Coaches "Old Boys" Network Doesn't Work Anymore

[BillsPhan]

The Kansas City Chiefs enjoyed their bye week with their surprising 3-0 record in hand. I'm not shocked that they have started out so well. During the off-season, Scott Pioli made a very bold and I'm sure unpopular move as far as head coach Todd Handley was concerened. He fired both the OC and DC - (well, Handley fired his own OC before the '09 season began, as we all know here in Buffalo!), anyway, Pioli hired a couple of high profile and I'm sure expensive men to serve as the OC and DC of his Chiefs. Charlie Weiss and Romeo Cromell were brought in and I'm sure Pioli could care less what Handley thought. What's that old motivational saying; "Success leaves clues"!? - Pioli certainly shared "some" success with those two guys in New England, so he hired them both to help Handley "speed up" the rebuidling process in Kansas City. So far so good, but of course it's a long season and the Chiefs still are lacking in overall talent. But if I'm a Chiefs fan, I feel pretty damn good about those two veteran coaches roaming the sidelines for me every week.

 

When Gailey was hired, I was as un-impressed as everyone else. But I really got pissed off when he started bringing in his old buddies as his assistant coaches. On top of them all being people he "worked with in the past", the two coordinators were of course never coordinators before in the NFL. Who cares, said some of my detractors out here. That's what all the head coaches do. Yeah, and it has worked so freakin' well so far for Chan right?

 

Start with Curtis Modkins. He's not even a real OC! In fact, he may have the least amount of responsibility in the history of the OC position in the NFL. Basically, he's no more then an offensive "quality control" coach for ego-manicac Gailey. Gailey certainly read all the stories of what an offensive "genius" he is, because he decided to design the entire offense and call all the plays. And Modkins does what, exactly, to fill up his 110 hours of work each week?

 

And let's now take a look at George Edwards, the 3-4 master. Yes sir, this former linebackers coach has really done a fine job so far, hasn't he? He took a defense that was great against the pass and bad against the run last year, and turned it into a defense that is equally as bad against the pass as it is against the run after 4 games. Nice job, there George.

 

Now, as you hit your reply button to tell me how any coaches would suck with this lack of talent, please see the Kansas City Chiefs first. Nobody was predicting them to do any better then the Bills this season. They were going to be one of the teams to compete for that coveted number one pick, right? Well I thought Gailey should have hired OC and DC men who had done it before in the NFL, because of how talent-less and young the Bills were! I'm not "bragging" about being right, I'm complaining that the men Gailey chose, those men he "had worked with before", are obviously not up to the job. Edwards looks clueless on the sidelines, and Modkins is not even mentioned as being a coach at all.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Now, as you hit your reply button to tell me how any coaches would suck with this lack of talent, please see the Kansas City Chiefs first. Nobody was predicting them to do any better then the Bills this season. They were going to be one of the teams to compete for that coveted number one pick, right? Well I thought Gailey should have hired OC and DC men who had done it before in the NFL, because of how talent-less and young the Bills were! I'm not "bragging" about being right, I'm complaining that the men Gailey chose, those men he "had worked with before", are obviously not up to the job. Edwards looks clueless on the sidelines, and Modkins is not even mentioned as being a coach at all.

 

I can't tell you that. Chan has the rep to get the most out of his talent.

 

I don't see it. I don't even see hard-hitting, hustle play.

 

I hate to say this, but we were a better team last year with the same, or sometimes (seemingly) lesser quality personnel.

 

That's on the coaching IMO

[zonabb]

I like your points, but your title and your argument have one major flaw. Pioli was in NE when Crennel and Weis were there, so they are in fact an "old boys network." The difference is, that old boys network is good, the Bills one sucks.

 

So I think your argument is that if your going to hire all your friends and former co-workers, make sure you hire good ones with experience. I'll buy that.

 

I will add that Crennel and Weis would be hard pressed to make due with the garbage this team has drafted in the last 5-7 years. At some point, people have to recognize that if it were as simple as "coaching them up" every team would be good. The reality is, some teams have managed to draft and sign horrible players and no amount of quality coaching can help them. The Bills are one of those teams and will be until the old codger passes on and the team moves.

[Albany,n.y.]

The Kansas City Chiefs enjoyed their bye week with their surprising 3-0 record in hand. I'm not shocked that they have started out so well. During the off-season, Scott Pioli made a very bold and I'm sure unpopular move as far as head coach Todd Handley was concerened. He fired both the OC and DC - (well, Handley fired his own OC before the '09 season began, as we all know here in Buffalo!), anyway, Pioli hired a couple of high profile and I'm sure expensive men to serve as the OC and DC of his Chiefs. Charlie Weiss and Romeo Cromell were brought in and I'm sure Pioli could care less what Handley thought. What's that old motivational saying; "Success leaves clues"!? - Pioli certainly shared "some" success with those two guys in New England, so he hired them both to help Handley "speed up" the rebuidling process in Kansas City. So far so good, but of course it's a long season and the Chiefs still are lacking in overall talent. But if I'm a Chiefs fan, I feel pretty damn good about those two veteran coaches roaming the sidelines for me every week.

 

When Gailey was hired, I was as un-impressed as everyone else. But I really got pissed off when he started bringing in his old buddies as his assistant coaches. On top of them all being people he "worked with in the past", the two coordinators were of course never coordinators before in the NFL. Who cares, said some of my detractors out here. That's what all the head coaches do. Yeah, and it has worked so freakin' well so far for Chan right?

