Bills Coaching Future?

by illeagle12 on Nov 4, 2009 4:05 PM EST Comment 38 comments

So I had some ideas about what the Bills might look like next year, all completely hypothetical.

If Dick Jauron is asked to leave, I could easily see Mike Shanahan becoming our next coach. Our offense rarely gets results, and perhaps more importantly, they're very boring to watch. Shanahan is a guy people regularly used to refer to as an "offensive genius," and his background in Denver means he's used to coaching games in hostile weather conditions. He's also wears two Superbowl rings. (Also, and this is really out of left field, but Brandon Marshall will be a free agent after this season, and I wouldn't mind seeing Shanahan recruit him to replace T.O.)

Shanahan isn't a great defensive mind, so he would need to hire a defensive counterpart. Eric Mangini anyone. He's not the most popular guy, and it looks like he's on his way out in Cleveland. Why not roll on back into the AFC East? He's a defensive whiz, and would be able to provide valuable insight on two division opponents, the Patriots and the Jets. Personally, I think the Bills have the personnel to make a very successful switch to the 3-4 defense, which Mangini prefers.

In terms of special teams we should probably just keep Bobby April.

I know it would cost a lot to get both these guys, but beyond that I'm wondering what everyone thinks.

This FanPost was written by a registered user of Buffalo Rumblings. Its views do not necessarily reflect the views of Rumblings' editorial staff, but are just as valued as our own.

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I’d take it over the current regime……..

I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying
Trent Edwards - Backup QB until furthur notice. Care to prove me wrong Trent?

by J2 on Nov 4, 2009 4:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Well if that’s not a vote of confidence I don’t know what it is!

I was born in Buffalo, and NO, it's not a suburb of New York City

by Ghetts on Nov 4, 2009 4:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Haha

by PFD on Nov 6, 2009 9:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd be OK with that

Or Holmgren. I love Cowher, but I don’t think that would happen. I don’t know how to do the polls, but could we do one with possible coaches? Holmgren, Shanahan, Gruden, keep Jauron. Any other ideas?

by o.c.blazerfan on Nov 4, 2009 5:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

anyone of those guys

No to the keep Jauron… and I think Shannahan would be my number 1… to me he can matchup well with Belichek. Then Holmgren, then Gruden… and I guess Cower could fall in there anywhere/

Shottenheimer I like, but listening to him on NFL radio, I get the feeling he is too old and is happy to be retired

Good Luck With Your Firings Mr. Wilson….Go Bills!

by killascript on Nov 4, 2009 6:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I dont think Ralph would pay to go after any of them

They all made a ton of money per year coaching their teams. I think we will go the young unproven DC route, and i hope we get Frazier from Minny.

by Brennan23 on Nov 4, 2009 7:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Frazier

I like Frazier too and well he is not a house hold name I wouldn’t call him young and unproven. Minnesota has been real good defensively the past few years and I am sure he’ll get some looks especially considering the Rooney Rule(Not trying to be mean there, he deserves them). He’ll get looks from a lot of teams and probly won’t come to us over somewhere else or staying in Minn.

My proudest moment as a bills fan was watching Don Beebe chase someone down in a blowout. Is that sad?
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by partyboybackformore on Nov 4, 2009 8:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn’t call him young and unproven.

i meant young and unproven at the head coaching level, not as a Coordinator, which is what Washington did when no one wanted the job with Zorn. Right now Frazier is the only one i can think of but im sure there are a couple good ones out there. I honestly wouldn’t mind if Wade made his Buffalo comeback next season.

by Brennan23 on Nov 5, 2009 8:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

AS DC , but not head coach

by o.c.blazerfan on Nov 6, 2009 2:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agree

Owners with much deeper pockets like JJ or Snyder will scoop up the likes of Shanahan and Gruden. Holmgren, Billick…I don’t see them coming back to a project team of this magnitude unless Ralph gives out money he is not accustomed to…so in other words, not happening. Cower is not coming to Buffalo. For the love of GOD, please no Schottenheimer. Fisher is not getting fired from the Thumbtacks, so that leaves…an unproven coordinator.

Right with you on the unproven coordinator type. Which also likely means we are more likley the Bucs of next year vs. the Jets when Mangini took over. On a slight tangent, I could see Mangini as a coordinator with the Bills.

by Tatunka on Nov 5, 2009 9:10 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Right with you on the unproven coordinator type. Which also likely means we are more likley the Bucs of next year vs. the Jets when Mangini took over.

What does this even mean? Other teams have hired unproven coordinators with plenty of success (see many teams in the league), but the Bills will end up with a dud for sure? Why are the Bills more likely to hire Morris, who might still be a good HC, instead of a Mangini, who is definitely a terrible coach? I’m so confused by your logic.

It sounds like you are just making odd statements with no factual basis (Crappy Big 12 pro prospects were overhyped and failed because of it)….

