Did anyone keep the warm fuzzy stories from 3yrs ago?

[ThurmasThoman]

Seriously... how much good press did Chan get 3 years ago? Was there a hint of how it all eventually turned out in the intial honeymoon articles after his hire. Is there something we can read into the Doug Marrone hire and the current press clippings. I know It is not going to be the same....

 

If I remember right, Jerry Jones said he "regretted" firing Chan. Statements where made like "Chan was no bs kind of coach".

 

Doug is a different guy, but I am sick of the Bills "selling hope" and get us a super bowl already. The Bills do not deserve a honeymoon... Doug will get a press "honeymoon", and I think his "honeymoon" should be short. I am not sold on the stuff the Bills marketing staff put out anymore. Stop selling hope, just get it done.

 

I woud love to compare Chan, Dick, Mike, and Greg 1st week as a coach to see if there was a hint of the impending doom. The same analysis should be done after the 1st week of training camp to see if Doug is the real thing or is at least on the right track.

 

Coming from someone (me) who isn't that jazzed up about the hire primarily because a. it's not a familiar name, and b. i don't know enough about the guy to really feel one way or another, so essentially i'm ignorant to the entire process, and thus have kept my mouth shut about it and have adopted a wait-and-see attitude... I will just say this.

 

Chan Gailey created an organizational culture of failure and a "we're not good enough" mindset.

 

Here's something interesting for you to consider:

 

When Chan Gailey took over as coach, he spent the entire offseason and preseason evaluating our quarterbacks, and settled on Trent Edwards, who lasted all of 2 games before he was cut, at which point Fitz took over and we finished the year 4-12. Going into the season, both Gailey and Nix said it was a rebuilding year, said we had bottomed out, basically told a group of professional athletes "you guys suck, youre no good, were not going anywhere, who cares." So, naturally, with that organizational philosophy, we finished 4-12. But let's look at that 4-12 record:

 

Five... FIVE of those losses were by less than a touchdown--four of the losses were by a field goal in overtime!! That's 5 games that went against us that we could have won, which would have given us a 9-7 record and a wildcard. The talent on that team was there. It absolutely was--but instead of coaching up that talent, and setting expectations at winning the division, or hell, winning the super bowl, we went into the season already with a loser mentality.

 

That attitude, that mentality, is sickening. It's the mindset of a loser. And Gailey created that culture.

 

As I mentioned above, 5 of our losses were by a TD or less in 2010.

In 2011, another 5 of our losses were by a TD or less.

and this year, 2012, four of our losses were by a TD or less.

 

What that tells me, is the talent on this club is there for us to have gone 9-7, 11-5, 10-6.

 

But according to Gailey, 2 of those years were rebuilding years.

 

Now, how does Marrone fit into the equation? Well, from what I've read, he seems like he's not afraid to make adjustments on the fly. Which, most importantly, means that players are going to be held accountable. Fitz sucks? Go with the backup. He sucks? go with his backup.

 

Gailey made rebilding a priority, and winning a side bennefit we would experience if we were lucky. So we didn't win.

 

Marrone seems like he's going to make winning a priority, with no excuses. I hope it works out.

[Maddog69]

Oh no, he lifted his foot. He sucks.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Seriously... how much good press did Chan get 3 years ago? Was there a hint of how it all eventually turned out in the intial honeymoon articles after his hire. Is there something we can read into the Doug Marrone hire and the current press clippings. I know It is not going to be the same....

 

If I remember right, Jerry Jones said he "regretted" firing Chan. Statements where made like "Chan was no bs kind of coach".

 

Doug is a different guy, but I am sick of the Bills "selling hope" and get us a super bowl already. The Bills do not deserve a honeymoon... Doug will get a press "honeymoon", and I think his "honeymoon" should be short. I am not sold on the stuff the Bills marketing staff put out anymore. Stop selling hope, just get it done.

 

I woud love to compare Chan, Dick, Mike, and Greg 1st week as a coach to see if there was a hint of the impending doom. The same analysis should be done after the 1st week of training camp to see if Doug is the real thing or is at least on the right track.

 

With a new coach there is almost always a time delay in getting to a winning season so don't get your hopes up. Do I want to have success like Harbaugh did, absolutely but those are rare and until we get better players in here we will go nowhere.

[ganesh]

Seriously... how much good press did Chan get 3 years ago? Was there a hint of how it all eventually turned out in the intial honeymoon articles after his hire. Is there something we can read into the Doug Marrone hire and the current press clippings. I know It is not going to be the same....

 

If I remember right, Jerry Jones said he "regretted" firing Chan. Statements where made like "Chan was no bs kind of coach".

