I've Heard This Tune Before

[BillsPhan]

In a recent Buff News article, Coach Gailey had this to say about his hand picked O-Line Coach, Joe D'Alessandris:

 

"He's a tough man, and he's a tough football coach," Bills head coach Chan Gailey said. "He's going to bring toughness and execution to the offensive line. He and I have been working with a lot of these same schemes for a long time. He knows exactly what we're trying to get done. He's an excellent technician and fundamentals teacher."

Linky:

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/article98360.ece

 

Anyone else thinking "Gregg Wiliams - speak" here? At least Chan didn't waste a presser like "Double G" did shortly after he finished hiring all of his assistants, standing up there bragging about each choice he made and how tremendous they would each be coaching those all - important "fundamentals." That presser was the one that convinced me that Williams was extremely cocky and arrogant considering he himself was a first time head coach of an NFL team.

 

Gailey obviously is more experienced then Williams was, having two years under the intense microscope of being America's Team's HC back in the late 90's. And up till now, I've been extremely impressed with almost everything Chan has done with his young team in training camp.

 

But I don't understand why brand new Head Coaches brag about how good their assistant coaches are. After all, the head coaches butts are on the line, since they hired them in the first place. And to choose the very worst position on the entire team's position coach to brag about, is either extremely arrogant, or extremely dumb, on Gailey's part. I won't be thinking how "tough and how excellent a technician and fundamentals teacher" D'Alessandris is if his young O-Line sucks coming out of the gate....

 

And don't most of us expect them to suck at least the first half of the season, being realistic, and seeing that the dreaded injury bug has already attacked them two weeks into camp??

 

Gailey would have been much better off saying nothing about his new O-Line coach, in my humble opinion. D'Alessandris already has the toughest job of all the Bills' assistant coaches to begin with anyway!!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

In a recent Buff News article, Coach Gailey had this to say about his hand picked O-Line Coach, Joe D'Alessandris:

 

"He's a tough man, and he's a tough football coach," Bills head coach Chan Gailey said. "He's going to bring toughness and execution to the offensive line. He and I have been working with a lot of these same schemes for a long time. He knows exactly what we're trying to get done. He's an excellent technician and fundamentals teacher."

Linky:

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/article98360.ece

 

Anyone else thinking "Gregg Wiliams - speak" here? At least Chan didn't waste a presser like "Double G" did shortly after he finished hiring all of his assistants, standing up there bragging about each choice he made and how tremendous they would each be coaching those all - important "fundamentals." That presser was the one that convinced me that Williams was extremely cocky and arrogant considering he himself was a first time head coach of an NFL team.

<..>

Gailey would have been much better off saying nothing about his new O-Line coach, in my humble opinion. D'Alessandris already has the toughest job of all the Bills' assistant coaches to begin with anyway!!

 

I guess I don't get it: why is the quoted material so cocky arrogant and offensive that it's better left unsaid?

I read it two ways:

1) The OL has been pushed around in camp, he's giving his guy a public vote of confidence that he has the right stuff to turn it around and making it publically clear he stands behind him if he needs to get in a player's grill.

2) Accountability. Read it a little differently and it's a nice way to say "I expect toughness and execution from the OL. No excuses about the OL coach needing to learn the schemes or learn what needs to get done. I expect improvement."

 

*shrug* Your mileage obviously varies. It just seems a stretch. Was there more around it that changed the meaning?

 

6 weeks into the season, if we're 1-5, the OL is getting stood up, the QB is spending half the game on his butt, and Gailey's still saying the same thing, I'll change my mileage.

[Skoobydum]

It's all horrible until we beat the fish, then the cynics start praise clinics.

[Thoner7]

We simply dont have to OL talent to complete with the playoff teams. The LT situation has gotten a lot of press. Hangartner struggled mightily last season. Wood/Levitre are still young. We will wait and see about Green.

