ChanOverChin

I was not exactly enamored with the marrone selection either, but I think we need to see who he is able to hire as his OC and DC before we get a lil too hasty. Unlike Chip Kelly, who has never set foot on an NFL field as a coach of any kind, Marrone has atleast been around the block with the Saints and Jets and has had the advantage of being around some pretty darn good NFL coaches. Marrone can't do it by himself. He'll need some quality assistants for sure. I'm hoping like crazy that he has the wherewithal to at least bring in a high quality OC and DC. He appears to have the connections to get it done.

The article points out that Marrone has ties to the following coaching trees: Those associated with Parcells/Belichick, Schottenheimer, O'Leary, and P. Fulmer. Marrone may have been a relative unknown, but the has certainly been around long enough to be influenced by a lot of very successful football coaches. I'm very happy to see that. For the sake of the Bills and the loyal fans, I hope that Marrone is able to sway a high quality OC and DC to Buffalo. Lovie Smith is part of the Schottenheimer tree and expressed interest in going to Buffalo (albeit as the HC). It sure would be nice to have him as our new DC. That would mean that the Bills could stay with their 4-3 alignment. Many of the Bills' defensive players are already familiar with the "Tampa 2" defense that Smith deploys.

Sorry about that. This is the aticle: http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2013/1/6/3842176/doug-marrone-coaching-tree-influences.

The link below shows the connections that Marrone has made along the way in both college and in the pros. No matter whom the Bills hired to be their HC it's critical that that HC be able to bring in quality assistants, especially the OC and DC. it looks like Marrone has the potential to bring in some pretty good ones..........maybe even Lovie Smith himself. The link: http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2013/1/6/3842176/doug-marrone-coaching-tree-influences.its What are your thoughts regarding who marrone might bring in from the abovementioned group?? I won't be happy with the Marrone hiring unless he can bring in a high quality NFL OC and DC.

I like that he has NFL experience with more than one NFL team. I'll feel much better if he is able to be bring in some quality coordinators.

JohnnyGold, great thread. Too bad too many on this board prefer to look to mock just about every new thread that is started rather than provide a well thought out reply. It's predictable. I could care less about the uniforms , the turf, etc. All I really care about is that the Bills finally find a way to win again.........in some sustainable fashion. It's painful to watch them flail around aimlessly while they completely waste a shittttttton of Wilson's money. If you haven't seen Brandon's presser with the Buffalo media I highly suggest that you check it out on www.buffalobills.com. In that discussion the media guys are pretty tough on Brandon, as they should be. He is pressed several times to explain WHY Bills fans can expect the team to be any better under his rule. His only real answer is that the admin. staff will work harder and "leave no stone unturned." That the football side of things is in Nix's capable hands. My thoughts on this are that Nix is NOT the man to be making the football decisions/recommendations. Things are not going to turn around anytime soon with Nix as the GM. He has no creativity and is willing to take zero chances. His philosophy is the long tried "build through the draft method". The problem with that method is simply that is you don't draft well, then you pretty much stink up the joint, don't ever make the playoffs, are forced to turn to a "never was" QB and pay him $60M, waste tens of millions of dollars, and become the laughingstock of the NFL. .I wish I could say differently. I really do. What I suggest Brandon do is to not rely on one of Wilson's cronies to make the football decisions. Instead, he ought to be interviewing prospective NFL personnel throughout the league who are much more qualified to be making the football decisions that either he or Nix. These are the people that he should be interviewing first to try to find the best possible, most knowledgeable person. This is even more important than finding a new HC. Once you have a top notch GM then and only then will you be able to deliver on the omni-important decisions that need to be made to put the Bills back on top. Brandon doesn't need to know all that much about the football side of things, but he does need to be wise enough to hire someone who is a proven expert. Use Nix and others to help find that person if you have to. Then and only then will the Bills be headed in the right direction.

