Pyrite Gal Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 1) Do people realize/remember that Levy's first choice was actually Mularkey? 2) That snippet from the article is encouraging - but it's also the opposite of everything I've heard about Jauron - I've heard lots about his POOR clock-management. So, we'll see... 729177[/snapback] I'm glad you pointed item 1 out. MM deserved and needed to go as Bills HC, because we needed to completely cut ties with a dysfunctional situation created by Ralph by hiring TD. However, MM shows signs if being a real stand-up guy in many reagards, not the least of them being he walked away from a multi-million dollar remainder of his contract to the Bills by resigning. He is far from perfect and it is not yet proven he is even a consistent winning HC, but I think if he were truly the meathead some try to conveniently label him as being he: 1. simply would have punched the clock here and collected about a milion bucks a year as HC. 2. would not have shown the commitment to a goal and determination he showed by walking a way from a real job to become an assistant coach intern (unpaid initially I think) and worked himself into the lucrative NFL coaching treadmill. 3. would not have stuck with his plans after a lousy start last year which evetually paid off with a huge winning streak and a winning season which just fell short of a playoff berth. I think the dismissal of him as a meathead ignores the fact he was quite successful as an NFL coach as a co-ordinator and then overseeing the O scheme development for the Bills in '04 under TC. They really did a tremendous job reviving the effectiveness of none other than whipping boy Bledsoe after he performed horribly running the intransigent Kevin Killdrive O in 03. I'm glad we have gone to Jauron instead of slogging through another year with MM, but I do not think that trying to summarize his work as being that of a meathead is really all that accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Mularkey definitely had his problems in year #2, but I think most felt pretty good about him, after his rookie year...there was lots going on behind the scenes that not everyone knows. Mularkey, as Pyrite Gal points out, was a stand-up guy, and was well liked by most of the players, and the Bills front office. The Losman over Bledsoe decision (not MM's decision) by TD, cost the team, and Mularkey lost credibility with some of the players, because it became clear that TD was calling the shots. Remember when Bledsoe got released, he seemed genuinely shocked, because Mularkey had talked to him about what they were going to do "next year", leaving Bledsoe under the impression that he was going to be a Buffalo Bill in 2005. Then, along comes the about face, and Bledsoe is released. There was infighting among TD and the coaching staff. Mularkey took playcalling duties away from Clements, not because he had lost faith in him, but because TD was meddling with Clements playcalling up in the booth. MM took the responsibility, because he was growing tired of TD and Clements battling things out, during game, and felt (likely correctly) it was affecting the teams performance. There was already enough confusion with an untested QB at the helm. TD was asked to stay out of the coaches booth, but could/would not. He was the ultimate micro-manager. Sure, MM's resignation comes off a little weasley, but I think, with a less insane management team, he will do pretty good if he ever gets another opportunity. As bad as Mularkey's clock management might have been, Gregg Williams gets my vote for worst clock manager of the last 25 years....I feel anoter poll coming on.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Tuesday Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Mularkey definitely had his problems in year #2, but I think most felt pretty good about him, after his rookie year...there was lots going on behind the scenes that not everyone knows. Mularkey, as Pyrite Gal points out, was a stand-up guy, and was well liked by most of the players, and the Bills front office. The Losman over Bledsoe decision (not MM's decision) by TD, cost the team, and Mularkey lost credibility with some of the players, because it became clear that TD was calling the shots. Remember when Bledsoe got released, he seemed genuinely shocked, because Mularkey had talked to him about what they were going to do "next year", leaving Bledsoe under the impression that he was going to be a Buffalo Bill in 2005. Then, along comes the about face, and Bledsoe is released. There was infighting among TD and the coaching staff. Mularkey took playcalling duties away from Clements, not because he had lost faith in him, but because TD was meddling with Clements playcalling up in the booth. MM took the responsibility, because he was growing tired of TD and Clements battling things out, during game, and felt (likely correctly) it was affecting the teams performance. There was already enough confusion with an untested QB at the helm. TD was asked to stay out of the coaches booth, but could/would not. He was the ultimate micro-manager. Sure, MM's resignation comes off a little weasley, but I think, with a less insane management team, he will do pretty good if he ever gets another opportunity. As bad as Mularkey's clock management might have been, Gregg Williams gets my vote for worst clock manager of the last 25 years....I feel anoter poll coming on.... 729348[/snapback] Interesting. There it is, embedded in the middle of a seemingly unrelated thread on TSW - the answer to many of my questions about what went down last year. Sounds like you have a source or two - I'm not gonna pry, but please, if you wouldn't mind, divulge as much info as you have about this, because this is the most specific account I've heard (although it matches what I've suspected). