Report: George Cortez will coach Bills quarterbacks
by Brian Galliford on Jan 30, 2010 9:52 AM EST
in Buffalo Bills News
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PrintNews continues to trickle in regarding Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey's coaching staff. In this particular case, The Globe and Mail is reporting that George Cortez, offensive coordinator for the CFL's Calgary Stampeders, will join Gailey in Buffalo to coach quarterbacks.
His most prominent coaching gig was as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of California, where he tutored former NFL quarterbacks Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers under the direction of head coach Jeff Tedford. Cortez also gets some credit for turning Jeff Garcia into a CFL star and sparking his moderately successful NFL career. With over 30 years of coaching experience under his belt, Cortez has spent 17 years working in the CFL, including the last three after leaving California.
Cortez was a candidate for the head coaching job of the Toronto Argonauts, but will come to Buffalo to coach up the team's most critical position instead. Given the current talent at the position and the underwhelming list of players the Bills might pursue to change things up, Cortez has his work cut out for him.
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Sounds like he would fall under the catergory of being a teacher. I would guess that this would also increase our chances of picking a qb up mid rounds of the draft.
by TedWashington'sRobotDance on Jan 30, 2010 8:09 AM EST via mobile reply actions
What’s better in terms of moving up the coaching ladder? HC position in the CFL or positional coach in NFL?
by TedWashington'sRobotDance on Jan 30, 2010 8:11 AM EST via mobile reply actions
He was being considered for the job in Toronto, and was offered the one here. What would you do? I’d take the concrete offer myself.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 12:09 PM EST up reply actions
That really doesn't answer the question CBF
What would he do if he was offered both?
"Do you even hear how totally bat sh!t insane you sound?" - Archer
NFL. Common man as much as I love the CFL, and I really do, the NFL is where you want to be. If your offered even a slightly meaningfull job in the NFL, you take it.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 12:18 PM EST up reply actions
I think his age plays a factor too. I’d guess that for a guy who is almost 60, there’s just less stress with being a position coach than there is being a head coach. And he’s never coached in the NFL before, so this is his big opportunity to be part of the top level of pro football. I could see a younger guy who has bounced around between both leagues trying to make a name for himself as a HC in the CFL, but this move makes sense for Cortez.
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
To continue… when was the last time a CFL head coach was hired by an NFL team? If your goal is to be a HC in the NFL, you should be in the NFL and work your way up there.
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by MattRichWarren on Jan 30, 2010 1:44 PM EST up reply actions
Levy?
I can’t imagine this is Cortez’s motivation. 59 year old QB coaches generally don’t make it up to head coach.
I agree with you on that.
YES WE CHAN!
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by MattRichWarren on Jan 30, 2010 3:52 PM EST up reply actions
Matt, are we getting an open thread for the Senior Bowl?
"Do you even hear how totally bat sh!t insane you sound?" - Archer
That would be his 10 year anniversary AARP card that’s in the mail !
by radan on Jan 30, 2010 10:02 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
you have to flash your AARP card just to get into the facilities at OBD.
...so I guess now I root for chan gailey...
a few years old, but still a good read.
http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/cortez_george00.html
most of my posts get deleted :(
Nice
Solid pick up, I think Trent or Ryan can lead us to a winning record, just need to protect them better….plus maybe this guy can bring along Brohm…
Yeah, I’m with you. Those guys could probably lead us to a winning record on a much better team than we’ve got, but the goal needs to be deep playoff runs and not a one year 9-7 record.
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
I agree
along with a run first and often offense, our current QB situation is better than anyone we could draft immediately. Now FA is different, but I still would cough up any first round picks. As far as winning superbowls, we would still need to look.
Is it really average talent or just poor coaching, how important is depth and experience.
“Cortez had recently made plans to move to Moscow and teach wild, violent, ill-tempered bears to ride unicycles for the circus. After that he would take four of the same bears and use them to help rebuild Haiti in the relief effort. The bears would be trained in French and English to assist in the education of displaced Haitian students.
