Bob in STL Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 6 hours ago, vincec said: Ok, but I thought this was for the “Mount Rushmore of Buffalo coaches.” If we are talking about GMs then Bill Polian needs to be up there. You make a great point. Imlach basically ran the whole hockey program, including coaching for awhile, with better results than Bowman or anyone else, he should be the first Sabre represented. Polian and Levy are in the Pro Football HOF - nuff said. Saban won 2 AFL Championships. Which are real championships. Ruff coached a lot of games won a bunch and got as close to the Cup as Imlach’s creation did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyC81 Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 10 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said: Do I love Levy. Yes, very much so. BUT...if I remove my homer glasses, he is over rated. He squandered a roster FULL of HOF players and couldn't win the big game. The end game play calling alone against the Giants is a black mark as much as the missed FG is. He was out coached in all 4 Super Bowls...just flat out was. He was up against 3 of the greatest HC's of all time, and also one DC that would become the GOAT ever at HC and DC. So no shame in that, not like he was out coached by some weak HC that had the luxury of a great roster. But, none the less, he wasn't able to close the deal even against a mediocre backup QB despite having the superior roster. I have an unpopular opinion. Its going to get crapped on left and right the moment I say it. BUT...5 years from now, I am supremely confident I will be proven right. That is: Sean McDermott will end his tenure in Buffalo some time way down the road being known as the best HC is Buffalo history. Is he there now, no he doesn't have the resume just yet. But I strongly feel we are going to win a Super Bowl in the next 5 years, and once we do, he will catapult his way to the top. I think McD is on his way as being one of the best HC's of this next generation. From how he built the culture, how he commands respect, how he commands discipline, how he helps players be their best selves, but all the while still being a players coach. Thats a rare trait in a coach. Most players coaches resemble the Rex Ryan's and dont have discipline, balance, culture, etc. Being fully transparent, McD today reminds me of a young Bill Belichick. The guy with a great defensive mind, but also knows he needs the offense to go with it and has been very vocal about building a team to score more points. But most importantly, the guy who knows how to get the most out of players, how to build a team first culture above all else. To find the right fits for his culture and system. I know he has to prove a lot more before earning a true comparison to BB, but he really reminds me of that young BB. I don't know he will reach the same accolades BB and the Pats did as a dynasty, I mean it would be unfair for anyone to have expectations that McD (or any current coach) will leave the NFL as the GOAT. BUT...I do believe he will leave the Bills at some point far down the road as our best HC in team history with a resume to confirm that. I think you may be right. The one thing he needs to improve on is game management. That can make the difference in close games and big games. He needs a better system for replays instead of what seems to be ‘gut feel”. He also needs better clock management. Working in concert with Daboll and Josh, hopefully it gets to the point where Josh is a coach on the field and takes care of it, ala Peyton Manning. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphadawg7 Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 (edited) 10 minutes ago, ColeB said: I think you may be right. The one thing he needs to improve on is game management. That can make the difference in close games and big games. He needs a better system for replays instead of what seems to be ‘gut feel”. He also needs better clock management. Working in concert with Daboll and Josh, hopefully it gets to the point where Josh is a coach on the field and takes care of it, ala Peyton Manning. I would definitely agree with this assessment, and I also think it has to do with Daboll too and also Josh continuing to mature as a field general. But, of all the areas of coaching, this IMHO is the easiest area to improve and it just comes with time on the field and learning from each situation. McD strikes as a very bright mind and intellectual thinker, so I have pretty high confidence he will keep growing in this regard. And worst case scenario, assistant HC or other assistant roles can be brought in to help mitigate the issues as well in these areas. But I am confident McD will keep improving. Not to mention, at the end of the day, the personnel on the field matter a lot in this regard in properly executing the strategies, and we haven't had a complete roster yet until really this upcoming season for McD. Edited May 28, 2020 by Alphadawg7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreggTX Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 I'm surprised Punch Imlach got no votes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 Lou Saban Marv Levy Chuck Knox Scotty Bowman Lindy Ruff Honorable mention - Wade Phillips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExWNYer Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 On 5/27/2020 at 5:47 AM, oldmanfan said: I think Levy , Saban, and Ruff are no brainers. I’d throw Floyd Smith out there for consideration. Short term but got the Dabres to the finals. I was classmates and friends with Floyd Smith's son for a few years in elementary and middle school. While Smith was a very good coach during arguably the most special time in Sabre history, he did not coach or play there long enough to be considered as one of the Mt. Rushmore four, IMO. He does get extra points in my eyes though for being the first team captain in Sabres history and for being the only real/personal tie to a Buffalo sports team for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanfan Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 22 minutes ago, ExWNYer said: I was classmates and friends with Floyd Smith's son for a few years in elementary and middle school. While Smith was a very good coach during arguably the most special time in Sabre history, he did not coach or play there long enough to be considered as one of the Mt. Rushmore four, IMO. He does get extra points in my eyes though for being the first team captain in Sabres history and for being the only real/personal tie to a Buffalo sports team for me. Cool! I threw him out there since he got them to the finals. Lindy has to be in there. And I hope in 10 years Ralph is a no brainer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 (edited) On 5/26/2020 at 10:16 PM, jwhit34 said: I see it says Bills and Sabres but throw the Braves in there too... Marv Levy Lou Saban Lindy Ruff Dr. Jack Ramsay Ramsay did a remarkable job with one superstar (Bob McAdoo), an emerging player in Randy Smith and a bunch of good role players. He should have been retained as coach after the '75-76 season but had a falling out with Paul Snyder and all he did was win the NBA title the next year with Portland. Imlach was only coach for a couple of seasons (outside of Levy and Ruff, that seems par for the course with Buffalo coaches) and really made his impact more as a GM. Great call on Jack Ramsey. I’m embarrassed to say I forgot about him. I agree, take Punch Imlach off the mountain and put Ramsey on there instead. Edited May 28, 2020 by K-9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herc11 Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 (edited) 21 hours ago, VirginiaMike said: Not sure about that logic - The AFL was a different league than the NFL, but was not a minor league to the NFL. The Bills championships in 64 & 65 were as high as the Bills could go in their league. You are correct, but there was also the NFL that had their own championship (which was/is seen as superior). This would be like comparing an MLS champion to the FIFA champion. It has nothing to do with how far you can go in your league. Edited May 28, 2020 by Herc11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herc11 Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 (edited) 16 hours ago, jwhit34 said: Indoor lacrosse isn't nearly on the level of the NBA, it's a minor league and a minor sport. Same reason Bisons (baseball) are not included. Who said anything about it being the level of the NBA? Also, it is a major league in a minor sport. There is no higher league in the country/world, albeit not being very popular. Does that take away from the coach who got 3 championships for the city of Buffalo in lacrosse's premier league? The Bison's are a minor league team and their championship is not the pinnacle of the sport. Edited May 28, 2020 by Herc11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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