Last Tuesday, the Buffalo Bills shocked many when they announced Chan Gailey as their new head coach, replacing interim head coach Perry Fewell who left to be the Defensive Coordinator for the New York Giants.
But who is Chan Gailey? Gailey's spent the better half of the last decade as the head coach for Georgia Tech, a Division 1 college football team. Under Gailey, the Yellow Jackets never missed a bowl game and won two: the Humanitarian Bowl in 2003 and the Champs Sports Bowl in 2004.
Gailey isn't a man who's inexperienced in the NFL however, from 1996-1997 Gailey was the Offensive Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Gailey running the offense, the Steelers ranked second in rushing offense in 1996 and first in rushing offense in 1997. The Steelers also won their division both years and had appeared in a super bowl.
Going into the hunt for a new head coach the Bills were targeting somebody with some offensive experience as they haven't had an offense thats ranked top 15 in the NFL since 2002.
Gailey also isn't a man without head coaching experience at the NFL level, in 1998 and 1999 he coached the Dallas Cowboys. Under Gailey the Cowboys won their division in '98 and came second in their division the next year. Both years however, the Cowboys lost in the first round of the playoffs.
Looking back at the offensive statistics as that's where the Bills are desperate for improvement, Gailey's first year with the Cowboys had them finish 8th in total offense with the 8th ranked rushing offense. 1999 was a bit of a down year for Dallas overall as they dropped off all the way to the 16th spot in total offense but actually improved their already successful running game to 6th in the league.
With talented running backs Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch, Bills fans should be excited about the success Gailey has had in the past running the ball.
Despite playoff appearances, Gailey was fired after only two seasons with Dallas as the impatient owner Jerry Jones didn't feel Gailey could get the Cowboys past the first round. Jones later went on to say that he was probably wrong in firing Gailey as quickly as he did.
Chan certainly has his work cut out for him if he wants to succeed in Buffalo. With question marks at quarterback, the most important position of them all, and a weaker quarterback class than recent years don't expect the Bills to be much of a threat in the air.
The offensive line isn't much better. Demetrius Bell's potential is still something to look forward to but who knows how he will recover from his injured knee. Plus, it's never good to enter a season not sure if your left tackle, the cornerstone of the offensive line, is healthy or not.
And those are just the offensive issues. Buffalo ranked dead last in stopping the run last season. This draft class does feature one of the most promising Defensive Tackle prospects in recent history in Ndamukong Suh but he is expected to be off the board far before Buffalo selects.
That means the Bills have gaping holes at three positions, Quarterback, Left Tackle, and Defensive Tackle. Maybe they should steal a page out of the division rival New England Patriot's playbook and trade down multiple times in the draft as it's known that it's a crapshoot and usually quantity of picks beats quality.
While it would be nice to have immediate success, General Manager Buddy Nix and Ralph Wilson should be realistic. Gailey can be a successful coach in the NFL but he isn't exactly inheriting a team close to really competing. Even if fans are screaming for Gailey's head after 2 seasons they should give him time. The last thing this franchise needs is more instability and firing Gailey would create just that.
While Bill Cowher certainly would be nice, the Bills are going to have to accept that Chan Gailey is the man running the show and the fans should be behind him 100%. Hopefully with his traditional football methods, the Bills will be back and playing in January before too long.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Head Coaching Hunt
Following the firing of head coach Dick Jauron, Bill's defensive coordinator Perry Fewell stepped in as the team's interim head coach. With him now heading to run the defense for the New York Giants, the Bills have a vacancy at the Head Coaching position. Here are some of the top candidates to fill in for this position, in order of likelihood (from least to most likely):
Brian Schottenheimer: The son of Marty, who formerly coached the Browns, Chiefs, Redskins, and Chargers with a lifetime record of 200-126-1, Brian Schottenheimer is the current offensive coordinator of New York Jets. Because of his father's success and the pedigree his name comes with (along with having a great mind for football in his own right), people throughout the league feel that it's simply a matter of time before Brian Schottenheimer is given a shot to be a head coach.
Prior to becoming the Offensive Coordinator for the Jets, Brian worked under his father as the Quarterbacks Coach for the San Diego Chargers and had a lot to do with the success Charger's quarterback Philip Rivers is having in his 6th year at the professional level.
While Schottenheimer could one day end up becoming an amazing coach, his career won't be launching in Buffalo as last Thursday in an interview he stated, "It’s not about the Buffalo Bills, it’s about the New York Jets and how I feel about this organization. The biggest thing for me is the fact I’m happy. I haven’t always been happy.” Likelihood? Not going to happen.