After learning about the quarterback coaching vacancy in Buffalo Cortez decided to make an inquiry to Chan Gailey about the position. Upon hearing that the three previous candidates Buffalo contacted about the position had all left the country, without so much as informing their families of where they were headed – Cortez knew this was the real challenge he had been looking for."
by jj24 on Jan 30, 2010 9:55 AM EST reply actions 4 recs
Lets be realistic, everyone worth hiring that has developped good QB’s in the NFL is already an OC or an HC and wouldn’t want a simple position coaching job with us. I want entirely expecting us hiring someone from the college ranks for this position, so hiring someone from the CFL caught me off guard. That being said Cortez is a very QB friendly coach and has developped many winners in the CFL. He has worked with future Canadian Football HOFer Anthony Clavillo early in his career and his last coaching gig (OC of the Calgary Stampeders) he was working with Henry Burris and helped lead the team to a championship 2 years ago. He’s a good coach, don’t worry about that.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 12:15 PM EST up reply actions
Scratch that, Cortez has not worked with Calvillo.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 12:22 PM EST up reply actions
I really like that they are going after experienced guys. I always got the feeling that young QB coaches were just there to learn how to run an offense, so they could eventually be coordinators. I like the fact an experienced guy is brought it, that actually might know how to teach the position he’s been hired to teach.
No
it can’t be just be a good teacher period. You need the experience then the skill to teach. My wife is a teacher, she is certainly better in her 10th year than her first. She was always a good teacher/communicator, but now she has the experience.
i've known plenty of first year teachers who were outstanding teachers
did they improve as they got older, probably, but it doesn’t mean they weren’t very good to begin with.
...so I guess now I root for chan gailey...
It’s not really much of a problem with Cortez anyway, considering his current experience.
I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.
Syracuse Basketball 2010: Making Hoya's cry.
by UZ on Jan 31, 2010 7:03 PM EST up reply actions
Well
He has coached QB’s that went to the NFL. And when the team moves to Toronto he’ll be familar with Canada and their fanbase!! Go Toronto Bills!
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I really hope our coaches eat well, excersize, and have all had their colonoscopies. Replacing an entire coaching staff at once would not be easy, should they expire, or their families feel that they have reached the age where they can no longer effectively watch over them and feel that an “assisted living” facility would be more appropriate!
Interesting that someone seemingly off the radar would be selected. I wonder how he got his foot in the door for an interview?
Sounds like a good hire.
Interesting that someone seemingly off the radar would be selected
Considering Nix, Gailey, Modkins, DeHaven, one has to believe the Bills do not have access to or know about radar. I think they use oracle of Delphi. It’s old and dependable. Old is good!
"I have become comfortably numb" P. Floyd
by fansince60 on Jan 30, 2010 12:31 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Ha...well done, rec'd....the Oracle of Delphi would actually be an improvement
over the Orifice of Pytho, which the Bills have been using for the last 10 years :-)
"Do you even hear how totally bat sh!t insane you sound?" - Archer
The Globe and Mail
Even given that the new QB coach has had previous Canadian affiliations, does anybody else in this forum find it even mildly disconcerting that a Canadian newspaper headquartered in Toronto was the first to report the hiring of George Cortez?
Not at all, the G&M is a national news paper in Canada. It’s national HQ may be in Toronto, but it has officies in every major city in Canada and a VERY extensive network. It does not surprise me one bit that a Canadian news paper is the first one to break the news that we are hiring a coach from a Canadian team.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 12:20 PM EST up reply actions
Cortez is a very good coach, and very QB friendly.
He runs schemes that are very Run and Gun, which is off the norm in the pass first league that is the CFL. The QB’s he prefers to employ usually have great feet and a canon arm, and are very intelligent and great decision makers (look at Garcia for example, good feet, great decision maker, very intelligent, cannon arm?… not so much).
His most recent work in the CFL has come with the Calgary Stampeders working as their OC. They won a championship 2 seasons ago under a VERY strong offense that was centered around QB Henry Burris and their fantastic WR corps (best in the CFL if you ask me). Burris is a very Mike Vick tyoe QB, aka when in doubt, RUN! Although he is deffinatly not as fast, he has a cannon arm, and is much smarter with the ball. I say this just to give you an idea of the QB’s that Cortez likes to coach.
For everyone that has been wanting Vick/Tebow to be with the Bills (and I really, really, REALLY don’t), Cortez is the kind of coach that you want to be working with the QB in that scheme.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 12:29 PM EST reply actions
What? because of the Run and Gun Vick style offence? Trust me this guy is VERY good at coach it. Doesn’t mean that I want it in Buffalo though.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 12:33 PM EST up reply actions
Understand that it’s the CFL he is talking about. So everybody either runs very pass heavy shotgun offenses or have mobile QBs. It’s one or the other in the CFL. It’s 3 down football on a bigger field.
At Cal, Tedford and Cortez ran pro style attacks with decent athletes like Boller and Rodgers, but not scrambling QBs. I wouldn’t read into hire as Buffalo being more or less likely to draft or sign certain types of FAs.
