Bills hire Heath Farwell as ST coordinator

[BillsFan4]

27 minutes ago, dneveu said:

Wasn't he only with Carolina after Beane/McD left?

Correct. He was only there for 2018 so no cross over with McDermott or Beane 

Edited January 15, 2019 by BillsFan4

[FLFan]

I do not care what team he came from as long as he can teach these young guys how to play special teams, and build some pride in the unit.  Seems like a good spot for a young, enthusiastic coach with a solid ST performance record of his own.  

[eball]

Guys, I can't get fully behind this hire until ScottLaw has trashed it -- has anyone seen him?

[One Buffalo]

 

Here is another great story on him from the end of his playing career-

 

https://www.fieldgulls.com/2013/5/31/4383520/heath-play-love-would-seahawks-do-well-in-going-far-without-special

 

Sounds like he focused on ST from college... 

 

Quote

Asked about his continuing excellence on those units, Farwell offered, "It goes way back to college, when most guys wanted to get off special teams when they started playing on defense or offense. I was one of those guys who wanted to play special teams and knew that was going to be my ticket to the NFL and my ticket to staying in the NFL."

 

[K-9]

There is no "Panther Connection" as McBeane and Farwell were never in Carolina together. They have Carolina "in common" but that's it and that's different than being connected. 

[Mountain Man]

56 minutes ago, Buddy Hix said:

Another Panthers coach, shocking....

 

Were the Panthers ST unit even top half of the league?

 

Do not like.

Apart from McDermott, can you name the Panthers coaches we've hired?

[freddyjj]

21 minutes ago, One Buffalo said:

Could be a great addition, great story...

 

https://www.theolympian.com/sports/nfl/seattle-seahawks/article26080978.html

 

Former special teams ace, ST captain for Seattle and they converted him to coach after injury.  

yes and will be close to Hauschka aka House Money as well.   Hope he can find a Punter out of the 2 Cor(e)ys.  

[Logic]

57 minutes ago, Ittakestime said:

The Carolina nonsense is getting nauseating.  Expand your horizons.

I find the immediate dismissal/minimizing of anyone from Carolina by fans to be quite a bit more nauseating, to be honest.
 
Just because he's from Carolina, he can't be any good? And did I dream up the fact that the Panthers have more wins by far in the past decade than the Bills, and have made a Super Bowl in that time?

Edited January 15, 2019 by Logic

[ComradeKayAdams]

The "cronyism" comments are a bit unfair. This guy is definitely qualified to coach special teams at the NFL level. Is he THE most qualified? I don't know. Probably not? But he's definitely qualified. And coach McDermott has every right to hire someone whom he thinks will get along well with the rest of the coaches, the players, and the general culture of the franchise that he's building. I like his NFL ST playing background. And I like that Frazier and Hauschka know him well. And most importantly, I like that he's not Danny Crossman.

 

 

 

 

[K-9]

59 minutes ago, Ittakestime said:

The Carolina nonsense is getting nauseating.  Expand your horizons.

Expand your knowledge. 

[BillsFanForever19]

16 minutes ago, Mountain Man said:

Apart from social media, who cares? Football is a sport won on the field, not a popularity contest won on internet forums

 

They should care. Optics are very important in sports, especially football. If it works, there's obviously no issue. But if it doesn't work - perception is reality. And the perception is that they appear to dependent on their former team and connections there.

[Logic]

For anyone to sit here and bash the move -- when we all know DAMN WELL that nobody knows a lick about Heath Farwell as a coach -- is just silly and pessimistic.

Try reading a bit about the guy, watching some Panthers special teams footage, or using any critical thinking whatsoever, instead of just dismissing the move out of hand because he happens to have the same former employer as our GM and coach.

As someone else mentioned in this thread, he wasn't even IN Carolina at the same time as McBeane. He's also a lifelong NFL special teamer himself who only recently retired. He appears to be an energetic, upbeat, hands-on coach, and just about anyone on planet earth would be an upgrade over Danny Crossman. But people are gonna knock the move because he came from the Panthers? Oy vey. People never cease to amaze me.

