The Buffalo Bills (1 Viewer)

[CompetitiveEdgeFootball]

I'm pretty sure a Shark Pool regular could manage this franchise better than the management team and coaching staff that's in place.

I think anyone that can beat a Madden game could probably do a better job than these monkeys.

This franchise has become a joke.

They can't draft, they can't manage talent, they can't play, and they're not committed to doing anything that would allow them to post a winning record.

 

[FavreCo]

Richardson says he would like to put his panthers franchise in the hat.

 

[Northbound Train]

WCF + Matt Millen gave them a run for their money for the L10 years

 

[Clifford]

Pretty sure this has been covered.

 

[JahVideo_Kilt_Radio_Star]

For not getting Mike Vick. Forget that Vick's looked sensational this year. You had Edwards, Fitzpatrick and Brohm. 3 guys that are backup quality at best.

 

[CompetitiveEdgeFootball]

Pretty sure this has been covered.

Yeah i saw the other thread. Didn't think it was severe enough. I felt the Bills needed to be openly condemned.

 

[Masked Vigilante]

Drafting Spiller was silly.

 

[lyon812]

Drafting Spiller was silly.

Drafting Spiller and not using him is silly.

 

[Tommy Collins]

Good news. Ralph Wilson just stated after this week's game that the team is in a rebuilding phase which will take 3 years and they need to draft a QB. Apparently he didn't get that memo 5 years ago.

 

[Texasmouth]

At least no one had any type of expectations when the best coach they could get was Chan Gailey. The guy has had zero success everywhere he has gone. How was he qualified to get the job over Perry Fuel <SP?> There were no better candidates out there than this retread?

I guess Ralph Wilson wanted a guy his own age to play with...so he hired Gailey.

 

[SugarNuts]

Drafting Spiller was silly.

Drafting Spiller and not using him is silly.

No... Drafting Spiller was silly. Drafting Spiller and not using him is just outright stoopid.

 

[SugarNuts]

At least no one had any type of expectations when the best coach they could get was Chan Gailey. The guy has had zero success everywhere he has gone. How was he qualified to get the job over Perry Fuel <SP?> There were no better candidates out there than this retread?I guess Ralph Wilson wanted a guy his own age to play with...so he hired Gailey.

Dont forget Buddy Nix. Hes like 70 also.

 

[FreemanFTW]

I feel bad for Bills fans. They are loyal and good fans and they have to deal with this crap. It's ashame.

 

[D'OHtis]

They'd be better off using Pat White in some gimmick offense than what they're doing now.

 

[California]

I know I could probably just Google this but I'm lazy at the moment. What happened to the Bills? Growing up, they were ALWAYS in the Super Bowl, even if they lost all the time. My whole family was always rooting for Jim Kelly/Thurman Thomas/Bruce Smith/etc. even tho we had no connection to that team at all. Was it an ownership change? Not being able to adapt to free agency changes? Just plain stupidity? I have no clue.

 

[dharmapunk]

I know I could probably just Google this but I'm lazy at the moment. What happened to the Bills? Growing up, they were ALWAYS in the Super Bowl, even if they lost all the time. My whole family was always rooting for Jim Kelly/Thurman Thomas/Bruce Smith/etc. even tho we had no connection to that team at all. Was it an ownership change? Not being able to adapt to free agency changes? Just plain stupidity? I have no clue.

The thing that most people forget is this was a MODEL franchise at one point. Not just for putting together the Kelly/Thomas/Smith teams, but for doing what many other teams couldn't: completely rebuilding from the inside out while still fielding a competitive team. They went from the Kelly/Thurman/Bruce Smith/Andre Reed team to Flutie/Antwan Smith/Marcellus Wiley/Eric Moulds teams that made the playoffs. Hell, IMO if it weren't for the Music City Miracle they would have been in the Superbowl in 99 instead of the Titans (and would have matched up better against the Rams too). They had a devastating defense that year (#1 in the NFL) and a good offense with Flutie and Moulds. So what happened, you ask?1. The Bills GM Bill Polian left for the Colts. (1a. Compare the Colts to the Bills over the past 10 years)2. AJ Smith, his successor, left for the Chargers.(2a. Compare the Chargers to the Bills over the past 10 years)3. Wade Phillips. He was handed a playoff caliber team ready for a couple Superbowl runs, and ground them into a bunch of underachieving disappointments.(3a. See the current Dallas Cowboys)1 + 2 + 3 = Bills ground into nothing. When Phillips finally left, the team was in tatters. Go look at the Bills 2000 draft. It's been hailed as one of the worst drafts in NFL history. It was also the nail in the Bills coffin. That's what happened.

 

[gianmarco]

I know I could probably just Google this but I'm lazy at the moment. What happened to the Bills? Growing up, they were ALWAYS in the Super Bowl, even if they lost all the time. My whole family was always rooting for Jim Kelly/Thurman Thomas/Bruce Smith/etc. even tho we had no connection to that team at all. Was it an ownership change? Not being able to adapt to free agency changes? Just plain stupidity? I have no clue.

The thing that most people forget is this was a MODEL franchise at one point. Not just for putting together the Kelly/Thomas/Smith teams, but for doing what many other teams couldn't: completely rebuilding from the inside out while still fielding a competitive team. They went from the Kelly/Thurman/Bruce Smith/Andre Reed team to Flutie/Antwan Smith/Marcellus Wiley/Eric Moulds teams that made the playoffs. Hell, IMO if it weren't for the Music City Miracle they would have been in the Superbowl in 99 instead of the Titans (and would have matched up better against the Rams too). They had a devastating defense that year (#1 in the NFL) and a good offense with Flutie and Moulds. So what happened, you ask?1. The Bills GM Bill Polian left for the Colts. (1a. Compare the Colts to the Bills over the past 10 years)2. AJ Smith, his successor, left for the Chargers.(2a. Compare the Chargers to the Bills over the past 10 years)3. Wade Phillips. He was handed a playoff caliber team ready for a couple Superbowl runs, and ground them into a bunch of underachieving disappointments.(3a. See the current Dallas Cowboys)1 + 2 + 3 = Bills ground into nothing. When Phillips finally left, the team was in tatters. Go look at the Bills 2000 draft. It's been hailed as one of the worst drafts in NFL history. It was also the nail in the Bills coffin. That's what happened.

