SDS

Well, it all depends on your definition of "prepared". We were never as prepared as our opponent in those 4 Super Bowls. In fact, the longer the "prep" period - the more we got hammered. But, yes - during the regular season our cast of Hall of Famers were prepared. You can call it backhanded if you want, but that is who he was. He was a head coach that players loved to play for but he is also the guy who stood and watched Jim Kelly throw pass after pass against the Giants in SB 25... Personally, I would have traded a little of the man love for Marv, for someone who was up the task on those January Sundays. The HC/GM dynamic is what you want to make of it. You can have administrators, personnel guys, money men, football coaches, or any combination in-between. As long as it works. The question is - who, after being out of the game for a decade, would he bring in to provide stability? Despite the constant pissing and moaning about cronyies - that is the name of the game in this business. If Marv's charter is to bring order to the chaos - then that is not done with new, unproven, unfamiliar people. That can only be accomplished by hiring friends and former colleagues you know and trust. So, who is in Marv's pool that is still alive, still available, and ready to work in Buffalo and for how long?

how is it that in one post he doesn't know anything about football, but in the next he was a very good football coach?

If you read into it a little bit and see what he has done in Indy then you can see hiring a Mora or someone else to bring stability and perhaps even some modest winning seasons (say of the 9-7, 10-6 flavor) even though they have never really been over the top successful. The key is then the "next coach", who takes the foundation and puts it over the top. The Colts built an amazing offense, but had no defense. Dungy was the perfect fit as he has always fielded great defensive teams, but couldn't tell you the definition of a forward pass. That well crafted combination might yield a perfect season... The question is - will this band of headhunters let a Marty, Reeves, Mora type come in to stop the digging, knowing full well they have a foot out the door?

Thanks for saving me the time. Yeah, what he said.

Fred Smerlas: http://www.twobillsdrive.com/articles/read...icle=1008245943

What would be the fun in believing that?

This analysis only works for cities in a small latitude/longitudinal range...

If you want to continue your Marv ball-washing, go right ahead. You can choose to "forget" some real issues he had as a head coach and what transpired during his tenure. However, since Marv refuses to keep his name out of the news and since some fans keep dredging his name up (while clearly having a vision of his time spent in Buffalo that never really existed) - some of us are forced to remind people of the warts. And there WERE warts. Plenty of them. If the discussion is going to continue on why he should be brought back, then it is perfectly acceptable to discuss the bad along with the idealized fantasies. I only talk about my opinion of Marv when others try to jam some goofy-assed angelic view of him down my throat. Personally, I wish he would just enjoy his retirement and I wish fans would just let the past go and look to the future, so we don't have to have these kinds of discussions.

This is simply the ramblings of a lonely man who desperately wants the attention of the NFL community. Just as he "announced" his availibility to coach again some time ago when no one was asking for his services (with his pleas for work going unanswered), Marv has thrown his hat into ring with the windmills. Question, is Marv the ONLY HoF coach to never have been asked/begged to "unretire"?

perhaps this explains the underthrown balls...

Since you brought up that last SB, let me throw out my most "stinging" memory of Marv Levy. Marv had taken over play calling whenever the ball was inside the 10 yard line (a baffling strategy if you ask me)... Well, at the end of the 1st half with the ball on the 5ish yard line and 3rd down, what does our Head Coach call? A fuggin' shovel pass against the fastest defense in the league... Nice call Marv. You guaranteed a FG when a TD was a real possibility. It set us up nicely for the James Washington fumble return to start the 2nd half.

Agreed on all points. Marv had specific abilities well suited for THAT team....

This is only my opinion of course, but this is where I lay partially lay Hennings' failure on Marv. Clearly Dan Henning knows a lot about football. If he didn't, he wouldn't be coaching today. However, I don't see Dan installing some brain-dead offense that poorly suits his personnel with guys like Gibbs, Edwards and Fox as the HC. They keep him in check. Marv did not keep any of his coaches in check. He let them have free reign to be miserable failures. Some call this leadership, others think otherwise...

