Mularkey's defining moment

[Guest BackInDaDay]

JP's developement is still on target, and that's a good thing.

 

Personally, I don't agree that sitting him made him any better or worse. It only delayed the inevitable - getting used to the speed of the game and becoming comfortable in the pocket. As a couple posters pointed out in another thread, his stepping up and making a play in the Carolina game was something of a milestone for the kid. Honestly, that comes from getting reps - not watching someone else.

 

Losman's been playing ball a long time, even at his young age, and I'm sure this wasn't the first time he's felt comfortable and confident in a pocket. It may well have been the first time he felt comfortable and confident in an NFL pocket, but this is what experience - and only experience - will produce.

 

I can understand Ralph's and TD's motivation in pushing JP to the bench while the playoffs (especially a home play-off game by becoming the champion of a surprisingly weak division) were still attainable. I don't understand how they could be so short-sighted concerning the affect this would have on the team. Did they think that undermining their head coach, his offensive coordinator and his QB coach would be missed by the players.

 

This was a defining moment in Mularkey's young career and he blew it big time.

 

An entire off-season's worth of plans were tossed to the wind because the Patriots weren't playing well, the Jets lost their QBs and the Dolphins still stunk. The Bill's were not playing well when JP was benched, but the coach was still the man. After throwing JP under the bus, every player in that locker room must have realized that if the front-office will do this to their coaches and golden boy, where does that leave them.

 

There's no stopping the downward spiral that Mularkey has allowed himself to be thrown into. Suddenly his old friend and fellow coach can no longer create a gameplan and execute it. Then the expensive, under-achieving RT is pushed one step closer to door by way of an embarrassing stay at LG. Then he loses his best D lineman.

 

This team is on the verge of a mutiny because Mularkey no longer has the respect of his players, and some of his coaching staff. JP missing a couple games is insignificant in comparison to the true extent of the damage done to Mularkey's credibility.

 

There's many things that can still be accomplished this season, but I think the most important thing Mularkey can do is to somehow restore the team's faith in him. He has to decide whether jeopordizing his relationship with TD is worth regaining the confidence of his players. It may be too late, and it could cost him his first HC job, but it would be a lesson learned and something he could build on, in another town, for another GM.

 

Frankly, I don't think he's got the guts. If he had, he could have stopped it by now.

[Simon]

If you want to give Mularkey grief for things like not having a play ready to run after a 3rd/short conversion inside the 10 with time running down, and then wasting a valuable down with an unnecessary spike to stop the clock when they should have already had somethin called, then go for it.

But this wild speculation has no basis in reality and exists nowhere else outside yor imagination.

[Buftex]

If you want to give Mularkey grief for things like not having a play ready to run after a 3rd/short conversion inside the 10 with time running down, and then wasting a valuable down with an unnecessary spike to stop the clock when they should have already had somethin called, then go for it.

But this wild speculation has no basis in reality and exists nowhere else outside yor imagination.

518088[/snapback]

 

 

I was gonna say the exact same thing, word for word....

[34-78-83]

I was gonna say the exact same thing, word for word....

518100[/snapback]

 

I've been trying to think of a way to respond to this since he posted it originally at 2:00

[finknottle]

I can understand Ralph's and TD's motivation in pushing JP to the bench while the playoffs (especially a home play-off game by becoming the champion of a surprisingly weak division)  were still attainable.  I don't understand how they could be so short-sighted concerning the affect this would have on the team.  Did they think that undermining their head coach, his offensive coordinator and his QB coach would be missed by the players. 

 

This was a defining moment in Mularkey's young career and he blew it big time.

 

517973[/snapback]

 

I dunno - if the players believed they had a better chance of winning with Holcomb and that starting JP was only about getting him experience, then surely sticking with JP just to get him reps at the expense of the rest of the team's season would have a far worse effect on the team.

 

And its bad for recruiting too. Prospective free agents would look at the team and think winning now takes a back seat to developing players for future seasons. Would TKO have come here under those circumstances?

[The Dean]

If you want to give Mularkey grief for things like not having a play ready to run after a 3rd/short conversion inside the 10 with time running down, and then wasting a valuable down with an unnecessary spike to stop the clock when they should have already had somethin called, then go for it.

