Lofton80 Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Seen enough of the jokes about Marv as GM. SF brought back Bill Walsh more than once to serve a similar role and he is not much younger than Marv. Been thinking about Marv's real impact as the new GM. What difference can he make? A few thoughts: Types of players- One criteria Polian and Butler were always big on draftpicks who were leaders specifically team captains. I remember Butler saying at one time in the early 90's, they had over 20 former college team captains on the roster. They also liked self starters who were motivated to put in extra work after practice without being asked. Even if Moodrak evaluates the talent, Marv will likely have some imput and look for leaders. Not sure Mike Williams would have passed this type of evaluation. Attracting Veteran Free Agents- Not star free agents specifically but aging veterans like he did with Lofton, Art Still, Bill Brooks or Leonard Smith. He always had good relationships with the veteran players. He will likely try to bring in a few B list types to contribute. Belichek does it all the time, Vrabel, Ted Washington, Tim Dwight and Rodney Harrison come to mind. All accounts are the Marv is a great personality. I imagine he would sell well to free agents. Roster depth- Marv always had good backups on the roster like Kenny Davis, Mitch Ferrotte, Mike Lodish, Marvcus Patton, Butch Rolle, Frank Reich who knew and accepted their roles and also showed leadership despite not starting. Special Teams- Oddly enough, we just need to sustain what we have now but I imagine Marv would want to emphasize that. I could see him specifically adding a special teams ace as a free agent like Belechek did with Larry Izzo. Remember Marv's first move as HC was to bring in Tasker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drnykterstein Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Seen enough of the jokes about Marv as GM. SF brought back Bill Walsh more than once to serve a similar role and he is not much younger than Marv. Been thinking about Marv's real impact as the new GM. What difference can he make? Oh my, if you really want me to read the other paragraphs, you'll heve to compare us to a team that has won a game in the last 5 years. Sorry, reading about 'success' in SF doesn't really make me want to listen to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachChuckDickerson Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Best post I have read in a while. Nice job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC in St. Louis Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 I believe that Marv Levy at 80 is smarter than 90% of other football people, and knows more about football than approximatey 100% of the people who visit this board. I read his book, I've been a fan of the Bills since I was 7. I would say to give Marv the benefit of the doubt, except I have no doubt. He will succeed, in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida_BillsFan Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Seen enough of the jokes about Marv as GM. SF brought back Bill Walsh more than once to serve a similar role and he is not much younger than Marv. Been thinking about Marv's real impact as the new GM. What difference can he make? A few thoughts: Types of players- One criteria Polian and Butler were always big on draftpicks who were leaders specifically team captians. I remember Butler saying at one time in the early 90's, they had over 20 former college team captains on the roster. They also liked self starters who were motivated to put in extra work after practice without being asked. Even if Moodrak evaluates the talent, Marv will likely have some imput and look for leaders. Not sure Mike Williams would have passed this type of evaluation. Attracting Veteran Free Agents- Not star free agents specifically but aging veterans like he did with Lofton, Art Still, Bill Brooks or Leonard Smith. He always had good relationships with the veteran players. He will likely try to bring in a few B list types to contribute. Belichek does it all the time, Vrabel, Ted Washington, Tim Dwight and Rodney Harrison come to mind. All accounts are the Marv is a great personality. I imagine he would sell well to free agents. Roster depth- Marv always had good backups on the roster like Kenny Davis, Mitch Ferrotte, Mike Lodish, Marvcus Patton, Butch Rolle, Frank Reich who knew and accepted their roles and also showed leadership despite not starting. Special Teams- Oddly enough, we just need to sustain what we have now but I imagine Marv would want to emphasize that. I could see him specifically adding a special teams ace as a free agent like Belechek did with Larry Izzo. Remember Marv's first move as HC was to bring in Tasker. 555326[/snapback] Good post - I don't understand why all the naysayers don't think that Marv's attributes as our Head Coach (though he had his shortcomings as well) would not serve him well as our GM? Smart - Loyal - knows the game and knows how a team should be managed - can relate to players and coaches - and has a great relationship - as well as the trust of the Owner. I agree there is a question as to how all of these elements will meld together in the decisiion making process that will ultimately determine the success or failure of the outcome on any given Sunday - but I think we may have a great GM at the right place - right time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJBrown Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Oh my, if you really want me to read the other paragraphs, you'll heve to compare us to a team that has won a game in the last 5 years. Sorry, reading about 'success' in SF doesn't really make me want to listen to you. 555335[/snapback] How old are you? Not