Dolphins line up potential coaching candidates

With the official conclusion to the regular season Sunday, the Miami Dolphins' search for a new head coach is in full swing.

According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, the 'Phins have tentative plans to interview at least four candidates, with former Redskins coach Mike Shanahan and Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase topping the list.

Former Bills head coach Doug Marrone and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin are also on the docket, with current interim coach Dan Campbell expected to get a shot at keeping the job, as well.

READ MORE >>

Follow AFC East Daily @AFCEastDaily

Marrone's ex-assistant: 'self-centered, selfish, greedy'

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Doug Marrone won't be working with anyone named Bob Casullo any time soon.

Casullo, who served as an assistant coach under Marrone for a year and a half at Syracuse and worked with the former Buffalo Bills coach with the New York Jets in 2004, had some choice words for his former co-worker.

During a spot on a local ESPN radio show Monday, the former assistant coach described Marrone as "self-centered, selfish and greedy," via Newsday.

Bills' top candidate Frank Reich to interview with Jets

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Frank Reich is considered to be the Buffalo Bills' top candidate for their vacant head coaching job, while the Bills' former head coach--Doug Marrone--is a leading prospect for the rival New York Jets gig.

The fires, however, continue to be stoked.

According to NJ.com, the Jets are slated to interview Reich, the former Bills coach, for their vacant head coaching position, left open by the recently fired Rex Ryan--who actually may be a prospect for the Bills, as well.

Marrone opts out of contract; players surprised, 'pissed'

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

In the event of an ownership change, Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone was given three days to decide whether he wanted to opt out of his four-year contract.

Wednesday, he took that out.

The second-year coach bailed on the team just three days after posting their best record since 2004, according to Adam Schefter, Adam Caplan and Chris Mortensen. The 50-year-old is now free to sign with any team, unpleasant news to at least a couple Bills players Wednesday.

Marrone: Consistency of O-line has to get better

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

The Buffalo Bills' defensive line can't play much better than it has thus far.

The crew leads the league in sacks with 49 and has held opposing offenses to only 3.8 rushing yards per attempt and six total rushing touchdowns.

The offensive line, however, has seen its ups and downs.

"I think, obviously, we have to get better," coach Doug Marrone said Wednesday, via buffalobills.com. "There’s been times in games where there’s been spurts where you think, ‘Okay, here we go. We’ve finally got it going,’ but there’s been a setback, for whatever reasons.

Spiller 'like a kid in a candy store' back at practice

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

It's been almost two months since running back C.J. Spiller joined his teammates at practice. Wednesday, he was pretty excited about his return to the field.

"Just cutting, I haven’t done that in about a month and a half so just cutting, going out with the backs, holding the football again, putting the helmet back on, so it was like a little kid in a candy store today for me," Spiller said via buffalobills.com. "So, I thought today was a successful day for me."

It was the first day the 27-year-old was technically permitted to return following his collarbone injury, and his level of participation should have the Bills optimistic that he's on track to return against the Raiders in Week 16. 

Corey Graham: Bills 'back to basics' on tackling

BY NICK ST. DENIS

In a rather forgettable night for the Buffalo Bills Thursday, the team had a tough time wrapping up Miami Dolphins players--at least as far as Bills coach Doug Marrone was concerned.

According to ProFootballFocus, the Bills missed five tackles on defense and another on special teams.

Those numbers were actually below the team's game average, though it was still a point of focus for the Bills following the game.

Marrone finally ready to take look at red-zone woes

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Going into Thursday night's game against the Miami Dolphins, it was hard to imagine the Buffalo Bills' red-zone offense performing any worse than it had up to that point.

Apparently it wasn't too hard to imagine.

Buffalo marched downfield and got inside the 20-yard line in each of their first two drives in last night's 22-9 loss, with both drives stalling and ending in field goals. That was the last time they'd get that deep into Miami territory, finishing the game 0-for-2 and pulling their already pitiful scoring percentage even further into the basement.

Pouncey thinks James is up to challenge at LT

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Starting a rookie at left tackle is a stressful call for any coach to make, even with a No. 1 pick. Starting one on a short week against the league's No. 1 sack squad? That's just plain terrifying.

Nobody seems to shaking in their cleats down in Miami though, as the loss of Pro Bowler Branden Albert for the season has opened the door for youngster Ja'Wuan James to slide over and fill his shoes.

James has held his own on the right side on the line through nine games this season, and his teammates seem confident in his abilities on the blind side.

Mike Williams hoping to put his red-zone skills to use

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

The Buffalo Bills went 0-4 in the red zone in their 17-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, and the team currently has the worst scoring percentage in the league (41 percent).

Wide receiver Mike Williams thinks he can help in that regard, but first things first: He needs to be active to do it.

"Still, to this day, I feel like I'm that type of player," Williams said of his red-zone skills, via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. "I think it's just about the opportunities and reps. I just think when I get those, I think it will be a lot better for me and hopefully for the team."

Fred Jackson awaiting green light from doctors

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Following a week on the bench and a week of rest, things are the same as they started with Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson when he was injured in Week 7: Unclear.

Jackson was sidelined with a groin injury during the team's victory over the Minnesota Vikings, and the timetable for his return will be based largely on how his body reacts to his rehab program the team doctors have laid out.