I'm so glad that Chip (rhymes with dip and that ain't hip) decided the Bills weren't good enough for him. Believe it or not Lovie Smith is the very BEST HC that the Bills will have met with this weekend. As I've said many times, for the Bills to be successful they need to hire the HC who can bring the best HC/OC/DC/ST Coach combination to the table, NOT just a name HC. Lovie may be able to do just that. The added bonus that you could get with a veteran HC like Smith is that there is often a strong loyalty among the coaches and players that he has been assosicated with. that's something you're not gonna get with Chip (rhymes with Pipp, but he can't sing and surely can't dance). Check out this potential scenario: HC - L. Smith (proven veteran NFL HC; sustained success with the Bears; strong defensive-minded coach who learned under T. Dungy) OC - N. Turner (veteran former long time NFL HC and also a long time NFL OC and play caller) OR H. Jackson (creative, well qualified NFL assistant; served as Oakland interim HC recently) DC - Smith will hire coach who knows the 4-3 Tampa 2 defense. (That will allow Bills can build upon their existing 4-3 scheme. Could they add B. Urlacher as their new starting MLB??) ST Coach - B. April (available). Add D. Hester?? What other players/coaches from the Bears may be willing to shuffle off to Buffalo with Lovie?? I beleive that L. Smith is easily the best HC candidate the bills have shown interest in thus far. He has the wherewithal to bring a proven NFL coaching staff and may be able to steal a player or two from the Bears because veteran players often show loyalty to a former coach that they have enjoyed playing for.

I'm so glad that Chip (rhymes with dip and that ain't hip) decided the Bills weren't good enough for him.

WI do like the idea of having Lovie Smith as our next HC with H. Jackson as the OC. Smith knows defense. Jackson is a very impressive OC. Smith may prove to be a real steal. He had the Bears on top for a long time. He led the Bears to 10 wins last year and still got canned. Smith is among my top 5 coaching candidates. He brings a wealth of NFL experience and should have some nice connections (i.e. both coaches and players) that he may be able to sway to Buffalo. Anybody know which Chicago players will become FAs this coming offseason?? How do you think B. Urlacher would look in a Bills uni?? What about JCut??

"The guy is gonna be a great NFL Head Coach." - How do we know this?? Had you even heard of this guy prior to this year?? P. Maning is the reason the Broncos have greatly improved their offense not this guy. Last I checking Manning is NOT on the Bills' roster. "He is versatile and fits the system to his players." - Hell, we could say that about most OCs in the NFL and in college. "Super smart and gets the most out of his players." - I've never heard that descritption before. Has he ever been a HC?? What does he know about defense?? Who would be willing to be his coaching assistants?? Didn't we just fire a strictly offensive guy as our HC?? How well did that work out?? Are you saying that McCoy is a better, more experienced offensive mind than Gailey??? Is this guy the real McCoy???

LOL. Hoping it might sink in. :} Brandon is lurking. Too many people like the idea of taking a huge gamble on the nobody, never accomplished a darn thing in the NFL coaching candidates. Bills fans deserve what they get if the Bills hire one of those guys.

Five guys that Brandon must seek to interview before making a final decision: 1. B. Cowher 2. M. Holmgren 3. Lovie Smith 4. B. Arians 5. Jon Gruden. All of these guys have several things in common: 1. They can all beat B. Belichick and have all beaten B. Belichick. 2. They all have been an HC in the NFL. 3. They have all had success as an NFL HC (either made the playoffs, made it to the SB or won the SB). 4. They all have been around the NFL long enough to establish ties with proven, successful OCs/DCs/ST Coaches. 5. With the possible exception of Smith, they have all developed young QBs into star players. To the guy who puts Jim Harbaugh in the category of successful hot coaches. Yes he has been successful as an NFL HC thus far, but the difference between Harbaugh and the hot coaches that many on this board are clamoring for (Marrone/Kelly/others) is that Harbaugh was a 14 year veteran NFL QB, which lends itself much more to my point than his. NFL HC experience and success vs college HC experience and success. Which will be better prepared to handle the B. Belichick's of the world??

Arians took a 2-14 team and turned them into a 10-6 playoff team......and he did it as an interim HC. The only real addition to the Colts of note in the off season was QB A. Luck. That's quite a coaching job folks.......against real live NFL competition. Not college competition. In fact, that's COACH of the YEAR type stuff!! Imagine what he might do with a 6-10 team that never seems to make the playoffs. Just sayin'.

Finally, the Bills will bring in somebody who has NFL HC expereince and who has been successful as an NFL HC. While Lovie Smith might not be my first choice, I could certainly live with him as our next HC. I'd like to see the Bills at least interview the following coaching candidtes before they make a final selection: 1. Bill Cowher 2. Mike Holmgren 3. Bruce Arians 4. Lovie Smith 5. Jon Gruden. The other guys on their list don't impress me. To actually surpass Belichick/Brady and the Pats the Bills will need to hire an HC who has NFL experience as an NFL HC as well as have the connections to bring in a stellar veteran NFL coaching staff. We need to hire the HC who can form the BEST HC/OC/DC/ST Coach combination. that's what Brandon should be considering. Don't fall in love with the hot college coaches. They don't pan out. BTW, SI also seems to think that the Bills will hotly pursue SF FA QB Alex Smith.