 

Doug is a different guy, but I am sick of the Bills "selling hope" and get us a super bowl already. The Bills do not deserve a honeymoon... Doug will get a press "honeymoon", and I think his "honeymoon" should be short. I am not sold on the stuff the Bills marketing staff put out anymore. Stop selling hope, just get it done.

 

I woud love to compare Chan, Dick, Mike, and Greg 1st week as a coach to see if there was a hint of the impending doom. The same analysis should be done after the 1st week of training camp to see if Doug is the real thing or is at least on the right track.

 

Hopes:

There were glowing quotes from Jerry Jones and Bill Cowher

Gailey had got a lot out of Thigpen in KC. People were confident that Gailey would be able to do the same with Trent Edwards or Fitzpatrick

Gailey would be the right person to turn Marshawn Lynch around.

 

Question Marks:

There were a lot of questions as to why Gailey was fired before the 1st game of the season by Todd Haley in KC

There were question marks as to how he won nothing with the Yellow Jackets as HC

There were HUGE question marks about his coaching staff as not many of them had any NFL Experience.

There was a big Question mark about Edwards being able to run a 3-4 after being a linebackers coach

[Meathead]

First impressions are rarely wrong

wow is that not correct. first impressions are rarely RIGHT. heck, second third and twelveth impressions are subject to frequent errors. what you say is believed by a lot of people, but that doesnt make it any less wrong

 

It was a near unanimous hate fest, and people warmed up to the hire as the acceptance phase of their mourning period.

 

this is also not correct

 

sure there was disappointment after ralph waved ten million around and names like chin, shanny, and shotty were thrown around. but chan certainly wasnt hated by most and was given a nice honeymoon period. really i thought he actually did a good job turning a horrible team around pretty quick, but he certainly couldnt take it the next step with a vastly improved roster. i liked the guy but he needed to go, but that still doesnt mean he was universally panned when he came in

 

i will agree the vibe is very different with this new crew. that doesnt mean they will be any more successful but the energy level is different. really nervous about a 33yo oc but hopefully he will surprise

[mountainwampus]

My first impression of Gailey was that he was an old fuddy-duddy southerner with limited intelligence, but perhaps he would end up to have a lot of football intelligence. He really didn't.

 

My first impression of Marrone is that he's younger, smarter and has far and away better "people skills" than Chan.

[jimmy10]

The NFL humor blog Kissing Suzy Kolber posted a pretty funny article when Chan was hired, made up fully of Bills' fans very cold and very un-fuzzy reactions.

 

Warning, very NSFW language: http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2010/01/a-children’s-treasury-of-chan-gailey-hatred.html

[Beerball]

The same analysis should be done after the 1st week of training camp to see if Doug is the real thing or is at least on the right track.

Seriously, you're going to give him a full week?

[BobChalmers]

We're fans. Most of us try to put an optimistic slant on what happens with our team. I recall the media being pretty down on the Gailey hire, though -- big difference this time around.

 

I still like Gailey -- just think he was in over his head as the HC, and he couldn't rely on Fitz as much as he hoped. If another NFL team hires him as their OC, he'd certainly do a decent job -- much the same way Jauron has done a decent job as the DC in Cleveland. Neither guy was a "train wreck" hire -- they just aren't top quality head coaches.

 

This time around, however, the Bills job was in demand, they interviewed five of the top candidates identified, and moved quickly to nab their guy. Really night and day for the organization.

 

This - and it really is different this time from three years ago in terms of the national response.

 

Sure, Chan Gailey had Cowher praising him, and the one comment from Jerry Jones, plus Pioli sort of complimenting him, but that was about it, and there was a whole lot of "huh what?" and "really?" from most of the observers - particularly nationally.

 

1. Gailey was not in demand by other teams which was very different than Marrone. Marrone was on multiple teams' radars, and I strongly suspect the Browns got burned and probably ultimately wanted him after the shine wore off Chip Kelly and his demands.

 

2. Marrone's list of vocal supporters arround the NFL is MUCH longer - Payton/Edwards/Parcells... Brees, Mawae, and other OL.

 

3. It's clear that the Bills' job was viewed as a good one this time around - and Pettine's signing on quickly is further proof of that. He could have stayed with the Jets, and he could have held out for a job in his home town (Philly) or elsewhere. He's seen the Bills up close for years and believes they have the defensive talent to be better quickly. He wouldn't have come to the Bills otherwise, given that he has made it clear his ambition is to succeed as a DC (on his own) so he can get a head coaching job.

 

Sure - as always, we won't really know until they play the games - and yeah, there's always some level of optimism for the new guy - but there really is more reason for it this time.

