ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) – Drew Bledsoe intends to be back in Buffalo next year, and Bills president Tom Donahoe is in the quarterback’s corner.

Donahoe, however, acknowledged that whomever he hires to take over as coach after Gregg Williams’ dismissal on Monday will have a say in the matter.

“That decision will be made when we get a new head coach,” Donahoe said. “I think you have to give the coach say in everything, just as Gregg had say in everything.”

Questions about Bledsoe’s future in Buffalo were raised after the Bills (6-10) wrapped up a discouraging season blamed mostly on the team’s sputtering offense. The Bills finished 30th in the NFL in yards gained and points scored, reflecting Bledsoe’s worst season of his 11-year career. A year after he set 10 Bills franchise records, Bledsoe finished with 2,860 yards passing and 11 touchdowns this past season – both career lows for seasons when he has started 13 or more games.

Bledsoe looked uncomfortable in the pocket for most of the season, contributing to the league-leading 49 times he was sacked and his 14 fumbles, 10 of them recovered by the opposition. His season-long struggles have led some to wonder whether Bledsoe, who turns 32 in February, has lost his edge.

That’s not encouraging for a player who is due a hefty raise if he remains on the Bills roster in November.

Bledsoe hasn’t spoken to the media since Saturday, after Buffalo’s season-ending 31-0 loss at New England. But he has previously insisted that he’s not lost confidence in himself or his abilities and that he’s fully expecting to be back for a third season in Buffalo next year.

Donahoe defended Bledsoe, saying it’s not all his fault. He particularly noted that Bills coaches – Donahoe wouldn’t say who – failed to defend Bledsoe and put him in situations where he couldn’t succeed.

“Some people, when they had the opportunity, could have stepped up and taken more criticism than they took,” Donahoe said.

The Bills offense was hampered by coordinator Kevin Gilbride’s ill-conceived pass-first philosophy that didn’t fit its personnel, particularly after Buffalo traded deep-threat receiver Peerless Price to Atlanta last March, and released two more reliable receivers in tight end Jay Riemersma and fullback Larry Centers.

It didn’t help that No. 1 receiver Eric Moulds was limited for most of the year because of a groin injury.

Gilbride has one year left on his contract. His status, along with the rest of the Bills assistants, will be determined by the new head coach.

AP-ES-12-30-03 1752EST