You can't just win games with a high tempo offense. Who's going to coach the defense, some rookie college coach?? What connections does Kelly have in the NFL?? We need to hire the HC with the BEST supporting coaching staff, NOT just the hottest name in the college game. Nick Saban was the hottest name in the college game at one time. Miami hired him. How'd that work out?? I would argue that Saban is a better college HC than Kelly. PTR, to answer your question, I would take the opposite tact. I would look to hire the best NFL experienced HC who could bring the best NFL assistants with him. After all, does a team win only because of the HC or does the supporting staff have a lot to do with it?? Much of the time, it seems to me that the OC and DC are the difference makers. Who's more likely to bring in a better NFL quality OC and DC, Kelly or an experienced NFL HC??? The candidates that I would be strongly considering for the Bills' HC position in descending order based upon my argument above include: 1. Bill Cowher - Make him an offer he can't refuse and watch how many of the current HC candidates lineup to be his OC/DC. A great motivator and a future HOF HC. He knows how to beat Belichick. He would give us the best chance to become respectable very quickly and stay there for an extended period of time. 2. Mike Holmgren - He too would put together an excellent supporting staff. Very innovative and well connected. Knows how to develop a QB. At least worthy of an interview to see how motivated/committed he is to get back into being an HC. 3. Lovie Smith - He knows how to win in a windy cold weather city. He just got fired for winning 10 reg. season games and has taken his team to the SB. 4. Jon Gruden - Another guy who has been to the SB. Very hungry. Will do what it takes for NFL wins. Knows how to develop a QB.

How about when Ralph insisted that super Rob Johnson take over as the starting QB for D. Flutie in the infamous "Music City Fudgical" game?? The Bills could have gone to the SB that year. W. Phillips was ultimately fired after the Bills lost that game. Incidentally, Phillips was the last Bills HC to actually have a winning record. Thanks Ralph. Rob F'n Johnson.................

I'm not impressed with that list at all. Lovie Smith is the best NFL HC candidate by far on that list.

Chip Kelly is not the answer for the environment that the Bills,play in. The Bills need to go with a veteran NFL HC who can bring an experienced NFL staff with him. Who is Kelly going to bring with him?? NFL neophytes, that's who. Let's see NFL neophytes vs Belichick/Brady. C'mon people.

It's not just the HC, but the high quality staff that a prospective HC can bring. NO HC can do it all by himself. I like what FTL had to say above. Hell, I've been echoing those same words for years now. We have to find a way to beat Belichick/Brady or we will not win the division, which greatly lessens our chances to make the playoffs. Like it or not Bills fans, that's the hand that we have been dealt. That being said, do we have a better chance of beating Belichick with a hot shot college coach like C. Kelly and the likely neophyte staff that he would bring with him OR with a veteran NFL HC who knows Belichick well, who has competed against him many times, and who has actually gotten the better of him??? Suffice it to say, I'm not in favor of taking a shot in the dark with a rookie NFL HC and then having to start this process all over again in 2-3 years. If I'm Brandon with the opportunity that he has i'm going after an NFL experienced HC who can bring the best OC/DC/ST coach and support staff with him. It's not just the HC. It's got to be the entire staff along with the HC as well as a philosophy that will work for the environment that the Bills play in. That should help to narrow the field quite a bit. Bill Cowher has to be #1 on the contact list. Sit down with the man and make him an offer that he can't refuse. He knows the formula for beating Belichick. He has the respect around the NFL to bring in a stellar staff. How about M. Holmgren?? Just think of the staff that he could bring with him?? I like Lovie Smith as well. I would even consider a guy like Jon Gruden before I would a hot shot college coach. Most of the college HCs jump ship to the NFL to make the big money and then after only a few years jump right back into the college. Guys like Spurrier, Saban, the guy who coached briefly for the Falcons.......................they all couldn't cut it in the NFL and they were the best of the best in college. Why??? Because they had superior talent or faced down programs. In the NFL, the talent/size/speed is more evenly distributed. Chip Kelly, my asssssssssssss!!!

