Kelly the Dog Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 I disagree. Wannstedt is now the "consultant" by which all defensive planning will probably go through him. An apt comparison is Putin and Medvedev. Medvedev may have the higher title, but everyone knows Putin calls the shots. That's a crappy comparison. It would be an apt comparison if Wannstedt was already the DC on the Bills and in charge, then stepped away to be named Assistant Head Coach.
Mr. ChumChums Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Now all we need is four linebackers worth coaching. +100 This is what I've been saying for a while - our greatest weakness is our LB's! Maybe now, with The Stache on our staff, we'll start getting (and developing) LB's similar to the LB's the "other stache" coached.
Buftex Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Outstanding move. Love it. I just love the fact that we are getting guys with experience, in the fold. I am tired of having a "re-tread coach" (I like Gailey, so not a slam, just the way he is viewed)with a bunch of inexperienced assistants.
BuffaloBillsForever Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Great move by Nix, Gailey et al to get this done. This is the type of addition we needed this offseason. We might just look back on this day as one of the turning points. Dave Wannstedt is a quality coach. I hope he takes on many roles such as a consultant to Gailey, quality control etc. I like the idea of him labelled as the LB coach. This is the biggest issue with our defense right now and his sort of specialty in this area is great! Welcome to the Buffalo!
RuntheDamnBall Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Exactly. If Wannstedt gets offered a DC position on another team he will take it and it will be a step up from Assistant Head Coach not a step down. A former head coach who was just fired doesn't usually want to sit out a year because he could fall into obscurity. He wants a job, he wants to be respected, he wants a title. This is a good place and title for him in his transition. If Edwards fails, Wannstedt would have an advantage over other candidates but wouldn't automatically assume the job. He gives us what we need though, some experience as a DC in this league to game plan, design packages/blitzes, etc. From virtually everything that Gailey has said publicly about Edwards, he's not going to undermine the guy and have him look over his shoulder. Wannstedt himself very likely said I'm not going to step on anyone's shoes because this is a transition job for him (which COULD lead to a DC position if Edwards craps the bed). But Gailey has proven himself in the last year here to not be a guy who blows smoke up people's asses or placates the press. And he is firmly in Edward's camp. This is a lot like the Lebeau hire, IMO. That's all very reasonable but it's all still speculation. Gailey strikes me, if nothing else, as a guy who keeps his house in order and doesn't talk sh-- about anybody. I think we can read into this enough of his comments about what he values, and about the team's performance ("QBs who succeed don't have to play catch up, the defense is always giving them another shot, etc"). He can't have been happy about how they performed. The question is how much of that does he feel is Edwards' fault, and how much is due to the lack of talent on the field? If nothing else, Wannstedt is another experienced evaluator in the room, which is sorely needed. I don't think we lose him for anything short of another HC job. As for DC, he's been there, done that, unless a premier job opens up (like LeBeau with Pitt). If the Bills can match what he'd earn and show him that he's valued around here, the title should be pretty meaningless. OTOH, if Edwards is running the show and underwhelms again, we already have our new DC. This is a big win in my book.
BuffaloBaumer Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 From my man in Pittsburgh, a walking sports almanac: "Your defense will be vanilla with 2 deep man under and rare blitzing. But he usually finds badass lineman to get pressure. Lots of pressure on the corners to hold up in man to man." This sounds EXACTLY like the Jets formula to beat the Pats last weekend... Could this mean the pick of Pederson at #3? If this guy is anything close to what they say (and reading your Pitt inf0 above), it would make sense to me.....Gotta admit, I was shocked by Merrimen and even more so by this. I honestly did not think in a million years he would sign here...
RuntheDamnBall Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 I don't think we need to pick more CBs. We need to ask our CBs to play more physical man coverage and jam receivers at the line. We've been hoping for this for years. We already have the horses.
GG Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Bobby April was Asst Head Coach. Did everything run through him as well? The title is much more significant for Wanny, as it makes a big difference in how other teams must contact him and what they can offer to pry him away from Buffalo. As for the day to day responsibility, no one really knows what deal they struck. Under TD, it was understood that LeBeaue would have a big say on the defense and Gray played a good soldier. We have no idea if Gailey will implement something similar and Edwards would agree.
Nanker Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 This is terrible news. How could we have let him get out of the building without a contract. Off he goes to Cleveland where they sign him. Our FO sucks. Wait. Oh, never mind.