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCinBuffalo Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Mularkey definitely had his problems in year #2, but I think most felt pretty good about him, after his rookie year...there was lots going on behind the scenes that not everyone knows. Mularkey, as Pyrite Gal points out, was a stand-up guy, and was well liked by most of the players, and the Bills front office. The Losman over Bledsoe decision (not MM's decision) by TD, cost the team, and Mularkey lost credibility with some of the players, because it became clear that TD was calling the shots. Remember when Bledsoe got released, he seemed genuinely shocked, because Mularkey had talked to him about what they were going to do "next year", leaving Bledsoe under the impression that he was going to be a Buffalo Bill in 2005. Then, along comes the about face, and Bledsoe is released. There was infighting among TD and the coaching staff. Mularkey took playcalling duties away from Clements, not because he had lost faith in him, but because TD was meddling with Clements playcalling up in the booth. MM took the responsibility, because he was growing tired of TD and Clements battling things out, during game, and felt (likely correctly) it was affecting the teams performance. There was already enough confusion with an untested QB at the helm. TD was asked to stay out of the coaches booth, but could/would not. He was the ultimate micro-manager. Sure, MM's resignation comes off a little weasley, but I think, with a less insane management team, he will do pretty good if he ever gets another opportunity. As bad as Mularkey's clock management might have been, Gregg Williams gets my vote for worst clock manager of the last 25 years....I feel anoter poll coming on.... 729348[/snapback] I'm kinda new here so I don't know about everyone's cred. For the record, I am not saying that what you are saying is untrue. However, can you explain how you know that TD was in the booth attempting to call plays? That this is the reason Clements was removed from playcalling? These seem like mightily handy excuses to cover Bulsh!t(Mularkey)'s ass. As far as Bledsoe being shocked - he should have been shocked about losing to Pittsburgh's backups/throwing a horrible interception to kill our playoffs hopes. No way he should be shocked about getting released because of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Interesting. There it is, embedded in the middle of a seemingly unrelated thread on TSW - the answer to many of my questions about what went down last year. Sounds like you have a source or two - I'm not gonna pry, but please, if you wouldn't mind, divulge as much info as you have about this, because this is the most specific account I've heard (although it matches what I've suspected). 729512[/snapback] I won't divulge names, but a sibling of a very good friend of mine, works for the Bills, and has for many years...not one of the high profile people you would have heard of...this person is pretty good about keeping their mouth shut about team business, but a lot came out, after TD was canned...lets' just say, Mularkey leaving was met with a lot more tears than TD getting axed...Mularkey was very well liked by most. I remember the day Marv was hired as GM, I got an email saying that everyone was thrilled with the idea of Levy and Mularkey working together. They were going to restore "class" to the organization.... In the end, I think (and this is just my opionion) Mularkey left, because in part he was loyal to TD (he hired him), but more because he was feeling like everyone was viewing him as being TD's ex-puppet, and then Levys. Marvs legacy is pretty big in WNY and in the Bills organization, especially for a young coach who was coming off such a rocky season. The "committee" thing just looked like a way of stripping him of any power he had left... BTW, I never meant to insinuate that TD was calling plays. He was, however, influencing some of the personel moves...who was, and was not on the field. From what I have heard, finances were always a consideration. I don't know this specifically, but I would not be surprised if the blow ups that Mularkey had with Sam Adams and Eric Moulds, were not, in part, due to pressure TD was putting on Mularkey to "make them expendable"... Incidently, if it matters, Dick Jauron has been getting rave reviews from the staff as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I'm