bostonbillsfan2008 Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Ok, I never usually post on the boards, but I have finally decided to write and express how bewildered I am about the lack of progress in what is admittedly a rebuilding process and ability for the organization at OBD to create a CULTURE of winning and field a competitive team that shows signs of progress. I used to coach Division I Collegiate Soccer up until a couple of years ago and was fortunate to coach a team that had very similar comparisons to the Bills. We were in essence, a small market team, meaning we did not have the full allotment of scholarships. We also had to be creative in how we used our resources to build the team. However, the result (after two years of rebuilding), our team was built into one of the top teams in the region and then the country and I remember going through that rebuilding process and even though it’s a different sport, parallels can be reached when it comes to building winners. During that building process, what we had was PROGRESS, meaning while we were losing, we (coaches, players, administrators) saw enough to know we were moving in the right direction. The coaches knew it and the players knew it. It gave us HOPE. It is very true of the adage that you “need to learn to win.” In order to learn to win, you need to create a culture and environment that is condusive to winning. First, you need to bring in players in key positions, who WANT to be part of rebuilding a winner and have personalities to do that. In our case, when we took over the program, there were weaknesses all over the field. We felt the #1 priority for us was defensive…give up less goals, stay competitive until we had enough resources to address the offense. We felt if we did that the players would at least take away positives that we were moving in the right direction. It was a small sign, but a KEY sign in rebuilding. Create hope and show your players you have a plan so they begin to believe. Many won't be there when it reaches fruition but it sends a message to the players you want to keep. So, we got a goalkeeper and very solid defenders. Each game, while we lost many, there was an improvement. Some games were better than others and in each one of them, something different did us in, but over the course of a season, we saw improvement in the team’s performance and trends about which players to keep and what needed correcting. We were able to steal a game or two but we still had a losing record. But the program had a plan, and we were able to use that as leverage to get players who wanted to build a program. DURING THIS SEASON, WE EVALUATED WHICH PLAYERS CURRENTLY ON THE TEAM WERE HELPFUL TO WINNING AND WHICH ONES WERE HURTFUL AND WE GOT RID OF THE HURTFUL PLAYERS. The next year in the recruiting process, we were able to secure some “playmakers”—midfielders and a very, very good center forward. PROGRESS was made and we lost games that we should not have won and we won games we should not have lost. This was the very important second step—not SELF DESTUCTING at critical moments. WE ALSO HAD THE CORE GROUP OF PLAYERS WHO WERE CONDUSIVE TO NOT MAKING MISTAKES AT CRITICAL MOMENTS..THIS IS THE SECOND STEP IN CREATING A CULTURE OF WINNING. The players on this team also knew that they were the architects of the rebuilding but may not be around to see its results and also they were willing to accept that they may not be around for the final phase, at least they were on a team that played hard and won more than they lost. The following season we had another good recruiting year, and rounded out the team and we got to the conference semi-finals and lost in double overtime. The following year we lost in overtime in the finals. The year after that we won it and went to the NCAA tournament. Each year built on the previous. We had new players come in and old players go, but it was all part of a natural evolution and the players that came in knew the culture they were coming too. How does this apply to the Bills? It’s obvious that they are a team in transition and what the staff at OBD needs to do is have a plan and build around that plan. This year should be about assessing which players iand staff in the organization are condusive to winning and which ones are the problem. It is true that some players are what you call LOSERS in the sense that they do not have the “personality” to make others around them winners. When the chips are down, they make key mistakes, which then spreads to younger players and they make it worse. The key is to find out who these people are and get rid of them. I hope Mr. Wilson, Mr. Levy and Mr. Jauron know what they are doing. We know Mr. Levy is a winner so I’m assuming he is creating an overall organizational environment that will be condusive to winning..getting everyone on the same page, building trust, hiring capable people to manage the day-to-day, etc.. In regards to coaching, you need to have coaches who know how to win and can create a winning environment. I hope Mr. Jauron has that ability. It may be too soon to tell, but his past track record makes me wonder. It will be interesting to see how he performs with a GM who actually supports him and doesn’t try to backstab him like the guy in Chicago did. However, he might be a good teacher, and he might be intelligent but that doesn’t mean he knows HOW to win, or put people in the right place to win. I also find it interesting if he’s so good, why didn’t Matt Millen hire him in Detroit? It’s too early to pass judgment and he might be the answer but my problem with the team (AND ALL BILLS FANS) is after 7 games is we are not seeing PROGRESSION towards competitive football. Building a winner is about putting the framework in place to win. Mr. Levy knows what it takes to win, so hopefully he