scribo Posted January 24, 2006 Posted January 24, 2006 Please bear with me while I equate Marv’s situation to a poker game. Marv didn’t have to put much into the ante to get back into the game – all he had to throw in was a little humility. Sure, there would be cracks about his age, sagging eyes and hair color. But if he just played the game safely, he be seen (at worst) as a passionate football man stepping up when his old team was in dire need. Marv was living comfortably. He is in the Hall of Fame, and he already built a lasting, positive legacy. All he had to do was play it safe. He could go with the most qualified coaching candidates, provide some football common sense, and hope it turns out well. In the end, he would either be credited with turning the team around, or he would be ushered back into retirement with a hearty, “Thanks for the effort, Coach.” But Marv has selected an entirely different tactic. Without warning, he pushed all his chips into the middle of the table. Going with a very risky coach hiring, Marv has put his legacy on the line. If he loses (and if the Bills lose, Marv loses), he will be thrown back into retirement with the football world wondering if he ever really had a clue about the game. Marv must know the risks. He has to understand that he just put a lot more on the table than anyone expected of him. The problem for Marv is that the only way he can make a profit on his bet is with a Super Bowl win. If he gets to Bills back to the playoffs a couple times, I think it will be a push – he keeps his legacy, but really doesn’t substantially improve it. Instead, he wastes some of his golden years locked away in an office at One Bills Drive. Maybe a push is enough for him – maybe the real reward is just to be back at the table. But it is one huge risk just to come away breaking even. It is for these reasons I am going to drop the anti-Jauron mantra. I’m going to give Marv the benefit of the doubt. It is unfathomable to me to think a man as smart as Marv would make such a bet unless he had tremendous confidence in his own decision-making abilities. Here is to hoping Marv hits the jackpot!
realtruelove Posted January 24, 2006 Posted January 24, 2006 Marv has always been a grinder, not a rounder.
kasper13 Posted January 24, 2006 Posted January 24, 2006 Marv is in the Hall of Fame and he is old. His legacy is intact no matter what happens to him as a GM
John in VA Beach Posted January 24, 2006 Posted January 24, 2006 I agree that Marv has taken this thing by the horns, but I don't think anything less than a super bowl is a failure. Marv needs to make this team competitive first, and frankly he has a long road ahead of him. Like the above poster mentioned, Marv's legacy is alread writ as a coach. I think, it will be easy for historians to separate Marv the coach from Marv the GM. You've got to believe he won't hold the GM position for too long.
JDG Posted January 24, 2006 Posted January 24, 2006 Marv is in the Hall of Fame and he is old. His legacy is intact no matter what happens to him as a GM 581550[/snapback] Exactly. Marv's in the Hall of Fame, and the HOF is forever. So he isn't exactly in an "all in" situation like George Seifert, who went from near surefire HOF to basically "no shot" by taking the Carolina job. JDG
scribo Posted January 24, 2006 Author Posted January 24, 2006 Marv is in the Hall of Fame and he is old. His legacy is intact no matter what happens to him as a GM 581550[/snapback] I disagree. If his tenure as GM ends without the Bills making the playoffs, he will have a negative exit, and I think many in the football world (outside of Buffalo) will further question whether Marv was just in the right place at the right time to make the Super Bowl four times. Was he a product of a great GM, a hall of fame QB, RB, DE, WR, C, LB, STer, etc.? I presonally believe he was a big part of of the glory years, and I think the average football guru agrees, but a failure in this case will change a lot of minds.
scribo Posted January 24, 2006 Author Posted January 24, 2006 I agree that Marv has taken this thing by the horns, but I don't think anything less than a super bowl is a failure. 581565[/snapback] I didn't say anything less than a Super Bowl win was a failure. I said anything less than a Super Bowl win was a push at best. Marv won't add to his legacy unless he wins it all. He's been there four times. A few more trips into the playoffs won't matter in the long run.
mattypro89 Posted January 24, 2006 Posted January 24, 2006 There are definetly gonna be some people saying the game has passed him by if they dont start to win real fast. But i dont think anyone can question what he has done in the past. Its takes talent to get anywhere so saying that he was just in the right place at the right time is like saying the Bill Belechek (sarroy cant spell) is just in the right place at the right time. hes got a few future hall of famers on his team too, but they need a great coach to get them to where they have been over the past five years. No matter what, Marv was a great coach and i sincerly hope the game has no gotten away from him. LETS GO MARV AND LETS GO BILLS!
apuszczalowski Posted January 24, 2006 Posted January 24, 2006 I disagree. If his tenure as GM ends without the Bills making the playoffs, he will have a negative exit, and I think many in the football world (outside of Buffalo) will further question whether Marv was just in the right place at the right time to make the Super Bowl four times. Was he a product of a great GM, a hall of fame QB, RB, DE, WR, C, LB, STer, etc.? 581583[/snapback] How can anyone think that because he wasn't a successful GM he was a product of a great GM and Hall of Fame players? Does anyone think that maybe those players are HOFers cause of Marv as a Coach? And the great GM can't even make it to the big game anymore with a team that almost went undefeated in the reular season (How many SB's has Polian been to since the Bills SB's?)
scribo Posted January 24, 2006 Author Posted January 24, 2006 How can anyone think that because he wasn't a successful GM he was a product of a great GM and Hall of Fame players? Does anyone think that maybe those players are HOFers cause of Marv as a Coach? And the great GM can't even make it to the big game anymore with a team that almost went undefeated in the reular season (How many SB's has Polian been to since the Bills SB's?) 581624[/snapback] You are preaching to the choir. I agree that he was a great head coach. But the bottomline is that his reputation is on the line nationally now that he has gone out on a limb with his new head coach.
apuszczalowski Posted January 24, 2006 Posted January 24, 2006 But that still doesn't mean his coaching reputation will be tarnished, What he DOES as a GM will have nothing to do with what DID as a coach Will Gretzky's Career be any less spectacular if he fails as a head coach?
scribo Posted January 24, 2006 Author Posted January 24, 2006 But that still doesn't mean his coaching reputation will be tarnished, What he DOES as a GM will have nothing to do with what DID as a coach Will Gretzky's Career be any less spectacular if he fails as a head coach? 581737[/snapback] I agree to an extent. He went into the Hall as a coach. But by taking the GM job, he is proclaiming he is more than that -- the reputation he is working on now is broader -- the reputation on the table now is whether or not he is a great football mind. As for the Great One... sorry, but being a coach and being a GM are a whole lot more similar than being a player and being a coach. Wayne is not a qualified comparison.
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