An Open Letter to Bill Cowher

Dear Mr. Cowher,

Hello sir. My name is Dan. You do not know me but your reputation precedes you. I am a Buffalo Bills fan(atic). When we finally let Dick Jauron go this season, my number one choice of potential next coach for my beloved Bills was, you guessed it, yourself. Also on my short list were Jon Gruden, followed by Mike Shanahan. Yet you stood far and away the dream candidate. The perfect pipedream option.

As a Bills fan, I have come to expect questionable-at-best football operations. Take for example drafting Aaron Maybin over Brian Orapko and Brian Cushing, as I screamed obscenities at Mel Kiper’s meticulously groomed hair, but I digress. With the expectation of poor management, I was sure Buffalo would target mid-level coaching prospects. No disrespect to the likes of Jim Haslett, Brian Billick, or Jim Fassel – I was just sure we wouldn’t spend the money to target a professional of your caliber. Especially since we seem to target coaches who are largely irrelevant, since our franchise has been just that, largely irrelevant.

Then came the reports that Buffalo reached out to Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, and yourself. Shanahan was the lone candidate to agree to a meeting (But was simply leveraging himself for an extra 0 or two from Mr. Snyder’s checkbook), Gruden declined the outreach (and re-signed with the worldwide leader), and you simply refused to consider coaching options until the end of the season. I was sure you were blowing us off like everyone else. Hell it is not just me, even the local media practices the continual self-loathing that Bills on-field results have inevitably ingrained in our sports DNA.

Then there were reports of a stealth meeting between the Bills and yourself.  The collective hopes of a franchise in limbo were briefly ignited again. After all, this is a fanbase that only had 1000 tickets available to watch a meaningless game in January – in a brutal blizzard – for a 5-10 team – amidst a decade long playoff drought – with an interim coach – against Curtis Painter – in the league’s 3rd largest capacity stadium. Dedication exemplified.

No better fans in football.

There is no mistaking it, we want you to come to Buffalo. Hell, we have a billboard going up urging our owner to think along our thoughts. At your roots, you can’t be Jerry Jones’ whipping boy. You’re old school. A blue collar guy from near Pittsburgh that earned every success in your life. Your hard work ethic and commitment to loyalty mirrors our values.

I’m sure Leslie Frazier deserves to be a Head Coach in this league. Perry Fewell (Very Cool) will be a Head Coach in the NFL. Brian Billick carries serious merits and will return to coaching sooner or later. Jim Harbaugh won’t be at Stanford long. Ron Rivera has always been highly regarded. There are dozens of legitimate and worthy candidates for this position. But there is only one perfect fit: Bill Cowher.

This franchise is treading in three foot quicksand. Not sunk, just stuck. Our next Head Coach needs immediate credibility. We need someone who can fire up his players, fire up the rabid Ralph fans, and coach the game of football the way it was meant to be played, with toughness.

By all accounts the offer is on the table to make you the highest paid coach/executive in the league. I’m sure it is not about the money, but Mr. Wilson is showing a commitment to enable your visions as he desperately seeks a title at his young-at-heart age of 91.

I understand there are newer and better stadiums to base yourself. I understand New York’s tax structure is brutal. I understand our team’s talent is subpar at nearly every position. I understand the apprehension of returning to a 24/7 stressful job with a family. I understand every conceivable reason for not coming to Buffalo. But one thing I will not understand is the notion that there will be “better” jobs out there eventually.

Mr. Cowher, you’re a football coach to your core. It is your calling. A professional in every sense of the word. There is nowhere else in this league where you will be as supported like Buffalo will support you. You can choose to come to Buffalo and immediately become an iconic figure. This is a real place to cement your legacy as one of the game’s greatest football minds. A place where you can give the fanbase hope and inspiration for a title we so rightfully deserve. You can leverage us against another team, go back to yucking it up with Shannon Sharpe predicting whether or not the Raiders will run more than 22 times, or you can be a Head Coach in the NFL of a proud franchise that is a perfect fit for your coaching and personal style.

This does not have to be a pipedream. We want you Bill. No, we need you Mr. Cowher.

The question is: do you want us?

With hopes,

Dan Driffill