Bills Choose Williams to Be Next Coach

Gregg Williams won the battle of defensive coordinators for the Buffalo Bills’ head coaching job.

Williams, Tennessee’s defensive coordinator the last four seasons, beat out a high-profile group that included Marvin Lewis, defensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens; John Fox, defensive coordinator of the NFC champion New York Giants, and Ted Cottrell, former Bill defensive coordinator who has since joined the New York Jets.

“Gregg brings to our franchise a long list of impressive credentials,” Buffalo President Tom Donahoe said Thursday. “His strengths are in the areas of leadership, knowledge of the game, organizational skills and people skills.

“I’m confident that we have selected the candidate who best fits our needs.”

Williams, who did not immediately return messages, will be formally introduced to the media at a news conference today.

Williams becomes the Bills’ 12th head coach, taking over after Wade Phillips’ dismissal last month.

Under Williams, the Titan defense finished first in the NFL in fewest yards allowed and set a club record with 55 sacks.

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A year after his surprise selection as coach of the Green Bay Packers, Mike Sherman has added another unexpected title: general manager.

Ron Wolf, the architect of the Packers’ 1990s revival, said he is retiring as executive vice president/general manager on June 1, after which Sherman will pull double duty.

“We’ve had a great ride here,” said Wolf, who united Mike Holmgren, Brett Favre and Reggie White in the NFL’s coldest outpost and together ended the Packers’ quarter-century of mediocrity with a Super Bowl title in 1997.

Wolf, who said his health was fine but that his heart was no longer in it, will share the team’s personnel decisions with Sherman over the next four months.

Then Wolf, 62, will serve the final three years of his contract as a consultant.

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New England Patriot owner Robert Kraft, still angry over star cornerback Ty Law being caught with the illegal drug Ecstasy last season, wants to retrieve part of Law’s $14.2-million signing bonus.

Players Assn. general counsel Richard Berthelsen confirmed to the Boston Globe that the Patriots have filed a countergrievance against Law to retrieve a “prorated portion” of the bonus.

Law was suspended for the team’s season finale, losing his $87,500 game check. He appealed the suspension through the union last month.

Berthelsen said it would take several months to schedule arbitrators to hear Law’s grievance and Kraft’s countergrievance.

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The Atlanta Falcons hired Billy Davis as their linebackers coach. . . . The Cleveland Browns hired Bruce Arians as offensive coordinator and Foge Fazio as defensive coordinator. . . . Pittsburgh Steeler running back Jerome Bettis had surgery to clean up scar tissue in his left knee from an injury that occurred during training camp. . . . As expected, former Arizona Cardinal coach Vince Tobin was hired as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator. The Lions also fired five assistants: running backs coach Frank Falks, tight ends coach Danny Smith, strength and conditioning coach Bert Hill, offensive quality control coach John Misciagna and assistant defensive line coach Dennis Murphy. The Lions retained special teams coach Chuck Priefer and defensive assistant Don Clemons.