Wow. That's an interesting read.

 

[California]

I know I could probably just Google this but I'm lazy at the moment. What happened to the Bills? Growing up, they were ALWAYS in the Super Bowl, even if they lost all the time. My whole family was always rooting for Jim Kelly/Thurman Thomas/Bruce Smith/etc. even tho we had no connection to that team at all. Was it an ownership change? Not being able to adapt to free agency changes? Just plain stupidity? I have no clue.

The thing that most people forget is this was a MODEL franchise at one point. Not just for putting together the Kelly/Thomas/Smith teams, but for doing what many other teams couldn't: completely rebuilding from the inside out while still fielding a competitive team. They went from the Kelly/Thurman/Bruce Smith/Andre Reed team to Flutie/Antwan Smith/Marcellus Wiley/Eric Moulds teams that made the playoffs. Hell, IMO if it weren't for the Music City Miracle they would have been in the Superbowl in 99 instead of the Titans (and would have matched up better against the Rams too). They had a devastating defense that year (#1 in the NFL) and a good offense with Flutie and Moulds. So what happened, you ask?1. The Bills GM Bill Polian left for the Colts. (1a. Compare the Colts to the Bills over the past 10 years)2. AJ Smith, his successor, left for the Chargers.(2a. Compare the Chargers to the Bills over the past 10 years)3. Wade Phillips. He was handed a playoff caliber team ready for a couple Superbowl runs, and ground them into a bunch of underachieving disappointments.(3a. See the current Dallas Cowboys)1 + 2 + 3 = Bills ground into nothing. When Phillips finally left, the team was in tatters. Go look at the Bills 2000 draft. It's been hailed as one of the worst drafts in NFL history. It was also the nail in the Bills coffin. That's what happened.

Holy crap, great post. Better than Googling.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Don't forget John Butler (RIP), who split and became GM of the Chargers (and paved the way for AJ Smith).

I don't think Wade is as bad as Bills fans seem to think, though. He just wasn't as good as Marv Levy....any Bills fan who says they'd rather have Gregg Williams/Mike Mularkey/**** Jauron/Chan Gailey than Wade is just silly.

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

I know I could probably just Google this but I'm lazy at the moment. What happened to the Bills? Growing up, they were ALWAYS in the Super Bowl, even if they lost all the time. My whole family was always rooting for Jim Kelly/Thurman Thomas/Bruce Smith/etc. even tho we had no connection to that team at all. Was it an ownership change? Not being able to adapt to free agency changes? Just plain stupidity? I have no clue.

The thing that most people forget is this was a MODEL franchise at one point. Not just for putting together the Kelly/Thomas/Smith teams, but for doing what many other teams couldn't: completely rebuilding from the inside out while still fielding a competitive team. They went from the Kelly/Thurman/Bruce Smith/Andre Reed team to Flutie/Antwan Smith/Marcellus Wiley/Eric Moulds teams that made the playoffs. Hell, IMO if it weren't for the Music City Miracle they would have been in the Superbowl in 99 instead of the Titans (and would have matched up better against the Rams too). They had a devastating defense that year (#1 in the NFL) and a good offense with Flutie and Moulds. So what happened, you ask?1. The Bills GM Bill Polian left for the Colts. (1a. Compare the Colts to the Bills over the past 10 years)2. AJ Smith, his successor, left for the Chargers.(2a. Compare the Chargers to the Bills over the past 10 years)3. Wade Phillips. He was handed a playoff caliber team ready for a couple Superbowl runs, and ground them into a bunch of underachieving disappointments.(3a. See the current Dallas Cowboys)1 + 2 + 3 = Bills ground into nothing. When Phillips finally left, the team was in tatters. Go look at the Bills 2000 draft. It's been hailed as one of the worst drafts in NFL history. It was also the nail in the Bills coffin. That's what happened.

Wow. That's an interesting read.

Totally inaccurate, though.It was John Butler, not AJ Smith.

 

[Steve Tasker]

I know I could probably just Google this but I'm lazy at the moment. What happened to the Bills? Growing up, they were ALWAYS in the Super Bowl, even if they lost all the time. My whole family was always rooting for Jim Kelly/Thurman Thomas/Bruce Smith/etc. even tho we had no connection to that team at all. Was it an ownership change? Not being able to adapt to free agency changes? Just plain stupidity? I have no clue.

The thing that most people forget is this was a MODEL franchise at one point. Not just for putting together the Kelly/Thomas/Smith teams, but for doing what many other teams couldn't: completely rebuilding from the inside out while still fielding a competitive team. They went from the Kelly/Thurman/Bruce Smith/Andre Reed team to Flutie/Antwan Smith/Marcellus Wiley/Eric Moulds teams that made the playoffs. Hell, IMO if it weren't for the Music City Miracle they would have been in the Superbowl in 99 instead of the Titans (and would have matched up better against the Rams too). They had a devastating defense that year (#1 in the NFL) and a good offense with Flutie and Moulds. So what happened, you ask?1. The Bills GM Bill Polian left for the Colts. (1a. Compare the Colts to the Bills over the past 10 years)2. AJ Smith, his successor, left for the Chargers.(2a. Compare the Chargers to the Bills over the past 10 years)3. Wade Phillips. He was handed a playoff caliber team ready for a couple Superbowl runs, and ground them into a bunch of underachieving disappointments.(3a. See the current Dallas Cowboys)1 + 2 + 3 = Bills ground into nothing. When Phillips finally left, the team was in tatters. Go look at the Bills 2000 draft. It's been hailed as one of the worst drafts in NFL history. It was also the nail in the Bills coffin. That's what happened.