Edited January 10, 2013 by BobChalmers

[Hapless Bills Fan]

I see your point I don't think that I felt Chan was an "up and coming" guy, rather a no name retread. That's why this feels different. I hope Marrone is the man for the job

 

This, I think. I remember all the talk about looking for top guys, Cowher, Brian Schottheimer and so forth, and then the announcement "Chan Gailey hired" and thinking "Chan who? WTF?" It seemed such a bait 'n' switch. Marrone, at least, has been mentioned as a coaching candidate in whom several teams had interest and we were looking at several college coaches and was on the radar. So it's not the complete blindside hit it was when they hired Chan.

 

I also remember being deeply skeptical at having, essentially, no OC and George Edwards as DC and this whole slew of college cronies of Chan as position coaches.

So I am more positive about hiring Pettine and the Jet's DB coach, and I'll feel better if we're able to continue to hire strong position coaches.

 

I am skeptical about the choice of OC. It could mean that Marrone has strong views on the sort of offense he wants to see and the sort of adjustments he wants to see, and he wants to be very sure he's aligned with his OC. It could also mean he really intends to be another HC/OC and I'm kind of burnt out on that right now.

Edited January 10, 2013 by Hopeful

[GG]

 

wow is that not correct. first impressions are rarely RIGHT. heck, second third and twelveth impressions are subject to frequent errors. what you say is believed by a lot of people, but that doesnt make it any less wrong

 

 

 

this is also not correct

 

sure there was disappointment after ralph waved ten million around and names like chin, shanny, and shotty were thrown around. but chan certainly wasnt hated by most and was given a nice honeymoon period. really i thought he actually did a good job turning a horrible team around pretty quick, but he certainly couldnt take it the next step with a vastly improved roster. i liked the guy but he needed to go, but that still doesnt mean he was universally panned when he came in

 

i will agree the vibe is very different with this new crew. that doesnt mean they will be any more successful but the energy level is different. really nervous about a 33yo oc but hopefully he will surprise

 

Did you even go through the old thread? The negative reaction was nearly unanimous.

[BuffaloBill]

Seriously... how much good press did Chan get 3 years ago? Was there a hint of how it all eventually turned out in the intial honeymoon articles after his hire. Is there something we can read into the Doug Marrone hire and the current press clippings. I know It is not going to be the same....

 

If I remember right, Jerry Jones said he "regretted" firing Chan. Statements where made like "Chan was no bs kind of coach".

 

Doug is a different guy, but I am sick of the Bills "selling hope" and get us a super bowl already. The Bills do not deserve a honeymoon... Doug will get a press "honeymoon", and I think his "honeymoon" should be short. I am not sold on the stuff the Bills marketing staff put out anymore. Stop selling hope, just get it done.

 

I woud love to compare Chan, Dick, Mike, and Greg 1st week as a coach to see if there was a hint of the impending doom. The same analysis should be done after the 1st week of training camp to see if Doug is the real thing or is at least on the right track.

 

Iraq vet thanks for your service...

 

With that said there is little to be gained in looking back. I understand all the hype and hope are messages we have heard before as Bills fans. The reality is that the front office, the coaches and the players have to get on the same page. Also, it is not likely this team will go far under any coach until and unless the QB situation is addressed.

[ChasBB]

I definitely hear you. This time does feel different, but then again, so did every other time in the past, too. Every coach that has been brought in has been touted as a "teacher". For me, what makes this time feel a bit different is that Marrone seems to be universally well-regarded. It's pretty difficult to find any negatives about the guy and I really like comments like "he grabs your attention when he speaks" and just the overall respect from other coaches and players. Then again, there was a degree of that with all of the past hires, but this one does feel more like the real deal to me. However, there should be no threads on naming the defense and there should be no false playoff hopes until this team actually delivers on-the-field with wins in the devision and wins in double-digits. Until that really comes to fruition, I can't buy-in 100%. I'll be 80% there because I do believe this guy has likely been the best selection since Marv left, but they have to really do it before I can buy-in 100% that things are really different.

[All_Pro_Bills]

When Dick was let go and Chan was hired my first impression was 'here we go again'. Another guy that nobody wanted hired by the bottom feeding Bills once again scraping the bottom of the coaching barrel.

 

Whether or not Marrone is a good hire will be determined in time by wins and loses on the field. But as said before it does feel different this time.

 

For one, the fact that several other team had targeted our guy and the Bills agreed to terms on what you've got to believe was their first choice. And the new HC appears to want to be here.

 

And rather than go after what some would call 'proven failures' they went out and got a fresh, energized, up and comer.