Just now, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

They should care. Optics are very important in sports, especially football. If it works, there's obviously no issue. But if it doesn't work - perception is reality. And the perception is that they appear to dependent on their former team and connections there.

*cough* total nonsense *cough*

[formerlyofCtown]

1 hour ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

Even if he is a great hire - how are they not aware of the optics that come with filling (what feels like) 75% of your holes with Carolina coaches and players? It's not a good look.

I know.  What foolishness hiring people you know will promote the culture you want.

[WideNine]

6 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

How could it be if they never worked with him

 

Fair point - did not note the hiring date when they went to work for the Panthers and forgot they flushed Koeter so that explains why he was available.

 

It is also fair to acknowledge that there has to be some FO connections still with Carolina, or a degree of organizational cronyism or this guy who (as you pointed out, the McBeane has not worked with, who has a minimal NFL coaching resume) would not have floated to the top.

 

Not saying he is going to suck, just wondering what they based this hire on, or more likely who's opinion.

 

[Mark Vader]

1 hour ago, CommonCents said:

It’s a special teams coach so I don’t care much about the Carolina connection being used again. I find it hard to believe that the best guy for the job was from the same place as the coach and GM, the 1/32 thing but bleh.

 

If they sign Funchess I will probably lose all hope for the duo. 

And if they sign Darryl Williams?

[Turk71]

Blue cheese or Ranch?

My wife's maiden name is Heath, so that is a positive.

He has played and coached in the NFL.

Carolina.

Youthful exuberance.

 

I am cautiously optimistic.

[YoloinOhio]

5 minutes ago, WideNine said:

 

Fair point - did not note the hiring date when they went to work for the Panthers and forgot they flushed Koeter so that explains why he was available.

 

It is also fair to acknowledge that there has to be some FO connections still with Carolina, or a degree of organizational cronyism or this guy who (as you pointed out, the McBeane has not worked with, who has a minimal NFL coaching resume) would not have floated to the top.

 

Not saying he is going to suck, just wondering what they based this hire on, or more likely who's opinion.

 

Probably their own opinion after evaluating his work and interviewing him 

[without a drought]

I'm hoping he's an innovative ST coach, the kind who would defer the punt back to the offense on 4th and short past the 50.

Edited January 15, 2019 by The Drought

[BillsFanForever19]

38 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

The comment from PFT is flat incorrect. My point is make sure you know what you are talking about before laying it on so thick. I am not typically snarky,  but i don’t typically see posts both so loaded with snark AND uninformed. You did indeed own the comment about coaches but continued to Insinuate there is some kind of meaningful pipeline, which there isn’t. 

 

Not really singling you out as much as making sure people don’t read it and believe it. I can only attribute all of the vitriol in the thread as a whole to pent up frustration over how things turned out with KB. 

 

It's not just KB. There's Derek Anderson, Mike Tolbert (former), Star Lotulelei, Kaelin Clay (former), and Dean Marlowe. All off the top of my head. Beane followed McDermott from Carolina. And he went on to add his Carolina buddy Joe Schoen (who left for Miami before this season) and Dan Morgan (who is as Carolina as it comes).

 

Perhaps it's a little overblown by fans and the media. But to say there hasn't been a pipeline or connection is to take it from one extreme to another.

[YoloinOhio]

25 minutes ago, eball said:

Guys, I can't get fully behind this hire until ScottLaw has trashed it -- has anyone seen him?

Yes, i saw him locked in the entrapment of Adam Gase’s eyes. Should have gone full Birdbox.

[WideNine]

1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said:

Probably their own opinion after evaluating his work and interviewing him 

 

You think?

 

I hope this is the case, but what I have seen in life is that is more often who you know that what you know when it comes to getting hired.

 

I had some other guys in mind so I am a bit bummed. The Panthers were middle of the pack playing in a nice balmy Charlotte location half the time, our conditions in B-lo are a bit more challenging, but I am open to being convinced he is a diamond in the rough.