Wow. That's an interesting read.

Totally inaccurate, though.It was John Butler, not AJ Smith.

Correct, as I noted above. Still, though, AJ Smith was a key player in the Bills front office before following Butler to San Diego.

 

[Rushmore]

Wow....Mike Brown losing at his own game.

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Hell, IMO if it weren't for the Music City Miracle they would have been in the Superbowl in 99 instead of the Titans (and would have matched up better against the Rams too). They had a devastating defense that year (#1 in the NFL) and a good offense with Flutie and Moulds.

This is all speculative, but if it weren't for the Music City Miracle I believe that the Jaguars would have been Super Bowl Bound. They were 14-2, had the #6 offense and the #1 defense in the league that year. Their 2 losses, and eventually their third and final loss, were to the Titans. They were dominant in 1999, except against the Titans.

 

[SSOG]

You guys realize that the Raiders' FO just gave Jason Campbell millions of dollars, compared him to Jim Plunkett and hailed him as the savior of the franchise, and then benched him in WEEK 2, right? I mean, if we're talking about the most terribly managed franchises, everyone else is playing for second place.

They'd be better off using Pat White in some gimmick offense than what they're doing now.

This would actually be really interesting. I would love to see the Bills acquire a bunch of college spread QBs (Pat White, Troy Smith, Dan Lefevour, Matt Jones, Antwaan Randle-El) and trying to run the college spread at the NFL level. Would it work? Probably not, but there's always a chance, and the results couldn't be worse than what they're already trying. If nothing else, it should make them more interesting to watch.

 

[GoBills02]

This.

And the fans will continue to support the team, because we are forced from birth to stay loyal to our team. It's not easy.

The Bills have had too many 1st round busts over the past decasde. That right there is the biggest reason why they are where they are.

Let's start with 1999....

1999- Antoine Winfield (didn't re-sign)

2000- Erik Flowers (horrible)

2001- Nate Clements (didn't re-sign, but good call at 80 million)

2002- Mike Williams- when your #4 pick overall doesn't have the desire to play football, someone didn't do their homework.

2003- Willis McGahee- (when we had Travis Henry)

2004- Lee Evans- (feel horrible for him)

2004- JP Losman (yes, we traded back in the 1st for him)

2005- No 1st rounder, that went to Dallas for JP)

2006- Donte Whitner (Thanks Marv, could have gotten the same production from former WR, George Wilson)

2006- John McCargo- (exactly)

2007- Marshawn Lynch- your #3 now?

2008- Leodis McKelvin (promising.....)

2009- Aaron Maybin- (joke, utter joke)

2009- Eric Wood (maybe the anchor of OL for ten years, maybe)

2010- CJ Spiller (we'll see)

A franchise cannot afford to swing and miss in the first round as much as Buffalo. Buffalo has more undrafted free agents on their roster right now than first round picks.

Thank You Tom Modrak. Less than 50% of these players are still on the team. McCargo hasn't even dressed a game this year. Gailey came out this week and said Maybin isn't even good enough to play Special Teams.

 

[NinerFan49]

They'd be better off using Pat White in some gimmick offense than what they're doing now.

This would actually be really interesting. I would love to see the Bills acquire a bunch of college spread QBs (Pat White, Troy Smith, Dan Lefevour, Matt Jones, Antwaan Randle-El) and trying to run the college spread at the NFL level. Would it work? Probably not.

The spread offense has worked fine for the Patriots.

 

[az_prof]

For not getting Mike Vick. Forget that Vick's looked sensational this year. You had Edwards, Fitzpatrick and Brohm. 3 guys that are backup quality at best.

I thought that they should go after Vick, but to be fair, there were MANY, and I mean many, voices in the Shark pool who repeated that drivel about Vick not being a good passer and who said he 'had lost his speed.' Many. So, to blame the Bills on this one, I think is piling on. Not too many people in or out of the NFL believed Vick would do what he showed he could do.

 

[SSOG]

They'd be better off using Pat White in some gimmick offense than what they're doing now.

This would actually be really interesting. I would love to see the Bills acquire a bunch of college spread QBs (Pat White, Troy Smith, Dan Lefevour, Matt Jones, Antwaan Randle-El) and trying to run the college spread at the NFL level. Would it work? Probably not.

The spread offense has worked fine for the Patriots.

I'm talking the full-on college spread, complete with option reads and QB runs. The Pat-White-at-WVA, Tim-Tebow-at-FLA, Dan-Lefevour-at-Central-Michigan spread. I know the Patriots are pretty much just using the Florida Gators passing playbook, but I'm talking about borrowing the other 50% of the Gators playbook that New England hasn't dared to touch.

 

[OC Zed]

Pretty sure this has been covered.

Not so much... most of the other threads were based on the incorrect assumption that Wilson doesn't care about winning. He does - he's just been awful at hiring the right people to run his franchise. Saying that the Bills are horribly mismanaged is perfectly on point.

 

[OC Zed]

At least no one had any type of expectations when the best coach they could get was Chan Gailey. The guy has had zero success everywhere he has gone. How was he qualified to get the job over Perry Fuel <SP?> There were no better candidates out there than this retread?

I guess Ralph Wilson wanted a guy his own age to play with...so he hired Gailey.

