ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted a piece this morning with the headline, “Bills plan to give new head coach more power within organization.” Unfortunately, his piece didn’t elaborate much on that statement and just seemed to be a rundown of the events that have led the Bills to their coaching search in the first place.
USA Today’s Tom Pelissero, on the other hand, had a tweet with a significant detail missing from Schefter’s piece.
One note on #Bills search: I'm told they've left door open on coach getting 53-man roster control. Depends who it is.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 8, 2017
Control over the final roster isn’t something that most head coaches have, especially ones with the experience level that the Bills seem to be looking at. Handing the keys to the final roster over to someone who’s still learning how to be a head coach is a risky proposition for many reasons, which is probably why Pelissero included the last four words of that tweet.
The development is even more interesting when you remember that general manager Doug Whaley is leading the coaching search. Not only is he searching for a head coach, but there’s the possibility that his chosen candidate will take some of his power away from him. It’s an odd proposition, to say the least.
Honestly, I don’t see someone on the Bills list who merits a level of control that’s given to, say Bill Belichick or Marvin Lewis. I can completely support a partnership, where the coach and Whaley work together to make the best 53-man roster, but having two final point men (or more, if the Pegulas want to involve themselves) is problematic in and of itself.
Whatever the case may be, let’s just hope this search is ending soon and the team can move on to scouting and building a strong staff behind what will probably be a rookie head coach.