctional and unstable, lacking direction and a willingness to change. Al Davis and the Raiders would be proud.

In one of the bigger shockers of the offseason, the Bills today officially named Chan Gailey as the teams new head coach. The coach will come in and take over a team that has had little success since Marv Levy left the team in 1997.

Gailey was introduced by general manager Buddy Nix at a new conference Tuesday afternoon. The hiring, which broke last night, ended a two-month search to replace Dick Jauron, who was fired in November. Gailey takes over a team that finished 6-10 and becomes the Bills’ fifth coach since Levy retired after the 1997 season.

Gailey has spent 15 of his 38 years of coaching in the NFL. In his two years coaching the Dallas Cowboys, he went 18-14 and led the team to consecutive playoff appearances—both losses. He was dismissed after the 1999 season, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has acknowledged his mistake in firing Gailey.

“If you sit there and say you lose confidence in yourself, no you don’t. But then you see opportunities go by. And you hope that your body of work will speak for itself,” Gailey said.

Nix said that he was anxious to find someone with previous head-coaching experience and an offensive background. “This guy met more of the criteria than I thought we could find,” Nix said. “And this guy’s won everywhere he’s been. … He’ll get us back to winning and get to where we want to go.”

Gailey has been out of football since he was removed as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in August, two weeks before the season opener. He was entering his second season with Kansas City after a six-year stretch as Georgia Tech’s coach, during which he went 44-33 before being fired in 2007.

The Bills hit several bumps during their coaching search. They spoke with former Steelers coach Bill Cowher in an attempt to lure him out of broadcasting. The team also interviewed former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who instead chose to coach the Washington Redskins. Last week, Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer rejected the Bills’ request for an interview.