X

While Gailey has not won any SuperBowls, he did take the Cowboys to the playoffs every year in his 3-year tenure (a feat that Bills and Cowboys fans would certainly not take for granted today). And he also had modest success at Georgia Tech (6 winning seasons in his 6-year tenure, but no BCS bowls). He was hired for three primary reasons: (1) he had previous head coaching experience (the downfall of Greg Williams and Mike Mularky); (2) he's had a good track record in terms of offensive success (the Bills downfall since 1996); and (3) he's show a good ability at maximizing results from minimal talent across different schemes (e.g., Kordell Stewart, Thigpen, etc.).

The first two factors made him a strong edge over Fewell (Fewell showed very little grasp of the offense last season). And the third factor really distinguished himself from all other candidates.

I'm not saying Gailey will pan out. I am saying that there were logical reasons why he received the job.

 

[QuizGuy66]

Good news. Ralph Wilson just stated after this week's game that the team is in a rebuilding phase which will take 3 years and they need to draft a QB. Apparently he didn't get that memo 5 years ago.

I think this post wins you guys the title. As a Bengals fan I have to concede the point.Why this post you ask? Look at the user name - this is the viewpoint of an OPTIMISTIC Bills fan!-QG

 

[Unwrittenlaw]

I still can't believe the last time the Bills picked a QB in the 1st or 2nd rd was 6 years ago. At least the Lions went with Stanton in 07 in the 2nd rd and Stafford in 09 when they missed on Harrington in 02.

Btw, it's also been 5-6 years since SF has drafted a QB in the early rds. Crabtree COULD become the new Evans.

 

[Clifford]

At least no one had any type of expectations when the best coach they could get was Chan Gailey. The guy has had zero success everywhere he has gone. How was he qualified to get the job over Perry Fuel <SP?> There were no better candidates out there than this retread?

I guess Ralph Wilson wanted a guy his own age to play with...so he hired Gailey.

X

While Gailey has not won any SuperBowls, he did take the Cowboys to the playoffs every year in his 3-year tenure (a feat that Bills and Cowboys fans would certainly not take for granted today). And he also had modest success at Georgia Tech (6 winning seasons in his 6-year tenure, but no BCS bowls). He was hired for three primary reasons: (1) he had previous head coaching experience (the downfall of Greg Williams and Mike Mularky); (2) he's had a good track record in terms of offensive success (the Bills downfall since 1996); and (3) he's show a good ability at maximizing results from minimal talent across different schemes (e.g., Kordell Stewart, Thigpen, etc.).

The first two factors made him a strong edge over Fewell (Fewell showed very little grasp of the offense last season). And the third factor really distinguished himself from all other candidates.

I'm not saying Gailey will pan out. I am saying that there were logical reasons why he received the job.

Gailey's Cowboys won the NFC East in 1998, and made the playoffs under his two years at the reins, although they failed to win a playoff game. Pretty dubious for a decade-old distinction.Gailey inherited a Chiefs offense that ranked at the bottom of the league in almost every category the previous season.[14] He was demoted after three pre-season games in 2009 and relieved of play-calling duties by head coach Todd Haley.[15] Gailey was out of football in 2009.

In between those awesome performances he managed to saddle Ga. Tech with the worst QB I have ever seen remain a four-year starter. Dude couldn't win in the ACC with Calvin Johnson.

Terrible coach and a terrible hire.

 

[Socrates11]

At least no one had any type of expectations when the best coach they could get was Chan Gailey. The guy has had zero success everywhere he has gone. How was he qualified to get the job over Perry Fuel <SP?> There were no better candidates out there than this retread?

I guess Ralph Wilson wanted a guy his own age to play with...so he hired Gailey.

X

While Gailey has not won any SuperBowls, he did take the Cowboys to the playoffs every year in his 3-year tenure (a feat that Bills and Cowboys fans would certainly not take for granted today). And he also had modest success at Georgia Tech (6 winning seasons in his 6-year tenure, but no BCS bowls). He was hired for three primary reasons: (1) he had previous head coaching experience (the downfall of Greg Williams and Mike Mularky); (2) he's had a good track record in terms of offensive success (the Bills downfall since 1996); and (3) he's show a good ability at maximizing results from minimal talent across different schemes (e.g., Kordell Stewart, Thigpen, etc.).

The first two factors made him a strong edge over Fewell (Fewell showed very little grasp of the offense last season). And the third factor really distinguished himself from all other candidates.

I'm not saying Gailey will pan out. I am saying that there were logical reasons why he received the job.

You forgot the fourth primary reason (which is really the first): He came cheap.

 

[Socrates11]

I know I could probably just Google this but I'm lazy at the moment. What happened to the Bills? Growing up, they were ALWAYS in the Super Bowl, even if they lost all the time. My whole family was always rooting for Jim Kelly/Thurman Thomas/Bruce Smith/etc. even tho we had no connection to that team at all. Was it an ownership change? Not being able to adapt to free agency changes? Just plain stupidity? I have no clue.

The thing that most people forget is this was a MODEL franchise at one point. Not just for putting together the Kelly/Thomas/Smith teams, but for doing what many other teams couldn't: completely rebuilding from the inside out while still fielding a competitive team. They went from the Kelly/Thurman/Bruce Smith/Andre Reed team to Flutie/Antwan Smith/Marcellus Wiley/Eric Moulds teams that made the playoffs. Hell, IMO if it weren't for the Music City Miracle they would have been in the Superbowl in 99 instead of the Titans (and would have matched up better against the Rams too). They had a devastating defense that year (#1 in the NFL) and a good offense with Flutie and Moulds. So what happened, you ask?

1. The Bills GM Bill Polian left for the Colts.

(1a. Compare the Colts to the Bills over the past 10 years)

2. AJ Smith, his successor, left for the Chargers.

(2a. Compare the Chargers to the Bills over the past 10 years)

3. Wade Phillips. He was handed a playoff caliber team ready for a couple Superbowl runs, and ground them into a bunch of underachieving disappointments.