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Nov 5, 2009 9:31 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure I follow your logic...

I am not saying that crappy Big 12 prospects failed because they were overhyped, I am saying they failed because they were crappy, but that each of those failures was overhyped. So it bears mentioning that going into the draft next year we may want to beware the hype because with all the hype who’s to say who is really crappy and who is a potential star. That being said, I will echo my former on that same subject…taking a could be star after season ending shoulder surgery a plugging them into a starting role right away on a team with line issues is asking for trouble.

Also, judging by the incredible display of the past several months worth of posts here it leads me to believe that OBD is not capable of fielding a winner, and part of that starts with evaluating talent. Not that they can’t evaluate talent or that they pick poorly… probably more appropriately, they are taking talent that has large upside but doesn’t necessarily fill a need on day one of any given season.

Call it what you will…odd statements, no facts…but the facts are plain. The Bills have not put a winner on the field in quite a while. We have had some BAD coaches. We will most likely not pay the big bucks to get a superstar coach (and even if we do it’s not a guarantee of success)…so where does that leave us. Right back where we were with talking about evaluating and developing prospects. We will most likely take a HC who will not be anything special right away, which is all I am saying. Morris may be the best thing since night baseball…next year…but this year they are having some troubles. With what the Bills have on their plate going into next year, I see more of the troubles (QB?, still young and developing O-Line, lack of depth, lack of true scond receiving threat unless TO stays, etc.) for a new HC than I see a winning season, January football or any of the things we long to see our beloved Bills accomplish.

You may not like it, but this is my opinion, and this is where I get to express it.

by Tatunka on Nov 5, 2009 12:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Why are the Bills more likely to hire Morris, who might still be a good HC, instead of a Mangini, who is definitely a terrible coach?

Mangini had a winning season his first year with the Jesters, and they went to the playoffs. Morris, not so much with the Bucs, but I believe I have already responded to that comment below.

I am talking about next year, but to you point hopefully we will get somebody who will/could be great for the Bills in the future and not a crappy coach like Mangini (initial successes aside).

by Tatunka on Nov 5, 2009 12:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

YES!

I ve been pining for Shanny since the 1-4 start! I love this idea with Mangini! What about Romeo Crennel?

Shanny would do wonders with this young o-line and running backs, he will make us a run first dominant offense and use Lee Evans as an explosive weapon.

To me, the sucker is the person who runs when there’s trouble, especially when this situation was so easily foreshadowed….

by poz on Nov 5, 2009 3:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Except that he will most likely...

be coaching the Cry-boys next year when Wade and his playoff curse tank this season or the first round of the post season.

by Tatunka on Nov 5, 2009 9:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Do any of you actually think Ralph will give out the money to get a star coach?

Hasn’t really happened basically EVER, so…

by Tatunka on Nov 5, 2009 9:14 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

well im sure he wants to field a winner

before …. well, you know, it sucks to say but hes getting old.

To me, the sucker is the person who runs when there’s trouble, especially when this situation was so easily foreshadowed….

by poz on Nov 7, 2009 5:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree. I don’t think Wilson will be unwilling to shell out some decent bucks for a coaching staff, but I can’t imagine him making a guy like Shanahan one of the highest paid coaches in the league. 3-4 mil per year for a top coordinator seems realistic, 6 or 7 mil per year for a Gruden type is really unlikely.

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 7, 2009 8:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Shanny or Gruden

Cowher is not crossing the Mason Dixon and Holmgren and Mangini don’t impress me.

I would love to see B Marshall or Boldin sign here after TO is gone, but I don’t see it happening…

They are hard to play but not hard to beat.
- Mike Lombardi on the Buffalo Bills

by Sluss88 on Nov 5, 2009 3:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Would be really nice...

But for some reason I can’t get it out of my head that Shanahan will be in Dallas, and Gruden will be in Washington.

I would love to see a premier receiving talent on the Bills! Perhaps it’s just fan paranoia, but I think TO’s lack of production up here will be spun to show its Buffalo’s fault and not his dropsies and may scare off some of our desired talent…

by Tatunka on Nov 5, 2009 3:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't want Boldin

As much as I like him, he’ll be 30 when his deal runs out next year, will want a big contract and has proven he can’t stay healthy even though he usually plays through pain. Any one of those issues wouldn’t be a problem by itself, but when you combine the 3, he makes for a VERY risky addition for any team.

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Nov 5, 2009 6:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

One of those health issues though...

was that cheap shot that broke his face

by Tatunka on Nov 5, 2009 8:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Jets game?

by Tatunka on Nov 5, 2009 8:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Dreamers

The Bills top priority should be a GM, not a head coach. The new GM (Football GM) will know who to hire as a coach.

by Bob on Nov 5, 2009 9:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I couldn’t have put it better, Bob, we most definitely need a leader of this organisation, a GM, who can run things instead of clueless Russ Brandon, who’s no more than a businessman pretending to know about how to build a successful football team. As far as the HC is concerned, I’m a little iffy, because we have gone in so many different routes with so little results, but I still believe we should go after a proven winner, not a Leslie Frazier, who’s unproven.

by BillsfanfromDenmark on Nov 6, 2009 3:14 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

GAH! That’s not Brandon’s job!

