[bigboydan]

isn't Marv Levy like 80 years old

Wilson shakes up Bills, firing Donahoe, considering Levy as GM

By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer
January 4, 2006


ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Buffalo Bills president Tom Donahoe is out, coach Mike Mularkey's job is safe, and guess who might be coming back? Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, this time as general manager.

Bills owner Ralph Wilson on Wednesday wasted little time delivering on a vow to restructure his front office. The decisions came days after the underachieving Bills finished 5-11 and missed the playoffs for a sixth straight season.

Offensive coordinator Tom Clements was also fired, his agent, Gary O'Hagan, told The Associated Press. Mularkey declined to discuss any changes to his staff.

"I want to apologize to the fans of Buffalo, we haven't done a very good job for them," Wilson said. "I take responsibility of this organization, and if there's any bullets to be fired, you should fire them at me. However, in Tom's leaving, it is my feeling that we need a fresh start."

Fresh might be a matter of interpretation for the 87-year-old owner, who enjoyed bantering with reporters -- kidding that this season's frustrations forced him to up his intake of Prozac pills -- while announcing Donahoe's dismissal.

Wilson reclaimed the president's job, saying he will be more active in the day-to-day football operations of his franchise.



Then there's Levy, who turns 81 this year, and is reportedly on the verge of accepting the GM post.

Wilson described Levy as "a very qualified individual," adding a decision on the team's new general manager is expected within days.

Levy is the team's winningest coach with a 112-70 record. He led the Bills to four consecutive AFC titles in the early 1990s before retiring after the 1997 season.

Levy's possible involvement reflects Wilson's desire to bring in a trusted confidante and longtime friend to an organization that, at times, alienated fans and even the team's owner under Donahoe.

Donahoe, the only executive to hold the president's title in the franchise's 46-year history, was dismissed after five seasons. Despite increasing the team's ticket base, Donahoe's ultimate failure was the team's inability to win.

The Bills went 31-49 during Donahoe's tenure. The 31 wins are tied with Cleveland for the third fewest in the NFL during that span. Besides Houston, which joined the league in 2002, the Bills are the only AFC team since 2001 that has failed to make the playoffs.

Buffalo hasn't made the playoffs since 1999.

"I just don't feel we've made enough progress in the last five years," Wilson said. "I think we have a good future. But I do think we need a fresh start."


Donahoe released a statement thanking Wilson and Bills fans.

"While we are very proud of the progress made by the Bills organization over the last few seasons, we also recognize the fact that this is a bottom-line business and our record has not been good enough," Donahoe said. "I take full responsibility for that."

Mularkey retained his job after meeting with Wilson for the second time in two days -- and shortly after the owner announced Donahoe's dismissal.

Wilson said Mularkey's status will not be affected by whomever he hires as a general manager, and he doesn't consider next season as a definitive year for his coach. Mularkey is 14-18 after two seasons in Buffalo and has three years left on his contract.

Mularkey said he's not impacted by the uncertainty of the team's search for a general manager and added that he would welcome Levy.

Wilson also announced assistant GM Tom Modrak will retain his job.

Donahoe was knocked for his management decisions, particularly the hiring of coach Gregg Williams, who was dismissed following the 2003 season after going 17-31 in three years.

Donahoe was also faulted for failing to address offensive line woes this season despite awarding the starting quarterback job to the untested J.P. Losman. Losman went 1-7 as a starter and was eventually benched. The Bills' offense struggled overall and the 4,122 yards were the fewest produced by Buffalo in a 16-game season.

[Illusion]

The Bills must be desperate.

[BuddyBear]

man...that guy is like 90 by now.

[Illusion]

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy was hired as the Buffalo Bills' vice president of football operations Thursday, returning to the team he led to an unprecedented four straight Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s.

In becoming the NFL's oldest active front office executive, Levy -- who referred to himself as "an 80-year-old rookie" -- takes over a struggling team that's coming off a 5-11 season and missed the playoffs for the sixth straight year. The move comes a day after the Bills fired president and general manager Tom Donahoe.

"We're bringing Marv back so that he can bring a stability to the Buffalo Bills," owner Ralph Wilson said.

Levy will be responsible for the team's football-related decisions and report directly to Wilson.

In dismissing Donahoe, Wilson reclaimed the role of team president and intends to take a more active role in football decisions. Assistant general manager Tom Modrak, who has served as the team's chief college scout, will also have his duties expanded to have additional say in pro personnel matters.

Levy is also expected to act as a mentor for coach Mike Mularkey, who was retained despite struggling in his second season with the team.

With a 112-70 record, Levy is the winningest coach in Bills history. He retired after the 1997 season and has since worked mostly as an NFL broadcaster while living in his native Chicago. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Levy has remained a close confidante of Wilson, who was unhappy with the team's direction under Donahoe, and is confident that he'll quickly be able to adjust to life in the NFL again.

"The age factor means nothing to me," Levy said. "I'm old enough to know my limitations and I'm young enough to exceed them."

A Harvard-educated coach who would inspire his players with war stories and historical quotations, Levy was best known for the rallying cry he'd make before most every game: "Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?"

Although Levy had input in personnel decisions during his coaching career, his only previous front office experience came in 1985 when he served as director of football operations for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

Levy takes over a Bills team that went 31-49 in five seasons under Donahoe, and tied with Cleveland for the third-fewest victories in the NFL during that span. Besides Houston, which joined the league in 2002, the Bills are the only AFC team since 2001 that has failed to make the playoffs.

Among Levy's first priorities is evaluating his team's roster.

The Bills have four starters eligible for free agency, the most notable being cornerback Nate Clements.

Questions also remain whether the Bills can afford to keep veteran receiver Eric Moulds and offensive linemen Mike Williams, who represent significant salary cap hits unless they restructure their contracts for next season.

Moulds, a 10-year veteran, is the lone player left on the team from Levy's era.

Levy will also have to prepare for the draft in April. The Bills have the eighth overall pick.

[bigboydan]

with levy being 80 and wilson being 87, i wonder if both these guys will be around to see the next time the bills make the playoffs