Kelly the Dog Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Dave Wannstedt is a quality coach. I hope he takes on many roles such as a consultant to Gailey, quality control etc. I like the idea of him labelled as the LB coach. This is the biggest issue with our defense right now and his sort of specialty in this area is great That's exactly how I see it (although again this is all conjecture and we don't know what will go on behind the scenes). I see Gailey being able to involve Wannstedt in all phases of the game, use him as a sounding board, listen closely if DW has a suggestion, and just have him along as a very experienced coach on both sides of the ball, with a specialty on defense. He's also a "teacher", which Gailey likes, and they're very familiar with each other after working together in Miami.
K Gun Special Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 I don't think we need to pick more CBs. We need to ask our CBs to play more physical man coverage and jam receivers at the line. We've been hoping for this for years. We already have the horses. who? florence is a FA, McGee is never healthy and then we have Mckelvin. Who are the other corners? This team is full of holes, CB is one of them.
MattyT Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Bobby April was Asst Head Coach. Did everything run through him as well? Bad, bad comparison.
sllib olaffub Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 I was just commenting on Wilson not trusting people anymore - Well, it looks like Nix might be someone whose opinion he's finally settled on trusting. This move is obviously Gailey's wish, and Nix's planning/orchestrating. I agree, as well, about Wanny now being the Def. Coordinator in all but name. Sure, at first I can see the two (Edwards and Wanny) working together to decide on a plan for the system going forward. I think by draft time we'll have the players decided on, who's staying, who's going, and they'll work out game-planning together, and a concensus. But, I can see Edwards doing the actual game calling on game day, or Wanny, but it wouldn't surprise me if it were Edwards at first. Only, if our defense looks as bad as it did this year, or is ineffective, then I'd bet it wouldn't last two full games before Wanny was calling the plays, and then actually taking over. So, we can rest, now, knowing that there is experience and there will be a game plan going forward on both sides. And, I think we do have some weapons in place that an experienced coordinator can use and build around - Carrington, K.Williams, Troupe, Moats, Byrd, McKelvin - these guys have potential, in the right system, under the right guidance. I think we have a lot of coaches, now, who will help the young guys get into shape, stay in shape, and learn the systems. I give it up to Wilson for letting them hire on, and I hope he continues to let some F.A.'s come to town, too. I think we'll see at least 3 nice additions - RT, TE, LB.
RuntheDamnBall Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 McGee is sort of healthy every other year. He's under contract, give him the time and see if he can get healthy. Florence can be re-signed or upgraded in FA. McKelvin is way better than he's been playing, but that's to be expected in a new system. He had days where he was the best, and days when he was the worst on the field in the defense. Youboty is in fact a free agent, but I don't think anyone's going to offer him big bucks. The depth players they've had on board have all showed enough promise to me to be worth holding onto and developing. Corner can be depended upon in nickel situations. Say no to first round CBs unless you're looking at them as final pieces to the puzzle. NYJ had Mangold, Ferguson, a strong DL and a great running game before they added their stable of top flight CBs. We have none of those things.
1B4IDie Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 who? florence is a FA, McGee is never healthy and then we have Mckelvin. Who are the other corners? This team is full of holes, CB is one of them. Peterson is a bust. Busty Busty Bust. Like Katie Perry size bust. Stay away. If you are vying for the Bills to make the mistake of taking a DB at #3, atleast go with Prince Amukamara.
RuntheDamnBall Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Peterson is a bust. Busty Busty Bust. Like Katie Perry size bust. Stay away. If you are vying for the Bills to make the mistake of taking a DB at #3, atleast go with Prince Amukamara. Does not compute.
Kelly the Dog Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 That's all very reasonable but it's all still speculation. Gailey strikes me, if nothing else, as a guy who keeps his house in order and doesn't talk sh-- about anybody. I think we can read into this enough of his comments about what he values, and about the team's performance ("QBs who succeed don't have to play catch up, the defense is always giving them another shot, etc"). He can't have been happy about how they performed. The question is how much of that does he feel is Edwards' fault, and how much is due to the lack of talent on the field? If nothing else, Wannstedt is another experienced evaluator in the room, which is sorely needed. I don't think we lose him for anything short of another HC job. As for DC, he's been there, done that, unless a premier job opens up (like LeBeau with Pitt). If the Bills can match what he'd earn and show him that he's valued around here, the title should be pretty meaningless. OTOH, if Edwards is running the show and underwhelms again, we already have our new DC. This is a big win in my book. Of course it's all conjecture. IMO, the days of Dave Wannstedt being a HC in the NFL have either passed him by, OR, the only way he is going to get another HC job in the NFL is through being a stellar DC again for two plus years, with playoff success. He's not going to get that being an Asst. Head Coach/LB coach on the Bills because if it happens (yeah, right) the kudos will go to Edwards, not Wannstedt. Gailey went out of his way to praise the job Edwards did after the season was over. It's very clear Gailey feels Edwards can do the job (whether he can or not remains to be seen).
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