kinda new here so I don't know about everyone's cred. For the record, I am not saying that what you are saying is untrue. However, can you explain how you know that TD was in the booth attempting to call plays? That this is the reason Clements was removed from playcalling? These seem like mightily handy excuses to cover Bulsh!t(Mularkey)'s ass. 729565[/snapback] I don't care if you believe me...it was one of the issues that ultimately, ended up making Mr Wilson take a closer look at what was going on, day to day, with the team. "As far as Bledsoe being shocked - he should have been shocked about losing to Pittsburgh's backups/throwing a horrible interception to kill our playoffs hopes. No way he should be shocked about getting released because of it " Right or wrong, deserving or not, after that Pittsburgh loss, everyone in the Bills locker room (except TD most likely) assumed that Bledsoe would be back...Mularkey very emphatically assured Bledsoe he would be back...in the end though, the head coach didn't have the authority to make such promises. It was the first chink in Mularkeys' armour of credibility with his players. He is promising his players one thing, but the bean counter upstairs (TD in this case) is the only one with the ultimate authority. Of course, once the move was made, Mularkey had no choice but to "buy into" it, and put a positive spin on it...it made his word worthless to many of the vetrans...it just put so much pressure on Mularkey, and Losman...anything less than a stellar start, and the team seem destined to implode. It was the begining of the end for Mularkey in Buffalo...he did a terrific job his first season...I think he just couldn't handle all of the off the field issues as well as he needed to. You have to remember, most NFL coaches (even the trick play loving Mularkey) are pretty conservactive, and like routine. TD always had an eye on next years' salary cap, and sometimes made, or forced some issues prematurely, regardig personel, when the coach wasn't necessarily ready to make that move...I think the Bledsoe to Losman move was an example of this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 In the end, I think (and this is just my opionion) Mularkey left, because in part he was loyal to TD (he hired him), but more because he was feeling like everyone was viewing him as being TD's ex-puppet, and then Levys. Marvs legacy is pretty big in WNY and in the Bills organization, especially for a young coach who was coming off such a rocky season. The "committee" thing just looked like a way of stripping him of any power he had left... I think that makes sense, but I also think he realized that he was a lame duck coach and wouldn't get any decent assistant coaches, which would sink him and make him look even worse if say, he got fired mid-season. However I still cannot forgive him for the lousy play-calling after he took-over for Clements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCinBuffalo Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Incidently, if it matters, Dick Jauron has been getting rave reviews from the staff as well... 729588[/snapback] Ok. Like I said, I am not doubting you. I just wanted to know where all this inside scoop stuff was coming from. DJ reviews matter huge to me - and most of the fans here! While you are at it, can you give us any indication of Levy's reviews? How about what the management/coaches acutally think about the draft. I know, this is probably pushing it, but hey, can you blame me for asking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Ok. Like I said, I am not doubting you. I just wanted to know where all this inside scoop stuff was coming from. DJ reviews matter huge to me - and most of the fans here! While you are at it, can you give us any indication of Levy's reviews? How about what the management/coaches acutally think about the draft. I know, this is probably pushing it, but hey, can you blame me for asking? 729746[/snapback] Like I said, my "source" doesn't leak a lot of juicy info, and when they do, it is usually after the fact. The only "scoop" I ever really got from them, was mid-December of last year, that everyone seemed pretty sure that Marv Levy was going to be part of the Bills staff, in some form or another...little things here and there about Travis Henry's financials woes, etc etc... I can tell you, everyone (at least in the Bills front office) was very excited to have Marv back with the franchise. This person is purely administrative, and does not get that close to all of the actual football stuff...but as you can imagine, they hear gossip. Because of the way this offseason has gone, there has not, from what I understand, been a ton of interaction with the new coaches, and the new staff...other than Jauron, and some guys, like McNally who have been there a few years.... One anecdote I will share, illustrating how bad things were for many at One Bills Drive: When McNally was hired by the Bills, he was so happy to be back in WNY, and spent lots of time at the stadium, before his first season actually began....he endeared himself to most of the