(3a. See the current Dallas Cowboys)

1 + 2 + 3 = Bills ground into nothing. When Phillips finally left, the team was in tatters. Go look at the Bills 2000 draft. It's been hailed as one of the worst drafts in NFL history. It was also the nail in the Bills coffin.

That's what happened.

Not as simple as saying Polian left for the Colts. Wilson all but forced him out. Wilson installed his daughter into the scouting dept some years before Polian left. The story goes that after she thought she got the hang of football evaluation she decided Polian should more heavily weigh her recommendations and started butting heads with him. It didn't take long for Polian to basically tell her to leave him alone (I've heard other words were used), which ticked her and Ralph off. Ralph started pulling back on Polian's power and soon he left for Indy, who promised him total hands off to run the team as he saw fit.Effin' Ralph. I count the days until he checks into the owner's box in the sky.

 

[humpback]

Gailey's Cowboys won the NFC East in 1998, and made the playoffs under his two years at the reins, although they failed to win a playoff game. Pretty dubious for a decade-old distinction.

Gailey inherited a Chiefs offense that ranked at the bottom of the league in almost every category the previous season.[14] He was demoted after three pre-season games in 2009 and relieved of play-calling duties by head coach Todd Haley.[15] Gailey was out of football in 2009.

In between those awesome performances he managed to saddle Ga. Tech with the worst QB I have ever seen remain a four-year starter. Dude couldn't win in the ACC with Calvin Johnson.

Terrible coach and a terrible hire.

Why don't you include more of the info. from the Wiki link you quoted?Professional leagues (1984-1992, 1994-2001)

Gailey moved to the National Football League the next year, when the Denver Broncos signed him as a defensive assistant and special teams coach. The team made three Super Bowl appearances during his six-year tenure. In 1991, Gailey left the NFL to become the head coach of the Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football, where the team made the playoffs in both years that he was coach.

After a one-year stint as head coach at Samford University, he returned to the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After starting off as coach for the wide receivers, then moved up to offensive coordinator for the 1996 and 1997 NFL seasons. The Steelers won their division all four years, and made one Super Bowl appearance.

In 1998, Gailey was hired to take over a struggling Dallas Cowboys squad, one that had faltered under Barry Switzer during his last year. Gailey's Cowboys won the NFC East in 1998, and made the playoffs under his two years at the reins, although they failed to win a playoff game. Gailey is the only Cowboys coach to make the playoffs every season with his team.[4]

Gailey returned to the offensive coordinator role, this time with the Miami Dolphins for the 2000 and 2001 seasons.[5]

So he didn't win a playoff game, but he at least took them there. The Bills need to try and have a winning season before they can worry about winning a playoff game. The guy has actually been successful, and I think it was a decent hire for Buffalo, considering none of the big names wanted anything to do with the job. He won the DII championship with Troy and had a winning record every year with GT. Dallas went from 6-10 to 10-6 and 1st place, then 8-8 and another playoff spot in his 2 seasons there. Right after that they went 5-11 in EACH of the 3 seasons after he was fired, and JJ has said that letting him go was one of his biggest regrets. Miami had a better record in 2000-2001 when he was the OC than they did both prior and post Gailey. He's been to 4 Super Bowls. He probably won't be successful with the Bills, but it's certainly not because of his "track record", which is actually very good.

 

[SugarNuts]

1. The Bills problems start with Ralph Wilson. As mentioned above, I count the days until he checks out. That is the ONLY way the team gets turned around at all. (Not trying to be mean, just from my football perspective)

2. Gailey sucks. Anyone that says otherwise, especially based on his track record, has no clue about football.

3. I am a lifelong fan (since 1990) and will continue to be one. But man, it is hard as hell to continue rooting for this team in its current state (no pun intended - I dont want them moving).

 

[Clifford]

Gailey's Cowboys won the NFC East in 1998, and made the playoffs under his two years at the reins, although they failed to win a playoff game. Pretty dubious for a decade-old distinction.

Gailey inherited a Chiefs offense that ranked at the bottom of the league in almost every category the previous season.[14] He was demoted after three pre-season games in 2009 and relieved of play-calling duties by head coach Todd Haley.[15] Gailey was out of football in 2009.

In between those awesome performances he managed to saddle Ga. Tech with the worst QB I have ever seen remain a four-year starter. Dude couldn't win in the ACC with Calvin Johnson.

Terrible coach and a terrible hire.

Why don't you include more of the info. from the Wiki link you quoted?Professional leagues (1984-1992, 1994-2001)

Gailey moved to the National Football League the next year, when the Denver Broncos signed him as a defensive assistant and special teams coach. The team made three Super Bowl appearances during his six-year tenure. In 1991, Gailey left the NFL to become the head coach of the Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football, where the team made the playoffs in both years that he was coach.

After a one-year stint as head coach at Samford University, he returned to the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After starting off as coach for the wide receivers, then moved up to offensive coordinator for the 1996 and 1997 NFL seasons. The Steelers won their division all four years, and made one Super Bowl appearance.

In 1998, Gailey was hired to take over a struggling Dallas Cowboys squad, one that had faltered under Barry Switzer during his last year. Gailey's Cowboys won the NFC East in 1998, and made the playoffs under his two years at the reins, although they failed to win a playoff game. Gailey is the only Cowboys coach to make the playoffs every season with his team.[4]

Gailey returned to the offensive coordinator role, this time with the Miami Dolphins for the 2000 and 2001 seasons.[5]

So he didn't win a playoff game, but he at least took them there. The Bills need to try and have a winning season before they can worry about winning a playoff game. The guy has actually been successful, and I think it was a decent hire for Buffalo, considering none of the big names wanted anything to do with the job. He won the DII championship with Troy and had a winning record every year with GT. Dallas went from 6-10 to 10-6 and 1st place, then 8-8 and another playoff spot in his 2 seasons there. Right after that they went 5-11 in EACH of the 3 seasons after he was fired, and JJ has said that letting him go was one of his biggest regrets. Miami had a better record in 2000-2001 when he was the OC than they did both prior and post Gailey. He's been to 4 Super Bowls. He probably won't be successful with the Bills, but it's certainly not because of his "track record", which is actually very good.

