Sisyphean Bills

I was wondering when we weren't playing young players under Jauron.

The heel-eye coordination is amazing!

No ****. Obviously, the way my question was stated I was not asking for yet another dull restatement of your theory and how it fits the known data today. Sorry. I didn't think my question was that confusing. Really, a Law should apply universally. Since your Law already has counterexamples such as Dick Vermeil and Jon Gruden and Tony Dungy, it's not universal. Did you know that there are over a dozen assistant coaches that have coached winning Super Bowl teams for multiple organizations? But, I digress. We are establishing a Law as applied to one Bill Parcells. It is ironic actually to do so since establishing a Law about Bill Parcells makes Bill Parcells ever more prominent. As far as this "BPLoDR", you're making up all the rules, so whatever floats your boat.

Robert Irsay apparently disagrees. Not that he's on the inside or anything. http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives...tween-peyt.html

If the Dolphins win the Super Bowl, are we going to throw out that result because Parcells is VP and not HC? Just wondering where this "Law" is going to go if the data doesn't fit the theory.

Do they really not see it (where it is that the QBs on roster may not be good enough to win a championship)? Or is it a matter that they believe one of these guys, given their experience, was a better option than anybody they could land in the draft and that they just don't have a lot of other options at the moment? Remember, we are now a "build through the draft" team. So, it would be surprising to see the Bills be cavalier with future draft picks and seeing what's in the cupboards, what do they have to trade that anybody else would want? As far as I know, neither Gailey nor Nix has suggested that they think there is a franchise QB on the roster. Somebody that might serve as a stop-gap and might surprise, maybe. But, I don't think they are self-deluded enough to think Trent Edwards is going to become Peyton Manning overnight.

IIRC, Fitzpatrick earns more.

Then, Fairchild went to Colorado State and ran a wide open offense. Then, Jauron promoted the QB coach as he always does and most of the board thought it would be a huge improvement. Hmm.

Like I always say, it is a team sport. The coach is just another position on the team. We can find very below average coaches (Barry Switzer) who won championships and good coaches that toiled away and didn't (Marty Schottenheimer). Still, like there is a clear and obvious difference between Peyton Manning and JaMarcus Russell, there are clear differences between coaches. Having a good one makes a difference. Exactly how much is always debatable, because a team is never as simple as the sum of its parts. PS: As to the laughable comment, I just think it is ironic to nit pick over a legend. If it makes some sleep easier at night to think the Bills are better off to not be associated with legendary coaches and players, then that's OK. I'd rather win.

Good memory. (And far better than the poster that said he was never drafted!) I included him because he started white hot and fizzled fast. He had a good 1.5 seasons or so and then ... thud. Maybe he belongs on the shooting star roster.

To be clear, I'm not arguing with the facts. I am saying the presentation is not quite as convincing as some seem to think though. Bill Parcells is really not that great of a prime example of coaches/GMs where his philosophy faded markedly over time. Using Doc's rather superficial measuring scale, it no doubt looks like Parcells faded. On the other hand, name one other coach/GM that has turned around 5 out of 5 franchises and most of those in 4 years or less. It sort of smacks of the same argument leveled against Marty Schottenheimer, which amounted to "so what if he has won everywhere, his playoff record isn't that great", when one's team is struggling not to sink too fast in Jauron quicksand. Parcells isn't perfect, but it's laughable from the standpoint of a Bills fan to mock success. The point that a retread name coach doesn't always get a bad team over the hump has better examples like George Seifert and Mike Ditka. We should keep an eye on Mike Shanahan...

Maybe that is just a reflection of the Bills getting more value in their later round picks in recent years.

