Fans hoping the Buffalo Bills' head coaching search was nearing an end are going to be

disappointed. It appears that a resolution is at least another week away.

The Minnesota Vikings' 34-3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday's NFL divisional

playoff game was a worst-case scenario for the Bills. Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie

Frazier is viewed as the leading candidate, but NFL rules prohibit any contact with him until

after next Sunday's NFC Championship Game.

Frazier, 50, interviewed for the Bills' job two weeks ago along with former Bills defensive

coordinator and interim coach Perry Fewell, who took himself out of the mix by joining the New

York Giants as their defensive coordinator.

The only other person believed to have had an interview with the Bills is Stanford head

coach Jim Harbaugh. CBS football insider Charley Casserly reported on the NFL Today pregame

show that the Bills not only interviewed Harbaugh, they offered him the job, which he didn't

accept.

So for now, Frazier looks like the only viable candidate. He is highly regarded around the

NFL and has had several interviews with NFL teams for head coaching jobs. Casserly said

Saturday that former Colts head coach Tony Dungy would have hired Frazier as head coach

instead of Pete Carroll if Dungy had accepted the Seattle Seahawks' offer to become their

president.

Frazier is in his third year running the Vikings' defense, which has been one of the NFL's

best during his tenure. He orchestrated a dominant defensive effort against the Cowboys, who

have one of the top offenses in the league.

While Frazier appears to be the front-runner for the Bills, that may not stop them from

reaching out to other possible candidates. But they have to be careful about that.

Adding more names to their list might give Frazier the impression he's not their top

choice, which could lead him to withdraw his name from consideration.

The Bills have already been turned down by big-name head coaches Mike Shanahan, Bill

Cowher, Jon Gruden and now Harbaugh, according to Casserly.

New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer last week declined an opportunity

to be interviewed, saying he's happy in his current role.

The Bills got permission to speak with Arizona offensive line coach Russ Grimm and San

Diego defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.

Grimm told reporters that he is comfortable remaining in Arizona. Rivera reportedly said he

wasn't interested while the Chargers were still in the playoffs.

Now that the Cardinals and Chargers are out of the playoffs, the Bills could take another

shot at one or both of them.

Another possibility is Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who is the NFL's

highest-paid assistant at $3 million per year. If the Bills pursue an interview with Garrett

they better hope he accepts.

The Bills can't afford another rejection because it would add to the growing perception

that their job is not attractive.

eos

e-mail: awilson@buffnews.com