Buffalo News links Gabriel to Bills opening

A league source said no permission has been requested for the Buffalo Bills to speak with Bears college scouting director Greg Gabriel.

It remains to be seen whether Buffalo owner Ralph Wilson or coach Dick Jauron would be interested in him for the now vacant GM post there, but the Buffalo News seemed to think Gabriel would be a fit to work for his hometown Bills.

Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy resigned from the position on Monday after two seasons. Levy is returning to Chicago, where he maintains a residence.

Here is a link to the Buffalo story by veteran beat man Mark Gaughan: http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/billsnfl/story/241070.html

The story was also discussed by Mike Florio on profootballtalk.com, a space where Gabriel has had his name dropped in the past: http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

Gabriel once worked as a part-time scout for the Bills in the early 1980s before going to work for the New York Giants, where his connection with Jerry Angelo was forged. The Buffalo News indicated that Jauron, himself, could wind up wielding more power. At issue is whether or not Jauron would look at Gabriel with the same lack of esteem that he does Angelo, the man who fired him here.

For being a longtime owner, Wilson does not have a lot of league connections and its not certain who he is listening to, but one would imagine Jauron will carry a lot of weight in the decision and the report indicated he might ultimately control the 53-man roster.

The Bears drafts since Gabriels arrival have produced a slew of talented defensive players, including defensive linemen Tommie Harris, Alex Brown and Mark Anderson, linebacker Lance Briggs, and defensive backs Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman. The Bears also pulled a coup by getting Devin Hester in the second round.

Gabriel and Angelo have struggled to connect on offense, however. The good news in Buffalo is the Bills appear to be set with a quarterback Trent Edwards and a running back Marshawn Lynch, positions that have dogged the Bears.

One other potential candidate Jauron would know well is Bears pro personnel director Bobby DePaul, named Wednesday by ESPN.com as one of five people who should receive strong consideration for a top post.

The other four on the list are New England college scouting director Tom Dimitroff, Dallas vice president of scouting Jeff Ireland, Baltimore director of pro personnel George Kokinis, and Indianapolis vice president of football operations Chris Polian. You can scratch Ireland off the list as he was hired by Bill Parcells as the Dolphins GM already.

Of course, Gaughan’s story also mentions that the Bills have gone outside the organization to hire a GM once in 48 years.