Mularkey resigns as Buffalo's coach

It's not clear whether 80-year-old former head coach Marv Levy is a candidate.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Coach Mike Mularkey's abrupt resignation came as a shock to the Buffalo Bills. An even bigger surprise might be who refused to rule himself out as a candidate for the job -- Marv Levy.
A week after taking over as the Bills general manager, and despite owner Ralph Wilson insisting Levy wouldn't be considered to replace Mularkey, the 80-year-old Hall of Fame coach declined to say he wasn't interested.
"I really, sort of, don't even want to comment," Levy said Friday at a news conference. "I can't answer it because I want to talk the whole situation over. But we're going to address it swiftly."
Levy added that he didn't plan on being the coach when he accepted the GM's job, but said the situation has changed with Mularkey's unexpected departure.
His comments, however, contradicted what Wilson stated minutes earlier after announcing Mularkey's resignation. Asked whether Levy, who was standing off to the side, would be a candidate, Wilson said: "Absolutely not."
Wilson had a chance to restate his position after listening to Levy, but declined to do so.
What might seem curious to those hearing Levy contradict his boss is becoming par for the course for an operation that can't get its story straight since Wilson fired president/general manager Tom Donahoe last week.
No consensus
Upon luring Levy out of retirement, Wilson and Levy couldn't agree on a title before eventually settling on general manager/football operations.
Now comes Mularkey's resignation, which came eight days after Wilson said Mularkey would be return.
Something changed, Wilson said, when Mularkey first approached him Wednesday to inform the owner of his intention to resign.
The two met again Thursday when Wilson accepted Mularkey's resignation.
"Of course I was completely surprised by his statement. He seemed very firm about it," Wilson said. "It's an abrupt setback. But we're going to move forward."
Wilson said Mularkey expressed concern about Bills fans who criticized him last year.
And despite Wilson's assurances, Mularkey's future beyond next season remained in doubt. Mularkey dismissed five assistants last week and his uncertain status made it difficult for the coach to hire experienced replacements.
Had three years left
Mularkey was 14-18 in two seasons and had three years left on his contract. The move leaves the Bills searching for their third coach in five years.
A former NFL tight end, Mularkey was a first-time head coach who joined Buffalo after serving as the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator. In his first season, the Bills rebounded from a 1-5 start to finish 9-7.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.