Wannstedt a Bill

[Doc]

Working with this defense will be a lot more difficult that working with a defense as loaded with high picks as the Jimmy Johnson Cowboys. Wannstadt blew as a head coach.

Wannstedt's defenses in Miami were pretty good as well. He's a good defensive mind, which the Bills need, but they also need to upgrade the defensive personnel, which I'm betting they do. BTW, as a HC for 5 seasons in Miami, he was 44-33, including 2 playoff appearances and 1 playoff win. And that includes his last (2004) season that saw Ricky Williams retire and David Boston get suspended for the season.

Edited January 22, 2011 by Doc

[RuntheDamnBall]

I completely forgot about his tenure with the Bears. Anyone have a better memory than I do?

 

A biased opinion criticism but it sounds like he had some successes nonetheless, and that a lot of his issues pertained to his oversight of personnel - which wouldn't be his role here with the Bills. Also seems like he became a better HC - if not a very good one - with the Dolphins.

[Robert Paulson]

I completely forgot about his tenure with the Bears. Anyone have a better memory than I do?

 

A biased opinion criticism but it sounds like he had some successes nonetheless, and that a lot of his issues pertained to his oversight of personnel - which wouldn't be his role here with the Bills. Also seems like he became a better HC - if not a very good one - with the Dolphins.

 

i lived in Chicago during the Wanny years

 

- defenses were good

- never had a good QB

- in game decisions terrible

- press conferences post game were hilarious- he mangled the English language on a regular basis: when describing an injury 'he's got a foot' 'he's got a knee'

- post game would always have to 'look at film before answering which would piss everyone off'

- also the team was always 3 plays away from winning when they lost

[KellyToTasker]

I was so excited when I heard this news while out driving around this morning I was calling everyone I knew that was a Bills fan! Wannstedt is a VERY good DC, and I am pretty sure Edwards sees the writing on the wall...

 

The key to succeeding in any business, football or otherwise, is to surround yourself with enough good people...

 

 

Spot on. Any good leader will quickly assemble those around him that will execute his intent and reach his overall endstate. Having the prior relationship with Asst. Coach Wannstedt only tells me that Gailey foresees great results and the positive defensive coordinator oversight that our team needs. GREAT MOVE. Now lets continue to assemble the right player personnel and knock Brady into the twilight of his career!

[Sisyphean Bills]

i lived in Chicago during the Wanny years

 

- defenses were good

- never had a good QB

- in game decisions terrible

- press conferences post game were hilarious- he mangled the English language on a regular basis: when describing an injury 'he's got a foot' 'he's got a knee'

- post game would always have to 'look at film before answering which would piss everyone off'

- also the team was always 3 plays away from winning when they lost

It wasn't really so clear cut. His defenses went downhill in a big way over those 6 years. They started out great, declined, and were putrid by the time he got fired. His offenses started out poor, got better, and then also ended badly. His best offense and his worst offense had the same QB, by the way. Raymont "U-back" Harris being the centerpiece of your offense probably wasn't the best idea...

[shoretalk]

Time for rhe skeptics to take a deep breath ... Our front office has one of the most highly sought after talents as Asst GM ... Our coaching staff has two top head coaches on staff ... Let's hope the sorting out of players continues ... We have the best NT in football ... Our wideouts are not too shabby and Fred Jackson I'd take every day. The OL is getting better ...

 

Now let's draft DEFENSE and get ready for some football!!

[RuntheDamnBall]

Time for rhe skeptics to take a deep breath ... Our front office has one of the most highly sought after talents as Asst GM ... Our coaching staff has two top head coaches on staff ... Let's hope the sorting out of players continues ... We have the best NT in football ...

Did we get a time machine and draft Ngata? Casey Hampton and Jay Ratliff are also very good. Kyle is an awesome player but not my prototypical NT. He is in fact evidence that when you value scheme over talent and hard work you will get burned.

[benderbender]

We have the best NT in football ...

 

We might have the lightest NT in football

[3rdand12]

but he sure makes up for it in enthusiasm and skills.

Isn't Troup to be our Real NT anyways? Kyle is one of the best dt/de and will improve with some more players around him.

Be nice to find an early pick NT on our pillow after this draft though.

Edited January 22, 2011 by 3rdand12

[Fan in Chicago]

i lived in Chicago during the Wanny years

 

- defenses were good

- never had a good QB

- in game decisions terrible

- press conferences post game were hilarious- he mangled the English language on a regular basis: when describing an injury 'he's got a foot' 'he's got a knee'

- post game would always have to 'look at film before answering which would piss everyone off'

- also the team was always 3 plays away from winning when they lost

Bears fans to this day cringe at the sentence "all the pieces are in place" (for a Superbowl run) prior to the 7-9 season in 1996

Edited January 22, 2011 by Fan in Chicago

[McD]

Hopefully Wanny uses his knowledge and pull to get some top flight D players in here...

