sllib olaffub Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I struggled with a short, yet appropriate title for this post - so, if it is misleading or off, forgive me. We Fans sit at home and watch the NFL on weekends, and here on these sites discuss our teams just about year round. One thing that is often said when we want to be critical of our team, or of the coaches, or of the team's play, is that we fans don't know as much as the coaches do - so we must trust in their expertise. It is a forgone conclusion that what happens behind the closed doors of these NFL facilities is top-of-the-line, best of the best, cutting edge everything. It's the NFL, right? It doesn't get better than this. So, I was very shocked to read, just the other day, an article in which Fitz claims he's never had a technician coach before! I just assumed that every position on an NFL team was being analyzed by men who pick apart every flaw in the players game and try to make improvements. Yet, it seems that for the most part, it is assumed that these men know how to do the things their position demands of them! You mean to tell me, then, that given Fitz's erratic, inconsistent throwing, which has been evident for years, and he has never been offered an expert to analyze and fix his throwing style? Here is a link: http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Fitz-already-improving-mechanics-under-Lee/b7a3494c-e52a-4e0e-88e8-9076dd90aefe My question/topic, therefore, is this: There was another post recently where the question was raised - why is New England always the measuring stick for the rest of the teams in the NFL. Well, if teams are behaving like Buffalo, and in dishing out HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of dollars AREN'T also spending maybe a few hundred thousand dollars on guys who could maximize the performance of the players - maybe we fans could actually teach these coaches a thing or two? Perhaps the coaching and methods behind closed doors are not as cutting edge as we assume? How many other ways are teams like Buffalo failing to take obvious routes toward success - and maybe it is in these small ways teams like New England remain better than the rest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Lightning Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 IDK, it's like community colleges having to teach remedial English and math to HS graduates. I suppose pro teams do have some players they give extra attention to....hence "coaching them up." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) maybe it is in these small ways teams like New England remain better than the rest? What makes you think the Pats are doing something different in terms of QB coaching? Virtually all reports indicate that Brady's technical skills are due to the training he received from his late QB guru, Tom Martinez--and NOT any members of the New England coaching staff. Working on technique is fine. But if you could "bottle the formula" for making every NFL quarterback better simply by hiring a guy like Dave Lee, then coaches like him would have been the highest paid individuals in NFL a long, long time ago. Unfortunately, it's not that simple--and the 6-inches between the ears remains the most important physical quality for an NFL QB... Edited June 3, 2012 by Lurker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 i think the comment had to be slightly exaggerated. never had a technician might have been never had one quite this thorough or demanding of changes even. it wouldnt make sense that no one ever looked at his mechanics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1B4IDie Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I took that to mean coaching style. LEE is a technitian, where other coaches may be focused on other aspects of practice and preparation. I don't believe it means that he had no one to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I took that to mean coaching style. LEE is a technitian, where other coaches may be focused on other aspects of practice and preparation. I don't believe it means that he had no one to work with. to go further, id bet it just means he focuses on that MORE than anyone he had worked with and possibly spotted a few extra things - not that no coach had worked on it with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtbag Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 “I’ve never really had a technician as a coach,” said Fitzpatrick. “I’ve kind of always just gone out there and thrown. And I don’t know why I go out and throw like I do. I just go out and do it." i find it surprising that a quarterback could not only get into the nfl, but play for 7 years without anyone ever discussing mechanics with him. then again, maybe he flew under the radar since he was a backup most of that time. billy jo hobert managed to get by without even knowing the playbook. still, having your team's quarterback admit to not knowing the mechanics is somewhat disconcerting given their importance. that would be like a poster on tbd admit to not knowing how to use emoticons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 “I’ve never really had a technician as a coach,” said Fitzpatrick. “I’ve kind of always just gone out there and thrown. And I don’t know why I go out and throw like I do. I just go out and do it." i find it surprising that a quarterback could not only get into the nfl, but play for 7 years without anyone ever discussing mechanics with him. then again, maybe he flew under the radar since he was a backup most of that time. billy jo hobert managed to get by without even knowing the playbook. still, having your team's quarterback admit to not knowing the mechanics is somewhat disconcerting given their importance. that would be like a poster on tbd admit to not knowing how to use emoticons. well, on the other hand his career track has been st louis, cincy (they have what, 2 scouts these days?) and now buffalo.... so maaaaybe its possible that he went without great qb coaching all this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Fong Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I know some around here hate hearing it, but the Bills have been run like a money maker not like a first class organization. These are the types of corners that have been cut and the results have been a lost decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpperDeck Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I think having a dedicated technical QB coach usually only comes into play when a QB has an obvious throwing flaw, like a low side-arm or slow release. Having inaccurate throws from time to time is not as obvious as far as being a technical flaw. So something like this can fly under the radar. Especially for basically a journeyman QB who's only around for a couple years and then moves on. QB's get labelled as accurate or inaccurate early in their careers. It's assumed that they just can't aim consistently. It takes a technician to see something as miniscule as this. A typical QB coach pays a lot more attention to making the right reads and getting the ball out in time. Even with coach Lee it still remains to be seen whether Fitz can make the necessary corrections. But I'm hopeful that making the corrections, along with having more time to throw, will improve his accuracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) I struggled with a short, yet appropriate title for this post - so, if it is misleading or off, forgive me. We Fans sit at home and watch the NFL on weekends, and here on these sites discuss our teams just about year round. One thing that is often said when we want to be critical of our team, or of the coaches, or of the team's play, is that we fans don't know as much as the coaches do - so we must trust in their expertise. It is a forgone conclusion that what happens behind the closed doors of these NFL facilities is top-of-the-line, best of the best, cutting edge everything. It's the NFL, right? It doesn't get better than this. So, I was very shocked to read, just the other day, an article in which Fitz claims he's never had a technician coach before! I think one thing to remember is "roles and responsibilities". It's the job of the QB coach during the season to focus on game preparation. During the offseason, it's his job to focus on the starter. Fitz wasn't the starter during the offseason until last year when - hey, presto - no offseason. Prior to that, it was Fitz's job to be the backup and the practice squad QB, the guy who had to master 2 game plans every week. So understandably, that was his focus. I think QB coaches also have different strengths - and focus more on different aspects of the game. I don't see Alex Van Pelt as a strong technical coach, maybe I'm wrong. A starting QB at a football powerhouse will get a lot of technical coaching. A starting QB at Harvard will probably not get a lot of technical attention. It does surprise me that Fitz didn't go out looking and hire a good technical coach on his own dime the last couple seasons when he started bringing in a bit more money, although, to be fully useful and spot patterns, I think a lot of film is needed and it's not clear to me how much access an NFL team will allow to a private coach. Fitz may have felt he needed more S&C and focused there first, or something like that. Or maybe Fitz drank the koolaid that you're either accurate or inaccurate, strong or weak armed and nothing to be done about that, that so many here have quaffed? Edited June 3, 2012 by Hopeful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtbag Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 well, on the other hand his career track has been st louis, cincy (they have what, 2 scouts these days?) and now buffalo.... so maaaaybe its possible that he went without great qb coaching all this time. this doesn't make his admission any less surprising. i can't believe that no coach in fitz's 6 years broached the topic. i would expect any 29 year old nfl qb to have had this discussion at some point in his life. then again, i make no claim to knowing the inner workings of an nfl organization. maybe the coaches and players just play grab-ass on non-game days. regardless, i've done some research and found a promising young quarterback's coach that the bills might want to consider. this guy seems pretty solid, mechanics-wise: http://www.campquarterback.com/coaches/rob-johnson/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince88 Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 “I’ve never really had a technician as a coach,” said Fitzpatrick. “I’ve kind of always just gone out there and thrown. And I don’t know why I go out and throw like I do. I just go out and do it." i find it surprising that a quarterback could not only get into the nfl, but play for 7 years without anyone ever discussing mechanics with him. then again, maybe he flew under the radar since he was a backup most of that time. billy jo hobert managed to get by without even knowing the playbook. still, having your team's quarterback admit to not knowing the mechanics is somewhat disconcerting given their importance. that would be like a poster on tbd admit to not knowing how to use emoticons. Emoticons......what's an emoticon??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtbag Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Emoticons......what's an emoticon??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meark Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I know some around here hate hearing it, but the Bills have been run like a money maker not like a first class organization. These are the types of corners that have been cut and the results have been a lost decade. Sorry to take your Bills organization negativity down a notch, but he did play for two other teams before coming to Buffalo.. At least they are addressing the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Sorry to take your Bills organization negativity down a notch, but he did play for two other teams before coming to Buffalo.. At least they are addressing the problem. Yeah the irony of the criticism is that if the Bills hadn't made Fitz' mechanics a public issue, then no one would have been the wiser for it. In other words it would not be the issue that it is now had they simply not made it a part of the public dialogue. For doing a good thing they've opened themselves to criticism which I understand because the finer criticism is that they/Fitz didn't do this sooner. Nonetheless the end result is that they're taking criticism for doing a good thing. Just looking forward to Tuesday's OTA session… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yungmack Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 There is no player, no matter how good, that can't use an outside set of eyes to help improve himself. What I wondered (in regard to Fitz's remark) was why he didn't seek out one of the several highly regarded private QB coaches out there on his own. Some of the biggest QB names do it routinely in the off-season so why didn't a guy who was passed over by the major schools coming out of high school, and then played in a rinky dink program at Harvard, think that he maybe could use some help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Every team has a QB coach. Are they not supposed to teach mechanics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpleman Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 This does not shock me. I have posted a number of times questioning why NFL teams don't hire specialists just for particular players that they drafted high and pay large salaries for, when they seem to have the talent and skills but they under-perform. Seems like a relatively small investment to make before you write off the player as a washout and a disappointment. The Maybin's and those like McKelvin who have so much promise but just can't seem take it to the next level. It seems so obvious from a business perspective, but does not seem to be done very often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Fong Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Sorry to take your Bills organization negativity down a notch, but he did play for two other teams before coming to Buffalo.. At least they are addressing the problem. Because the Rams and Cincinnatti are two teams we want to emulate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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