Simple question: What has Gailey done in the past 8 years that you consider good?

 

[humpback]

Simple question: What has Gailey done in the past 8 years that you consider good?

He improved the KC offense quite a bit in the one season he was there actually.Not sure why you're only looking at the past 8 years when you're the one who brought up him not winning a playoff game.Two simple questions: What has he done to make you call him terrible, and who should the Bills have hired (realistically)?

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Hell, IMO if it weren't for the Music City Miracle they would have been in the Superbowl in 99 instead of the Titans (and would have matched up better against the Rams too). They had a devastating defense that year (#1 in the NFL) and a good offense with Flutie and Moulds.

This is all speculative, but if it weren't for the Music City Miracle I believe that the Jaguars would have been Super Bowl Bound. They were 14-2, had the #6 offense and the #1 defense in the league that year. Their 2 losses, and eventually their third and final loss, were to the Titans. They were dominant in 1999, except against the Titans.

Jags ranked 1st in pts allowed while the Bills ranked 2nd.Jags ranked 4th in yards allowed while the Bills ranked 1st.The Bills offense wasn't that good, but they should have beaten Tennessee on the road at least. Wade deserves credit for pulling Flutie, who could barely throw 15 yards by the end of the season.

 

[Clifford]

Simple question: What has Gailey done in the past 8 years that you consider good?

He improved the KC offense quite a bit in the one season he was there actually.Not sure why you're only looking at the past 8 years when you're the one who brought up him not winning a playoff game.Two simple questions: What has he done to make you call him terrible, and who should the Bills have hired (realistically)?

First part: started Reggie Ball for four years. My dad and grandfather are Tech fans so I watched a lot of those games, and if you think Reggie Ball should start you simply don't know football. Starting him for four years just throws stubbornness and stupidity on top. And if he improved the KC offense so much why was he fired? He was only there the equivalent of 1.25 seasons (if you count preseason).To me, failing in the ACC and getting fired as OC of an already moribund offense after one year does not equate to anything close to good. Definitely not enough to get handed a head coaching job.Who else? I have no idea. Who would want the job? Surely there is someone younger, less experienced, but more promising than Gailey that they could have gotten.

 

[GroveDiesel]

I think bashing Gailey at this point is pointless. Everyone knew this team lacks talent and that it's a rebuilding process.

Gailey was brought in primarily for the offensive side of the ball. And they quietly haven't been awful on the offensive front since Fitzpatrick took over. They're not good, but they're not horrendous either.

The defense is what's really bad. And that's no surprise either. McKelvin sucks and McGee has been hurt. Poz, their only decent Linebacker missed several games. The only decent player they have on the D-line is Kyle Williams and maybe Stroud. Byrd has been gimpy some in the secondary as well. Their ONLY pass rusher on the team decided to retire in the offseason. All that and the team moved to a 3-4 defense. So the defense is horrendous right now. They can't get off the field and the Bills are unable to even go to their ground game after the first quarter because they're down big early in every game.

Add in the special teams being awful since Bobby April left and the team is a total disaster.

It's going to take a LONG time to rebuild this team. At least they're aware that they need a QB finally. In this year's draft the Bills need to grab a franchise QB (I'd be pretty happy with Luck), and then focus on O-linemen to protect him and LBers. The next year they need to go D-line. Either a big stud nose tackle or a pass rushing DE.

I'm definitely not sold on Buddy Nix though. I have no clue why the Bills just released Chris Ellis, a guy who started a game at LB for them and is mediocre while keeping John McCargo. McCargo has been inactive for every game is terrible. I also have no clue why Kelsay was given an extension. He should be no more than a backup on a decent team.

 

[humpback]

Simple question: What has Gailey done in the past 8 years that you consider good?

He improved the KC offense quite a bit in the one season he was there actually.Not sure why you're only looking at the past 8 years when you're the one who brought up him not winning a playoff game.Two simple questions: What has he done to make you call him terrible, and who should the Bills have hired (realistically)?

First part: started Reggie Ball for four years. My dad and grandfather are Tech fans so I watched a lot of those games, and if you think Reggie Ball should start you simply don't know football. Starting him for four years just throws stubbornness and stupidity on top. And if he improved the KC offense so much why was he fired? He was only there the equivalent of 1.25 seasons (if you count preseason).To me, failing in the ACC and getting fired as OC of an already moribund offense after one year does not equate to anything close to good. Definitely not enough to get handed a head coaching job.Who else? I have no idea. Who would want the job? Surely there is someone younger, less experienced, but more promising than Gailey that they could have gotten.

You bash him for starting Reggie Ball, but don't give any credit for recruiting Calvin Johnson. How convenient. He had a winning record and a bowl bid every single season. In 2006, their 7 wins vs. ACC teams matched the highest in the history of the school. I don't consider that failing.He was fired from KC because Haley is an egomaniac. Didn't work out so hot for him did it- they aren't any better on offense with him calling the plays.You called it a horrible hire- surely you should be able to come up with plenty of guys who would have been much better and who were willing to take the job, right?

 

[OC Zed]

At least no one had any type of expectations when the best coach they could get was Chan Gailey. The guy has had zero success everywhere he has gone. How was he qualified to get the job over Perry Fuel <SP?> There were no better candidates out there than this retread?

