Mike Lodish interview

[WIDE LEFT]

A couple weeks ago the John Murphy show had Lodish as a guest. Asked to compare the Bills Super Bowl teams to the Denver teams he was on that actually won Super Bowl, he stated Denver teams were a real team, with everybody treated the same, everybody on the same page, everybody supportive of each other. The Bills on the other hand had a lot of finger pointing, huge egos, star players treated differently than rest of team. Never functioned as a real team.

 

  After the commercial break, John Murphy stated that it was one of the best interviews he has ever done. When he asked Tasker about it, good old Steve, clueless as ever, commented on how tight knit Bills were, as if he had not heard a thing Lodish said. 

 

   Lodish also compared the teams approach to the Super Bowl. In Denver, Shanahan imposed a strict curfew, told the team to party AFTER the game. Bills, on the other hand, partied all the way up to the game. Lodish admitted he partied as hard as anyone. What a shame, with a Super Bowl on the line, Kelly and company could not exercise a modicum of self control, and put the party ahead of the game. And the most overrated coach in the history of the NFL, Marv Levy, didn’t have the common sense to reign the players in. 

 

  Would like Thurman, Kelly et al to come correct and admit how badly they betrayed the franchise and fans by putting their egos and their partying ahead of the NFLs biggest game.

 

 

 

[Chandler#81]

2 minutes ago, WIDE LEFT said:

 

  Would like Thurman, Kelly et al to come correct and admit how badly they betrayed the franchise and fans by putting their egos and their partying ahead of the NFLs biggest game.

Hold your breath.

Please.

[Happy]

I recall hearing that Kent Hull had to carry Jim Kelley through the tunnel and onto the field before some of the games, so not surprising that carried over to a game as big as SB.

Those guys know what they did and have to live with the regret; and us fans living with the torture of losing four straight.  Had they taken the SBs a little more seriously, they may have been 2-2 and recognized as one of the greatest franchises ever by going to four straight (record that still holds) and winning 50%.

[Chandler#81]

7 minutes ago, Happy Gilmore said:

I recall hearing that Kent Hull had to carry Jim Kelley through the tunnel and onto the field before some of the games, so not surprising that carried over to a game as big as SB.

Those guys know what they did and have to live with the regret; and us fans living with the torture of losing four straight.  Had they taken the SBs a little more seriously, they may have been 2-2 and recognized as one of the greatest franchises ever by going to four straight (record that still holds) and winning 50%.

 

That record is in dire peril. A NE* return in February TIES it and they already have back to back WINS. 

I see the onus to stop them as singularly on us. Like the Dolphins vs Bears in ‘85. If we beat ‘em twice this year, they ain’t going.

[MJS]

You don't think you should let it go after all these years?

[LeGOATski]

They can have regrets and be proud at the same time.

 

We all already know this version of the story.

 

We know Tasker's version too.

 

Neither one is wrong.

2 minutes ago, MJS said:

You don't think you should let it go after all these years?

The person's username is "wide left"

 

Of course they don't think they should let go

[Best Player Available]

19 minutes ago, Happy Gilmore said:

I recall hearing that Kent Hull had to carry Jim Kelley through the tunnel and onto the field before some of the games, so not surprising that carried over to a game as big as SB.

 

That take may be just a tad overblown. What Kent Hall (rip) did do once. Was, get a call from Kelly at 4am. on gameday to pick him up,

and get him to the stadium before Marv got there. Hall called the trainer told him to prepare a ice bath. And in Kelly went. This I believe was in Larry Felsers book.  Carrying a QB onto a field at kickoff? LOL. 

[Not at the table Karlos]

3 minutes ago, Best Player Available said:

That take may be just a tad overblown. What Kent Hall (rip) did do once. Was, get a call from Kelly at 4am. on gameday to pick him up,

and get him to the stadium before Marv got there. Hall called the trainer told him to prepare a ice bath. And in Kelly went. This I believe was in Larry Felsers book.  Carrying a QB onto a field at kickoff? LOL. 

Yeah you would think some one would have taken a picture of the C carrying a hungover QB on to field

[Royale with Cheese]

Cornelius Bennett said the same thing in a radio interview in Atlanta several years ago.

 

He said that they were so exhausted by the 4th quarter because they were up all night on Saturday.

[Bad Things]

FFS.

[Happy]

25 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

 

That record is in dire peril. A NE* return in February TIES it and they already have back to back WINS. 

I see the onus to stop them as singularly on us. Like the Dolphins vs Bears in ‘85. If we beat ‘em twice this year, they ain’t going.

 

I suspect we're going to need some help.  KC probably has the best shot at stopping NE.

[Chandler#81]

Just now, Happy Gilmore said:

 

I suspect we're going to need some help.  KC probably has the best shot at stopping NE.

