The shuffle in Buffalo's personnel department continued Wednesday with the hiring of Tom Gibbons and Chuck Cook. Bills Executive Vice President and General Manager Buddy Nix named Gibbons the team's new Pro Personnel Director, while Cook will serve as Director of College Scouting.
Gibbons will be taking on some of the Pro Personnel duties previously handled by Assistant GM/Player Personnel Director Doug Whaley, who will now focus more of his energies on the college ranks.
Gibbons, a Dunkirk native, is no stranger to the Bills organization. His first 12 years in the NFL were spent in the Bills personnel department (1992-2003) as both a college and pro scout. Gibbons has spent the past seven seasons as a college scout with the San Diego Chargers where he was assigned to the Northeast region.
"It's great to be back with Buddy and Russ (Brandon) and I appreciate Mr. Wilson who has treated me really well over the years," Gibbons said. "It's great to be back with the team that I started out with and I'm excited about the chance to be back here."
Cook is a 27-year veteran in NFL scouting. He served most of his scouting career with the Kansas City Chiefs where he spent 12 years as the Director of College Scouting (1997-2008). He began his NFL career with the Chiefs as a regional scout (1985-1997).
"I just want to thank Mr. Wilson and Buddy, we've got a lot of history, Russ (Brandon) and Doug (Whaley) for giving me this opportunity to get back in the saddle again after being a director with the Chiefs. I look forward to the challenge and getting some real good football players."
Nix said while both will do most of their work in their respective areas of scouting they will also spend time assisting the other arm of Buffalo's scouting department.
"There will be some overlap where the college guys will do some pro stuff, especially in the preseason," said Nix. "Conversely, the pro guys including Tommy (Gibbons) will do some college scouting. I think that helps put everybody on the same page and that's what we're trying to do."
Cook's lengthy experience in coordinating preparations for the annual NFL draft is likely what made him an attractive candidate for Buffalo. He was most recently a regional scout with the Miami Dolphins (2008-2010).
Bills Assistant GM/Director of Player Personnel, Doug Whaley will be overseeing both the Pro and College personnel departments, but he will be relying on Gibbons and Cook to organize and streamline the information gathering process on pro and college prospects.
"I have complete confidence in the guys that are working with me," said Whaley. "I think as long as you have open lines of communication between everybody we should be fine."
