Ticats look to Buffalo for coaching help

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will seek permission from the Buffalo Bills to talk to quarterbacks coach George Cortez to see if he's interested in the Ticats' vacant coaching job, sporstnet.ca has learned.

The Ticats were waiting until after the season to speak to Cortez, who is in his second year as the QB coach for the Bills following a long coaching career as a position coach and coordinator, mainly with the B.C. Lions.

The Ticats were waiting until the Bills' season ended to seek permission. The Bills finished the 2011 season with a 49-21 loss to New England and tied with Miami for last place in the AFC East with a 6-10 record.

"A lot of people have been speculating (about the Ticats interest in Cortez), but it's all been relative to when you can talk to people and you can't," Hamilton's general manager bob O'Billovich said. "He was someone we were considering but couldn't do anything until the season was over. We feel like we've got a good short list of the people we've talked to, the guys we brought in from other teams in the league, and we want to make a decision as soon as we can."

Obilivich said the Ticats are hoping to make a decision on who will fill that vacancy this week.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive coordinator Tim Burke is rumoured to be the leading contending.

Perry Lefko keeps you connected to all the news in the CFL on sportsnet.ca. He is also a regular contributor on other sports, including the UFC.