 

Not ready to drink the kool aid yet but like the new approach and strategy coming out of OBD to this point. Now if they can hit on free agency and the draft we might see a competitive team on the field week to week. That's my only expectation at this point.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Ask and ye shall receive.

 

Here is a post on TSW announcing Chan Gailey as HC from back in 2010. It's quite entertaining to read.

 

Protip: you can search by date in the advanced search, but be sure to select "The Stadium Wall Archives" from the forum list if you go back too far in time.

 

Edit:

 

Another long thread about the staff he's putting together.

 

Wow, this is interesting. I didn't remember all the initial negativity about Chan (I was more just like "who?") , and I didn't remember the initial warm-fuzzies about his staff (which I didn't share).

 

Did you even go through the old thread? The negative reaction was nearly unanimous.

 

That was just the first thread though. There were several nearly concurrent threads that were much more positive.

[BuffaloWings]

This - and it really is different this time from three years ago in terms of the national response.

 

Sure, Chan Gailey had Cowher praising him, and the one comment from Jerry Jones, plus Pioli sort of complimenting him, but that was about it, and there was a whole lot of "huh what?" and "really?" from most of the observers - particularly nationally.

 

1. Gailey was not in demand by other teams which was very different than Marrone. Marrone was on multiple teams' radars, and I strongly suspect the Browns got burned and probably ultimately wanted him after the shine wore off Chip Kelly and his demands.

 

2. Marrone's list of vocal supporters arround the NFL is MUCH longer - Payton/Edwards/Parcells... Brees, Mawae, and other OL.

 

3. It's clear that the Bills' job was viewed as a good one this time around - and Pettine's signing on quickly is further proof of that. He could have stayed with the Jets, and he could have held out for a job in his home town (Philly) or elsewhere. He's seen the Bills up close for years and believes they have the defensive talent to be better quickly. He wouldn't have come to the Bills otherwise, given that he has made it clear his ambition is to succeed as a DC (on his own) so he can get a head coaching job.

 

Sure - as always, we won't really know until they play the games - and yeah, there's always some level of optimism for the new guy - but there really is more reason for it this time.

 

+1000

 

I think you hit the nail on the head when you say that Marrone was actually a top candidate sought by other teams (Browns, Eagles, etc.). Gailey wasn't. The Gailey hiring was a bit of a surprise to me, but I didn't think we could have gotten much worse than what we had with Jauron. I like Gailey, too. I was extremely disappointed that he couldn't call the right plays or use Spiller effectively or manage the game right, especially considering he had been a head coach before.

 

When Dick was let go and Chan was hired my first impression was 'here we go again'. Another guy that nobody wanted hired by the bottom feeding Bills once again scraping the bottom of the coaching barrel.

 

Whether or not Marrone is a good hire will be determined in time by wins and loses on the field. But as said before it does feel different this time.

 

For one, the fact that several other team had targeted our guy and the Bills agreed to terms on what you've got to believe was their first choice. And the new HC appears to want to be here.

 

And rather than go after what some would call 'proven failures' they went out and got a fresh, energized, up and comer.

 

Not ready to drink the kool aid yet but like the new approach and strategy coming out of OBD to this point. Now if they can hit on free agency and the draft we might see a competitive team on the field week to week. That's my only expectation at this point.

 

I think this is the best of both worlds for Brandon, Whaley, & Nix. I think they wanted a guy with HC experience, but also wanted someone with fire, enthusiasm, and the hunger - in his personality, as well as the coaching style.

 

Besides, Marrone's hiring doesn't allow 85% of this board to complain that the hire is a retread...just 30% of the board to complain about how he doesn't have enough NFL experience.

[Dorkington]

The Bills suck until they don't. All we have is "hope". You can't really expect a team (who needs to sell tickets and merch) to say, "hey, we hired this new guy, but our team still sucks until we win on the field, so don't get excited, ok?"

[Iraq Vet]

I am now nervous about the length and depth of experince from the new O/C..... I am not sure what that hire says about the new HC. I don't think the new O/C has enough experience and gravitas to deal with the pros.

[CodeMonkey]

I am now nervous about the length and depth of experince from the new O/C..... I am not sure what that hire says about the new HC. I don't think the new O/C has enough experience and gravitas to deal with the pros.

I think you are jumping the gun. Marrone must work well with him and thinks he can do well in the NFL or he would have not staked his first NFL HC job on it.

Just relax, wait, and see how it plays out.

[PromoTheRobot]

I am I'm favor of archiving the coaching hire threads. SDS can stash them somewhere easy to find so we can go back and have some laughs.

 

PTR