In 2005, "leadership" and $5 gets you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.... "Leadership" isn't going to rack up wins against a healthy Patriots team. Marv won with a single set of spectacularly talented guys of which many were hall of fame deserving. You brought up Marchibroda, but what about the cluster !@#$ that was Breshnahan and Shofner as co-coordinators? After he was forced to remove that abortion from the team - what about letting Dan Henning install the "H-Back" offense w/o the personnel to do that? It is one thing to "lead" a team overloaded with HOF talent, provided by the best GM in the game today, into battle - it is quite another to actually take a team that has average talent and put them into a position to win against equally, if not more talented, teams. Marv has never shown that ability and in fact I could list dozens of examples where his leadership failed this team in their pursuit of their goals, but I realize this isn't the place to lift the curtain on the wizard...

Do you know what Coach Tuesday's position is on Charlie Weis? Because he said he would throw 50 times in a row if you line up that many guys near the line of scrimmage every play.

The only "football related" aspect that I remember Marv bringing to that team was his emphasis on special teams... It appears a lot of people have forgotten that he was the biggest critic of the "no-huddle". Think about that for a moment. For the people clamoring for a "strong head coach" - the Bills ran an offense that he FUNDAMENTALLY disagreeded with. It wasn't that we couldn't run a different offense because of specific talent issues. It wasn't because he was adapting to our personnel. He did what administrators do - he let someone else run the show.

Absolutely not. Dungy knows his defense. He was given an offense, but Dungy is an integral part of that team that finally has the defense to support the offense.

If you do - could you actually list the qualities Marv was known for and relate them to how it would help this team? psssst... here is a hint. If it actually has to do with game-planning and out-thinking the opposing coach, you may want to think again. If it has to do with taking a below average roster and making them an above average team, you may want to think again. If it has to do with identfying and hiring a cast of outstanding assistants, you may want to think again. Now, if we were so fortunate as to gather 6-7+ hall of fame worthy candidates on this team that might kill each other if left to their own devices - then maybe you do actually remember Marv Levy and you may continue with your essay on how that would actually help this team.

Don't forget Joe Gibbs... The list goes on and on...

Then say something that doesn't scream "ridicule me"!!! Shall we engage in a thoughtful conversation about the proper use of sideline facial expressions? Where did you want your line of reasoning to go? How about: I disagree Rayzer... I think the HC should be knowledgeable about all facets of the game. He should be well connected, so that he has the choice of dozens of top assistants. He should have demonstrated success throughout his career with different teams and different players. He should show that he consistantly beats the snot out of his opponent. Then again... you make a compelling case about the facial thing - I'll need to evaluate my crtieria to see where yours fits in. Good call!

I'm sorry if you think "emotion", "facial expressions", and a Super Bowl ring won on the back of your DC are the top qualifications needed from our next coach. I was hoping my sarcastic comments would prompt you into thinking about the situation with a tad more muster... I was wrong. BTW, you can call me names all night long. I really don't care. However, be prepared to be picked on if your next qualification for HC includes such important items as: hair style, personal hygiene, past ties to Buffalo, or American Idol results.

So, you can voice your opinion, and I as a Bills fan, can't point out the absurdity of that opinion? Should we just lock your threads after you post, so there isn't any "unsightly" negative feedback? BTW, it is "you're".

Wow, I didn't realize that you were on the Harvard debate team... your logic has been irrefutable... Hey, if you have a ring, yell a lot, and have a nice face - apply right here!

Snap #1 of Buff vs. Tenn playoff game saw ol' Dusty get trampled for a sack... Flat on his back. Paris Hilton took notes...

Ohhhhh.... See, I got confused. I thought you were talking about Brian Billick the Ravens HC, former Vikings OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR, and proprietor of one of the worst year in and year out offensive units in the league. I think it has been 10 years and 10 starting QB's, or something close... I've never seen a guy get so much mileage out of having Marvin Lewis on his staff... (a statement that sounds dirty, but really isn't).