Bill Cowher: In 1992, Bill Cowher was named head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The previous year they had finished 7-9. In his very first season as a head coach, Cowher improved the Steelers to an impressive 11-5 season and a playoff appearance.
Cowher remained in Pittsburgh until the conclusion of the 2006 season. Under his run, the Pittsburgh Steelers had only three losing seasons, Ten playoff appearances, and one Vince Lombardi trophy.
For the Buffalo Bills, who haven't made the playoffs in a decade, Cowher would make an immediate impact and get the franchise back on the right track.
The problem however isn't a lack of interest on the Front Office's part, Cowher seems content with his current position as a sports analyst with CBS and has announced that if he does in fact return to being a head coach for next season it would be to a team with a capable quarterback. Criteria that Buffalo doesn't seem to have at this time.
Overall, Cowher should be on the top of every Bills' fan's wish list heading into the off season but don't hold your breath. Likelihood? Don't hold your breath. There have been conflicting reports on whether or not he is interested in coaching the 2010-2011 season and right now it's simply a giant question mark.
Mike Martz: Mike Martz is an interesting idea as a possible head coaching candidate for next season. The high point in his coaching career was from 2000-2003 when Martz was the man behind the "Greatest Show on Turf." The nickname for the explosive offense that contained future Hall-of-Famers Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Marshall Faulk.
Martz never again saw any of the glory he had during his stint with the Rams. After a messy break-up with the St. Louis front office, Martz went on to be an offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions and then the San Fransisco 49ers. Martz was let go by both organizations as they felt he was too, "Pass-Happy," and never had a top running attack at any of the teams he coached for.
Martz is currently available and actually has voiced that he would like to fill the head coaching vacancy the Bills currently have. Despite this, General Manager Buddy Nix and Owner Ralph Wilson haven't expressed the same enthusiasm and it doesn't seem like it's going to happen.
Likelihood? Only if nobody else wants the job. Again, there needs to be mutual interest and while Martz would like the job, Wilson doesn't seem to want him. At the same time, candidates are turning down opportunities to interview for the vacancy left and right. Martz only ends in Buffalo if nobody else wants the job.
Russ Grimm: Grimm is an interesting candidate. Russ has been coaching in the NFL since 1992 and, while getting close, has never had the opportunity to become a head coach.
Grimm was a top candidate for the Chicago Bears head coaching position in 2004 after firing Dick Jauron but they instead chose to go with Lovie Smith. Three years later, Bill Cowher resigned as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Grimm was again, a top candidate for the job but they instead elected to promote Mike Tomlin to head coach over Grimm.
Now, Grimm is the assistant head coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Everywhere Grimm has gone he has had success but his roles there have been minuscule. He has been around some brilliant minds so it's tough to guess how he would do given complete control over organization but the potential is definitely attractive.
Likelihood? Possible. After coming so close as many times as he has, Grimm will probably jump at any chance to be a Head Coach he gets. He is respected throughout the league and should be on Wilson's list of candidates if he's not already.
Leslie Frazier: Frazier was formerly the Defensive Coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and is currently the same position for the Minnesota Vikings. While with the Bengals the defense saw some slight improvements and last year the Vikings were ranked #1 in rush defense, an area the Bills desperately need improvement.
Some knocks on Frazier is that he's always been a solid defensive coordinator but has never created an elite defense. With Cincinnati he never got the defense ranked higher than 19th overall and, while the Vikings defense has been great, it's mainly due to the star studded roster (including All-Pro players Pat and Kevin Williams, Jared Allen, and Antoine Winfield) and not his scheming.
Frazier also would need to hire a great offensive coordinator to make up for his lack of experience in that department.
Despite the setbacks, Frazier may actually be the top candidate for the job. He's the only coach (besides Shanahan and Cowher, Shanahan is now with the Washington Redskins) the Bills have interviewed and he would come relatively cheap. Also, at the end of the day, being the leader of the 6th ranked total defense in the NFL is quite the feat.
Likelihood? Higher than the other candidates, at least. Really, it's too early to tell for sure. At the moment he seems like the front runner but until playoffs are over and teams are able to interview who they want as they please it will all be no more than rumors and smoke screens.