I keep saying it and saying it. He’s not a traditional GM. It’s not his job to bring in coaches and talent evaluators. Most of them were here before he was even the COO. It’s not his fault that Wilson and Levy chose to go with this insane FO structure. He’s not the football guy. He’s the money guy.

Official ledge-talker-offer of the Buffalo Bills.

by WhyBillsWhy on Nov 6, 2009 4:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Cost?

I know Ralph doesn’t want to dole out a lot of money on head coaches, but how much would these coaches realistically cost? Does anyone have an approximate number of what they would be looking for? I love the idea of Shanahan with Mangini as DC, but is there really any chance that Ralph would go this route? The T.O. signing was somewhat uncharacteristic of OBD. Maybe the current state of the franchise and unrest in the fan base might cause OBD to go a different route and pony up the money needed for a proven winner at HC.

by PFD on Nov 6, 2009 9:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ralph is running out of time

Maybe he’ll do all he can to field a winner before he rides off into the sunset. I hope he does. A new GM who has free reign and picks the right coach would be great.

by o.c.blazerfan on Nov 6, 2009 2:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Shanahan is my dream scenario...

due to his success against Belicheat and his QB development resume. I think he could make Trent into the best he could ever be. That would mean the least drastic overhaul of our roster. I stress that because I support the overhauling of our FO and coaching staff, but there’s still plenty of untapped talent on this team. You can draft all the talent in the world, but if they’re being coached in a dubious manner, it’s nearly impossible for them to reach that true talent. I don’t want a Mangini type to come in and just rip the team to shreds. That’s not in Ralph’s best interest given his age.

However, I’m very intrigued with the Leslie Frazier possibility. That would also seem to be a match made in heaven. He is a solid football mind with the right mentality and disposition to make a good HC. We would be more likely to invest in more beef in the trenches. We’ve got to keep that secondary intact as much as possible.

by live6453 on Nov 6, 2009 9:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

what are we smoking?

shanahan is owed 14 mil over the next two years by denver. We would have to at the very least match that if he was even going to consider buffalo and money aside wouldnt he go somewhere like chicago or dallas where they have the most important thing a ESTABLISHED NFL QB to make his job alot easier. But hey my mom always said aim for heaven so at least if you fall short you land in the clouds. Lol

Rrrawrrrr, rrrawrrr like a dungeon dragon-Busta Ryhmes

by Moe_frm_B_ on Nov 7, 2009 6:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

But Shanahan probably has a big enough ego to think he can make Edwards a great QB. I think he doesn’t come here because we hire a GM (please please please please please) so for me it’s a moot point, really.

Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008.
"Matt’s pretty valuable to y’all. Cherish him." - BG

by MattRichWarren on Nov 7, 2009 9:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'll tell you who would be great for this city and team....

Jim Harbaugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pass the chocolate cake!

by norcaliangelsfan on Nov 7, 2009 8:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

Stanford just beat Oregon who took it to USC. Not too mention he knows a thing or two about being a quarterback.

My proudest moment as a bills fan was watching Don Beebe chase someone down in a blowout. Is that sad?
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by partyboybackformore on Nov 7, 2009 10:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

and he brought a bruising running game to Stanford. If he can bring a bruising running game to Stanford, imagine what he could do in Buffalo with actual talent . . .

by williamsDT on Nov 8, 2009 10:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

romeo

i really like the romeo crennel suggestion, i’m not sure he would take the job however because it seems like he and emperor palpatine are genuinely friends, whereas i think mangini really dislikes bill and would relish the opportunity to stick it to him in the division. personally i think russ brandon is solid at his job (huge fan of the to signing despite his dropitis), but i don’t think marv was the best gm, and the team still kind of has his fingerprints on it, aka trent edwards, who i really don’t think has it in him to be a starting nfl qb. if we did somehow get shanahan, id love to see how he could get the most out of marshawn, as he seems to do with most running backs (tatum bell, TRAVIS HENRY, olandis gary, etc.), and then see him mentor a guy like jake locker or jimmy clausen whenever they enter the draft. and brandon marshall would definitely help with that….

by illeagle12 on Nov 8, 2009 11:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

McCarthy

What about Mike McCarthy the coach of the Packers? They have a lot of talent but haven’t done much since Favre left. I think he is a solid coach who could realistically get fired at the end of the season. I mean they just lost to Tampa.
He would be relatively cheap compared to one of the bug names out there. I think the Packers draft very well and although he isn’t the GM he has some say in it.
I think he could be available and might be a good fit here.

by louiethegent on Nov 9, 2009 1:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs