Chan Gailey's Future

[MacAddict104]

Chan's future in Buffalo can be predicted by a simple equation:

 

No playoffs = no excuses = no job

 

Chan gets the axe if we don't make the playoffs....done

[Thirty Year Fan]

I think you need to find another hobby as it seems you have some extra free time on your hands.

 

You state this:

"Listen I know we have less talent than 30 other teams in the league..."

 

followed by this:

"... I have not seen Chan adjust his game-plan to fool other defenses"

 

Even though the Bills have less talent than 30 other teams, you still expect Chan to scheme his way out of it.

The Oline is in shambles, and we have no depth. The Dallas game speaks for itself. In the first 3 plays, the right side defensive pass rusher came in untouched twice.

Please show me a scheme that will overcome that, and with less talent than 30 other teams.

 

Then you complain about his "failure" to have elite teams at GT. Personally, I thought most people realized the college game and the pro game were 2 different animals.

My mistake.

 

Success/Failure in one does not automatically equate to success/failure in the other. If it did, Saban would still be coaching the Dolphins, and Weis would still be at ND.

 

Then you bring up the "stacked" Dallas teams he had, completely ignoring the reality those players were on the downside of the careers, the Cowboys failed to make the playoffs the year before his arrival, and failed to make the playoffs after he left. During his tenure, they made the playoffs both times, and did so with an owner who is far more meddlesome than Wilson.

 

Jauron spent 4 offseason's destroying the Bills organization by building a team that was undersized, soft, and convinced it was hard to win in the NFL.

 

After this season, Chan gets 2 more years.

Great post!

[papazoid]

Chan will finish out his contract. I think he is doing a remarkable job with the cards he has been dealt.

 

i do think we need a change at Defensive Coordinator.

[davefan66]

Chan isn't going anywhere. He spouts the company line and his players love him (for now).

 

The Bills will do just enough in the offseason to be just below competetive next season, hence securing his staying.

 

As for assistant coaches, D coordinator is as good as gone. Someone has to be the sacrificial lamb.

[Dr. Fong]

At this point I'd rather hang on to the current regime instead of going through another 3-5 year cycle. He'd just be replaced by some bargain basement version of a head coach anyway, so what difference does it make?

[Gray Beard]

At this point I'd rather hang on to the current regime instead of going through another 3-5 year cycle. He'd just be replaced by some bargain basement version of a head coach anyway, so what difference does it make?

+1

[mjt328]

Look at it this way.

 

EVERY SINGLE offensive player on the Bills has played better and had more production in the last 2 years under Chan Gailey, than under any other offensive coordinator or head coach in their entire career.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, Steve Johnson, Scott Chandler, Eric Wood, Andy Levitre, Demetrius Bell, etc.. Every single one.

Also consider that most of the players on offense were either drafted in the 7th round or undrafted free agents. And at times this year, the offense has looked explosive and dominant.

 

This tells me that Gailey is getting the ABSOLUTE MOST out of his players on offense.

 

 

However... It is also painfully clear that Gailey knows NOTHING about the defensive side of the ball (other than how to attack it).

The defense under Gailey/George Edwards has been one of the worst Buffalo has ever put on the football field. They can't rush the passer. They can't stop the run. They can't cover recivers. They let up tons of points and tons of yards. And that is despite getting the majority of help from the draft and free agency.

Over the last 2 years, Kyle Williams has become a star, but he was already heading in that direction. Meanwhile, guys like Paul Posluszny, Jairus Byrd and Marcus Stroud have seen their production get worse. Promising rookies have failed to develop.

 

 

 

It's becoming very clear that Gailey simply needs a TOP DEFENSIVE MIND to handle the other side of the ball. Plenty of successful teams are run that way.

Mike McCarthy has Dom Capers. Sean Payton has Greg Williams. Jason Garrett has Rob Ryan. Gary Kubiak now has Wade Phillips (a move that has greatly improved the Texans by the way).

[judman]

I like him more than Phillips, Williams, Mularkey & Jauron combined.

[BillsfaninFl]

Gailey, like all recent Head Coaches and General Managers were doomed to fail when they took the Bills jobs. The organization continues to ready itself for sale when Ralph passes on. They are maximizing profits by keeping expenses low, they are clueless about what it would take to build a winner, but that is not their goal, so they don't care.

 

In spite of the criticisms leveled here over the years, it is questionable whether the team's GMs and HCs did a poor job, or whether they didn't get enough executive support and money to succeed, or both. Therefore, Gaily and Nix will be gone in the near future and it may or may not be their fault.