Brian Schottenheimer: The son of Marty, who formerly coached the Browns, Chiefs, Redskins, and Chargers with a lifetime record of 200-126-1, Brian Schottenheimer is the current offensive coordinator of New York Jets. Because of his father's success and the pedigree his name comes with (along with having a great mind for football in his own right), people throughout the league feel that it's simply a matter of time before Brian Schottenheimer is given a shot to be a head coach.
Prior to becoming the Offensive Coordinator for the Jets, Brian worked under his father as the Quarterbacks Coach for the San Diego Chargers and had a lot to do with the success Charger's quarterback Philip Rivers is having in his 6th year at the professional level.
While Schottenheimer could one day end up becoming an amazing coach, his career won't be launching in Buffalo as last Thursday in an interview he stated, "It’s not about the Buffalo Bills, it’s about the New York Jets and how I feel about this organization. The biggest thing for me is the fact I’m happy. I haven’t always been happy.” Likelihood? Not going to happen.
Bill Cowher: In 1992, Bill Cowher was named head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The previous year they had finished 7-9. In his very first season as a head coach, Cowher improved the Steelers to an impressive 11-5 season and a playoff appearance.
Cowher remained in Pittsburgh until the conclusion of the 2006 season. Under his run, the Pittsburgh Steelers had only three losing seasons, Ten playoff appearances, and one Vince Lombardi trophy.
For the Buffalo Bills, who haven't made the playoffs in a decade, Cowher would make an immediate impact and get the franchise back on the right track.
The problem however isn't a lack of interest on the Front Office's part, Cowher seems content with his current position as a sports analyst with CBS and has announced that if he does in fact return to being a head coach for next season it would be to a team with a capable quarterback. Criteria that Buffalo doesn't seem to have at this time.
Overall, Cowher should be on the top of every Bills' fan's wish list heading into the off season but don't hold your breath. Likelihood? Don't hold your breath. There have been conflicting reports on whether or not he is interested in coaching the 2010-2011 season and right now it's simply a giant question mark.
Mike Martz: Mike Martz is an interesting idea as a possible head coaching candidate for next season. The high point in his coaching career was from 2000-2003 when Martz was the man behind the "Greatest Show on Turf." The nickname for the explosive offense that contained future Hall-of-Famers Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Marshall Faulk.
Martz never again saw any of the glory he had during his stint with the Rams. After a messy break-up with the St. Louis front office, Martz went on to be an offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions and then the San Fransisco 49ers. Martz was let go by both organizations as they felt he was too, "Pass-Happy," and never had a top running attack at any of the teams he coached for.
Martz is currently available and actually has voiced that he would like to fill the head coaching vacancy the Bills currently have. Despite this, General Manager Buddy Nix and Owner Ralph Wilson haven't expressed the same enthusiasm and it doesn't seem like it's going to happen.
Likelihood? Only if nobody else wants the job. Again, there needs to be mutual interest and while Martz would like the job, Wilson doesn't seem to want him. At the same time, candidates are turning down opportunities to interview for the vacancy left and right. Martz only ends in Buffalo if nobody else wants the job.
Russ Grimm: Grimm is an interesting candidate. Russ has been coaching in the NFL since 1992 and, while getting close, has never had the opportunity to become a head coach.
Grimm was a top candidate for the Chicago Bears head coaching position in 2004 after firing Dick Jauron but they instead chose to go with Lovie Smith. Three years later, Bill Cowher resigned as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Grimm was again, a top candidate for the job but they instead elected to promote Mike Tomlin to head coach over Grimm.
Now, Grimm is the assistant head coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Everywhere Grimm has gone he has had success but his roles there have been minuscule. He has been around some brilliant minds so it's tough to guess how he would do given complete control over organization but the potential is definitely attractive.
Likelihood? Possible. After coming so close as many times as he has, Grimm will probably jump at any chance to be a Head Coach he gets. He is respected throughout the league and should be on Wilson's list of candidates if he's not already.
Leslie Frazier: Frazier was formerly the Defensive Coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and is currently the same position for the Minnesota Vikings. While with the Bengals the defense saw some slight improvements and last year the Vikings were ranked #1 in rush defense, an area the Bills desperately need improvement.
Some knocks on Frazier is that he's always been a solid defensive coordinator but has never created an elite defense. With Cincinnati he never got the defense ranked higher than 19th overall and, while the Vikings defense has been great, it's mainly due to the star studded roster (including All-Pro players Pat and Kevin Williams, Jared Allen, and Antoine Winfield) and not his scheming.
Frazier also would need to hire a great offensive coordinator to make up for his lack of experience in that department.