I guess Ralph Wilson wanted a guy his own age to play with...so he hired Gailey.

X

While Gailey has not won any SuperBowls, he did take the Cowboys to the playoffs every year in his 3-year tenure (a feat that Bills and Cowboys fans would certainly not take for granted today). And he also had modest success at Georgia Tech (6 winning seasons in his 6-year tenure, but no BCS bowls). He was hired for three primary reasons: (1) he had previous head coaching experience (the downfall of Greg Williams and Mike Mularky); (2) he's had a good track record in terms of offensive success (the Bills downfall since 1996); and (3) he's show a good ability at maximizing results from minimal talent across different schemes (e.g., Kordell Stewart, Thigpen, etc.).

The first two factors made him a strong edge over Fewell (Fewell showed very little grasp of the offense last season). And the third factor really distinguished himself from all other candidates.

I'm not saying Gailey will pan out. I am saying that there were logical reasons why he received the job.

You forgot the fourth primary reason (which is really the first): He came cheap.

This isn't a fair criticism. Wilson was willing to pay big $$$$ to one of the big name unemployed coaches (Shanahan, Cowher particularly), but none of them would bite.

 

[OC Zed]

At least no one had any type of expectations when the best coach they could get was Chan Gailey. The guy has had zero success everywhere he has gone. How was he qualified to get the job over Perry Fuel <SP?> There were no better candidates out there than this retread?

I guess Ralph Wilson wanted a guy his own age to play with...so he hired Gailey.

X

While Gailey has not won any SuperBowls, he did take the Cowboys to the playoffs every year in his 3-year tenure (a feat that Bills and Cowboys fans would certainly not take for granted today). And he also had modest success at Georgia Tech (6 winning seasons in his 6-year tenure, but no BCS bowls). He was hired for three primary reasons: (1) he had previous head coaching experience (the downfall of Greg Williams and Mike Mularky); (2) he's had a good track record in terms of offensive success (the Bills downfall since 1996); and (3) he's show a good ability at maximizing results from minimal talent across different schemes (e.g., Kordell Stewart, Thigpen, etc.).

The first two factors made him a strong edge over Fewell (Fewell showed very little grasp of the offense last season). And the third factor really distinguished himself from all other candidates.

I'm not saying Gailey will pan out. I am saying that there were logical reasons why he received the job.

Gailey's Cowboys won the NFC East in 1998, and made the playoffs under his two years at the reins, although they failed to win a playoff game. Pretty dubious for a decade-old distinction.Gailey inherited a Chiefs offense that ranked at the bottom of the league in almost every category the previous season.[14] He was demoted after three pre-season games in 2009 and relieved of play-calling duties by head coach Todd Haley.[15] Gailey was out of football in 2009.

In between those awesome performances he managed to saddle Ga. Tech with the worst QB I have ever seen remain a four-year starter. Dude couldn't win in the ACC with Calvin Johnson.

Terrible coach and a terrible hire.

The original comment was that Gailey had zero success. Making the playoffs in consecutive years is an achievement itself that most franchises would be very pleased with. And did he improve the Chiefs' offense while he was there? Ya, absolutely... and with minimal talent. His firing had more to do with a personality/philosophy clash with Haley. That happens all of the time around the league.

 

[OC Zed]

1. The Bills problems start with Ralph Wilson. As mentioned above, I count the days until he checks out. That is the ONLY way the team gets turned around at all. (Not trying to be mean, just from my football perspective)

2. Gailey sucks. Anyone that says otherwise, especially based on his track record, has no clue about football.

3. I am a lifelong fan (since 1990) and will continue to be one. But man, it is hard as hell to continue rooting for this team in its current state (no pun intended - I dont want them moving).

So Gailey's actual statistical record which is very long and positive is outweighed by the assessment of some guy named "SugarNuts" on a fantasy football website?

 

[OC Zed]

I think bashing Gailey at this point is pointless. Everyone knew this team lacks talent and that it's a rebuilding process.

Gailey was brought in primarily for the offensive side of the ball. And they quietly haven't been awful on the offensive front since Fitzpatrick took over. They're not good, but they're not horrendous either.

The defense is what's really bad. And that's no surprise either. McKelvin sucks and McGee has been hurt. Poz, their only decent Linebacker missed several games. The only decent player they have on the D-line is Kyle Williams and maybe Stroud. Byrd has been gimpy some in the secondary as well. Their ONLY pass rusher on the team decided to retire in the offseason. All that and the team moved to a 3-4 defense. So the defense is horrendous right now. They can't get off the field and the Bills are unable to even go to their ground game after the first quarter because they're down big early in every game.

Add in the special teams being awful since Bobby April left and the team is a total disaster.

It's going to take a LONG time to rebuild this team. At least they're aware that they need a QB finally. In this year's draft the Bills need to grab a franchise QB (I'd be pretty happy with Luck), and then focus on O-linemen to protect him and LBers. The next year they need to go D-line. Either a big stud nose tackle or a pass rushing DE.

I'm definitely not sold on Buddy Nix though. I have no clue why the Bills just released Chris Ellis, a guy who started a game at LB for them and is mediocre while keeping John McCargo. McCargo has been inactive for every game is terrible. I also have no clue why Kelsay was given an extension. He should be no more than a backup on a decent team.

Totally valid point here. And although I think the Gailey hire made some sense, he also deserves some blame for the in-season roster trimming. Gailey was sold as a guy who could maximize output from minimal talent. Instead they've been benching and/or shedding players with conceivable upside and retaining guys who are deadweight.

 

[Bri]

I'm pretty sure a Shark Pool regular could manage this franchise better than the management team and coaching staff that's in place.

