On Friday, news broke that the Miami Dolphins had chosen Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin to become the team's new head coach. It brought to a conclusion a job search that reminded me quite a bit of what happened with the Buffalo Bills two years ago.
Back in 2009, immediately after they fired Dick Jauron, the Bills began chasing high-profile names to replace him, meeting with Mike Shanahan in November and courting Bill Cowher fairly heavily, as well. In the end, the big names went in different directions, and Gailey's name came out of nowhere; in fact, he was barely mentioned as a candidate until news broke that his contract was being finalized.
Philbin's hiring in Miami didn't break in exactly the same fashion, as he was named one of three finalists for the job earlier this week. However, his hiring - like Gailey's - came on the coattails of owner Stephen Ross seeking a high-profile candidate for the job. Philbin is a good football coach, but high-profile he is not.
Now, Buffalo and Miami - who have been trailing New England and New York in the division for three years now - also trail those two teams in head coaching notoriety. Gailey and Philbin won't ever hold a candle to Bill Belichick or Rex Ryan in terms of notoriety. Time will tell if their teams will ever be able to consistently beat their higher-profile nemeses on the field.