Buffalo Bills hire five assistant coaches
Several of Dick Jauron’s former assistant coaches have landed new jobs around the NFL, but two of them will not have to pack their belongings and leave Buffalo.
Chan Gailey, the Bills’ new head coach, began filling out his staff on Wednesday by hiring five new assistants, and he also announced that he is retaining two of Jauron’s coaches, defensive backs coach George Catavolos and defensive line coach Bob Sanders.
“Right now we are happy with the coaches that we have been able to get on the staff,” Gailey said in a statement released by the team. “Ultimately, we want to make sure we get the right guys; great teachers, great communicators and the right kind of people for the Bills. These coaches give us a great start in that direction.”
The new hires are: Curtis Modkins (offensive coordinator/running backs), Bob Bicknell (tight ends), Joe D’Alessandris (offensive line), Kevin Patullo (offensive quality control) and Giff Smith (defensive assistant).
It was not surprising that both Catavolos and Sanders were brought back by Gailey.
Catavolos was credited with helping to develop rookie safety Jairus Byrd, who finished tied for first in the NFL with nine interceptions and earned an invitation to the Pro Bowl, though he can’t play due to hip and groin injuries. Overall, the Bills tied for second in the league with 28 interceptions, 21 coming from members of the secondary.
“I’m ecstatic about him being back,” Byrd told buffalobills.com. “The way he handles players, especially being a young player that still has a lot to learn, I learned a lot from him. He knows what each player requires in order to make them better. He’s just a people person. I could go on and on about how he has helped me develop and the way he pulls the best out of me.”
Last week, safety Donte Whitner issued a plea to Gailey via Twitter to keep Catavolos, who he called “the best coach on our staff.”
Sanders came to Buffalo in 2009 after working as defensive coordinator in Green Bay. The Bills registered 32 sacks, up from 24 in 2008. Of that total, 25 came from Sanders’ defensive linemen including a team-high 10 by end Aaron Schobel.
Gailey said when he was hired that he would also serve as offensive coordinator, but that he would still bring in a coach who would carry that title and be involved in the offensive game-planning. That man is Modkins.
Modkins worked with Gailey at Georgia Tech for six years, then made his NFL debut in 2008 as the running backs coach in Kansas City when Gailey was the offensive coordinator on Herm Edwards’ staff. Last year, Modkins was running backs coach for the Arizona Cardinals.
“When you talk about a teacher, a communicator and a smart individual, Curtis fits all of those at the highest level,” Gailey said. “He is a bright young coach and I am excited about having him here.”
Bicknell, who is the son of former Boston College head coach Jack Bicknell and played tight end at the school for his father, has coached 17 years in college, NFL Europe and the NFL. He has been with the Chiefs the last three seasons. He spent the first two years coaching the offensive line, and one of his players was Rochester native Branden Albert. Last year he was tight ends coach.
D’Alessandris was the Chiefs’ assistant offensive line coach in 2008 and 2009, and he was Gailey’s offensive line coach from 2002-07 at Georgia Tech. He was also on Gailey’s Birmingham Fire staff for two years in the World League of American Football.
Patullo spent 2007 and 2008 with the Chiefs as an offensive assistant/quality control coach. Prior to joining the Chiefs, Patullo served three years (2004-06) as an offensive graduate assistant working under Mike Stoops at the University of Arizona.
Smith has been the defensive line coach at Georgia Tech since Gailey’s arrival there in 2002, and he has 19 years of college experience, though none in the NFL.
Gailey is still searching for a defensive coordinator, a special teams coach and a quarterbacks coach.