Per the criteria of being draft busts: QB - Todd Collins / Gary Marangi RB - Ronnie Harmon RB - Speedy Neal WR - Roscoe Parrish / Perry Tuttle / Eric Richardson WR - Bucky Brooks / Chris Burkett TE - Lonnie Johnson T - Fat Mike Williams G - Mark Traynowicz C - L. Burton G - Jim Reilly T - Mike Richey DE - Erik Flowers / Al Cowlings DT - John McCargo NT - James Patton DE - Walt Patulski LB - Tom Cousineau LB - Doug Allen LB - John McCrumbley CB - James Williams DB - Chris Williams S - Travares Tillman S - Jeff Nixon

Well, you know most new coaches throw their young players directly under the bus at the start of training camp. It's a proven leadership technique for getting people to buy into your plan.

I see you are calling heads and tails again. Congratulations.

They were different situations, but all of the jobs were in high-profile markets and he was immensely successful and more successful on an overall scale in building multiple franchises than any other person in recent NFL history. And, if you consider the success of his proteges in the NFL, his shadow is just that much larger. Your conclusion that there are "noteworthy diminishing returns", doesn't acknowledge that the situations, challenges, and time frames were different in each case. The fact that he took a terrible Jets team to the AFC Championship game in 3 years isn't so much a mark of "wow, he really regressed badly" as it is "wow, how the hell did he do that?!" Sorry, but a Bill Parcells sort of overhaul is exactly what the Buffalo Bills need. Which is not to say that Parcells would've considered giving up his VP position to come in and clean things up. Nor does it mean that Nix/Gailey aren't getting back to basics.

In terms of draft philosophy, I think Nix is a Best Player Available sort of guy. In principle, what good does it do a team to throw high draft picks at positions of need if deep down your evaluation says you really don't think the talent is there at that position? It's how you end up with a pick like Maybin, quite frankly. If you have outstanding depth at a position, it gives you more options in terms of planning, contracts, and trades. Look at what San Diego does; that is the school that Buddy Nix came up in.

I understand your point, but don't think it is as clear cut as that. (He doesn't coach the Dolphins, and wearing just one hat at this point is probably best for him and the team.) Parcells has had a long history of leaving situations for various reasons; at the very least, one knows he is temperamental. He turned around some of the worst franchises going, organizations that were totally dysfunctional. That takes a tremendous amount of energy and force of will. It's not surprising that he had health and burn out issues. It is also not surprising that many of the people he trained in various capacities are running multiple franchises around the NFL, including the team that won the last Super Bowl. In a way, Parcells beat Polian again.

OK. I'm part of that group.

What is the label for the group of Bills fans that are content to wait and see what happens on the field, don't subscribe to miracles reflexively, but are still hopeful of a positive change?

By the way, you wrote a bunch of words about soccer in your reply, which had nothing to do with my post. I think your "chicken and egg" comment wasn't all that deep. You want to lay the blame on the lack of talent, etc. rather than the coaching. Fine. Whatever.

Really? Are you still holding a candle for Dick Jauron? Still think he had the team headed in the right direction? Still think he had nothing to do with establishing the roster of this team after 4 years? Indeed. "Here we go again." It's ridiculous. Dick Jauron was a bad coach and built a below average team. He was a failure for the job that needed to be done in Buffalo. After 4 years, the team he had built was worse off than the one he took over. The plan failed, despite the hope that Jauron was every bit as good as Bill Belichick. Failure is why he got fired. Everyone knows coaches like Barry Switzer and George Seifert did well with stacked rosters oozing talent. So what? Arguments that Jauron would've been a "good coach" in the same situation are nothing more than idle speculation; the Bills didn't and don't have a loaded roster of veterans and a proven system. The Bills didn't need a coach that may or may not have been adequate in a maintenance situation, they need someone that will turn the ship and create an atmosphere were success is expected and contagious.

Interesting take that, since one of the biggest changes the Bills made and the lynch pin of most arguments for the Bills having a successful 2010 campaign is that the Bills changed coaches. Hell, since the owner fired the last coach mid-season, I guess you're really saying that the team is run by the mentally weak.

Super Bowl!