Buffalo Bills: Anthony Lynn Apparently Has No Desire for Head Coach Job
By Paul Taylor
Just when it seems things can’t get any worse for the Buffalo Bills, their preferred choice to take over as head coach reportedly doesn’t even want the job.
The Buffalo Bills are in disarray – this much is clear after Doug Whaley’s season-ending press conference, which left us with more questions than answers. (Although, it has to be said that Jerry Sullivan’s claim it represented the low point in franchise history, was pure hyperbole.)
Regardless, if anyone was hoping Monday would be the final embarrassment of the 2016 campaign, they were sorely mistaken. It now turns out the Bills’ preferred choice for the head coaching role, may not even want the job.
Despite what Whaley claims publicly, he wants to retain control of assembling the Bills’ roster. As such, it has been widely speculated Anthony Lynn is the front-runner to take over full-time as head coach, due to his likely being agreeable to the general manager’s demand.
Certainly, the 48-year old sounded like someone who would be happy to work under the conditions set out. At least that was the case, as per his comments to the media, following the Bills’ season-ending 30-10 loss to the New York Jets.
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Speaking to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News and the rest of the media, Lynn said: “This is where I want to be, is right here with the Buffalo Bills. This would be No. 1.”
However, it now seems that with a couple of days to think about it, the McKinney, Texas native may well have changed his mind. As reported by Carucci, the buzz around the NFL is that he might no longer desire to be a candidate for the full-time job
Lynn is scheduled to interview for the head-coaching openings with the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. Of course, there is no guarantee he will get either job, but where does this leave the Bills?
Assuming Lynn would prefer not to take over full-time as head coach, the biggest issue centers around Whaley’s aforementioned preference to continue assembling the roster. You have to imagine this will limit how many candidates are prepared to accept the role.
For example, Tom Coughlin has been linked with the Bills’ job. However, why would a two-time Super Bowl winning head coach accept Whaley’s demand?
(For the record, the Bills have yet to reach out to Coughlin. However, it might not even matter, given that a source told The Buffalo News he wouldn’t feel comfortable working with Whaley.)
Other names linked to the Bills’ head coaching position include Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott (set to be interviewed on Wednesday) and Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin. In total, the Bills are expected to interview at least five people for the job.
Again though, the question remains how many of the candidates would happily accept Whaley remaining in control of assembling the roster? This may not be the lowest point in franchise history, but the Bills have reached a pivotal moment, where every key decision is crucial.
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Do you put any stock in the speculation Lynn does not want to take over as Bills’ head coach full-time? Either way, who would you like to see in the role for the 2017 season, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section.