[Hplarrm]

I agree with Kelly and others who are confident we will see Edwards and not Wanny doing the play calling next year.

 

I am not sure which theory makes LESS sense:

 

that the Bills playcalling will do through the delay of being called on the headset by Wanny and then recalled on the headset by Edwards (huh?)

 

or that this was a face-saver for Edwards (Look, these are all adults and the NFL profession is one which routinely eats folks for lunch even when their units are productive- unless Edwards has pictures of Gailey in some compromising position my sense is he easily is canned if thats what Gailey/Wanny want to do.

 

In fact, there could be little more embarrassing or costing Edwards face than to keep him here as DC while Wammy BOTH leads the gameplanning AND does the playcalling.

 

The AC title seems to affirm a Wanny lead role in scheming.

[DrFishfinder]

thurman thomas?

 

chan gailey ?

You got me on Gailey.

 

But Thurman a Dolphin?

Yeah, I know he wore the uni, but I think even he admitted it was a mistake, no?

 

 

[Mr_Blizzard]

Wannstedt a Bill

 

This is a great move. DW should also provide some good input into the draft and FA signing period.

[Doc]

I agree with Kelly and others who are confident we will see Edwards and not Wanny doing the play calling next year.

 

I am not sure which theory makes LESS sense:

 

that the Bills playcalling will do through the delay of being called on the headset by Wanny and then recalled on the headset by Edwards (huh?)

 

or that this was a face-saver for Edwards (Look, these are all adults and the NFL profession is one which routinely eats folks for lunch even when their units are productive- unless Edwards has pictures of Gailey in some compromising position my sense is he easily is canned if thats what Gailey/Wanny want to do.

 

In fact, there could be little more embarrassing or costing Edwards face than to keep him here as DC while Wammy BOTH leads the gameplanning AND does the playcalling.

 

The AC title seems to affirm a Wanny lead role in scheming.

It's like when Parcells was HC of the Jets and hired Belichick to be his AHC/DB coach, but everyone knew he was the one running the defense.

[Kelly the Dog]

It's like when Parcells was HC of the Jets and hired Belichick to be his AHC/DB coach, but everyone knew he was the one running the defense.

This sounds to me, like I said, that Wanny will be in advisory role and Edwards will be running the defense, with Wanny helping out with anything he can. There is nothing in this article to me that even hints of him taking over the defense and calling the shots.

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Wannstedt-getting-right-to-work/be29ddd3-ef0a-4344-9972-ac75587bf2f2

[BillsPhan]

I know that "the old boys network" is the biggest reason every NFL team hires coaches and GM's. Even when a team goes out and hires a young coach or GM out of nowhere, like perhaps when the Rooney's brought in unknown Mike Tomlin in to replace Cowher, Tomlin will then most likely bring in assistant coaches from his own "old boys network" to work under him. It may never change, and maybe it shouldn't change. Why not hire people you've worked with in the past and feel comfortable with when you get hired to a brand new high profile position in one of only 32 jobs like that in the world??

 

I've used the Chiefs as a great example of a head coach going outside his comfort zone to bring in both a new experienced OC and DC in Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel. But, and this is a very big but, head coach Todd Haley's boss is Scott Pioli, who worked with both Weiss and Crennel and won multiple SB's with them when they all were in New England. So the idea of bringing them both in at the same time may very well have been all Pioli's with Haley having no choice in the matter what so ever. So the "old boys network" still existed.

 

Here in Buffalo, ever since Nix hired Gailey, I've hated Gailey's choices of assistant coaches he brought to Buffalo with him from within his own network. Nobody has any idea what Gailey's "OC" does, and I bet most of us can't even remember that his name happens to be Curtis Modkins. (I think). And George Edwards....wow, he may have had experience as a DC in college and for perhaps a year or two in Washington, and we all know Florida had all but hired him to be their DC before Gaily stole him away. However, if there was one coordinator in the NFL this past season who performed like his job was way over his head, it was our George Edwards "leading" his defense to levels of incompetence rarely seen in Buffalo for the past 30 years or so. I was certainly vocal among those of us out here who were calling for this guy's head, but never really expected Chan to replace him because to me, he seemed way insecure and firmly entrenched within his circle of "old boys" surrounding him.

 

Then all of a sudden Dave Wanny agrees to come to Buffalo as Chan's "Assistant Head Coach" and linebackers coach. And I have to say wow yet again. Talk about making a move, be it Buddy Nix telling Chan to bring him in, or be it just Chan bringing in an old friend well within his "old boys network" to help him speed up his massive rebuilding project, to shock the hell out of me! Yes it could be just another "old boys network" hiring. But like Scott Pioli and Todd Haley in KC, bringing Wanny in was more impressive then the usual hiring, in that Wanny has done it all in the NFL, and his teams he was head coach of were at least competitive (Chicago) to playoff teams (Miami.)