But this wild speculation has no basis in reality and exists nowhere else outside yor imagination.

518088[/snapback]

 

 

Spot on, you grissly-lookin' freak!

[IndyMark]

What all the posters (save for backinday) have said. MM can be critiqued on a lot, however, what the original poster stated is NOT one of them.

 

Way off.

[UConn James]

Hmm. I thought his defining moment was walking into that restaurant, using the can and then walking out.

 

[Orton's Arm]

I think the players are reasonable enough to understand what happened here. Management thought Losman was ready, so they started him. It turns out he wasn't, so they benched him. While he was benched, he got better in practice. That carried over to the game when the time came to put him back in there. Why would any player feel mutiny to be the proper response to this situation?

[Guest BackInDaDay]

But this wild speculation has no basis in reality and exists nowhere else outside yor imagination.

518088[/snapback]

 

I don't think Ralph Wilson's first priority is winning championships.

 

Operating under that premise it's imperitive to my argument to point out what I believe Ralph Wilson's first priority is. I think it's what it's always been, the fiscal health of the league. First comes the league, then his own franchise. It's been this way since the inception of the AFL, through the merger, and into present day. It's his keen sense of what's best for the league that conflicts, sometimes publicly, with the single-minded greed of some modern owners.

 

A pioneer and champion of revenue sharing, he has always been content to field the best team he could, within his own set of parameters. As both owner and president of the team, he could dictate all of the terms of his operation, from what mustard to put on the hotdogs, to the salaries of players and front office personnel. The NFL's adoption of his AFL business plan afforded him, and other small market owners, a comfortable financial foundation to rest his club on.

 

Again, the league and all of it's owners have profited greatly from the financial bases that revenue sharing has generated. There's no such thing as a guaranteed player's contract in the NFL, but there certainly is a guaranteed contract for owners. The more a franchise can offset their operating costs with gate receipts, the more TV and merchandise money they can stuff in their pockets.

 

It's not necessary for older ownership, who got into the business early for comparitively little financial investment, to field a team of champions to make money in this league. The elected officials of most local and state municipalities would rather work with an owner, rather than have the beloved team threaten to leave under their watch.

 

Back to my wild speculation...

 

Personally, I find it harder to believe that everyone in the Bills' hierarchy, from position coaches to the owner, have no clue in what they're doing. They, not us, are in the best position to comprehend the consequences of down-grades to on and off field talent.

 

We are asked to believe that Donahoe rather give young assistants shots at their first head coaching jobs because there are no experienced coaches available and the young guys are the best available choices. Perhaps it's because they are willing to work within the guidelines of an owner, president and GM whose commitment to winning is second to achieving certain fixed financial goals. The organization's needs may not always be the team's needs. The front office will try to make them one and the same, but in the event that they differ, know which takes priority.

 

So Wilson and Donahoe give their coaches the best team they're willing to field. Mularkey's mandate, as every other Bills' coach before him, was to get the most out of them that you can. The GM does all the necessary PR and the HC is asked to field a competitive team. Wilson knows the fans in Buffalo appreciate a good effort. Like all towns, they want a champion, but they'll settle for an honest day's work.

 

It didn't take long before it became clear that the pre-season's hype couldn't support the poor play on the field. Luckily, our AFC East rivals had their own troubles so our bad start didn't put us as much of a hole as we deserved to be in. Securing a home playoff game is the plum of the afore-mentioned 'fixed financial goals', and there was no reason to abandon it, yet.

 

A competitive replacement for our young, struggling QB was on the bench. There were no such upgrades for our O-line and defense. It was the only available personnel change that could effect the play. Mularkey was pressed to make the QB change and bring the play of the other units to a higher level. This is what Mularkey signed onto and Donahoe was calling it in. Surrender his plans to develope JP in favor of a distant play-off possibility. The team's needs were no longer the same as the organization's.

 

Mularkey's willingness to aquiesce to his GM and owner didn't go unnoticed. Any credibility he had as the man who called the shots for the team was damaged, if not lost. Men know a stand-up guy when we meet them. Mularkey gave me this impression when he signed on. Unfortunately, he seems to be lost. Desperate, mid-season attempts at motivating players only resulted in embarassing coaches and players alike. As the prospect of backing into a division crown grows bleaker, so does the mood at OBD. The finger-pointing has just begun, as this season begins to unravel.