The Bills don't have to be a bottom feeder forever. Geesh. I wish people would give themselves more credit rather than just crawling up into the fetal position and accepting defeat. We have a chance at this point in time to bring in a difference maker. It's a very important hire. With so much on the line I would prefer to see the Bills go the route of somebody who has actually succeeded in the NFL rather than take a lottery chance on a hot college coach who doesn't know the NFL game and the NFL competition very well. Just because Cowher wasn't interested three years ago doesn't mean he automatically won't interested now. The difference may be that Brandon is now making the decisions rather than the ever meddling Wilson. if Brandon could convince Cowher that he would have final say on all player personnel decisions (i.e. FAs/vets/draft picks) and the team's willingness to spend to win that could do it. Cowher would want the wherewithal to acquire a franchise QB as well and there is that possibility with the #8 pick overall in the 2013 draft.

When has Cowher ever been associated with the Bills?? He's the one guy on the your list that deserves serious consideration. The Bills can get him if they're willing to allow him to have final say on player personnel decisions. That doesn't necessarily mean that Nix and Whaley have to be fired. The so-called obsession with Pittsburgh is well founded. All the Steelers do is win.............i.e. make the playoffs on a regular basis and win Super Bowls.

"C`mon man. He isn`t coming close to this place. " If I'm Russ Brandon and just given complete control of an NFL franchise in need of a HC who could actually lead me to a Super Bowl win, Bill Cowher would be the first guy that I would call. You're never going to get a date with the hot girl in your Social Studies class unless you actually ask her out. Words to live by. "C`mon man. He isn`t coming close to this place. " If I'm Russ Brandon and just given complete control of an NFL franchise in need of a HC who could actually lead me to a Super Bowl win, Bill Cowher would be the first guy that I would call. You're never going to get a date with the hot girl in your Social Studies class unless you actually ask her out. Words to live by.

Cowher is still young (around 53) by comparison to some HC candidates. B. Arians (likely this year's coachof the year) is 60 and will likely be hired as a HC by some NFL team. Don't dismiss Cowher because of age. It's a non-factor for him. If Cowher didn't have this guy or that guy..........................................????? Really??? Give Cowher some credit for bringing a guy like LeBeau in. The Bills had LeBeau for a short time and didn't know how to utilize him. There are guys who know how to win and then there are guys who are just guessing........flying by the seat of their pants. Cowher knows how to win. His offensive and defensive styles com[lement each other very well. That is by design, not by happenstance. The Bills would be remiss to not at least discuss the current HC vacancy with the future HOF HC.

Cowher will be much more interested if he is given final say in all player personnel decisions. That doesn't mean that Whaley/Nix can't or wouldn't be involved in the decision-making process. Cowher's problem with Buffalo is that he didn't and doesn't want to go to a team where he will be handcuffed as a coach by idiotic personnel decisions that don't fit in with his preferred, proven methods for winning NFL games. There are only a few guys who are worthy of making final player personnel decisions. Ask yourself, would you want Nix/Whaley or Cowher makinbg those decisions?? Would Cowher want to switch to a 3-4?? Probably. But only if he could get the right DC to coach a 3-4 defense. If we had to switch back to a 3-4 I'd feel much better doing it under Cowher knowing that we'd at least be on the right track. The bottom line is that Cowher knows how to win NFL games and can and will beat the best of the best in the NFL. He's available. He won't come cheap. He will want final say on all player personnel decisions. Ask yourselves bills fans, if that's what it will take to finally get us back on the right track, isn't a coach like Cowher at least worth pursuing?????

Some of you above have also hit on another very good reason to hire Cowher.......and that is that he has NFL connections (which most college coaches don't have). All the hot college names will end up doing is to bring in more inexperienced college coaches as assistants. And that will just allow Belichick (our biggest impediment) to continue to laugh and laugh....all the way to the division title. Cowher will bring in a proven NFL OC (maybe even his good friend Gailey) and a proven NFL DC. Not some greenhorn college coaches who are just trying to get their feet wet in the NFL. He'd bring in ST coach extraordinaire B. April in a heartbeat as well. I mention Cowher not simply because he is a big name, but because he knows how to win in a small market and in mostly cold/inclement weather. The Pittsburgh/Buffalo environments are almost identical. The main difference between the two has been whom the respective owners has entrusted to run their teams. A smart NFL head coach like Cowher knows from experience that the best plan when faced with difficult wheather conditions so often is to utilize a ball control offense that emphasizes the running game. Witgh Cowher in charge of player personnel and coaching decisions we would essentially be built like the Steelers offensively and defensively. Given Pittsburgh's track record (SIX SB wins and regular playoff appearances year after year), I would think that Bills fans would jump at the opportunity. With R. Brandon now running the show in Buffalo I think that it's important for Bills fans who really care about the fate of the team to keep Cowher in the forefront of Brandon's mind. His record speaks for itself. The NFL accomplishments of all of the other proposed HC candidates pale in comparison.