 

Untill we have more talent our hands are pretty much tied.

[dollars 2 donuts]

A vote of confidence to a unit and staff that probably badly needs it.

 

The most basic executive training techniques tells you to encourage your staff and compliment them when you think they are doing a good job. I see nothing wrong with this.

 

Don't get me wrong, i am not about to start calling Gailey "Uncle Cuddles", however, I still think it is an appreciated move on his part to his staff...that he believes in them, is with them and will stand by them.

[nero47]

We simply dont have to OL talent to complete with the playoff teams. The LT situation has gotten a lot of press. Hangartner struggled mightily last season. Wood/Levitre are still young. We will wait and see about Green.

 

Untill we have more talent our hands are pretty much tied.

Please define talent as you understand it. Hangartner had to work with rookies on either side of him, even after the OC was canned to start the season last year. The rookies are second year players now who's skill set should be a whole lot better. Do we have pro bowlers at the tackles? No. Do they have talent? Depends on your definition.

[The Dean]

Gailey would have been much better off saying nothing about his new O-Line coach, in my humble opinion. D'Alessandris already has the toughest job of all the Bills' assistant coaches to begin with anyway!!

 

So, when asked about his OL coach, should Chan have just stayed mum (as if he were deaf and didn't know he was asked a question) or would you prefer he say "No comment!"?

[bills1960]

You should hear D'Alessandris at camp, he's not afraid to rip on a guy for a mistake.

[Speedy G]

I guess I don't get it: why is the quoted material so cocky arrogant and offensive that it's better left unsaid?

I read it two ways:

1) The OL has been pushed around in camp, he's giving his guy a public vote of confidence that he has the right stuff to turn it around and making it publically clear he stands behind him if he needs to get in a player's grill.

2) Accountability. Read it a little differently and it's a nice way to say "I expect toughness and execution from the OL. No excuses about the OL coach needing to learn the schemes or learn what needs to get done. I expect improvement."

 

*shrug* Your mileage obviously varies. It just seems a stretch. Was there more around it that changed the meaning?

 

6 weeks into the season, if we're 1-5, the OL is getting stood up, the QB is spending half the game on his butt, and Gailey's still saying the same thing, I'll change my mileage.

 

+1, Chan seems to be stating what he expects from D'Alessandris and the O line at camp and if it changes the culture of the team, so be it...!

[Beebe's Kid]

So, when asked about his OL coach, should Chan have just stayed mum (as if he were deaf and didn't know he was asked a question) or would you prefer he say "No comment!"?

Yeah, it would have been a lot better if he just said "Next question." Maybe he should have said "I am not Bill Cowher, as you all know. I can't just call an elite OL coach...hell, I don't even know any other OL coaches. Besides, we all know Ralph wouldn't pay, and that this OL is doomed either way."

 

Wow...

[Mike in Syracuse]

We simply dont have to OL talent to complete with the playoff teams. The LT situation has gotten a lot of press. Hangartner struggled mightily last season. Wood/Levitre are still young. We will wait and see about Green.

 

Untill we have more talent our hands are pretty much tied.

 

So last years wins over the Jets (playoff team) doesn't count because our OL isn't filled with pro bowlers? We were one idiotic fumble away from an even split in the division. We lost to the almighty Patriots by a combined 8 points. There is NO WAY this years OL can be worse than last years injury riddled shufflefest of craptastic nobodies.

 

Why don't you let them play a few games before you draw a conclusion.

[PromoTheRobot]

Chan has been pretty straight so far. Why should he start BS'ing us now?

 

PTR

[yungmack]

This qualifies for the worst theme of the offseason. And the competition was intense too.

[Heitz]

I don't see any arrogance or bragging in that statement at all - he's praising a guy that he hired for a high visibility position in his organization to the media.

 

Haven't you ever worked for a company that hired someone high visibility and then had a presser praising the guy? Pretty stock for the business world...