If only...JB needs to get a loan and just sell the rest of the games to Ontario or Montreal or somesuch to cover the loan. It'd have to be a team of GMs though, not just one GM. Chase and Dr. Drinen can crunch the numbers and can every player whose stats don't show they're worth keeping. Yudkin can get rid of everyone that stinks against the Pats and recommend those that do well against the Pats to DD. He'll turn around and trade subscriptions for 7th rounders that wouldn't pan out anyway while Bloom picks guys like Colston, Finnegan and Housh with all those picks DD gets. Of course all that comes after Matt hands out his draft book to the Vikings then walks to the podium and steals their pick while they're busy reading. Goodell reads Dodds' pick off a laptop monitor as Bruce smiles from his couch at home.On game day, Cecil has to go to a meeting in JB's office after a halftime rant that went well into the fourth quarter. That comes just days after JB hears it from the press for firing Woodrow as Pasquino becomes the first GM to have a no homer clause in regards to trades with the Eagles. Carlton somehow trades for both Brady and Manning then skips hiring a coach keeping the vacant coach's salary as his bonus. Jene, Henry, Anthony and Aaron get hired in November as FF folks and Bills fans scratch their heads wondering why they didn't notice there weren't any defensive coaches for the first nine weeks. All those defensive coaches instill a new defensive scheme known as the shark that winds up being the key to the Bills turnaround. In the Supe, against a 74 year old Favre-led team, holder Jeff Teffertiller somehow makes a fingertip grab and gets the ball down in time for Mike Herman to kick the winning five yard field goal.After getting all those upstate NY citizens to favor his brine chicken over wings, JB sells the team to the old Marlins owner for a profit of 500 mil.

 

[Clifford]

At least no one had any type of expectations when the best coach they could get was Chan Gailey. The guy has had zero success everywhere he has gone. How was he qualified to get the job over Perry Fuel <SP?> There were no better candidates out there than this retread?

I guess Ralph Wilson wanted a guy his own age to play with...so he hired Gailey.

X

While Gailey has not won any SuperBowls, he did take the Cowboys to the playoffs every year in his 3-year tenure (a feat that Bills and Cowboys fans would certainly not take for granted today). And he also had modest success at Georgia Tech (6 winning seasons in his 6-year tenure, but no BCS bowls). He was hired for three primary reasons: (1) he had previous head coaching experience (the downfall of Greg Williams and Mike Mularky); (2) he's had a good track record in terms of offensive success (the Bills downfall since 1996); and (3) he's show a good ability at maximizing results from minimal talent across different schemes (e.g., Kordell Stewart, Thigpen, etc.).

The first two factors made him a strong edge over Fewell (Fewell showed very little grasp of the offense last season). And the third factor really distinguished himself from all other candidates.

I'm not saying Gailey will pan out. I am saying that there were logical reasons why he received the job.

Gailey's Cowboys won the NFC East in 1998, and made the playoffs under his two years at the reins, although they failed to win a playoff game. Pretty dubious for a decade-old distinction.Gailey inherited a Chiefs offense that ranked at the bottom of the league in almost every category the previous season.[14] He was demoted after three pre-season games in 2009 and relieved of play-calling duties by head coach Todd Haley.[15] Gailey was out of football in 2009.

In between those awesome performances he managed to saddle Ga. Tech with the worst QB I have ever seen remain a four-year starter. Dude couldn't win in the ACC with Calvin Johnson.

Terrible coach and a terrible hire.

The original comment was that Gailey had zero success. Making the playoffs in consecutive years is an achievement itself that most franchises would be very pleased with. And did he improve the Chiefs' offense while he was there? Ya, absolutely... and with minimal talent. His firing had more to do with a personality/philosophy clash with Haley. That happens all of the time around the league.

His huge offensive success at KC was that he moved them from 31st in the league in 2007 to 24th in 2008.

 

[Socrates11]

At least no one had any type of expectations when the best coach they could get was Chan Gailey. The guy has had zero success everywhere he has gone. How was he qualified to get the job over Perry Fuel <SP?> There were no better candidates out there than this retread?

I guess Ralph Wilson wanted a guy his own age to play with...so he hired Gailey.

X

While Gailey has not won any SuperBowls, he did take the Cowboys to the playoffs every year in his 3-year tenure (a feat that Bills and Cowboys fans would certainly not take for granted today). And he also had modest success at Georgia Tech (6 winning seasons in his 6-year tenure, but no BCS bowls). He was hired for three primary reasons: (1) he had previous head coaching experience (the downfall of Greg Williams and Mike Mularky); (2) he's had a good track record in terms of offensive success (the Bills downfall since 1996); and (3) he's show a good ability at maximizing results from minimal talent across different schemes (e.g., Kordell Stewart, Thigpen, etc.).

The first two factors made him a strong edge over Fewell (Fewell showed very little grasp of the offense last season). And the third factor really distinguished himself from all other candidates.

I'm not saying Gailey will pan out. I am saying that there were logical reasons why he received the job.

You forgot the fourth primary reason (which is really the first): He came cheap.

This isn't a fair criticism. Wilson was willing to pay big $$$$ to one of the big name unemployed coaches (Shanahan, Cowher particularly), but none of them would bite.

Disagree. There was never any mention that Wilson was prepared to pay big $$$ to one of the big name coaches, only that the Bills were interested and/or met with some candidates. Money trumps everything in the NFL. If Wilson wanted Shanahan he could have made a big enough offer to get him. A big enough offer might have gotten Cowher, but with his gig in the tv studios he is described as being patient in waiting for a coaching job in a place he wants. Buffalo likely isn't on his list. It's common knowledge that Wilson has a track record of being cheap. While Gailey has a decent enough resume, familiarity with Nix and a willingness to accept a lower salary landed him the Bills job, let's not kid ourselves.