Buffalo Bills assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach Dave Wannstedt has flown under the radar a bit since his hiring in January. That is no longer the case, as Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News caught up with Wannstedt at the 2011 NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
In the article, Wannstedt discusses his various relationships with members of the Bills organization, as well as what his role with the team and George Edwards' defense will be. It's all very coach-speak, which is why one quote stuck out to me as it pertains to the 2011 NFL Draft: Wannstedt is a "build from the front" type of coach.
"Everywhere I've been, whether it was the Dolphins, the Cowboys, the Bears, everything has always been: We're going to live and die with how good our front is," Wannstedt told Gaughan. "That was the philosophy going back to the University of Miami (in the 1980s), with Jerome Brown and Danny Stubbs."
Obviously, it's unclear whether Wannstedt has enough influence to dictate the Bills' draft-day direction - he almost assuredly does not - nor is it clear whether Wannstedt believes a considerable personnel overhaul in the front seven is necessary. You can, however, count him as the latest influential voice, along with GM Buddy Nix, to name this area as needy.