Shhhhh!?

(I’m trying to motivate the Bills!)

[vincec]

Interviews like this are for losers. They lost so they need to find an excuse as to why. If Norwood had made the kick then they'd comparing Kelly to Max McGee. The Eagles under Dick Vermeil worked like maniacs and still lost and they were bashed for it. "They practiced too hard and didn't have anything left for the game."

Edited September 6, 2019 by vincec

[bbb]

If anybody knows how to find this segment, I'd like to listen to it.  

 

I have never understood how you can't put the party off until after the Super Bowl.  And, then party like Ovechkin did AFTER winnning the Cup! 

[Don Otreply]

Where’s that dead horse, i’m Gonna kick it’s asz! 

 

Go Bills!!!

[BobbyC81]

1 hour ago, Chandler#81 said:

 

That record is in dire peril. A NE* return in February TIES it and they already have back to back WINS. 

I see the onus to stop them as singularly on us. Like the Dolphins vs Bears in ‘85. If we beat ‘em twice this year, they ain’t going.

 

Realistically, there is little chance the Bills make the next Super Bowl.  Given that, I will be rooting for them every game and hope they contend for the playoffs.

 

So, besides that, my rooting interests will continue to be against the Patriots.  If they get to the Super Bowl again, I may not watch and I’ve watched every one starting with IV.   I just can’t stand that team anymore.  The Sunday night game this week is a good matchup with them vs the Steelers but I’m not sure I’ll watch it. 

[Shooter McGavin]

Marv was sober and decided not to feed Thurman the rock when Belichick was using only two down linemen. A few more touches averaging 9 yards a carry would’ve won the game. What a joke of a gameplan

Edited September 6, 2019 by Shooter McGavin

[Chandler#81]

50 minutes ago, ColeB said:

 

Realistically, there is little chance the Bills make the next Super Bowl.  Given that, I will be rooting for them every game and hope they contend for the playoffs.

 

So, besides that, my rooting interests will continue to be against the Patriots.  If they get to the Super Bowl again, I may not watch and I’ve watched every one starting with IV.   I just can’t stand that team anymore.  The Sunday night game this week is a good matchup with them vs the Steelers but I’m not sure I’ll watch it. 

Wasn’t my point. If we pull 2 wins against the this year (Regular Season) we’ve done our part to stop them from returning a 4th straight time.

[Playoffs?]

1 hour ago, Shooter McGavin said:

Marv was sober and decided not to feed Thurman the rock when Belichick was using only two down linemen. A few more touches averaging 9 yards a carry would’ve won the game. What a joke of a gameplan

 

Or is it possible that JK was calling the shots toward the end of the game?  Not necessarily Marv. If the Bills won, Thurman would’ve been MVP for sure. You think JK didn’t know that, and maybe started to try and play hero near the end?  Tinfoil hat, maybe.... but I wouldn’t put that past them at that point in time. Lots of ego. 

[EasternOHBillsFan]

3 hours ago, WIDE LEFT said:

And the most overrated coach in the history of the NFL, Marv Levy, didn’t have the common sense to reign the players in. 

 

You give me another coach that led a team to four straight Super Bowls.... do you really think that was an accident?

 

ZERO appreciation for the man and considering all of the ish we have had to put up with since then, it's more than a little ridiculous. The Hall of Fame thinks you're wrong.

Edited September 7, 2019 by EasternOHBillsFan

[billsfanmiami(oh)]

3 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

Cornelius Bennett said the same thing in a radio interview in Atlanta several years ago.

 

He said that they were so exhausted by the 4th quarter because they were up all night on Saturday.

 

Cocaine is a hell of a drug 

[leh-nerd skin-erd]

4 hours ago, WIDE LEFT said:

A couple weeks ago the John Murphy show had Lodish as a guest. Asked to compare the Bills Super Bowl teams to the Denver teams he was on that actually won Super Bowl, he stated Denver teams were a real team, with everybody treated the same, everybody on the same page, everybody supportive of each other. The Bills on the other hand had a lot of finger pointing, huge egos, star players treated differently than rest of team. Never functioned as a real team.

 

  After the commercial break, John Murphy stated that it was one of the best interviews he has ever done. When he asked Tasker about it, good old Steve, clueless as ever, commented on how tight knit Bills were, as if he had not heard a thing Lodish said. 

 

   Lodish also compared the teams approach to the Super Bowl. In Denver, Shanahan imposed a strict curfew, told the team to party AFTER the game. Bills, on the other hand, partied all the way up to the game. Lodish admitted he partied as hard as anyone. What a shame, with a Super Bowl on the line, Kelly and company could not exercise a modicum of self control, and put the party ahead of the game. And the most overrated coach in the history of the NFL, Marv Levy, didn’t have the common sense to reign the players in. 

