The new tone at OBD: What they're saying

[The Big Cat]

First the coaches:

 

One of the things that used to drive me nuts about Gailey was how it seemed--even 3/4 of the way through a season the team was still "learning," "improving," "installing," etc. Now, I understand that no coach will ever get on the mic, or even say to his team, boys, we've arrived, the time for improvement is over, you're just the fine way you are. That much is clear, but Gailey seemed to have a 3 year plan that was taking 8 years to execute.

 

Marrone basically said in his interview with Murph last week that his approach is the exact opposite, and I love that.

 

 

From the players:

 

Firstly, they're saying the same thing: "this is not rebuilding," "we're hear to win a Super Bowl," "we'll be ready day one."

Tough to argue with that attitude.

 

Likewise--

 

Of the prior regime, there has been A LOT of damning-by-proxy. The "tempo" has changed. There's more "enthusiasm." There's more "energy." There's more "excitement." I take this to mean one of two things:

1. Marrone's crew is as advertised, which is to say--he's got a reputation for being a no-nonsense, straight shooting guy with high expectations for his players (aka Capt. Culture Changer).
    
   
2. Gailey and Co. were a bona fide snooze fest, and based off some very reliable player-intel I've received, that's likely to have been the case.
   

I haven't seen much talk around here re: the sound bytes that have been coming out of OBD since last week's OTA's, so I'm curious to hear what everyone else thinks.

 

NOW: It's so easy to get swept up in blind optimism during a regime-transition, yes. But I gotta feeling about these guys. I truly believe the tides have turned. GO BILLS!

 

:w00t: :w00t:

 

P.S. Cue the "they haven't played any games yet" crowd and the "realists" with their "I'll believe it when I see it" chorus.

[Fan in San Diego]

I think with Marrone, you get with the program pretty fast or your gone pretty fast.

[Beerball]

I think with Marrone, you get with the program pretty fast or your gone pretty fast.

Yeahbut...he's now got roster size to deal with and a salary cap. I wouldn't be surprised if someone is made an example of, a sacrificial lamb so to speak, but it will be someone expendable and it will only happen once.

[Maddog69]

Show me the baby

[Dorkington]

So Gailey was honest and Marrone is instilling false confidence? Does he honestly think this team is going to the Superbowl? Am I missing something? Gailey was a joke of a coach, no question. But was he the only reason why we finished so poorly? We haven't exactly changed the roster whole-sale.

[The Big Cat]

Show me the baby

 

Are you being ironical?

 

So Gailey was honest and Marrone is instilling false confidence? Does he honestly think this team is going to the Superbowl? Am I missing something? Gailey was a joke of a coach, no question. But was he the only reason why we finished so poorly? We haven't exactly changed the roster whole-sale.

 

Do you ever grow tired of putting a negative spin on everything?

 

Yeahbut...he's now got roster size to deal with and a salary cap. I wouldn't be surprised if someone is made an example of, a sacrificial lamb so to speak, but it will be someone expendable and it will only happen once.

 

Who do you suppose is the early favorite?

 

Dareus?

Mario?

Stevie??

[Stealth]

Are you being ironical?

 

 

 

Do you ever grow tired of putting a negative spin on everything?

 

 

 

Who do you suppose is the early favorite?

 

Dareus?

Mario?

Stevie??

 

Kyle Williams

[CodeMonkey]

Firstly, they're saying the same thing: "this is not rebuilding," "we're hear to win a Super Bowl," "we'll be ready day one."

Tough to argue with that attitude.

Is it? Starting with 2000:

8-8

3-13

8-8

6-10

9-7

5-11

7-9

7-9

7-9

6-10

4-12

6-10

6-10

Then in 2013 ... Superbowl!

 

That's a heck of an overnight improvement due to not much more than a "culture change"

But hey, dare to dream!

Edited April 8, 2013 by CodeMonkey

[Kellyto83TD]

I think with Marrone, you get with the program pretty fast or your gone pretty fast.

 

If they have given him the power to cut as he sees, yeah its my way or the highway and damn fast. I personally hope they gave it to him.

[Beerball]

Are you being ironical?

 

 

 

Do you ever grow tired of putting a negative spin on everything?

 

 

 

Who do you suppose is the early favorite?

 

Dareus?

Mario?

Stevie??

Troup.Is Easley on the roster? Smith (a guy can hope)

[Dorkington]

Do you ever grow tired of putting a negative spin on everything?

 

 

I'm actually curious. Do YOU think this team has good odds to make the Superbowl? Or even the playoffs?

 

Is it? Starting with 2000:

8-8

3-13

8-8

6-10

9-7

5-11

7-9

7-9

7-9

6-10

4-12

6-10

6-10

Then in 2013 ... Superbowl!

 

That's a heck of an overnight improvement due to not much more than a "culture change"

But hey, dare to dream!

 

Ding ding ding.

[chris heff]

Punting from the 34 yard line indoors is all you really need to know about Chan Gaiey's coaching style.

[dubs]

I'm actually curious. Do YOU think this team has good odds to make the Superbowl? Or even the playoffs?

 

 

 

Ding ding ding.

 

I think the point of the original post is that a healthy culture change will hopefully build a culture of success. It can't be worse than what we've had the last 12 years. We like what we are seeing/hearing from Marrone.

