Chan Gailey Fired: Buffalo Bills Begin Off-Season Changes

The Buffalo Bills have informed head coach Chan Gailey that he has been fired. Jerry Sullivan of The Buffalo News had the story first on Twitter, and the team has since announced the dismissal. Gailey told reporters in his final press conference with local reporters that the entire coaching staff has been fired, as well.

Gailey just completed his third and final season as Bills head coach yesterday with a 28-9 win over the New York Jets. He finishes his Bills career with a 16-32 overall record, including a 4-14 mark in AFC East games, a 2-18 record against playoff teams, and a 4-24 mark against teams with a .500 or better record.

That gets the unsurprising part of Black Monday out of the way; Gailey's departure had reached foregone conclusion status. What's not yet clear is the fate of GM Buddy Nix; the team has not made any sort of announcement about the job status of their chief football decision-maker. Rumors over the weekend indicated that the Bills were seriously considering firing Nix and cleaning house, but for now, Gailey's the only firing yet made.

Nix hired Gailey in his first major move in charge on January 19, 2010 - nearly three weeks after he was promoted to the GM post, and after failed courtships of big-name coaches, chiefly Mike Shanahan. Gailey's Bills were able to end a 15-game losing streak against the New England Patriots and made quality players out of the likes of Stevie Johnson, Kyle Williams and several other unheralded scrap-heap acquisitions. In the end, however, his record speaks for itself.

In short order, the Bills will be searching for a new head coach. Whether or not they'll be looking for a GM first, however, remains to be seen.