 

  Would like Thurman, Kelly et al to come correct and admit how badly they betrayed the franchise and fans by putting their egos and their partying ahead of the NFLs biggest game.

 

 

 

Human beings often reach for the pinnacle of success and fall just short.  There are many reasons why, and Lodish might well be recounting things as he recalls them.  Tasker may well be doing the same, and as an aside, I don't understand some of the hostility directed his way.  He was clued in enough to know his role and to perform at a level that some folks think qualifies him for the HoF.  It was a joy to watch him play.  As for JK and the rest, yes, the SB losses sucked but that/those team(s) was/were amazing.  As for Marv, well, that's a special guy and we were lucky to have him.  

 

Much more egregious, if I may be bold, is a Bills fan with a screen name "WIDE LEFT".  You do what you want, but speaking only for me, I don't take wide turns, I won't even go into a double wide, and  Buffalo Wild Wings can GTH because it sounds an awful lot like they say "Buffalo Wide Wings" on the commercial.  I only turn left (oddly I end up in Seattle quite often), when I agree with someone I tell them "you're not wrong" and I self-identify as being "other-handed".  

 

SHAME! 

Edited September 7, 2019 by leh-nerd skin-erd

[Beane/Allen]

Ouch

[ComradeKayAdams]

1 hour ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

 

You give me another coach that led a team to four straight Super Bowls.... do you really think that was an accident?

 

ZERO appreciation for the man and considering all of the ish we have had to put up with since then, it's more than a little ridiculous. The Hall of Fame thinks you're wrong.

 

I have no problem with people being critical of Marv Levy. It's important and interesting to discuss history with honesty and objectivity. However, I think people also need to use historical context when evaluating Levy. The NFL was a very different league 30 years ago. What seems like obvious professionalism and protocol now (forcing players to not party the night before a Super Bowl) wasn't so obvious back then. Also, read this to get a better sense of the SB 25 gameplan that allowed Bill Belichick to help the Giants upset the Bills: https://media.nyfootball.net/25/html/article-belichick.html

 

I don't even fault the Bills too much for losing the next three Super Bowls, as they were the consensus underdogs in all three. The NFC East was simply incredible back then in the early 1990's. You had three converging NFL dynasties (Parcells' Giants, Gibbs' Redskins, Johnson's Cowboys) in addition to the Buddy Ryan-built Eagles with Randall Cunningham and an amazing defense. The teams in that division were simply built the right way for the NFL rules at the time. The AFC Bills were probably a little too light along the DL and OL for these guys (even though the Bills did well against that division during the 1990 and 1993 regular seasons).

 

Pro football is a uniquely brutal sport where injuries and the competition level make it unusually difficult to repeat high levels of success. Winning 4 conference titles in a row is very impressive. How impressive, you ask? Well let's look at it this way: using the NFL's officially recognized standard of equating early day NFL titles (1920-32) and NFL Championship games (1933-69) and AFL Championship games (1960-69) with the modern day AFC/NFC Conference Champions, no team but the 1990-93 Bills has ever won 4 in a row. 3 in a row has happened 5 times (1922-24 Bulldogs, 1929-31 Packers, 1965-67 Packers, 1971-73 Dolphins, 2016-18 Patriots). 2 in a row has happened 23 times (1932-33 Bears, 1940-41 Bears, 1948-49 Eagles, 1952-53 Lions, 1954-55 Browns, 1958-59 Colts, 1960-61 Titans/Oilers, 1961-62 Packers, 1964-65 Bills, 1966-67 Packers, 1970-71 Cowboys, 1973-74 Vikings, 1974-75 Steelers, 1977-78 Cowboys, 1978-79 Steelers, 1982-83 Redskins, 1986-87 Broncos, 1988-89 49ers, 1992-93 Cowboys, 1996-97 Packers, 1997-98 Broncos, 2003-04 Pats, 2013-14 Seahawks). Winning multiple conference titles in a row is so difficult that no team besides the Patriots dynasty has done it in the 21st century with the sole exception of the 2013-14 Seahawks. By the way, notice how only 7 prestigious franchises have done this multiple times: Packers, Bears, Cowboys, Broncos, Steelers, Patriots, and....our Bills (a random shout-out to the AFL Bills)!

 

Bottom line: Marv Levy was a flawed coach who made mistakes....but was still a VERY deserving Hall of Fame coach. Marv Levy was no Bill Belichick, but he's still among the top 20 or so head coaches in NFL history.

 

Can't wait for the 2019 season: the one where the Cheatriots dynasty ends and the new Beane/McDermott/Allen AFC East superpower emerges.