Bratton's CFL coach could end up with the Bills

This past week, the Buffalo Bills fired head coach Dick Jauron after the team's disappointing start.

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Buffalo defensive coordinator Perry Fewel was named interim coach. With the Bills' defense ranked 26th in the league, however, it is assumed he'll be gone at the end of the season.

Rumors are swirling about who the Bills will go after to run their team. The short list includes former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, New York giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, former Bills linebacker and New Orleans Saints head coach Jim Haslett and Marc Trestman.

Many of you are saying, "Who is Marc Trestman?"

Well, Trestman is coaching former Lakeside Panther Brian Bratton north of the border. Trestman is in his second season as the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

I recently wrote a column updating readers on Bratton, who is a standout receiver for Montreal. The Trestman-led Alouettes stormed through the regular season and advanced to the Grey Cup playoff semifinals. (They play the British Columbia Lions today.)

The team was dominant in the CFL this season, posting a league-best 15-3 mark. In addition, Montreal led the CFL in points scored with 600, which was 84 more than the league's next-best mark. The Alouettes' defense allowed a league-low 324 points, which was 80 points better than their nearest competition.

Under Trestman's tutelage, Bratton has flourished. He caught 58 passes for more than 600 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season. Not bad for a guy who didn't even play wide receiver until he was a sophomore in college.

Trestman has a very impressive resume, too. He started his coaching career with the talented Miami Hurricanes teams of the early 1980s. Trestman also spent nearly 20 years in the NFL, earning a reputation as one of the top offensive minds in the game. Who knows if Trestman will get the job? Even if he does, it is doubtful that Bratton would go to Buffalo with him. But I can see Bratton coaching one day, and it certainly would not hurt to be on good terms with an NFL head coach.