National Football League

Glazer: Surprise front-runner for Bills coaching job

Published Jan. 18, 2010 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Buffalo Bills head coaching search has taken quite the unexpected and surprising turn.

The Buffalo Bills secretly interviewed long-time coach Chan Gailey last week and a source close to Gailey said the coach is slated to meet with owner Ralph Wilson and GM Buddy Nix sometime again Monday, FOXSports.com has learned. As long as talks don’t break down, Gailey is expected to be hired as the Bills head coach within the next 24-48 hours.

The Bills have scheduled a news conference for Tuesday, although the team did not give an official reason for the announcement.

Gailey’s name had been kept tightly under wraps, it appears he has now jumped up as a possible favorite to land the open slot.

Gailey fits the exact bill for what the new GM Nix is looking for. The Bills were hoping to hire someone with head coaching experience and they wanted the candidate to have his expertise on the offensive side of the ball.

Gailey spent some time this season with the Kansas City Chiefs but had his duties removed from him prior to the start of the season. While he didn’t work out this past season in K.C., Gailey’s offenses have long been productive in places such as Denver, Dallas and Pittsburgh. He also spent time as the head coach at Georgia Tech.

Gailey has 38 years of coaching experience, including 15 in the NFL. That includes a two-year stint with the Cowboys in 1998-99, during which he led Dallas to consecutive playoff appearances.

Gailey would replace Dick Jauron, who was fired in November. He would take over a team that finished 6-10 and become the Bills' fifth coach in the past 10 years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.