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January 22nd, 2010 
Nathan Nau 
Chan Gailey
The Chan Gailey era in Buffalo officially begun on Tuesday as the team introduced the career play-caller as their next head coach. Gailey, who was fired from his only other head coaching position by Jerry Jones, will get his second, and most likely last chance to prove himself as a successful head coach in the NFL.
Gailey will have his work cut out for him in Buffalo Bills. The Buffalo Bills team he’s taking over hasn’t made the playoffs in a decade and its fans have been clamoring for a big name coach, such as Bill Cowher, during what most fans are interpreting a unsuccessful search. “I can’t say anything to change anybody’s mind. All I can do is go try to help us win football games,” Gailey said. “We win football games, everybody’s minds will be changed, right?”
Gailey was hired by first-time general manager Buddy Nix, ending a two-month search to replace Dick Jauron, who was fired in November. He takes over a Bills team coming off its fifth straight losing season following a 6-10 finish and in the midst of a 10-year playoff drought that is tied with Detroit as the longest active streak in the NFL. “I’ve been around enough winning programs … that when I walk on the field I expect to win.
I don’t just hope to win,” Gailey said. “But the bottom line is we’ve got to do it on the field” For Nix, it was Gailey’s extensive experience that impressed him and met most of the criteria the General Manager set out when he took over the search two weeks ago. Nix was eager to find someone with previous head-coaching experience and who had an offensive background, especially considering the Bills quarterback situation.
“Without any doubt in my mind, we got the best qualified guy, a guy that was on the list early,” Nix said.”We got the right guy for us. I’ve got full confidence in him to answer your question.”
Gailey has spent 15 of his 35 years of coaching in the NFL. In his two years coaching the Dallas Cowboys, he went 18-14 and led the team to consecutive playoff appearances – both losses. He was dismissed after the 1999 season, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has acknowledged his mistake in firing Gailey.
Gailey has been out of football since he was removed as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in August, two weeks before the season opener. He was entering his second season with Kansas City Chiefs after a six-year stretch as Georgia Tech’s coach, during which he went 44-33 before being fired in 2007.
Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was considered the top candidate after interviewing two weeks ago. Frazier’s stock appeared to climb even further after his defense shut down the Cowboys in Minnesota’s 34-3 win in the playoffs Sunday.
Washington Redskins and Mike Shanahan have agreed in principal to a five-year, $35 million contract that will make him their head coach and executive VP of football operations. If there was ever any doubt that Shanahan and owner Dan Snyder could co-exist under the same roof, Shanahan put that to rest during Wednesday’s press conference: “I’ve never met a guy more positive and passionate about the Redskins,” Shanahan said. “(Snyder’s) desire to do things the right way gives me every opportunity to be successful,” Shanahan said.