It was last month when Mike Shanahan spent 7 quality hours with the Bills alleged brain-trust.  It was said that the meeting went well and that the 2 sides would keep in touch over the coming weeks.  Immediately thereafter, pretty much everyone and their uncle grenaded the thought that Shanny could ever end up in Buffalo.  Impossible, ludicrous & ridiculous, were just some of the adjectives bandied about by the ‘experts’ to describe the Bills chances.  It got me thinking, how could they be so sure?  What I came up with is this – the only thing more ridiculous than Shanahan going to Buffalo, is that he shouldn’t even consider it.

Insiders allege that Shanny is after 3 things - 1. complete football control  2. a guaranteed 50 million in salary & 3. a stake in the team.  Let’s for a moment assume this is accurate.
Let’s look at some of the potential openings and see who might meet Mike’s criteria.

Oakland - No argument required, the chances of Shanny returning there are worse than me getting or even wanting that gig.

Washington - If Shanahan is serious about his criteria, this would be a pretty quick conversation.  Snider is about as likely to give up complete football control as I am likely to give up the double quarter pounder.

Dallas - the only thing less likely than Dan Snider giving up complete control of his team, is Captain Plastic giving up control of his.  Even if Jerry tells him he will have control, all Mike would have to do is call the Tuna or Jimmy Johnson and ask him if he means it.

Seattle - With the resignation last week of the GM, speculation began to percolate.  Ownership made it clear though that the replacement would have to be willing to play by their rules, in other words likely keep Jim Mora Jr. as coach.  Does that sound like complete control?

Jacksonville - While it is likely they miss the play-offs with their schedule, it’s unlikely they will make a change. There has been a dramatic improvement in the Jags over last year, and since its only year one with Gene Smith making the personnel decisions, it’s unlikely a change is imminent. Besides, even if the job opened up who would take this job over Buffalo?  The attendance in Jacksonville is worse than a WNBA game.

Carolina - What a huge mistake it would be to fire John Fox. That being said, if they did fire Fox,  it would probably be to hire Bill Cowher.  At least that’s what everyone seems to think.  Personally, I don’t think the Panthers will make a change at all and if Cowher gets the feeling that it won’t be anytime soon,  he may be more interested in throwing his hat in the ring for other jobs (maybe I’m just hopeful because he is so terrible on TV).

Tennesse – Fisher isn’t going anywhere.

Now things get a little interesting,

Chicago - With the obvious connection between Shanahan & Cutler it makes sense. Too, its Mike’s home state. Realistically though what are the chance that both Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo get fired?  I say not good, they are only a couple years removed from the Super Bowl and it seems unlikely after one bad year that they both would get punted.

Cleveland – Owner Randy Lerner seems desperate for a winner and seems willing to give everything that Shanahan would want but for now Lerner has been said to be flirting mostly with Mike Holmgren.  Too, just think about it, if Buffalo is a crappy job what would make the Cleveland job so much more attractive? Ok, maybe the load of draft picks they have stockpiled.

Tampa -With the ownership here, who the heck knows what they will do.  They may still be in love with Raheem Morris or they may think he is already over the hill.  One thing is for sure, if they follow the same hiring pattern and keeping hiring younger coaches they may hire one of the Jonas brothers instead of Shanahan.

Houston – Now this one is interesting.  Kubiak is said to be on the hot seat after another mediocre year.  Every year they are on the verge and every year they come up short.  It’s also interesting because when Kubiak got the job in Houston they employed the Bronco/Shanahan GM philosophy, which is basically that the coach has the control over personnel.  So if Kubiak was let go, the Owner Mcnair is already familiar with the organizational structure that Shanahan is comfortable with.  Whether that is a plus or a negative remains to be seen.  Finally, what impact will it have that Mike’s son is on the staff in Houston and that Kubiak was his protégé?  Again time will tell.

Have you learned anything from this exercise?  Well I firmly believe that there is a decent chance of the Bills landing Shanahan. While it is certainly to soon to tell, the Bills have made it clear that they are agreeable to meeting his demands. Let’s see if anyone else will.

NR