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
Thats just what i was going to come back and say. Cortez ran that Offense in the CFL also because thats the type of QB that he had (Burris was there before he got hired as OC). The offenses that he ran at Cal were very different. If anything that shows that Cortez also changes his approach to go with the players that he has, much like Chan himself.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 12:57 PM EST up reply actions
im getting excited for Vick/Tebow
thanks to that info CBF. I think Chan Gailey himself wants to go the route of developing his own unique offense and if Cortez is the QB coach I really think the Bills could be gearing to take Tebow if Bradford or Claussen are gone by 9. I’m not saying I agree with it, and obviously its early for such speculation, but I wouldn’t mind at all if we develop a unique offense here geared to Run and Gun personnel.
"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
I agree, a run and gun offence would be pretty fun to have in Buffalo. I’m just not sold on either Vick or Tebow. I guess that i should just let things happen and return to the wait and see approach. Although I will be kinda disapointed if we drafted Tebow at #9.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 10:56 PM EST up reply actions
Considering every scout that’s actually worth anything has said he’s a fringe 2nd rounder at best, I would consider just giving up on the team if they took Tebow 9th.
I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.
Syracuse Basketball 2010: Making Hoya's cry.
Now tell that to all the ppl that think he’ll be the next Steve Young.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 31, 2010 1:43 AM EST up reply actions
I would consider just giving up on the team if they took Tebow 9th.
No you wouldn’t. You’ve been a fan the last decade, which proves pretty conclusively that nothing can drive you away.
...so I guess now I root for chan gailey...
Funny story, since I really only started following football in 2001, I’ve ONLY been following the team this decade. Love that masochism!
Seriously though, I hate Tebow enough as a person (and as a football player) that he might actually push me over the edge there.
I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.
Syracuse Basketball 2010: Making Hoya's cry.
by UZ on Jan 31, 2010 5:05 AM EST up reply actions
This is absolutely thebest hire thus far. As a Cal graduate that has seen every game for a decade I am well aware of how important Cortez was to Cal’s resurrection under Jeff Tedford. He will also be a fantastic complement to our OC/RB coach. He has decades of experience coaching and coordinating pro style offenses. I really couldn’t be happier about this addition.
It'll be just you, me, and Peter Nincompoop.
by BeastMode on Jan 30, 2010 12:31 PM EST via mobile reply actions 4 recs
This is a fantastic hire. He was Tedford’s number 2 at Cal and has been calling the plays for a few years in the CFL. This is as good of a hire as Buffalo could have realistically had.
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
Sounds like a good hire.
With the age thing going on here, I was at first concerned that it was Hernando Cortez they hired.
2010 Bills' truth in advertising: "Look out Cleveland, this year we score 6!" - bluecollarbuffalo
yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch too, I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work. - Peter Gibbons
by norcaliangelsfan on Jan 30, 2010 2:30 PM EST reply actions
nah......
I figured I would change it up and be happy about a hire for once……
Yeah, I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch too, I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work. - Peter Gibbons
by norcaliangelsfan on Jan 30, 2010 5:18 PM EST up reply actions
Your happy it’s a Pac10 guy, I’m happy it’s a CFLer, and I think we’re all happy that its actually a good coach.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 10:57 PM EST up reply actions
Honestly, is it jsut me or....
do I love that were hiring OLDER coaches with MORE experience. With Age comes WISDOM!
I can do all things through he whom gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
you know what else comes with old age?
…
incontinence
Yeah, I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch too, I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work. - Peter Gibbons
by norcaliangelsfan on Jan 30, 2010 6:59 PM EST up reply actions
Dimentia, you can’t forget dimentia!
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 10:58 PM EST up reply actions
decreased energy levels is something that actually worries me.
but it’s not like he’s 80.
...so I guess now I root for chan gailey...
He won’t exactly be running wildly down the sidelines either.
And even Rex Ryan has a good sideline jog in his system every couple months!
I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.
Syracuse Basketball 2010: Making Hoya's cry.
by UZ on Jan 31, 2010 5:06 AM EST up reply actions
There is hope...
Most fans were wondering if Chan had any ability to hire someone not connected to him prior and who would be someone outside of the box that could be a great “teacher” and coach. Good for Chan and good for the Bills. I believe that this will be a solid hire because:
1) The guy probably knows how to develop QB’s to throw all over a Canadian length football field where they have to get the ball out quick and hit guys on the run (like the arena league they can be moving at the snap of the ball).
2) Calagary is probably the one place where the weather is worse than it is in Buffalo where you need a strong-armed QB to throw through that weather.
3) He has worked with QB’s to get ready for the NFL or developing into NFL caliber arms.
Go Bills
by dabillsr1 on Jan 30, 2010 6:36 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Hit on all accounts as far as the CFL thoughts are.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 30, 2010 10:59 PM EST up reply actions
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