Bills have already interviewed...

[CJ Triller Spiller]

Lovie Smith, Doug Marrone and Chip Kelly formally according to @buffalobills via twitter.....

Interesting theyve kept busy

www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/Smith-interviews-with-Bills/9eca8c8a-d7bb-4665-b340-e5cc98e230b0

www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Bills-meet-Syracuse-head-coach-Marrone/a52d984f-8c4f-4aac-afc3-7d95b2e98331

www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/Bills-sit-down-with-Oregons-Kelly/f66eb125-af91-4bf3-8f57-b8da28ad3c8a

[textbook 27]

How did they have enough time?

[jamiebuf12]

I just got the text that the bills interviewed chip kelly... That was fast :-(

[Midwest Bills Fan]

I just got the text about Kelly as well. If its over that quick it must have been a token interview after all.

[CJ Triller Spiller]

I just got the text about Kelly as well. If its over that quick it must have been a token interview after all.

I figured it wouldnt take long after he met with the browns for 7 hours....hopefully because the interview with Lovie went so well...

[Grundy208]

The Kelly interview could have started well before anybody knew. It could have been 3-5 hours, easily.

[mrbojanglezs]

I would like Marrone if they can't get Kelly

[CJ Triller Spiller]

The Kelly interview could have started well before anybody knew. It could have been 3-5 hours, easily.

Thats true also.....hard to believe anything circulating via twitter with Kelly

[CJ Triller Spiller]

I would like Marrone if they can't get Kelly

Why is my question

[mrbojanglezs]

Why is my question

offensive coordinator to high scoring saints offense. Brought an abysmal Syracuse program back to life. I prefer offensive minded coaches.

[CJ Triller Spiller]

offensive coordinator to high scoring saints offense. Brought an abysmal Syracuse program back to life. I prefer offensive minded coaches.

Normally I would agree but the way I look at is were more built for a good defense...we have a good oline....2 good Rbs (one on the brink of being great) and a lot of money invested in the defense. Were missing the franchise QB necessary for a high powered offense and quite frankly the odds are against us in finding one anytime soon.

[mrbojanglezs]

Normally I would agree but the way I look at is were more built for a good defense...we have a good oline....2 good Rbs (one on the brink of being great) and a lot of money invested in the defense. Were missing the franchise QB necessary for a high powered offense and quite frankly the odds are against us in finding one anytime soon.

ehhh. You don't win with good defenses anymore, you can find a DC to give you an average defense with going on the past 10 years or so is all you need! A guy like Lovie would improve the D but our O would regress, he hasn't found a good OC /qb combo in Chicago, why would it be different here?

[mitchmurraydowntown]

Why couldn't Chip decide that we're the best team at any point in the process, I mean he's literally in play based on terms.

[je0592p]

Either that or the interview will continue in the morning as well. If he planned on staying in Arizona for the night you never know.

[ChanDaMan]

Why couldn't Chip decide that we're the best team at any point in the process, I mean he's literally in play based on terms.

Money, money, money

[bigdingus04]

^***?

[Cavington]

Starting to look like a formality that the Browns get Kelly. Unless the Bills wow him money wise. He is scheduled to meet with Cleveland again tomorrow night after meeting with the Eagles.


http://www.ohio.com/news/top-stories...coach-1.362655

Plus Bills scheduled to fly to Denver to meet Mike McCoy tomorrow. Sounds like both parties were probably just going through the motions. Which is too bad.



The Browns’ new regime of owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner traveled to Arizona this week on a search for a strong, dynamic leader, and it appears they’re on track to get their man.

University of Oregon coach Chip Kelly is close to striking a deal to become the 14th full-time head coach of the Browns, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Friday.

The Browns and Kelly wrapped up seven hours of meetings Friday that were characterized as “very positive,” ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported. But Kelly still interviewed with the Buffalo Bills later Friday night and is scheduled to do the same with the Philadelphia Eagles today, according to Mortensen.