 

 

 

 

[YoloinOhio]

2 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

It's not just KB. There's Derek Anderson, Mike Tolbert (former), Star Lotulelei, Kaelin Clay (former), and Dean Marlowe. All off the top of my head. Beane followed McDermott from Carolina. And he went on to add his Carolina buddy Joe Schoen (who left for Miami before this season) and Dan Morgan (who is as Carolina as it comes).

 

Perhaps it's a little overblown by fans and the media. But to say there hasn't been a pipeline or connection is to take it from one extreme to another.

I know there were other Carolina players, as expected (you actually missed a few) but I was referring to actual frustration over the outcome which I believe is largely tied to KB. 

Just now, WideNine said:

 

You think?

 

I hope this is the case, but what I have seen in life is that is more often who you know that what you know when it comes to getting hired.

 

I had some other guys in mind so I am a bit bummed. The Panthers were middle of the pack playing in a nice balmy Charlotte location half the time, our conditions in B-lo are a bit more challenging, but I am open to being convinced he is a diamond in the rough.

 

 

 

 

True but he coached there only one year and they didn’t play every game at home in Charlotte . He played ST in Seattle and in the nfc north for a long time! I think he is pretty familiar with ST in weather conditions. 

[BillsFanForever19]

Just now, YoloinOhio said:

I know there were other Carolina players, as expected (you actually missed a few) but I was referring to actual frustration over the outcome which I believe is largely tied to KB. 

 

So if you see staff, players, and now coaches - a long list (of which you can apparently add on to) - how can you say there's no pipeline? 

[Beast]

Never heard of this Fartwell fella.

[formerlyofCtown]

13 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Probably their own opinion after evaluating his work and interviewing him 

Yes but are they as qualified as a TBD poster.?

[sullim4]

I think I am with the majority here.  If the guy is a good hire, then that's great.

 

I would be curious to know, though, how many players, coaches, and front officer personnel we've picked up directly from the Carolina Panthers.  Not just have ever been connected with the franchise, but how many were working for Carolina, that ended up directly in Buffalo.

[formerlyofCtown]

8 minutes ago, WideNine said:

 

You think?

 

I hope this is the case, but what I have seen in life is that is more often who you know that what you know when it comes to getting hired.

 

I had some other guys in mind so I am a bit bummed. The Panthers were middle of the pack playing in a nice balmy Charlotte location half the time, our conditions in B-lo are a bit more challenging, but I am open to being convinced he is a diamond in the rough.

 

 

 

 

Or their players were a little rough.

[Coach Tuesday]

I think it’s fair to ask whether McBeane have sufficient contacts around the league to fully evaluate both players and coaches, or whether they’re overly reliant on recommendations from their former colleagues.  Certainly he seems energetic and dedicated and he’s no retread; hopefully he can fix the woeful STs we’ve seen during McD’s tenure (and I’ve always thought that Teams was more about the head coach and GM).  But you have to wonder whether McBeane have a full grasp of personnel and coaching evaluations.  It’s a fair question.

[YoloinOhio]

8 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

So if you see staff, players, and now coaches - a long list (of which you can apparently add on to) - how can you say there's no pipeline? 

I’m unsure what you are now arguing. I said i think the vitriol on the Carolina stuff stems from KB. This is the 1st coach they’ve ever brought over from there and zero FO members. Player pipeline? Yes, to some degree, as expected. The rest? No, there isn’t one as of now. 

Edited January 15, 2019 by YoloinOhio

[The Wiz]

5 pages in and no one has said it yet. 

 

Oh well... 

 

Championship! 

[K-9]

12 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

It's not just KB. There's Derek Anderson, Mike Tolbert (former), Star Lotulelei, Kaelin Clay (former), and Dean Marlowe. All off the top of my head. Beane followed McDermott from Carolina. And he went on to add his Carolina buddy Joe Schoen (who left for Miami before this season) and Dan Morgan (who is as Carolina as it comes).

