Shanahan likely to meet with Bills officials next week; Cowher high on the list too?

Kudos to dmk for originally posting this blog post in the Fanshots section

Some interesting tidbits from Vic Carucci:

Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher also is high on the Bills’ list of candidates, but at the moment, they are focused on Shanahan, who guided the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl championships in the late 1990s but was fired after last season.

Shanahan is intrigued by the "low-maintenance" situation he would have in Buffalo as opposed to Washington.

The Bills, the source said, are willing to offer whatever salary is necessary to land a high-end candidate such as Shanahan and would give him total control of the football operation, something Wilson has generally been opposed to doing in the past.

about 2 years ago Kurupt 14 comments 0 recs |

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Dude

If there is any chance for cowher, I say do that at all costs. I think he’s a pretty unanimous choice around here. But I like shanny, just not sure if he will be good as gm AND hc. I like him for hc def, but I’m not sold on his gm abilities. Didn’t he draft Maurice clarett?

Buffalo, that's where it's at baby. - Adam 'Pacman' Jones

by silverstreak3k on Nov 19, 2009 1:36 AM EST via mobile reply actions

i doubt there’s any chance for cowher. Don’t forget, folks, this is buffalo. Not only does that mean smaller market, and lets be honest, less popular town (thanks willis mcgahee); it also means problems surrounding the owner – first of all, he’s super old and senile, and you’d have to deal with him; and second, he’s super old and senile, and last time i checked, when he bites it, hes still going to screw us to the wall and there’s no plan in place for the team. So any guy that takes a job could conceivably be at the head of a team in turmoil within a year or two.

And that’s real turmoil. Not just losing a lot.

by quantumuprising on Nov 19, 2009 8:02 AM EST up reply actions

Didn’t he draft Maurice clarett?

In the third round no less.

by Pistol on Nov 19, 2009 8:17 AM EST up reply actions

yeah and we drafted M Williams and Erik Flowers in the first soooo…i call it even, even his “bad” offenses where better then ours….

by bilz4life on Nov 19, 2009 9:58 AM EST up reply actions

It’d be pretty easy to get excited about a Cowher or Shanahan hire. I’d rather go a different route, but I definitely wouldn’t oppose a hire like one of those two.

Just to throw it out there, most of the Cowher or Shanahan supporters say that they are proven guys as one of the reasons to hire them, but neither of them actually built the teams that they won with. They are pretty unproven in that regard.

I signed up for Second Life about a year ago. Back then my life was so great that I literally wanted a second one. In my Second Life I was also a paper salesman and I was also named Dwight. Absolutely everything was the same. Except I could fly. - Dwight Schrute

by kaisertown on Nov 19, 2009 1:48 AM EST reply actions

If i recall correctly, Cower took 5 or 6 years to turn the Steelers around, so he definately built that team but it took him a long time, and wasn’t Tom Donahoe his GM/ personnel man in Pitsburgh?

The past is fixed, the future is unknown, try dealing with the present!

by gregeng on Nov 19, 2009 2:23 AM EST up reply actions

Cowher took over what was basically a .500 team (7-9 the previous season after two consecutive years of 9-7) and took them to the playoffs in his first year and for five consecutive years after that (so, playoffs in his first six years). First, let me take a sentence to say that is ridiculously impressive. Especially early in his career, Cowher didn’t have the final say on personel moves and it is my opinion that those championship rosters were built by Chuck Noll (and or whoever was calling the shots when Noll was coaching), Donahoe and Kevin Colbert more than by Cowher. I also believe that those teams were a little bit of overacheivers as Cowher built an attitude, LeBeau had revolutionary schemes and those guys coached the hell out of those teams. Cowher is the perfect coach for Buffalo, I’m just far from convinced that he’s make a good enough GM to take advantage of his championship coaching abilities.

It’s my understanding that the Cowher/Donahoe relationship finally crashed when Cowher wanted final say. It was occasionally worded as Cowher pulling a coup.

