Bills head coach Chan Gailey moved ever closer to completing his coaching staff with the hiring of another assistant Thursday. The club announced the addition of DeMontie Cross as inside linebackers coach.
Cross is the third member of the previous coaching staff retained by the Bills joining Bob Sanders and George Catavolos, who will also be staying on the defensive side of the ball.He served the past three seasons as the assistant linebackers and special teams coach. The 2010 season will be Cross' fifth with the Bills.
Roles definedBob Sanders was retained as a member of Gailey's staff, but his role was not specified until now as the club announced that the veteran assistant will coach Buffalo's outside linebackers in 2010. He served last season coaching the Bills defensive line.
Sanders has coached linebackers before as he was Miami's linebackers coach for four seasons (2001-04), one in which he and Gailey coached together under Dave Wannstedt.
It's believed that Sanders will work closely with young pass rushers Aaron Maybin and Chris Ellis, who are likely to be transitioned to outside linebacker in Buffalo's new defensive scheme.
Giff Smith will be the team's defensive line coach. He has coached defensive linemen for the majority of his coaching career, though he did coach defensive backs and wide receivers while an assistant at Georgia Southern.
Smith served on Gailey's Georgia Tech staff as defensive line coach for all six seasons. In 2007 the Yellow Jackets ranked first in the nation in sacks and second in tackles for loss. Smith remained on the Tech staff under Gailey's successor Paul Johnson, with whom he coached at Georgia Southern.