 

Perhaps it's a little overblown by fans and the media. But to say there hasn't been a pipeline or connection is to take it from one extreme to another.

If McBeane had the same personal experience with the Carolina connected people mentioned in bold text above, you'd have a stronger point about their being the same kind of connection with Farwell. Again, it's the difference between a "connection" and merely having something in "common." 

[BillsFan1988]

Welcome Gold Star toting Bandcamp member.

[sullim4]

1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said:

I’m unsure what you are now arguing. I said i think the vitriol on the Carolina stuff stems from KB. This is the 1st coach they’ve ever brought over from there and zero FO members. Player pipeline? Yes, to some degree, as expected. The rest? No, there isn’t one as of now. 

 

Don't forget about Tolbert.

[One Buffalo]

Now this is interesting... looks like he worked for a little while with STRIVR Labs-  a start up company that partnered with the NFL for virtual reality training.  - https://www.strivr.com/nfl-partnership-with-strivr/

 

Here in this article he is mentioned along with Trent Edwards (yeah... that guy!), helping Vikings set up the new system at that time (2015).

 

http://www.startribune.com/high-tech-hits-the-field-at-vikings-camp/318733721/

 

https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-to-implement-virtual-reality-technology-15523213

 

https://vrjournal.com/vikings-discover-new-world-and-its-virtual-reality-technology/

 

Trent Edwards is co founder... https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2015/7/24/9024017/trent-edwards-nfl-virtual-reality-strivr-labs-buffalo-bills

Edited January 15, 2019 by One Buffalo

[GunnerBill]

I once slept with a girl name Caroline. Is that close enough? Can I have a job? I'd take Deputy Assistant Quality Control coach. 

 

20 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

It's not just KB. There's Derek Anderson, Mike Tolbert (former), Star Lotulelei, Kaelin Clay (former), and Dean Marlowe. All off the top of my head. Beane followed McDermott from Carolina. And he went on to add his Carolina buddy Joe Schoen (who left for Miami before this season) and Dan Morgan (who is as Carolina as it comes).

 

Perhaps it's a little overblown by fans and the media. But to say there hasn't been a pipeline or connection is to take it from one extreme to another.

 

I think you are confused on Schoen. He worked in Miami before Buffalo. He is still our assistant GM. 

[stevewin]

1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

He sounds pretty impressive from that article. Thanks for sharing. 

 

I am optimistic about this hire. 

Agreed - that's a great article.  I was almost getting pumped up about STs just reading it ? 

[Mountain Man]

37 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

They should care. Optics are very important in sports, especially football. If it works, there's obviously no issue. But if it doesn't work - perception is reality. And the perception is that they appear to dependent on their former team and connections there.

Meaningless words.

 

If he fails, he fails. If he succeeds, he succeeds. THAT is reality.

 

And they have no connections to the guy anyway.....?

[Real McClappy]

This guy next for the OL?

 

https://www.panthers.com/team/coaches-roster/travelle-wharton

[PIZ]

Not sure what kind of a guy Rivera is, but is it possible that Rivera called Beane/McDermott and said "hey, I see you guys are looking for a ST Coordinator.  You really should look at at Heath Farwell.  He's an assistant here, but he is deserving of a ST Coordinator position.  He won't get it here, because we have our guy, but he deserves a shot somewhere"?  Those kinds of connections (to your former team) are likely to happen.

 

 

[Rochesterfan]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

Define “inordinate.” No FO members either. Dan Morgan played there but was not in the FO. He came from the Seahawks. 

 

And this is a thread about a coaching hire so makes zero sense to judge it based on that fact they signed some players from there. Commonplace stuff for any team with familiarity of players and system/scheme/culture. They also cut some from there. Own your uninformed take, please.

 

 

This is so right - people get so blow away over inaccuracies because they believe that all we do is hire ex Carolina players and coaches - when in reality the numbers are small.