I also don’t think we remember what a big deal it was that the Bills actually got ahold of Donahoe. Looking back, it seems like just another bad decision that Wilson made, but a number of teams interviewed Donahoe and I know that the Dolphins actually offered him the GM job. Wilson just offered more money (gasp) and more power than anybody else.

by kaisertown on Nov 19, 2009 4:06 AM EST up reply actions

I stand corrected

i guess i really should check these things before i make comments.

The past is fixed, the future is unknown, try dealing with the present!

by gregeng on Nov 19, 2009 7:18 AM EST up reply actions

Nah, you were half right. It took those Steeler teams a long time to make it to a Super Bowl under Cowher. And maybe he didn’t build those rosters, but he was building an attitude and playing style on those teams.

by kaisertown on Nov 19, 2009 9:00 AM EST up reply actions

most of the Cowher or Shanahan supporters say that they are proven guys as one of the reasons to hire them

Just a few of the reasons from those of us who don’t fall under the “most of the supporters” tag:

- Never underestimate the value of what playing for a winner can do to players. For veterans like Evans who want to taste the playoffs it reinvigorates and encourages them to be examples and leaders, for young players it adds drive and focus to their practice and off-field activities.

- Guys like Shanahan and Cowher instill an attitude, atmosphere, environment where you want to call it – maybe that works “it” – to the facility, lockerroom, boardrooms, war rooms, etc. They not only affect players but a guy like Brandon, or our scouts or even Ralph Wilson are likely to be willing to put in the extra hours, spend the extra dollar, etc because guys with pedigree and football smarts and reputations inspire.

- Re-invigorate the attractiveness of Buffalo to free agents and help us get better trades as these guys are very connected around the league. Brining in a big name instantly makes a re-building project that would otherwise be avoided like the plague by star vets an enticing place to play. A guy like Cowher or Shanahan in a place like Buffalo sends one message – if you are serious about football come here. There are no distractions, no media blitz, just football and winning on the mind here and playing for a guy who can take you to the promised land. A big name also brings “big” name coordinators and positions coaches we don’t know about as fans. Guys in the league who have talent and are up and coming minds will want to get their feet wet in a coaching tree off of the Shanahan or Cowher branch. The opportunity to learn and get in their good graces and get yourself an opportunity are huge. Finally, it will also reinvigorate a fan base and the players already here.

Sorry , didn’t mean for that to get so long. But I think you understand that problem yourself personal experience, kaiser.

"you just have to know there's always going to be adversity. None of these games are going to be easy. Nothing will be given to us" - Paul Posluszny

by poz on Nov 19, 2009 3:42 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs

Sorry , didn’t mean for that to get so long. But I think you understand that problem yourself personal experience, kaiser.

I have no clue what you mean there. Me, long posts? Never.

That’s a great post Poz and you’re right about how great of coaching hires those guys would be. My problem is with asking them to coach, organize and run the FO, make all the draft decisions and decide which FAs to go after. I’d prefer Buffalo grab the best GM candidate as opposed to the best coaching candidate and go from there, but I would be very excited if Buffalo were to hire a big name coach and then go out and find an actual GM who would essentially be the number two to the head coach and could organize the FO and do all the ground work for each offseason while still maintaining the focus and direction of the head coach. My preference for the draft might be Jimmy Clauson, but if they draft Jake Locker, I’d be pretty frickin excited. Same goes for a GM like DeCosta as the first choice and a guy like Cowher looking like a great solution too.

by kaisertown on Nov 19, 2009 4:25 AM EST up reply actions

My private parts are moving.

If this is true, and Ralph has finally seen the light after 50 years, and there willing to give whatever it takes salary wise, then we should all be a lot excited today.

What a nice way to wake up!

by Michael_Necci on Nov 19, 2009 7:00 AM EST reply actions

I'm not sure about the total control thing.

As it’s been said already, I don’t think Shanahan ran that great of a draft in Denver. However, I don’t want to be a “negative creep” so early in the process of their attempts to fix this mess.

Twitter: helping to make anti-social people anti-socially social.

by TheAfghanTwilight on Nov 19, 2009 7:07 AM EST reply actions