Despite the setbacks, Frazier may actually be the top candidate for the job. He's the only coach (besides Shanahan and Cowher, Shanahan is now with the Washington Redskins) the Bills have interviewed and he would come relatively cheap. Also, at the end of the day, being the leader of the 6th ranked total defense in the NFL is quite the feat.
Likelihood? Higher than the other candidates, at least. Really, it's too early to tell for sure. At the moment he seems like the front runner but until playoffs are over and teams are able to interview who they want as they please it will all be no more than rumors and smoke screens.
Monday, January 11, 2010
About this Blog
Hello, my name is Louis Traino and I'm a junior at Rush-Henrietta. This blog will be focused on all things Buffalo Bills.
Coming off of a disappointing 6-10 season, the Bills missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year and officially haven't made it to the post-season in a decade. Despite the hype the Bills received after making the flashy move of bringing in future hall of fame wide receiver Terrell Owens, it was another season full of heartbreaks; none worse than the Monday Night opener in which a last minute collapse cost the Bills a long overdue victory against the rival Patriots.
The season wasn't all bad though. Victories over the Dolphins and the Jets made Buffalo's division record this year 2-4. While there is still room for plenty of improvement, this is undoubtedly far better than going winless in your division as they did last year.
Buffalo also fired their disappointing head coach Dick Jauron on November 17th after a loss to the Tennessee Titans which officially eliminated them from playoff contention. Now, with big names in the coaching world like Bill Cowher and Tony Dungy, who knows who will takeover as the head coach of the Bills.
While the season ended on a high note with a 30-7 victory over the 14-2 Indianapolis Colts, it ultimately may have set the Bills back as they now have the 9th selection in the NFL Draft this April when they could have been drafting as high as 6th with a loss to the Colts. While it may not seem like a big deal, this means it will be another year of missing out on the elite draft prospects and instead getting the 2nd tier rookies.
Where should the Bills go in the draft? Should they chase top LB prospect Orlando McClain in an effort to sharpen up their dead last ranking in rush defense?
Look into trading up for one of the most promising prospect in years in DT Ndamukong Suh?
Try to sharpen up the offensive-line by drafting the top LT prospect Russell Okung?
Get some stability at the Quarterback position by going after top prospects Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clauson?
In due time all of our questions will be answered and I'll be there along the way looking to keep you informed.
Now it's the offseason and I'll be here to keep you in the know about the head-coaching search, any notable Free Agents the Bills are pursuing, and college prospects I feel the Bills should look into drafting so the 2010-2011 season can be a better one than the 2009-2010 season was.
Coming off of a disappointing 6-10 season, the Bills missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year and officially haven't made it to the post-season in a decade. Despite the hype the Bills received after making the flashy move of bringing in future hall of fame wide receiver Terrell Owens, it was another season full of heartbreaks; none worse than the Monday Night opener in which a last minute collapse cost the Bills a long overdue victory against the rival Patriots.
The season wasn't all bad though. Victories over the Dolphins and the Jets made Buffalo's division record this year 2-4. While there is still room for plenty of improvement, this is undoubtedly far better than going winless in your division as they did last year.
Buffalo also fired their disappointing head coach Dick Jauron on November 17th after a loss to the Tennessee Titans which officially eliminated them from playoff contention. Now, with big names in the coaching world like Bill Cowher and Tony Dungy, who knows who will takeover as the head coach of the Bills.
While the season ended on a high note with a 30-7 victory over the 14-2 Indianapolis Colts, it ultimately may have set the Bills back as they now have the 9th selection in the NFL Draft this April when they could have been drafting as high as 6th with a loss to the Colts. While it may not seem like a big deal, this means it will be another year of missing out on the elite draft prospects and instead getting the 2nd tier rookies.
Where should the Bills go in the draft? Should they chase top LB prospect Orlando McClain in an effort to sharpen up their dead last ranking in rush defense?
Look into trading up for one of the most promising prospect in years in DT Ndamukong Suh?
Try to sharpen up the offensive-line by drafting the top LT prospect Russell Okung?
Get some stability at the Quarterback position by going after top prospects Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clauson?
In due time all of our questions will be answered and I'll be there along the way looking to keep you informed.
Now it's the offseason and I'll be here to keep you in the know about the head-coaching search, any notable Free Agents the Bills are pursuing, and college prospects I feel the Bills should look into drafting so the 2010-2011 season can be a better one than the 2009-2010 season was.
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