head coach Chan Gailey talks to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
BUFFALO, NY-- Bills head coach Chan Gailey says the scheme is going to change on defense in 2012.
Gailey says the Bills will start the new year by switching to a 4-3 base defense from the 3-4 that they've used for the past two seasons.
"When we hand you a line-up card, it will have two tackles, two defensive ends, and three linebackers... that's the way we're going to start."
Gailey says the move is being made to make better use of the players they have on the roster as well as the players they will look to acquire. He also says the scheme is something that new coordinator Dave Wannstedt is very comfortable with and has a great deal of knowledge in.
The Bills finished 24th and 26th in total defense in each of the past two seasons.
Monday afternoon, Gailey announced the hiring of assistant offensive line coach Andrew Dees and defensive quality control coach Eric Thatcher.
Buffalo hired Dees to assist veteran offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris. Dees spent last season as the running backs coach/recruiting coordinator at the University of Massachusetts. He coached offensive line at Temple from 2006-2010 and coached tight ends at the University at Buffalo from 2001-2005. The 16-year college coaching veteran enters his first season in the NFL.
This will also be the first NFL coaching season for Eric Thatcher as the team's defensive quality control coach. Thatcher began his coaching career last year as the defensive backs coach for Mercyhurst College in Pennsylvania a year after serving as a grad assistant at Pitt.
Thatcher graduated from Pitt in 2008 and was a three-year starter for the Panthers under former head coach and current Bills defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt.
The defensive quality control position was open because Adrian White was promoted to assistant secondary coach. White had served as the defensive quality control coach for each of the past three seasons, but assisted secondary coach George Catavolos with the defensive backs the past two years.
In other coaching moves tight ends coach Bob Bicknell will coach wide receivers in 2012. Bicknell coached the team's tight ends the past two seasons, but was named receivers coach after the departure of former assistant Stan Hixon.
Meanwhile veteran assistant Bob Sanders had his role expanded. The past two seasons he coached the outside linebackers. Now he will coach all the linebackers with Dave Wannstedt now the team's defensive coordinator. Wannstedt spent last season coaching the inside linebackers.
Earlier this month, the Bills hired William Inge as the team's new assistant defensive line coach. Inge joins the Bills after spending the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at UB.
The team also hired David Lee as the team's new quarterback coach.
"We were very pleased that we could hire David Lee to be our quarterbacks coach," Gailey said. "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."
Lee brings 37 years of coaching experience, including seven years at the NFL level, to Buffalo. He returns to the NFL ranks after serving as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Ole Miss in 2011.
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