 

And the statement feels even less like bragging when Chan says "He and I have been working with a lot of these same schemes for a long time. He knows exactly what we're trying to get done." Sounds like the right guy for the job to me, though time will tell.

 

Guess it wouldn't be football on the Internet if people didn't have words to parse, conclusions to jump to and things to B word about...

[Thoner7]

Please define talent as you understand it. Hangartner had to work with rookies on either side of him, even after the OC was canned to start the season last year. The rookies are second year players now who's skill set should be a whole lot better. Do we have pro bowlers at the tackles? No. Do they have talent? Depends on your definition.

 

*good talent. Wood and Levitre will be our bright spots no doubt.

 

but 2/5 or even 3/5 just aint gonna cut it.

 

So last years wins over the Jets (playoff team) doesn't count because our OL isn't filled with pro bowlers? We were one idiotic fumble away from an even split in the division. We lost to the almighty Patriots by a combined 8 points. There is NO WAY this years OL can be worse than last years injury riddled shufflefest of craptastic nobodies.

 

Why don't you let them play a few games before you draw a conclusion.

 

So your evidence that we can compete with the playoff caliber teams is that we lost to the Patriots twice, and that our 1 win vrs a playoff team was an OT win in a game we had 6 interceptions and the team we beat went 9-7 to squeak into the playoffs after winning 2 lay down games the last 2 weeks of the season which under normal circumstances they would have lost and not made the playoffs at all. Sorry but I must be missing the optimism...

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

This has got to be the most pointless crusade of the offseason, and that's saying quite a bit.

[The Dean]

This has got to be the most pointless crusade of the offseason, and that's saying quite a bit.

 

 

Yup. I can't think of what motivated this thread. What would he have Chan say to a reporter doing an article on the OL coach?

[Mike in Syracuse]

*good talent. Wood and Levitre will be our bright spots no doubt.

 

but 2/5 or even 3/5 just aint gonna cut it.

 

Tell that to the Patriots because that's exactly the situation they're in. They have a clear advantage at QB but they've also got an aging Randy Moss, a #2 WR coming off a massive injury and an inconsistent RB.

 

 

So your evidence that we can compete with the playoff caliber teams is that we lost to the Patriots twice, and that our 1 win vrs a playoff team was an OT win in a game we had 6 interceptions and the team we beat went 9-7 to squeak into the playoffs after winning 2 lay down games the last 2 weeks of the season which under normal circumstances they would have lost and not made the playoffs at all. Sorry but I must be missing the optimism...

 

We beat the Jets, we beat the Dolphins, we should have beat the Patriots so yes, those games prove to me that this team has the personnel to compete. Regardless of how they got there, the Jets were a playoff team. Last years offensive line was a cluster!@#$ of historic proportions. Our head coach was in WAY over his head and our offensive system was rudimentary at best. So YES, I think there is enough talent on this team to win some games. Do I think the Bills are a playoff team? No, I'd say they're still 2 maybe 3 years away but they are heading in the right direction.

 

Unless the IR bug bites again there is no way this years OL is worse. I'd prefer to look at the progress we're making.

[BillsPhan]

This has got to be the most pointless crusade of the offseason, and that's saying quite a bit.

 

Thank you. I'm proud to have started the most pointless thread.

 

Please remember this most pointless thread of the preseason if and when our inexperienced OL struggles mightily this year. I'm sure you will still be impressed with how tough and how great a technician and teacher of fundamentals their coach is!

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

Thank you. I'm proud to have started the most pointless thread.

 

Please remember this most pointless thread of the preseason if and when our inexperienced OL struggles mightily this year. I'm sure you will still be impressed with how tough and how great a technician and teacher of fundamentals their coach is!

 

It's not that the OL isn't a big question mark going into the season...it's pointless because Chan was just responding to a question regarding his new coach. What was he supposed to do, insult the guy? He wasn't even bragging, really...just complimenting him.