By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – The Buffalo Bills confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Mike Mularkey has been hired as the team's new head coach.
Mularky replaces Gregg Williams, whose contract was not renewed after a disappointing season. He becomes the 13th coach of the Bills. It's Mularkey's first head coaching job after serving 10 years as an assistant, including the last three as the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator.
Mularkey has ties to Bills' President and General Manager Tom Donahoe that date back to 1996 when the Steelers -- with Donahoe in the front office -- hired Mularkey to be their tight ends coach.
Under Mularkey, the Steelers offense ranked in the top five for two of the past three seasons. They slipped to 22nd in the league this season.
After having one of the best offenses in 2002, the Bills ranked 30th in offense this year and finished a disappointing 6-10. The Bills will introduce Mularkey at a news conference Thursday afternoon.