The Bills had some holes to fill on their coaching staffs after a couple of departures at season's end. Quarterbacks coach was chief among them on the offensive side of the ball and the club agreed to terms Friday with veteran NFL/college assistant David Lee.
"I'm excited and proud to be the Bills' quarterbacks coach," said Lee. "Chan Gailey has been a successful head coach everywhere he's been. His teams have always moved the football really well. Being able to coach under him was the difference in my decision to come to Buffalo."
A 37-year coaching veteran, Lee has spent seven of those coaching years in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. Lee is largely credited in helping to develop Tony Romo from an undrafted college free agent in 2003 to a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback in 2006.
"We were very pleased that we could hire David Lee to be our quarterbacks coach," said Gailey. "He is very well-respected as a technician and a teacher of quarterbacks. He brings a wealth of experience -- having done a lot of different types of offenses, as well as the traditional pro-style offense."
His most recent NFL stint was with the Dolphins from 2008-2010, where he was recognized as the one responsible for introducing the Wildcat offense to the NFL three years ago. After that 2008 season Lee was named "Innovator of the Year" by the Sporting News for his implementation of the Wildcat.
Lee's addition to the staff could be very good news for Bills multi-dimensional threat Brad Smith, who was the team's Wildcat quarterback in his first season in Buffalo. Lee also coached Tyler Thigpen while in Miami in the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
"He did a really good job with me in terms of mechanics at the position and the knowledge of the game," Thigpen told Buffalobills.com. "Just what works best against certain coverages, things like that. He's going to be a great asset for our offense."
The veteran coach also has experience as an offensive coordinator, a title he has held at three different major Division I college programs, with the most recent being Ole Miss in 2011.