 

Top staff talent avoids the Bills just like top free agents do. In my opinion, it's not Buffalo that turns them off. They see an organization badly managed, where they will not do well. So coming to the Bills can shorten your career.

 

Look at it this way.

 

EVERY SINGLE offensive player on the Bills has played better and had more production in the last 2 years under Chan Gailey, than under any other offensive coordinator or head coach in their entire career.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, Steve Johnson, Scott Chandler, Eric Wood, Andy Levitre, Demetrius Bell, etc.. Every single one.

 

Only one of the seven players you listed had any other NFL coaches: Fitz.

Edited December 3, 2011 by BillsfaninFl

[Mango]

we have been running the coaching carousel here in buffalo for a decade now. we have a roster purged of 5 years of bad drafts. udfa sit up and down our depth chart and starting roster. you can not address the coach until you address the talent. I like Chan, he has flashes of brilliance, key word flashes. we can compete with him.

 

if we are talking about age, lets talk nix. guy is 80. if we do anything we should be making sure that whaley gradually starts to see more and more control so that we can make sure the transition is smooth when we lose nix. at 80, he will be gone (from the staff) soon. lets hope that this was whaleys and nixs first no holds bar draft because a few more like it and we will be fine.

[billsfreak]

Chan will finish out his contract. I think he is doing a remarkable job with the cards he has been dealt.

 

i do think we need a change at Defensive Coordinator.

Remarkable?

 

we have been running the coaching carousel here in buffalo for a decade now. we have a roster purged of 5 years of bad drafts. udfa sit up and down our depth chart and starting roster. you can not address the coach until you address the talent. I like Chan, he has flashes of brilliance, key word flashes. we can compete with him.

 

if we are talking about age, lets talk nix. guy is 80. if we do anything we should be making sure that whaley gradually starts to see more and more control so that we can make sure the transition is smooth when we lose nix. at 80, he will be gone (from the staff) soon. lets hope that this was whaleys and nixs first no holds bar draft because a few more like it and we will be fine.

Now we have a roster full of two years of bad drafts.

[billsfan89]

I think for Chan he gets one more year to build and shape this roster. He has done a good job molding the offense. We can score now and that's a major improvement. I am willing to give Chan another year to build the roster (In particular the defense). But I hope Ralph, Buddy, and Chan see that the roster needs a serious infusion of talent.

 

I know Buddy wants to build through the draft. But aside from Sheppard and Dareus his last two drafts haven't yielded major impact results. Now I think Nix can draft (Last years draft was really solid) but simply bringing in another draft class even if you hit on your 4 first picks (Which is really really hard) there are still going to be holes on the roster.

 

The team needs to invest in bringing in a significant free agents to upgrade the roster. Not saying they have to go out and try to do what the Eagles did in acquiring a dozen of the top free agents. But they need to try to bring in several free agents both as upgrades in terms of depth and starters.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

Give him one more year and if no playoffs next year, axe him. Yes there's little hope we'll land someone much better and re-starting all the time is annoying; but leaving a losing formula there year after year is no better. If we keep firing coaches the chances go up we'll get incredibly lucky one time.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

I like him more than Phillips, Williams, Mularkey & Jauron combined.

 

Is that sort of analogous to saying "I like hamburgers better than sauerkraut, lutefisk, limburger cheese and wonder bread, combined?

[BobChalmers]

...failure to go deep in the playoffs with a stacked Dallas team (Aikman, Smith, and Irvin (1 year ... So what do you guys think.

 

I think this is an idiotic post.

 

 

Dallas before Gailey was HC

 

6-10

 

Dallas when Gailey was HC

 

10-6

8-8

 

Dallas for the three seasons after Gailey was fired by Jerry Jones - in what he later called "one of [his] worst mistakes as Cowboys owner":

 

5-11

5-11

5-11

 

 

Dallas was "stacked" alright - with a broken down Smith and Irvin, and a fully concussed Aikman. Honestly - why does noone ever look this up before saying it?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Only one of the seven players you listed had any other NFL coaches: Fitz.

 

Fred Jackson, started games for the Bills in 2007

Steve Johnson drafted 2008, caught passes from JP Losman

Scott Chandler, drafted 2007, on the roster of 3 pro teams and active roster with 2 of them - never started, but some coaching must have been involved

Eric Wood, Andy Levitre drafted 2009, played under Jauron (and Fewell, for Levitre)

Demetrius Bell, started in 2009 under Jauron

 

Who is that guy who was giving personality tests over in another thread and what are my letters, now?

