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Posted (edited)

I'm willing to bet special teams will cost us at least 2 games next year,will be ahead in the 4th quarter by 3 1:27 left on the clock kickoff to the other team and wa la 95yard kick off return for a touchdown Bills lose by 4!

Edited by bimmer330xi
Posted

I'm willing to bet special teams will cost us at least 2 games next year,will be ahead in the 4th quarter by 3 1:27 left on the clock kickoff to the other team and wa la 95yard kick off return for a touchdown Bills lose by 4!

 

If something like that would happen next year I won't be upset or mad. Honestly I'll just laugh.

Posted

I wouldn't be surprised to find that this is true, but, I'll wait until something official is announced to unleash my indignation.

 

I'm with you on that....

 

Did I miss the link? Any official word yet?

Posted

Crossman's critics:

"His units have been terrible everywhere he's gone."

"Why don't they practice onside kicks?"

"They have top-rated returners, yet a terrible average and no home runs"

"Their coverage teams look completely out of place, they commit penalties and they aren't staying in their lanes"

 

Crossman's defenders:

"That's just like, your opinion, man."

 

I think this is a closer representation:

 

Crossman critics: "Waaaahhhhhhhhhhh".

 

Crossman "defenders": "Jesus you guys.... Get a grip."

Posted

BTW, has there been anything official from the Bills?

 

Is it possible (Marrone's) already seen the handwriting on the wall with this incompetent franchise and he's hoping he too can be fired while banking a bunch of Ralph's money?

 

And commit virtual career suicide? I don't think this is plausible.

 

I wonder if the Special Teams Assistant Coach will keep his job as well?

 

You mean Marrone's special teams coach for two years at Syracuse, John Anselmo?

 

I posted this in one of the many other Fire Crossman threads:

 

Mike Priefer: He has spent 20 years as a college and pro special teams coach, including the past three seasons with the Vikings. Priefer, 47, flew Navy helicopters for six years and has an intense, no-nonsense approach that could appeal to teams wanting to instill discipline.

 

http://www.usatoday....ikings/4256653/

 

Do we know a team that needs to be much more disciplined on kick coverage?

 

Priefer is radioactive at the moment. His availability appears to be a moot point anyways.

 

BTW, it's not about an individual gaffe. Those are forgivable for a coach. It's the overall decline in the entire unit's play during the course of the season. Kind of like handing the opponent an extra first down per quarter.

 

Or selling a home game to Toronto.

 

:wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash:

 

Seriously, this non-move, if true, has me very disappointed. Like most informed fans, I considered Crossman's hiring to be a head-scratcher but was willing to give him a chance. He blew his audition and if he's retained, this severely compromises Marrone's message IMO.

 

Also I thought Marrone's comments at the end-of-season news conference about "core special teamers" was lame.

 

He and Whaley were the ones who assembled the roster. If there weren't enough core special teamers, that's his fault. There were plenty of core special teamers on the roster in 2012.

Posted

For anyone left thinking that special teams aren't that important....go ask Florida State or Auburn if they matter or not. Yeah yeah yeah...its college....

Posted

I think this is a closer representation:

 

Crossman critics: "Waaaahhhhhhhhhhh".

 

Crossman "defenders": "Jesus you guys.... Get a grip."

That is a sterling and logical defense of one Danny Crossman. I stand corrected and he has the special teams on the precipice of playoff-caliber. If only the QB was not holding back every other unit on the team from greatness.

Posted

 

That is a sterling and logical defense of one Danny Crossman. I stand corrected and he has the special teams on the precipice of playoff-caliber. If only the QB was not holding back every other unit on the team from greatness.

 

Where did I defend him in there? The guy sucks. There is nothing you or I can do to change him being our ST coach. I just choose not to be upset over it.

Posted

For anyone left thinking that special teams aren't that important....go ask Florida State or Auburn if they matter or not. Yeah yeah yeah...its college....

Right...It was awesome how the FSU ST's coach designed the Auburn's players hamstring to tear to shreads. Very timely play calling. I was puzzled why he drew up three fumbles by the Auburn players but decided not to recover any of them. I see he was just building drama.

Posted

Where did I defend him in there? The guy sucks. There is nothing you or I can do to change him being our ST coach. I just choose not to be upset over it.