 

Of course this is all conjecture mixed with enough factual events to make it almost believable, even plausible. Well to me, at least.

[Orton's Arm]

Of course this is all conjecture mixed with enough factual events to make it almost believable, even plausible.  Well to me, at least. 

518250[/snapback]

This time you've presented your case far more persuasively. I'm not saying you've got me convinced, however. If anything, the veterans on that team wanted Holcomb to keep playing. Thinking about the Moulds comments, he was in a win now mode. Other veterans were saying the same things, though maybe not as loudly as Moulds. I believe that after week 4, the players would have welcomed any pro-Holcomb interference by TD or Wilson.

[Guest BackInDaDay]

This time you've presented your case far more persuasively. I'm not saying you've got me convinced, however. If anything, the veterans on that team wanted Holcomb to keep playing. Thinking about the Moulds comments, he was in a win now mode. Other veterans were saying the same things, though maybe not as loudly as Moulds. I believe that after week 4, the players would have welcomed any pro-Holcomb interference by TD or Wilson.

518282[/snapback]

 

Different players will see things differently.

I've always respected Moulds' effort on the field, and I have no reason to believe his public statements concerning Losman were anything more than his venting of frustration.

 

Ultimately, players answer to the coach, who answers to the GM, who answers to the owner. My point is that Bills coaches have historically had their feet pulled out from under them. I'm not sure Williams ever saw it coming, but I'm beginning to think Mularkey is well aware of where his allegiances lie. Players have to have some confidence in their coach and his O/D philosiphies to execute on game day. How can you play this swap 'em in 'n out game and not expect to be seen as a shill for the suits?

 

I'm sorry, maybe it' is all my imagination, but I think there's something inherently wrong with the Bills management system and I've tried to explain why. I wish I could express it even more clearly but that's the best I can do.

 

Ask yourself, why are winning seasons the exceptions to the rule in Buffalo?

[jarthur31]

I think the players are reasonable enough to understand what happened here. Management thought Losman was ready, so they started him. It turns out he wasn't, so they benched him. While he was benched, he got better in practice. That carried over to the game when the time came to put him back in there. Why would any player feel mutiny to be the proper response to this situation?

518248[/snapback]

 

Exactly! The team's goal was to play and make the playoffs. When JP was playing (and horribly, I might add but he's just a rookie anyhow) we knew he couldn't help us win. The change was made to help our chances in our weak division. Now that the playoffs are not a reality, it's time for him to learn the offense and get some pro experience.

[Bill from NYC]

  Desperate, mid-season attempts at motivating players only resulted in embarassing coaches and players alike.  As the prospect of backing into a division crown grows bleaker, so does the mood at OBD.  The finger-pointing has just begun, as this season begins to unravel. 

 

 

518250[/snapback]

 

The above is where you lost me. Exactly WHO are you saying is unmotivated? Mike Williams? If this is in fact true, he was the same or worse when MM got here. Imo he was never as good as many on this board touted, plain and simple.

 

Or, could you mean Moulds and Adams? You have a point there, but why is MM to blame? Adams is an aging, long time headcase with declining skills. Moulds approaches average for a #1 receiver, and he too is long in the tooth. The guys are in all probability on their way out of Buffalo, and I fail to see any great loss. To borrow from Brian Wilson, they play like they are "uninspired, drenched and tired," and it is time for them to "sail on."

 

We can come up with theory after theory about the sad state of this team, but the real reasons for the decline are in fact clear.......

1) TD refused to bring in good blockers. He opted instead for injured or soon to be injured "skill players."

2) TD dumped his professional quarterback and went with a rookie and a stumblebum because he was embarrassed last year when the 3rd stringers on his old team beat up the Bills.

3) TD tried, but failed to bring in any good, young DTs.

4) Takeo, who was a likely Hall of Fame LB, was hurt.

