You guys want something, I'll do my best to give it to you. The GM search is the hot topic around Buffalo right now, so rather than continue to repeat my opinions on the matter, I thought I'd throw all the names into one list so that we can just flat-out discuss the candidates and add/subtract names of our own. Who knows? Maybe we'll actually stumble across the man who actually takes the position. Wouldn't that be something?
First, here's some information on the names that have been mentioned in connection with the opening (see this post):
John Guy: Director of Pro Personnel, Buffalo Bills
Guy has a leg up on two other current Bills staff that we'll only mention in passing here; those men are Russ Brandon and Jim Overdorf. Brandon is essentially the club's marketing guru, while Overdorf is a salary cap genius, though his genius seems to fall a bit short when it's come to negotiating recent contracts (see C. Kelsay, A. Schobel, etc.). Guy gets the nod over those two because he's got actual football experience; in addition to being in his current position for six seasons, he was a scout for the Browns and coached for 26 seasons, including a stint as the special teams coordinator in Pittsburgh. His football background clearly puts him ahead of Brandon and Overdorf in the "promote from within" category.
Floyd Reese: former GM, Tennessee Titans
Pushing 60, Reese is the elder candidate at this point. The former UCLA star and NFL coach spent 13 seasons (1994-2006) as the GM of the Tennessee Titans - a tenure that saw the hiring of one of the NFL's most successful coaches in Jeff Fisher, a Super Bowl berth, and the development of several of the NFL's biggest names, including Steve McNair, Eddie George and Jevon Kearse. There's a lot of pedigree here; how serious he is about returning as a GM, however, remains to be seen. Bio
Charley Casserly: former GM, Washington/Houston
Most recently the GM of the Houston Texans, Casserly is currently the GM of CBS Sports' Sunday football coverage. He's done well there; it may be prudent for him to stay there. Casserly was responsible for the controversial decision that saw the Texans draft DE Mario Williams over RB Reggie Bush; the lack of success that Casserly had in both Washington and Houston speaks volumes about his eye for talent. He's got the experience, but the success just isn't there. Bio
Bill Kuharich: VP of Pro Personnel, Kansas City Chiefs
Kuharich has a wealth of experience, and according to his bio is one of the most respected talent evaluators in the league. He's got six years of Pro Personnel experience as the Director, and he's got scouting experience as well (both as an actual scout and running scouting departments). He is, for all intents and purposes, the right-hand-man of one of the league's most respected General Managers, Carl Peterson. He's not a "hot name", per se, but he'd be a very solid hire from an organization that Marv Levy (who still has a say in the hiring process) is very familiar with. Bio
Tom Dimitroff: Director of College Scouting, New England Patriots
Originally, I couldn't find much on Dimitroff, other than the obvious facts: he's the man responsible for the plethora of strong drafts that have caused the Patriots to turn into the NFL's juggernaut franchise. Scouts, Inc. profiled Dimitroff a bit more in-depth, however, in this ESPN Insider article:
And now, on to the names that didn't get immediate linkage to the Bills, but have surfaced over the past couple of days:
Greg Gabriel: Director of College Scouting, Chicago Bears
The Chicago Tribune speculated today that Chicago's top draft mind - and a Buffalo native - would get consideration; that's not a stretch, considering that Gabriel was a candidate back when Levy was hired in January of 2006. Gabriel's call to fame was a draft pick that was considered a reach; does anyone consider Devin Hester a reach now? This man is just about as solid an investment as you can find out there. Bio
Chris Polian: VP of Football Operations, Indianapolis Colts
Polian - the son of former Bills GM (and great friend of Levy) Bill Polian - is currently a candidate for the GM vacancy in Atlanta. There is a certain degree of poetry to a Chris Polian hiring in Buffalo; what a great story it would be if the last Super Bowl GM in Buffalo had a son who returned the Bills to similar glory. Scouts, Inc., as part of the same ESPN Insider article linked above, goes further:
There you go. Some great candidates. Feel free to critique, pick a favorite, or add your own candidate.