In that regard, Jackson has full faith in the staff behind him and is confident he'll be ready to go in the near future.

Jackson confident in Dixon, Brown as Bills eye backups

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Celebrations were abound at Ralph Wilson Stadium Sunday following the last-second touchdown that sealed the victory for Buffalo Bills. The hugs prior to halftime, however, were those of consolation.

The team's top two running backs, veteran Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller, left Sunday's game in sequential quarters, victims of groin and collar bone injuries, respectfully. While Jackson's prognosis seems positive -- he's projected to miss about a month -- Spiller's is a bit more bleak.

With a tough start to the season and now a chance he could end up on IR following reported surgery, the elder of the two tailbacks dealt with the situation the only way he could.

Marrone high on Kounandjio; Urbik's role still backup

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Doug Marrone and the Buffalo Bills have decided to shake things up with their offensive line, just not the way you'd expect.

According to Chris Brown of buffalobills.com, the coaching staff has decided to give rookie Cyrus Kounandjio another shot to prove his worth, though it won't be at tackle, where he was projected to start at the beginning of preseason workouts. The second-round pick has been reportedly taking snaps at guard with the scout team for the past couple of weeks, a move that Marrone feels could be a permanent one for the 21-year-old.

Marrone hasn't lost confidence in Spiller, run game

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Things have literally not gone as planned for the Buffalo Bills run game this season.

The unit came into 2014 after a record-breaking year where it put up 144 yards per game on average and more than 2,300 yards on the ground in total. With the coaching staff coming into its second season, as well as some key additions in both the backfield and on the line, this year's ceiling seemed even higher.

Unfortunately, that hasn't happened.

Amid trade talk, Mike Williams tells fans to 'chill'

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Going into the team's Week 6 game against New England, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mike Williams had only taken around 50 percent of the team's offensive snaps. In Sunday's 37-22 loss, he saw zero, reportedly benched for strategic purposes in favor special teamer Chris Hogan.

A day later, Williams' agent was contacting the team requesting permission to test the waters on a trade.

The 27-year-old wideout, a veteran presence for the young receiver group in Buffalo, attempted to quash the outcry by fans on social media Monday after the news broke, saying he has no plans to leave the team he grew up wanting to be a part of as a child.

Orton, Bills will need to commit to run against Detroit

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Buffalo's starting quarterback may have changed, but the offensive gameplan will remain the same: Run the ball.

In his first press conference since his promotion, veteran Kyle Orton was asked a lot of personal questions about the move -- if he's rusty, how confident he feels with the playbook, even what he said to now-backup signal-caller E.J. Manuel following the announcement (check out his answer here).

When asked about how he plans to beat the league's No. 1 overall defense, however, his answer had little do with his upcoming performance and everything to do with the effectiveness of his running back corps.

K.O.'ed: Marrone benches Manuel in favor of Orton

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

After only 14 career starts and back-to-back losses where he's continued to struggle with his accuracy, Buffalo Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel will officially be riding the pine Sunday in Detroit.

The roster move was reportedly made midday Monday, with coach Doug Marrone promoting veteran signal-caller Kyle Orton to the starting role.

Marrone was careful not to put the entire blame of the team's offensive under-production on the shoulders of the young quarterback, though he admitted that his performance has not been strong enough to lead the unit.

Marrone: No concerns potentially having only four WRs

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Marquise Goodwin became the fourth wide receiver added to the Buffalo Bills injury report this week, though the dwindling depth chart doesn't seem to be have coach Doug Marrone all too concerned.

Goodwin reportedly sustained a head injury in practice Wednesday, according to Marrone, an injury that's deemed the league's concussion protocol testing to be necessary. This comes on the heels of news this week that the team will be without fellow receiver and special teams star Marcus Easley, who sprained his knee in last Sunday's loss to the San Diego Chargers, for four to six weeks.

The bleak outlook for Goodwin could potentially leave Buffalo down two wideouts going into their Week 4 matchup in Houston against the Texans, a circumstance Marrone doesn't think will be a huge issue.

Marrone: Despite miscue, Jackson will still return punts

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

The Buffalo Bills running backs have taken on added roles on special teams this year, from C.J. Spiller returning kickoffs to Fred Jackson back lining up for punt returns.

Both were in action Sunday, with Spiller tallying a 29-yard return early in the first quarter and Jackson out for a punt with less than six minutes to go in the second. Jackson's opportunity didn't go as smoothly as Spiller's, however, as the veteran muffed the catch but ultimately recovered the ball.

According to coach Doug Marrone, Jackson's minor slip-up won't affect his future on the punt squad.

Marrone: Reports of cursing, arguments 'just not true'

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

In Doug Marrone's mind, expectations are high this season for the Buffalo Bills as the head coach enters his second year at the helm. Seems like tensions could equally as high.

Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported Friday that Marrone and Director of Player Personnel Jim Monos recently got into it prior to practice, a screaming match that even GM Doug Whaley and President Russ Brandon allegedly had trouble breaking up. The argument was apparently quite heated, with expletives flying and Marrone yelling "go ahead and fire me" toward the end of the fiasco.

Marrone addressed the issue while talking to reporters Friday, laughing off the allegations and denying it occurred.