has started to purge the organization of a losing culture from the previous regime. They key to purging a losing culture and creating a winning culture is to build hope, one small step at a time and show progress. (The Bengals have proven this can occur..with the right people and the right leadership, progress can be made.) This is what should define the 2006 Buffalo Bills. Right now, after 7 games, there is a lot of work to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in Chicago Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 They key to purging a losing culture and creating a winning culture is to build hope, one small step at a time and show progress. (The Bengals have proven this can occur..with the right people and the right leadership, progress can be made.) This is what should define the 2006 Buffalo Bills. Right now, after 7 games, there is a lot of work to do. 813952[/snapback] Excellent ! I wish you would post more over here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDG Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Excellent ! I wish you would post more over here.... 813963[/snapback] I agree. Excellent post. JDG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluv Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Must be kin to Pyrite Gal though! But agreed excellent post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Good post. Not that long, really..some folks go on for pages and pages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed83HOF Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 10000000000000% correct.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Ok, I never usually post on the boards, but I have finally decided to write and express how bewildered I am about the lack of progress in what is admittedly a rebuilding process and ability for the organization at OBD to create a CULTURE of winning and field a competitive team that shows signs of progress. ....... So based on your post do you, as a coach...feel that this is happening in Buffalo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostonbillsfan2008 Posted October 23, 2006 Author Share Posted October 23, 2006 Ok, I never usually post on the boards, but I have finally decided to write and express how bewildered I am about the lack of progress in what is admittedly a rebuilding process and ability for the organization at OBD to create a CULTURE of winning and field a competitive team that shows signs of progress. ....... So based on your post do you, as a coach...feel that this is happening in Buffalo? 814047[/snapback] I don't have insight into the organization day to day, but I'm worred because I haven't seen progress. Progress is KEY to getting people to buy into the plan. The longer progress isn't made, the players and staff on all parts of the business, (and fans) will start to lose hope and that's when it gets into a very bad place to get out of. The next MONTH will define this organization. They need to start making progress. If they start now, by the end of the season, they can prove to everyone that they know what they are doing and have a plan. They don't have to win, they have to make progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROSCOE P. COE TRAIN Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Long post. But the main thing you miss on is the fact this team has no real talent. At each position, they are overated. They have NO PRO BOWLERS. Even crap taems ahve pro bowlers. They rise to the top. Chicago was boring 3 years ago. They still had talent at various positions, namely the OL (Center) and LB (Url and Colvin) and SS (Brown). They then added layer after layer of talent and signed the BEST FREE AGENT Tackle Tait and Guards Brown and another other Tackle Miller. Their OL is the best in pro ball. Bills sign LBs, and has been safetys (VIncent) and crap TEs and draft horribly. So it starts with talent and good decision making. TD ruined this club for 4-5 years with his drafts. THey need an OL to win. THis controls the clock, give a running game, helps special teams and the defense to stay fresh. THe defense is young and will firm up. BUt they are on the field to much. Losman will blossom with a OL and a TE who can play catch and block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 DURING THIS SEASON, WE EVALUATED WHICH PLAYERS CURRENTLY ON THE TEAM WERE HELPFUL TO WINNING AND WHICH ONES WERE HURTFUL AND WE GOT RID OF THE HURTFUL PLAYERS.813952[/snapback] Well, that describes about 45 of the 53 players on the current roster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatPatPatSack Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Well, that describes about 45 of the 53 players on the current roster. 814169[/snapback] So in summary, what everyone has said so far, our collective football/sports genius is - "get better players!" Life really is a lot simpler than it looks. The only really complicating factor is that the other 31 teams have figured this out too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostonbillsfan2008 Posted October 23, 2006 Author Share Posted October 23, 2006 My point is not get better players..that's obvious and a given. My point is create the culture of a winning organization. The Buffalo Bills have forgotten how a winning organization is created and built. They are starting over. How many people in the front office know what it takes to win? How many people on the coaching staff? Which players? Define a plan, make progress, generate hope, refine the plan, make more progress....building a football team is like building a business... After 7 weeks, it seems it's time to make some refinements to plan to generate progress..we'll see... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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