 

Exactly where does MM merit blame for the above

[Mark VI]

Ultimately, players answer to the coach, who answers to the GM, who answers to the owner.  My point is that Bills coaches have historically had their feet pulled out from under them.  I'm not sure Williams ever saw it coming, but I'm beginning to think Mularkey is well aware of where his allegiances lie.  Players have to have some confidence in their coach and his O/D philosiphies to execute on game day.  How can you play this swap 'em in 'n out game and not expect to be seen as a shill for the suits?

 

I'm sorry, maybe it' is all my imagination, but I think there's something inherently wrong with the Bills management system and I've tried to explain why.  I wish I could express it even more clearly but that's the best I can do. 

 

Ask yourself, why are winning seasons the exceptions to the rule in Buffalo?

518285[/snapback]

 

You and I have had conversations about the relationships between Ralph, his Detroit people and the GM/Coaching hires.

 

To summarize, Ralph has always been a nice guy and has given us a football team to watch for the last 46 seasons. But he IS a businessman first and not the blind loyal Buffalo guy many make him out to be.

 

He did want this franchise in Miami, not Buffalo. He then threatened to move this team to Seattle during a stadium fight in the late 60's. The result was a football only stadium in Orchard Park, instead of an all sports stadium in Lancaster ( Cotrell project ) . That meant Major League Baseball gave a team to Montreal in 1969, instead of Buffalo as first planned.

 

Football players were lucky to make 12-18K a year during the 1960's, causing them to immediately seek 2nd jobs during the off-season. As the 1970's finacial boom hit, with the merger of the NFL-AFL and huge TV deals, Ralph was one of the last owners to open up his snapper purse and spend money. Multiple top players left becuase Ralph refused to give then raises, amounting to a few hundred dollars. I was royally pissed when he let WR Ahmad Rashad walk for his refusal to bump his small salary. He went to Minny and was an all-pro for years. I could list multiple player examples like that.

 

He finally spent some $$ after O.J. held out , prior to the 1976 season. About 16 months later, he was traded away. The result was a bonanza of draft picks and a smart coaching hire in Chuck Knox. Knox really turned this team around with sharp drafting and solid Vet aquisitions. After 2 strong playoff years in 1980-81, the Detroit people came in and started nixing raises. Knox was gone within a year.

 

About 4 years later, Bill Polian was hired and brought in Marv Levy. Wilson never had it so good. A daring, bold, bright GM with a keen eye for talent. Plus a Coach he got along with perfectly. It worked well for several years but once again, the Detroit bean counters showed up ( Jeff Littman and Co. ). Polian can't stand Littman and is gone. Butler kept the ship floating for a while but the salary cap age emerged and Butler clearly didn't adapt well to this. He left and the cap was a mess. Can we forget the Wade Phillips fiasco, with Ralph wanting money refunded ?

 

Enter TD with a half empty stadium, a bad cap situation and a bad team. He squares away the cap by basically eating the 2001 season. He makes a high profile aquisition in Drew Bledsoe and some other good FA's. Hopes rise...season tickets increase...stadium sellouts but the lack of talent in the trenches plus cheap inexperienced coaching hires keep this team in park. But...but..

 

Business is GOOD !

 

BackInDaDay has been around long enough to observe the history of this organization and feel the way that he does. He's a blind loyal fan but sees a pattern that many of us agree with. Multiple decisions by Ralph throughout the years have taken the business end of the team into consideration first over winning. Polians' hire may have been the case of a blind squirrel finding a nut but then the bean counters showed up and drove a good man away. Same happened with Knox in 1983.

 

You need to pay a balanced roster well if your serious about winning. Not just a few marque names who will sell tickets in the short run...

 

Then again..that's none of my Business...

[JDG]

As a couple posters pointed out in another thread, his stepping up and making a play in the Carolina game was something of a milestone for the kid.  Honestly, that comes from getting reps - not watching someone else.

 

Making a play? That must have been the Touchdown drive he lead the offense on in that game, right?

[Orton's Arm]

Multiple decisions by Ralph throughout the years have taken the business end of the team into consideration first over winning.  Polians' hire may have been the case of a blind squirrel finding a nut

An excellent post, though I'm not going to agree with your characterization of BackInDaDay as a "blind loyal fan." Loyal yes, but he seems to think too much to be blind.

