by Andy KentIf early reports by ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen are accurate, former Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears coach Dave Wannstedt could be returning to the AFC East on the same staff as Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey, only this time Wannstedt will be the assistant and Gailey will be the man in charge.According to Schefter and Mortensen, the Bills are one of four teams that want to talk to Wannstedt about shoring up their defense, most likely as the defensive coordinator. Gailey served as Wannstedt's offensive coordinator in 2000 and 2001 in Wannstedt's first two years as head coach of the Dolphins. Wannstedt came to Miami in 1999 as an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Jimmy Johnson.
After he resigned in the middle of the 2004 season, Wannstedt resurfaced in the college ranks as head coach of his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, where he coached from 2005-10 before resigning on December 7th following a disappointing 7-5 season. The other teams expected to talk with him are the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers and Cleveland Browns.
Wannstedt was with the Cowboys from 1989-92 as Johnson's defensive coordinator and won a Super Bowl with them in the 1992 season. He was named head coach of the Chicago Bears in January of 1993 and stayed through the end of the 1998 season, leading Chicago to the playoffs one time. He was fired at the end of the 1998 season after back-to-back 4-12 seasons.
His four-plus seasons with the Dolphins were a roller coaster starting when he led them to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. But despite having Heisman Trophy-winning running back Ricky Williams in his prime in 2002 and 2003, seasons in which Williams rushed for a combined 3,225 yards and 25 touchdowns, Wannstedt could not get the team into the postseason.
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