More Buffalo Bills Rumors About Chan Gailey, Buddy Nix Surface

Here's a headline that appeared on The Buffalo News website Sunday morning, just hours before the Buffalo Bills kick off their regular season finale against the New York Jets: Bills appear set to dismiss Gailey and Nix this week.

That's a bold headline, but the gist of the Mark Gaughan report is much less ironclad. He touches on the likely departure of Chan Gailey as the team's head coach, then cites a "league source" and "an executive on another team" in conveying that the team is seriously considering firing GM Buddy Nix and conducting a "full house-cleaning," as well.

Gaughan is also careful to point out that the decision lies with team owner Ralph Wilson, that Wilson hasn't informed anyone at One Bills Drive of the direction he'd like to take, and that Nix had not been given any indication of a change in his job status as of Saturday night. Wilson was reportedly in town on Friday for the team's holiday party - my, how awkward - but has apparently returned home to Detroit.

If you're into buying what one of Gaughan's league sources is selling, then Gailey and Nix will be gone next week, and the team will be starting over yet again. Forgive me, however, for not lending a lot of credence to what someone from another team is hearing; at best, they're regurgitating the rumor mill (which Gaughan points out, to his credit).

Gaughan also points out that a Nix firing would be a "surprise," and that's true. Nix, as recently as this past May, was still putting the finishing touches on his pro and college scouting departments, and many general managers get more than three years to try to turn an organization around. (Heck, even Tom Donahoe got five years.)

We're still three hours away from kickoff, and the rumor mill is already starting to churn. Hold onto your butts; if Gaughan's sources are hearing things correctly, we may be in for a wild New Year's Eve.