 

Personally, I think that piece are in place to have a decent to good year. I think the biggest change will be on defense. Wanny was HORRIBLE last year and it cost us, bigtime. The offense should be marginally better with Kolb, but hopefully modestly better if they use Spiller more effectively.

 

Translation: I don't think 10-6, 9-7 is out of the question. I'd put it at about 25% chance.

[The Big Cat]

I'm actually curious. Do YOU think this team has good odds to make the Superbowl? Or even the playoffs?

 

 

 

Ding ding ding.

 

Absolutely I do. As dubs rightly noted above, Wanny's defense was beyond horrible last year. It was appalling, historically bad, out dated, ineffective, laughable, AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE. It was BRUTAL. And despite that, even with Fitzwinger out there, and with the NFL's most electric player underused, we still finished two games below .500.

 

You're suggesting that the organization, top to bottom, coaches to talent is/was inept, and there's more than sufficient evidence to suggest that's not the case.

 

Coaching made a huge difference in wins/losses last year, and that will show this year.

 

We're talking about the NFL, where talent from player to player, team to team simply doesn't vary that far, it really doesn't. It's a bell-curve, with several outstanding players and a couple of guys who were lucky to be born into a 6'7" 350 frame, but will themselves out of the league in less than 20 months, but everyone else is somewhere in between.

 

Coaching can/will make all the difference.

Edited April 8, 2013 by taC giB ehT

[DrDawkinstein]

Is "0 Bills Drive" less than 1 Bills Drive? Is that where we are starting from this year? I kinda like it. Not a rebuild, just a refresh.

[VanCity]

Here's the thing. If you go into a locker room and see a group that has been battered on the field and bashed in the media, your priority is to turn things around mentally first. If you don't target the Super Bowl as the goal for your football team, why do you even field a team? Whether or not any of the fans believe that, based on the on-field product we witnessed and the personnel changes so far, the Bills are a Super Bowl contender is completely inconsequential.

 

I expect that the priorities for Marrone are as follows:

1) Change the attitude in the room. Bring an upbeat, high energy focus and instill a greater drive on the part of the players.

2) Set expectations. If they are not met, make an example out of the biggest offender. If that is a cut, then so be it. if it is just simply putting them on the spot in front of their peers, so be it. Some of the guys on NFL teams are such Prima Donnas that the only thing that makes a difference to them is when they are ostracized. Guys that don't work to achieve a unified goal can easily be ostracized.

3) Put the systems in place. Set the tone on D, O and ST. This is the basics of coaching. No explanation necessary.

[Dorkington]

Absolutely I do. As dubs rightly noted above, Wanny's defense was beyond horrible last year. It was appalling, historically bad, out dated, ineffective, laughable, AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE. It was BRUTAL. And despite that, even with Fitzwinger out there, and with the NFL's most electric player underused, we still finished two games below .500.

 

You're suggesting that the organization, top to bottom, coaches to talent is/was inept, and there's more than sufficient evidence to suggest that's not the case.

 

Coaching made a huge difference in wins/losses last year, and that will show this year.

 

We're talking about the NFL, where talent from player to player, team to team simply doesn't vary that far, it really doesn't. It's a bell-curve, with several outstanding players and a couple of guys who were lucky to be born into a 6'7" 350 frame, but will themselves out of the league in less than 20 months, but everyone else is somewhere in between.

 

Coaching can/will make all the difference.

 

Cool, I can see your argument. I don't necessarily agree, but I can understand it.

 

I think the coaches were bad, but I also think we have problems at QB, WR, TE, OL, LB and CB. Not that the talent there is all inept, but enough holes that it adds up to a weak team, talent wise. I'd be much more confident if we added more mid level "solid" guys in some of those positions. But, either way, I hope your optimism is right, and not my low expectations.

Edited April 8, 2013 by Dorkington

[Fan in San Diego]

Are you being ironical?

 

 

 

Do you ever grow tired of putting a negative spin on everything?

 

 

 

Who do you suppose is the early favorite?

 

Dareus?

Mario?

Stevie??

 

Torrell Troup is my fav.

[PJBrown7]

I'm actually curious. Do YOU think this team has good odds to make the Superbowl? Or even the playoffs?

 

 

 

Ding ding ding.

 

Funny, I don;t recall Marrone and crew being here since 2000? Obviously a positive change needs to occur to turn the team into a winner. This may or may not work but it is a change and they deserve every chance to succeed and not be tied to past records of losing staffs......but then again if we do turn it around you'll have to dig a little deeper to find stuff to B word about

[The Big Cat]

Cool, I can see your argument. I don't necessarily agree, but I can understand it.

 

I think the coaches were bad, but I also think we have problems at QB, WR, TE, OL, LB and CB. Not that the talent there is all inept, but enough holes that it adds up to a weak team, talent wise. I'd be much more confident if we added more mid level "solid" guys in some of those positions. But, either way, I hope your optimism is right, and not my low expectations.

 

Look, the whole point of this was to suggest that attitude can be everything. And without sounding like an unmitigated blowhard, I have it on good authority, straight from a player's perspective that last year's coaches had the team's collective confidence (in the systems, in themselves, in the team) in the collective dumpster.

 

Marrone said last week that he sees no point in keeping a guy on the roster that won't help the team win. This plays right into the Steelers' "next man up" philosophy and is completely counter to all the claims we'd hear from Gailey about a player "not being quite ready yet."

 

When you play for Marrone, you're expected to be ready, you want to be ready.