The Browns and Kelly agreed to meet again tonight, and Cleveland is favored to secure Kelly, Mortensen reported. Kelly informed Haslam and Banner he wanted to go through the process by meeting with the Bills and Eagles, and they didn’t object to his wishes.

The Browns will not comment on candidates or interviews until they officially hire coach Pat Shurmur’s successor. They fired Shurmur and General Manager Tom Heckert on Monday after finishing 2012 with a record of 5-11, the franchise’s 12th losing season since its expansion era began in 1999.

According to NFL.com, Haslam and Banner began interviewing Kelly at about 2 p.m. Friday, less than 24 hours after he guided Oregon to a 35-17 win over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. In his postgame news conference, Kelly said he was eager to get through the interview process and make a decision. He would become the Browns’ sixth full-time head coach since their rebirth.

“I want to get it wrapped up quickly and figure out where I’m going to be,” said Kelly, who’s known for his mastery of Oregon’s spread offense.

By Friday evening, all signs pointed to Northeast Ohio.

The Browns also reportedly interviewed Syracuse University coach Doug Marrone, former Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton and Penn State University coach Bill O’Brien. They interviewed Horton on Tuesday and thus complied with the Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams with head-coaching vacancies to interview at least one minority candidate.

Kelly, though, appeared to be the top target of Haslam and Banner. Securing him would certainly be a victory in their eyes.

Haslam reached an agreement Aug. 2 to buy the Browns from Randy Lerner for about $1 billion and is aiming to put his stamp on the organization. Banner served as president of the Eagles for the past 12 years and is competing with some familiar faces, including owner and childhood friend Jeffrey Lurie and General Manager Howie Roseman, in a quest to find a new coach.

The Browns’ previous regime of former President Mike Holmgren, Shurmur and Heckert fell short in the bidding last year to trade for the right to draft Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III. Haslam and Banner are determined not to be denied.

The Browns’ bigwigs said they would hire a head coach first and then a personnel executive who complements him. NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi, Seattle Seahawks vice president of football administration John Idzik and San Francisco 49ers director of player personnel Tom Gamble are among the candidates to head the Browns’ personnel department.

Kelly, a Manchester, N.H., native with 23 seasons of college coaching experience, would likely be paid a small fortune for a leap into the NFL. Last week, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton agreed to a five-year contract extension that is expected to pay him more than $8 million annually, ESPN reported. Kelly signed a six-year, $20.5 million contract extension with Oregon in September 2010 and made $3.5 million in guaranteed salary in 2012. It will reportedly cost about $3 million to buy out his contract.

Kelly, 49, has never coached in the NFL. However, his innovative, high-powered spread offense has drawn the attention and respect of some of the league’s top coaches. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, a three-time Super Bowl champion, told the Boston Globe in October that he asked Kelly for advice on how to streamline play calling and ensure his players were on the same page while employing a fast-paced system.

“I was interested to hear how he did it,” Belichick said. “I would say he expanded it to a different level and it was very interesting to understand what he was doing. Certainly I’ve learned a lot from talking to Chip about his experiences with it and how he does it and his procedure and all that.”

The Patriots, Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers are among the teams that have adopted concepts associated with Kelly’s system. In four seasons as Oregon’s head coach, Kelly led the Ducks to a record of 46-7 and four consecutive Bowl Championship Series games.

Some are skeptical Kelly can succeed at the highest level of football. Others predicted he would make the transition because Oregon faces potential NCAA sanctions stemming from a recruiting scandal.

Regardless, the Browns are hoping Kelly will lead them into an elusive era of success. If Haslam and Banner are right about him, he will deliver.

Now they just need him to sign on the line.

[CaptPantalones]

Sounds to me like the bills have no clear favorite and this will drag

[Cavington]

Sounds to me like the bills have no clear favorite and this will drag

I still think they will go with the Whiz.

[Savior77]

The amount of misinformation out there about coaching interviews for every team is staggering. The only thing that appears concrete at all is ink on paper.