[finknottle]

It amazes he how people keep looking at Ralphs position through their eyes. He's 150+ years old and the clock is ticking, and people act as if he cares - here and now - about making more money off the Bills. And what evidence do we see about his greedy nature? Business moves from almost FORTY YEARS AGO!

 

:

He did want this franchise in Miami, not Buffalo. He then threatened to move this team to Seattle during a stadium fight in the late 60's. The result was a football only stadium in Orchard Park, instead of an all sports stadium in Lancaster ( Cotrell project ) . That meant Major League Baseball gave a team to Montreal in 1969, instead of Buffalo as first planned.

 

Football players were lucky to make 12-18K a year during the 1960's, causing them to immediately seek 2nd jobs during the off-season. As the 1970's finacial boom hit, with the merger of the NFL-AFL and huge TV deals, Ralph was one of the last owners to open up his snapper purse and spend money. Multiple top players left becuase Ralph refused to give then raises, amounting to a few hundred dollars. I was royally pissed when he let WR Ahmad Rashad walk for his refusal to bump his small salary. He went to Minny and was an all-pro for years. I could list multiple player examples like that.

:

518308[/snapback]

 

So Wilson was a cheap bastard and a hard businessman back in the 60's and 70's. That's when he was an active businessman building his fortune. So what.

 

It's the 90's now - no, the 00's. He's on autopilot as a businessman, running things conservatively and making sure he's not being taken advantage of. When he does things like the Wade fiasco, it's because he's being petty and vindictive, not being cheap. If he were cheap he would have worked over Western New York a lot harder.

 

For all the people that talk about RW putting money before winning, it's puzzling that they neglect doing the simplest analysis of the gate revenue... In Buffalo, what's the gate difference between selling out every game and having absolutely zero attendence? Thanks to RW's NFL-low ticket prices (ave $37), it's about 13 million in profit per year (that's a very generous estimate). If he priced them as they are in in the middle of the NFL, like in Detroit ($57), it's about $27 million in his pocket. If he moved to LA and priced aggressively like New England ($75), it would be $39 million. Again, all very generous estimates, but using the same assumptions.

 

So the point is that in the Buffalo market, with prices RW chooses to set, a sell-out is not nearly the windfall it is elsewhere. Realistically, if he were choosing sell-outs over winning as posters suggest, it only means a few million dollars a year to him, which is chump change on the Bills ledger. They could easily make that up by playing hardball with the State or moving.

[Bill from NYC]

You and I have had conversations about the relationships between Ralph, his Detroit people and the GM/Coaching hires.

 

To summarize, Ralph has always been a nice guy and has given us a football team to watch for the last 46 seasons. But he IS a businessman first and not the blind loyal Buffalo guy many make him out to be.

 

He did want this franchise in Miami, not Buffalo. He then threatened to move this team to Seattle during a stadium fight in the late 60's. The result was a football only stadium in Orchard Park, instead of an all sports stadium in Lancaster ( Cotrell project ) . That meant Major League Baseball gave a team to Montreal in 1969, instead of Buffalo as first planned.

 

Football players were lucky to make 12-18K a year during the 1960's, causing them to immediately seek 2nd jobs during the off-season. As the 1970's finacial boom hit, with the merger of the NFL-AFL and huge TV deals, Ralph was one of the last owners to open up his snapper purse and spend money. Multiple top players left becuase Ralph refused to give then raises, amounting to a few hundred dollars. I was royally pissed when he let WR Ahmad Rashad walk for his refusal to bump his small salary. He went to Minny and was an all-pro for years. I could list multiple player examples like that.

 

He finally spent some $$ after O.J. held out , prior to the 1976 season. About 16 months later, he was traded away. The result was a bonanza of draft picks and a smart coaching hire in Chuck Knox. Knox really turned this team around with sharp drafting and solid Vet aquisitions. After 2 strong playoff years in 1980-81, the Detroit people came in and started nixing raises. Knox was gone within a year.