Of course not. But if we were not to discuss anything that we have zero ability to change, I think this would be a pretty lonely place.

 

I'm not upset to the point that I'm kicking the family dog or anything, just frustrated that a coach preaching accountability can't seem to exercise it with a guy whose record screams failure, and has lived up to that promise here thus far. I'll be pleased beyond belief if things change; I just think it unlikely.

Posted

 

I'm not upset to the point that I'm kicking the family dog or anything

 

:lol: Nice.

 

Fair points. Many on here just have a mob mentality and want to burn the whole thing to the ground which is a little nutty to me.

Posted (edited)

again did Marrone have many/ any options ?

 

I would think DeHaven was an option if he were asked. You know, the guy who,at the end of the day, obviously led the accountable 9th best kIcking Team units in 2012.

Edited by reddogblitz
Posted

It's easy to call for a guy to get fired but I don't see anybody talking about a suitable replacement.

 

Give Bruce DeHaven a call and try to coax him out of retirement is my suggestion.

Posted

Wow, 15 pages.

 

How about a bit of perspective, in terms of Special Teams. Here's Bobby April's, who many consider to be the best, resume and rankings throughout his career as a Special Teams coach:

 

Pittsburgh Steelers -

1994: 15th

1995: 5th

 

New Orleans Saints -

1996: 26th

1997: 11th

1998: 5th

1999: 30th

 

St. Louis Rams-

2001: 29th

2002: 17th

2003: 26th

 

Buffalo Bills -

2004: 1st

2005: 1st

2006: 2nd

2007: 6th

2008: 1st

2009: 13th

 

Philadelphia Eagles -

2010: 12th

2011: 17th

2012: 23rd

 

Oakland Raiders -

2013: 31st

 

First, I am in no way comparing Danny Crossman to Bobby April or even saying Danny Crossman is any good. I am showing this to point out how up and down special teams play can be. Obviously, April's best run was with the Bills, even though those teams were not very good overall(combine record of 41-55). But, he had 2 really bad teams in New Orleans, never really got anything going in St. Louis and watched the decline of the Philadelphia team. So far, things aren't looking good for him in Oakland either.

 

Doug Marrone may or may not be a good coach in the NFL, that book has yet to be written. But his job certainly won't be saved by having an excellent special teams coach, IMO. It certainly didn't help Mike Mularkey or Dick Jauron. So far, the defense has improved to the best it's been since the Bills last winning season (according to Football Outsiders, ESPN, etc.). If he is to keep his job, he'll need to improve the offense as well, which hasn't been better than 16th in the past 10 years.

Posted

To the point above, I think there is probably no such thing as a "great ST coach". There really isn't much one man can know about kicking and covering kicks that every one of his peers doesn't know. Basically, the guy's job then boils down to not allowing his players to be really bad at covering kicks and returns.

 

That being said, there is no logical reason to hire a guy who's resume is almost exclusively filled with evidence of a coach who couldn't figure out how to keep his players from performing these tasks badly.

Posted (edited)

To the point above, I think there is probably no such thing as a "great ST coach". There really isn't much one man can know about kicking and covering kicks that every one of his peers doesn't know. Basically, the guy's job then boils down to not allowing his players to be really bad at covering kicks and returns.

 

That being said, there is no logical reason to hire a guy who's resume is almost exclusively filled with evidence of a coach who couldn't figure out how to keep his players from performing these tasks badly.

 

I don't think there is such a thing a "great" Special Team's coach either. It's too up and down. That's why I'm not overly upset about him keeping Crossman. Marrone's job will depend a lot more on 1. Offense and 2. Defense. Getting good special teams, IMO, is a distant 3rd.

Edited by Wayne Cubed
Posted

 

So essentially what you're saying here, and in your other posts, is that special teams don't really matter.

 

You should apply for a position with the Bills. I think you have exactly what they're looking for.

 

That's what someone that didn't read them could conclude, sure.

 

Someone that did read them might conclude that I find it crazy that certain fans can be this outraged that the ST coach has been retained when there are such greater problems on the team.

 

That same person--the one that read my posts--might also conclude that when I said "of course ST matter", I meant it. I also meant it when I said they're not even close to as important as offense or defense.

 

You should apply for a job with the Buffalo News; they apparently live writers that misrepresent others' points and then criticize then for it.

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