Bills, Kay Stephenson

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It's pretty safe to assume that if Chuck Knox and Ralph Wilson would have come to an agreement after the '82 campaign, that Buffalo would have remained competitive for at least the next few years. Of course this butterflies Marv Levy and likely Jim Kelly (and Super Bowls) from ever entering into the equation. It's also safe to figure that Kay's good start his first year as HC in '83 was a product of what Knox immediately left behind. Of course things would go real dark, and real quick, for Kay. After starting 7-4 that debut year, he would go a dreadful 3-22 (0-11 start in '84 included) before being shown the door after Week #4 of '85.

Having been only Knox's QB-coach the five seasons leading up, Kay himself would say that he was surprised that Wilson picked him to be their HC. He said he never really got an explanation as to why. Were there any other candidates considered for the opening at the time? Many a sub-OC or sub-DC have been hired as a HC in the past. And considering his good work with Fergie during those five years, Stephenson couldn't have seemed like a bad candidate. But were there OCs or DCs in the convo at the time? And what was it that Knox and Wilson disagreed on in the first place? Thanks!

[Jamie Johnson]

I always assumed Knox and Wilson disagreed over money.

[BD Sullivan]

Wilson had supposedly talked to Levy and Tom Catlin about the HC, but ultimately wanted more than Ground Chuck, which he thought Stephenson could provide.

Knox had one more year on his deal with the Bills, but after they couldn't get together on an extension, the idea of being a lame duck caused Knox to resign. Interestingly, the Rams were interested in hiring him back, but he quickly went to Seattle.

One area that aggravated Knox with the Bills was Wilson's tight purse strings.