 

What I see all these players as having in common: they were all smart, physically talented guys who came into the league without the "football chops" to start, but who were kept on the depth chart due to their motivation and potential.

 

On another team with a better roster, they would likely have stayed on the depth chart barring a series of injures.

Because of the Bills lack of depth, they got their chance.

 

That we haven't been able to do the same on D, puzzles me. Either sheer physical talent and football chops are more important on D than offense (find that hard to believe, esp. at OL and QB). Or, the missing piece is, in fact, quality coaching on D. I lean towards that explanation (see 2008 vs 2009 Packers, 2010 vs 2011 Niners)

 

I think this is an idiotic post.

Dallas before Gailey was HC 6-10

Dallas when Gailey was HC 10-6 8-8

Dallas for the three seasons after Gailey was fired by Jerry Jones - in what he later called "one of [his] worst mistakes as Cowboys owner":

5-11

5-11

5-11

Dallas was "stacked" alright - with a broken down Smith and Irvin, and a fully concussed Aikman. Honestly - why does noone ever look this up before saying it?

 

Given what I just posted in response to another chap, I sorta have the same question

"Don't hassle me with the Facts, Jack"

Edited December 3, 2011 by Hopeful

[judman]

Is that sort of analogous to saying "I like hamburgers better than sauerkraut, lutefisk, limburger cheese and wonder bread, combined?

 

I like sauerkraut though. Substitute that with spanish rice, and we'll talk.

[mjt328]

 

Only one of the seven players you listed had any other NFL coaches: Fitz.

 

 

Are you serious?

 

 

Fitzpatrick played for two other teams (St. Louis and Cincinnati) and this is his third coach on the Buffalo Bills (Dick Jauron and Perry Fewell being the others), not to mention several offensive coordinators during those periods.

 

This is Chandler's fourth NFL team.

 

Jackson, Wood, Levitre, Bell and Johnson have all been Bills for their NFL careers. But like I said, that was under three different coaches and several coordinators.

 

 

Fitzpatrick's best year: 2010 or 2011

Jackson: 2011

Johnson: 2010

Wood, Levitre and Bell: 2011

Chandler: 2011

[Stormin Norman]

In the end, isn't it about lack of talent and depth? Who in American coaching would simply wave his all-magical coaching wand and create a playoff team out of the current crew? Past poor drafts (small and quick on defense) has been acknowledged as a problem. The Bills need to get bigger and tougher period. On offense, the game plan seems to have no plays designed for more than 12 yards (excluding YAC). Opposing defenses know (a) our offensive line cannot sustain blocks long enough for our less-than-speedy receivers to get open, and (b) we have a QB who, generally speaking, gets less accurate for every additional yard past 12 that the ball is in the air. No viable deep threat means little space to work in. I do agree that Gailey has opted for the pass too often in some games.

 

With all that said, I'd give the current regime another two years. Why?

- They finally dispatched players who could never lead us to the playoffs (hello, Sabres)

- They seem to get the most out of what they have (which is not the best talent)

- They've competed with a depleted roster, a roster that started with a bunch of nobodies, really. We lost games in which we were man-handled....hence the need for size and toughness.

- Aside from Stevie, it seems we have less stupid penalties (false starts, etc.) than past teams. Rather, our penalties are more talent/scheme related (for example, interference). Simply said, the team is more disciplined (again, Stevie is in his own category)

- I think it takes a couple more drafts to change the physical make-up of the team, but it's very hard to be patient after 11 years of futility (believe me, I couldn't be more impatient).

 

Firing the coach and/or GM would not correct our need to get more size and talent. Another draft or two (and perhaps a few decent free agents) are needed.

 

So here is my glimmer of hope this Christmas season:

 

1986: 4 - 12

 

1987: 7 - 8

 

1988: 12 - 4, and the glory years.

Edited December 3, 2011 by Stormin Norman

[CodeMonkey]

As old and seasoned as these two men are they should not be making the mistakes you would expect to see from first time HC & GM.

Except that, well, Nix is a first time GM and except for 2 unspectacular years in Dallas over a decade ago Gailey is a first time HC.

 

Give him one more year and if no playoffs next year, axe him. Yes there's little hope we'll land someone much better and re-starting all the time is annoying; but leaving a losing formula there year after year is no better. If we keep firing coaches the chances go up we'll get incredibly lucky one time.

So spray and pray is your plan? Yikes

Edited December 3, 2011 by CodeMonkey