 

So now I feel much better about the direction Buddy and Chan are moving in to rebuild the Bills. No matter how close Chan and Wanny are, it still took secure guts for him to accept him coming in, and / or it took secure guts for Nix to tell Gailey Wanny was coming. Either way, I'm glad they brought him in, and I'm sure the Bills defense will improve vastly as soon as next season with Wanny helping make the decisions. As for George Edwards staying on as DC? Let's just say he can lean on the best "Inside Linebackers Coach" in the history of the NFL to "help him out."

[T master]

I don't know but i for one think that they have been showing some gutty moves all year long !!

 

From a personal standpoint getting rid of Edwards , Lynch, & not waiting around for Mitchell to heal up so they could bring in others to fill an active roster spot rather than setting around waiting for some one to get healthy takes a bit of balls !!

 

I am glad to see them bring in a proven coach in Wannstash , & part of me wishes they would just make him the D coordinator because of his resume , but that's not our call to make !! But from what i'm catching Gailey , Edwards & Wannstedt are all on the same page .

 

Although i think if Edwards scheme doesn't show any improvement this year i think we have our D coordinator already in place .

 

But as for the guts thing Nix & Gailey have had that going on since day one !!!!!

[BillsPhan]

I don't know but i for one think that they have been showing some gutty moves all year long !!

 

From a personal standpoint getting rid of Edwards , Lynch, & not waiting around for Mitchell to heal up so they could bring in others to fill an active roster spot rather than setting around waiting for some one to get healthy takes a bit of balls !!

 

I am glad to see them bring in a proven coach in Wannstash , & part of me wishes they would just make him the D coordinator because of his resume , but that's not our call to make !! But from what i'm catching Gailey , Edwards & Wannstedt are all on the same page .

 

Although i think if Edwards scheme doesn't show any improvement this year i think we have our D coordinator already in place .

 

But as for the guts thing Nix & Gailey have had that going on since day one !!!!!

 

Good points and, from a personnel stand point, I agree on all but Marshawn Lynch. Lynch should have been dealt before the draft, and they should have gotten better value then a 4th round draft pick. In the case of Marshawn Lynch, guts had nothing to do with the fact that Buddy Nix was in fact the dumbest guy in the room.

 

And I don't care how bad Lynch played against the Bears. How many running backs in the NFL have had good games against the Bears this entire season, anyway? Despite his stupidity off the field, and his 4 game suspension served that ruined his '09 season, Lynch is still very young and his best years are still way in front of him. The guy Nix kept, Freddy Jackson, may be a better running back right now, is a much better person, and blocks better too - now. But nothing can change the fact that Jackson is 5 years older then Lynch. Besides, I don't think Nix should have traded Jackson instead of Lynch anyway. I think that if Nix could not have traded for better value for Lynch before the draft, he should have kept him on the team, and not drafted C.J. Spiller with his number one pick! Lynch managed to run for almost 800 yards and score 6 TD's combined with Buffalo and Seattle this season. How does that compare to Spiller's rookie season?? On the other hand, Lynch could have had an even better season knowing he was staying in Buffalo sharing carries with just Freddy, and Nix could have gotten a much better rookie season out of the best OT, DL or DE or even LB on his board if he would not have drafted Spiller with that high first round pick!!

 

I predict Marshawn Lynch will have a fine NFL career, always running for around 1,000 - 1,300 yards per season, always scoring 10 or more TD's per season barring serious injuries. No one in his right mind can predict C.J. Spiller will do that or better after watching him get eaten up by NFL defenses one season after dazzling the country against college defenses. You might strongly disagree with me about Lynch, you might think he will never run for 1,000 yards or score 10 TD's in any season again, or you might think he will do more stupid stuff off the field and just get tossed out of the NFL all together. Well we all have our own opinions. I just wish I had more faith in C.J. Spiller becoming the "super star" the Bills envisioned when they took all of about 5 seconds to sprint up to the mike and give his name to Goodell.

[Doc]

This sounds to me, like I said, that Wanny will be in advisory role and Edwards will be running the defense, with Wanny helping out with anything he can. There is nothing in this article to me that even hints of him taking over the defense and calling the shots.

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Wannstedt-getting-right-to-work/be29ddd3-ef0a-4344-9972-ac75587bf2f2

While no one is coming out and saying it, given Wannstedt's history as a DC and his HC'ing experience, coupled with Edwards' lack thereof and poor showing last year, I can't see Wannstedt having been brought in for anything other than to direct the defense. Even if that's allowing Edwards to make the play calls and relaying them through Wannstedt for approval.