folks in the front office...one off night, when there was very little going on, he invited the front office staff out for dinner and pops, on him...when TD found out, the next day, he was livid. While there was no policy in place regarding coach/front office interaction, TD "suggested", in the future, any plans for such functions should be run by him first...the impression that the folks in the front office got, was that TD was concerned that they would start gossiping with the new coach, about how hard he (TD) was to work for. Apparently, TD treated underlings, very much like underlings, and didn't have a lot of respect or consideration for his employees, many who had been there far longer than he had. I know that is all sort of "girly" stuff, but Mr Wilson, apparently, started to grow sort of alarmed by what he sensed was a low morale at the stadium, after things had been mostly positive for the past decade. He had concerns in 2004, but put them on the back-burner, because it looked like the team was going to finally turn the corner...losing changes everything, just like winning! In TD's defense, nobody questioned his dedication to his job. Somebody should have just slipped him a copy of Dale Carnige's "How To Win Friends, And Influence People"...he was very shocked that he was fired, even though most could see it coming for a month or so. He apparently made last ditch attempts to improve his relationship with some there, when he felt the walls caving in on him...a bunch of hollow gestures... Me, I am not sure about Marv, and I like a lot of what TD did, but the change could be very good, at least in the short term. If the front office people were miserable, there is a good chance that all of that negative energy was affecting the whole organization...oh yeah, and how about Jauron's clock management!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCinBuffalo Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Me, I am not sure about Marv, and I like a lot of what TD did, but the change could be very good, at least in the short term. If the front office people were miserable, there is a good chance that all of that negative energy was affecting the whole organization... 729749[/snapback] Up early/late too huh? I didn't expect a reply this late. Thanks for all this though... A lot of what you are saying makes sense when you think about last year. We all observed strangeness, to say the least, last year from the coaches and management as regards what they were saying to the press. What you're saying seems to match up as to why those responses were so strange. It seemed like everyone was on their own little island. While they each wanted to take slight pot shots at each other, they didn't want to nail someone to hard for fear that this might actually unify the rest of team/coaches/mgt.(read: the other islanders) against them. Your inside info seems to back that up. I thought TD was a assclown based on his responses to press/fans last year. Crying about a coach doing something nice for the front office staff confirms- he was a clown. Have you asked your friend if s/he thought that another reason that TD was crying was that he wasn't invited to that dinner? What a shit_y manager. I don't tolerate that nonsense from anybody, especially myself , in my organization. Everyone should be at least respected until they give you a reason. If he was that insecure about his job he should have simply resigned = the honorable thing to do. Yelling at a bunch of executive assistants, etc. about not attending a "team building" dinner = this guy was weaker than we all, or at least I, thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Me, I am not sure about Marv, and I like a lot of what TD did, but the change could be very good, at least in the short term. If the front office people were miserable, there is a good chance that all of that negative energy was affecting the whole organization...oh yeah, and how about Jauron's clock management!! I say, how much worse could Marv be? I was on-board with TD, but after 5 years and no playoffs, his time was up. At least with Marv, it's a link to the winning past, which counts for something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Tuesday Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Apparently, TD treated underlings, very much like underlings, and didn't have a lot of respect or consideration for his employees, many who had been there far longer than he had. 729749[/snapback] This is exactly what I've suspected, thanks - and it's why I think that Levy's hiring may be positive for the organization - subtracting a micro-managing !@#$ and adding a character guy with a winning reputation could be just the kind of shot in the arm the organization needs. Whether they have the talent or the $$ to compete on the field is a different story, unfortunately... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Whether they have the talent or the $$ to compete on the field is a different story, unfortunately... Patience, grasshoppper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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