 

About 4 years later, Bill Polian was hired and brought in Marv Levy. Wilson never had it so good. A daring, bold, bright GM with a keen eye for talent. Plus a Coach he got along with perfectly. It worked well for several years but once again, the Detroit bean counters showed up ( Jeff Littman and Co. ). Polian can't stand Littman and is gone. Butler kept the ship floating for a while but the salary cap age emerged and Butler clearly didn't adapt well to this. He left and the cap was a mess. Can we forget the Wade Phillips fiasco, with Ralph wanting money refunded ?

 

Enter TD with a half empty stadium, a bad cap situation and a bad team. He squares away the cap by basically eating the 2001 season. He makes a high profile aquisition in Drew Bledsoe and some other good FA's. Hopes rise...season tickets increase...stadium sellouts but the lack of talent in the trenches plus cheap inexperienced coaching hires keep this team in park. But...but..

 

Business is GOOD !  

 

BackInDaDay has been around long enough to observe the history of this organization and feel the way that he does. He's a blind loyal fan but sees a pattern that many of us agree with. Multiple decisions by Ralph throughout the years have taken the business end of the team into consideration first over winning.  Polians' hire may have been the case of a blind squirrel finding a nut but then the bean counters showed up and drove a good man away. Same happened with Knox in 1983.

 

You need to pay a balanced roster well if your serious about winning. Not just a few marque names who will sell tickets in the short run...

 

Then again..that's none of my Business...

518308[/snapback]

 

Mark, this synopsis was eye opening; even stunning.

It strikes me that the TD era is strikingly similar to the Butler era.

 

I am thinking that the 2 most prominent players brought in (intentionally) by Mr. Butler were Ted Washington, and of course Bryce Paup. TW was an amazing DT who had to be accounted for at all times by opposing defenses. Bryce (imo) was a literally great player before the groin injury. He had 7 1/2 sacks for GB in the season before we picked him up as a situational player. I was able to watch him a few times, and was literally thrilled when we signed him. As I recall, he got 7.8 mil. for 3 years. Talk about a steal!

 

Sure, Flutie drew more fans, but he was signed as something of an afterthought. Remember, Flutie was already under contract when Mr. B gave up the 9th pick of a draft (and a 4th) for RJ. I don't for one second believe that Flutie was the "plan" for the Bills that year.

 

In a sickeningly similar way to TD, Mr. B struck out while trying to bolster the OL. He spent lots of money for Panos, who was an injured stumblebum. Draft selections such as Louchiey, Nails, and the stiff from Houston failed miserably. He paid untold millions for the likes of Fina and Ostroski, two of the worst players I have ever had the displeasure of watching.

 

TD also brought in a great LB (Spikes) and a good DT (Adams). To his credit, TD also signed Fletcher as a ufa, but Mr. B should be lauded for getting us Cowart at a time when the lb corps seemed to be sound. Seems pretty even, no?

 

My point is that while TD is clearly doing a better job with the cap, the results are the eerily similar, and for the same reason.....no blocking.

TD tried (imo) harder than Mr. B. Sadly, he struck out. Why? Because he spent the 4th pick of a draft on a fat, worthless, cap sucking bag of ****; a useless buffoon who has stripped this team of the ability to bring in players who CAN block! If that isn't enough, he will cost a ton of cap space to oust.

 

In any event, your post was great. It tells me that while TD has struck out in terms of building a winner, he hit a home run in terms of making money for a businessman. To add insult to injury, he has given us injured, or promptly crippled gimmick players in the early rounds of the draft.

I am pretty sure that your post was more of a history lesson/explanation than an attempt to sway anybody one way or another, but as a result, I am now hoping that TD is fired upon completion of this season. RW is old and perhaps senile, and I am wondering if he even knows who people (wasted picks) such as Parrish and Everret are? Sorry, TD must go.

 

Thanks again for a truly classic post, as is your common standard.

[KOKBILLS]

This whole thread has been great reading...

 

Plenty of food for thought here...But on the Mularkey QB decision I think the best point made in this thread was the one concerning the faultering AFC East...Would MM stick with the Plan (like he said they did in 2004...remember?) if The Patsies were the Patsies of the past few Years and the AFC East was well...what the AFC East has been? I think the panic button was pushed early on Losman, and in the end I too wonder how it translated in the Locker Room...

 

Great Posts though guys...