being disrespectful, but you must not have been around when they were a DYNASTY...much of it due to Bill Walsh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sound_n_Fury Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Seen enough of the jokes about Marv as GM. SF brought back Bill Walsh more than once to serve a similar role and he is not much younger than Marv. Been thinking about Marv's real impact as the new GM. What difference can he make? A few thoughts: Types of players- One criteria Polian and Butler were always big on draftpicks who were leaders specifically team captians. I remember Butler saying at one time in the early 90's, they had over 20 former college team captains on the roster. They also liked self starters who were motivated to put in extra work after practice without being asked. Even if Moodrak evaluates the talent, Marv will likely have some imput and look for leaders. Not sure Mike Williams would have passed this type of evaluation. Attracting Veteran Free Agents- Not star free agents specifically but aging veterans like he did with Lofton, Art Still, Bill Brooks or Leonard Smith. He always had good relationships with the veteran players. He will likely try to bring in a few B list types to contribute. Belichek does it all the time, Vrabel, Ted Washington, Tim Dwight and Rodney Harrison come to mind. All accounts are the Marv is a great personality. I imagine he would sell well to free agents. Roster depth- Marv always had good backups on the roster like Kenny Davis, Mitch Ferrotte, Mike Lodish, Marvcus Patton, Butch Rolle, Frank Reich who knew and accepted their roles and also showed leadership despite not starting. Special Teams- Oddly enough, we just need to sustain what we have now but I imagine Marv would want to emphasize that. I could see him specifically adding a special teams ace as a free agent like Belechek did with Larry Izzo. Remember Marv's first move as HC was to bring in Tasker. 555326[/snapback] Great post, particularly the Mike Williams part. IMO, the big thing lacking with TD "the talent evaluator" was his ability to judge character and mental toughness. That was the forte of Marv/Polian/Butler. Bills Babe has been posting a lot about bringing DA back as a consultant, and there's one thing I read about his player evaluation approach that seems to have been missing from OBD the last few years: measuring intangibles like character. **** "...[Adams] believes Jones' laid-back approach reflects a sense of humor. "His seeming aloofness, it doesn't bother me," he said. "I don't know that deep down, the guy doesn't have a burning in his gut." To pursue that, Adams said, he would look Jones in the eye and ask some tough questions, not necessarily about football." **** TD never seemed like the guy who wanted to ask those questions, or get very close to even knowing the players. Aloofness can be good in some situations, but not in terms of judging a person's inner makeup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 You're absolutely right. Marv has a good feel for players and people and chemistry. That goes a long way. I think we were all happy with the teams of Polian and Butler. Marv had a lot to say on the players drafted as well. He has great judgment, brings instant credibility, and provides a winning atmosphere. This organization has been missing that for some time. Plus press conferences just got a bit more entertaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet baboo Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 another thing people don't seem to consider is Marv's reasoning in coming back. He's built quite the legend that no one would want tarnished. I doubt he'd come back if he thought he couldn't do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Seen enough of the jokes about Marv as GM. SF brought back Bill Walsh more than once to serve a similar role and he is not much younger than Marv. Been thinking about Marv's real impact as the new GM. What difference can he make? A few thoughts: Types of players- One criteria Polian and Butler were always big on draftpicks who were leaders specifically team captians. I remember Butler saying at one time in the early 90's, they had over 20 former college team captains on the roster. They also liked self starters who were motivated to put in extra work after practice without being asked. Even if Moodrak evaluates the talent, Marv will likely have some imput and look for leaders. Not sure Mike Williams would have passed this type of evaluation. Attracting Veteran Free Agents- Not star free agents specifically but aging veterans like he did with Lofton, Art Still, Bill Brooks or Leonard Smith. He always had good relationships with the veteran players. He will likely try to bring in a few B list types to contribute. Belichek does it all the time, Vrabel, Ted Washington, Tim Dwight and Rodney Harrison come to mind. All accounts are the Marv is a great personality. I imagine he would sell well to free agents. Roster depth- Marv always had good backups on the roster like Kenny Davis, Mitch Ferrotte, Mike Lodish, Marvcus Patton, Butch Rolle, Frank Reich who knew and accepted their roles and also showed leadership despite not starting. Special Teams- Oddly enough, we just need to sustain what we have now but I imagine Marv would want to emphasize that. I could see him specifically adding a special teams ace as a free agent like Belechek did with Larry Izzo. Remember Marv's first move as HC was to bring in Tasker. 555326[/snapback] I completely agree- people wanted change, and now that we got a champion, people are terrified that expectations will go back up. To them I say fear not. THE BILLS ARE BACK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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