 

Start with Curtis Modkins. He's not even a real OC! In fact, he may have the least amount of responsibility in the history of the OC position in the NFL. Basically, he's no more then an offensive "quality control" coach for ego-manicac Gailey. Gailey certainly read all the stories of what an offensive "genius" he is, because he decided to design the entire offense and call all the plays. And Modkins does what, exactly, to fill up his 110 hours of work each week?

 

And let's now take a look at George Edwards, the 3-4 master. Yes sir, this former linebackers coach has really done a fine job so far, hasn't he? He took a defense that was great against the pass and bad against the run last year, and turned it into a defense that is equally as bad against the pass as it is against the run after 4 games. Nice job, there George.

 

Now, as you hit your reply button to tell me how any coaches would suck with this lack of talent, please see the Kansas City Chiefs first. Nobody was predicting them to do any better then the Bills this season. They were going to be one of the teams to compete for that coveted number one pick, right? Well I thought Gailey should have hired OC and DC men who had done it before in the NFL, because of how talent-less and young the Bills were! I'm not "bragging" about being right, I'm complaining that the men Gailey chose, those men he "had worked with before", are obviously not up to the job. Edwards looks clueless on the sidelines, and Modkins is not even mentioned as being a coach at all.

You seem to left out an important thing about Gailey: He was fired by Todd Haley last preseason, just like Turk Schonert was in Buffalo. Now if another NFL team had hired Schonert as their head coach, everyone in Buffalo would have laughed at them, but we accepted the Gailey hiring. Many around here were telling us what an upgrade the coaching staff was over last year. Whenever one of us stated that they had no evidence that this staff was better than the Jauron/Fewell staff last year we were criticized. This staff is looking like a downgrade from last year's staff. Maybe after this year some team will hire Fewell as head coach & next year we'll learn we should have made him permanent coach instead of Gailey.

Edited October 4, 2010 by Albany,n.y.

[Scraps]

Any coaches would suck with this lack of talent.

 

The coaches you mentioned still suck though.

[Dan]

I completely agree with you that our coaching staff blows. In fact, I just posted similar sentiments in a different thread.

 

However, you do realize that you're trying to make a point that Gailey shouldn't have hired guys he knew by siting as an example Pioli hiring guys he knew. So you shouldn't hire guys you know, unless you know good guys? Or... whatever.

[BillsPhan]

You seem to left out an important thing about Gailey: He was fired by Todd Haley last preseason, just like Turk Schonert was in Buffalo. Now if another NFL team had hired Schonert as their head coach, everyone in Buffalo would have laughed at them, but we accepted the Gailey hiring. Many around here were telling us what an upgrade the coaching staff was over last year. Whenever one of us stated that they had no evidence that this staff was better than the Jauron/Fewell staff last year we were criticized. This staff is looking like a downgrade from last year's staff. Maybe after this year some team will hire Fewell as head coach & next year we'll learn we should have made him permanent coach instead of Gailey.

 

Oops. Todd Haley, not "Handley"...thanks for the correction - I should have known his last name, or at least taken the time to get it right!

[BillsPhan]

I completely agree with you that our coaching staff blows. In fact, I just posted similar sentiments in a different thread.

 

However, you do realize that you're trying to make a point that Gailey shouldn't have hired guys he knew by siting as an example Pioli hiring guys he knew. So you shouldn't hire guys you know, unless you know good guys? Or... whatever.

 

You make a great point - and yes, I am being a tad hypocritical there. However, I did use the term "Coaches Old Boys Network", and I meant it. Scott Pioli worked with Weiss and Cronnell, and of course you can refer to both of them as being his "old boys." However, Pioli is not the head coach, he is the GM. Plus, he went right past his head coach and hired those two and how often do you see that today? Sometimes you see it, when the head coach has struggled for a couple to three straight seasons. But not after just one season, and not both the OC and DC at once! I think that while Pioli had a huge advantage of sharing SB success with both those men at New England, it was still a bold move for him to bring them both in to help his young head coach succeed better and/or faster.

 

Besides, after watching Gregg Williams bring in his hand picked coordinators that had never coordinated in the NFL before, then after watching Mularkey do it again, and then watching Jauron do it yet again, I simply had seen enough of this crap. The NFL made huge strides in the head coaching hiring process. But the teams' GMs are failing miserably in the OC / DC coaching hiring process, because they allow the new head coaches to choose them based on two mostly stupid factors: (1) They have to have worked with them in the past. (2) They have to have never been coordinators in the NFL yet. And why? Well, because the new head coach is too insecure to bring in proven OC / DC coaches that they don't "know."

Edited October 4, 2010 by BillsPhan

[Amstel]

Gailey brought in guys that he said were "teachers" wasn't that the same thing Williams did that didnt work? Most people in Management positions in just about any industry are going to try and bring in at least a few of "their people" when hired into a new company. Thats not necessarily a bad thing. However, it all depends on knowing the right people......Pioli's people are apparently better than Chan's people....

 

Im not really familiar with KC's roster so I can't say that they have more talent than we do but I doubt its any worse....

[birdog1960]

You seem to left out an important thing about Gailey: He was fired by Todd Haley last preseason, just like Turk Schonert was in Buffalo. Now if another NFL team had hired Schonert as their head coach, everyone in Buffalo would have laughed at them, but we accepted the Gailey hiring. Many around here were telling us what an upgrade the coaching staff was over last year. Whenever one of us stated that they had no evidence that this staff was better than the Jauron/Fewell staff last year we were criticized. This staff is looking like a downgrade from last year's staff. Maybe after this year some team will hire Fewell as head coach & next year we'll learn we should have made him permanent coach instead of Gailey.

this is a very good analogy. i am still amazed that so many fans readily accepted and continue to accept nix and gailey, especially when wilson teased of big name, big money signings. the difference is that kc has a next generation owner and buffalo does not.