Fromer Gailey QB Aikman on PTI today...

[Mudflap1]

Anybody see it? They asked Troy Aikman what he thought of the Gailey hire, and the first few things he said (after he paused) was "Interesting" and "out of left field", or something to that effect. The only positive thing he said was a few sentences later that he knows how to put a running game together. Bottom line -- he did not give Gailey a ringing endorsement. He did not come out and say "about time this guy gets another shot" or "he's a great coach" or even "he's a good coach" or "I really liked him". Nothing like that. More of a deer-in-the-headlights look, and "yeah... that was interesting, kind of out of left field".

So much for the blind faith thinking Chan did such a great job in Dallas. The Hall of Fame QB that played for him did not seem to register much of a pulse when asked about him.

[psubills62]

Out of curiosity, did anyone see what Wilbon/Kornheiser said about the Bills' hire before Aikman? I missed it. And while I know a lot of people think they're both chumps, they've actually been kind to the Bills during this coaching search.

[mrbojanglezs]

ya because these two guys butted heads all the time

[Dicknoze69]

Anybody see it? They asked Troy Aikman what he thought of the Gailey hire, and the first few things he said (after he paused) was "Interesting" and "out of left field", or something to that effect. The only positive thing he said was a few sentences later that he knows how to put a running game together. Bottom line -- he did not give Gailey a ringing endorsement. He did not come out and say "about time this guy gets another shot" or "he's a great coach" or even "he's a good coach" or "I really liked him". Nothing like that. More of a deer-in-the-headlights look, and "yeah... that was interesting, kind of out of left field".

So much for the blind faith thinking Chan did such a great job in Dallas. The Hall of Fame QB that played for him was not impressed.

From what I've read it appears Aikman and Chan clashed in Dallas because Gailey was too conservative.

[SquishDaFish]

Aikmen is the reason Chan was fired. He didnt like his offense. they were talking about it today on sirius

[HHURRICANE]

From what I've read it appears Aikman and Chan clashed in Dallas because Gailey was too conservative.

We need to be more conservative.

[psubills62]

Yeah, Aikman didn't exactly have many glowing endorsements of Gailey. But I'd take it with a grain of salt. After all, he talked about how we're "dominant on defense" too.

[HHURRICANE]

You'll get a better response from the Georgia Tech fans!! HAHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAH.

[Thurmal]

Translation: "I hated playing for this idiot, but since I have a high-profile job in the media now, it would be quite unprofessional of me to go on national TV and tell everyone how much he sucks."

[Mudflap1]

Yeah, Aikman didn't exactly have many glowing endorsements of Gailey. But I'd take it with a grain of salt. After all, he talked about how we're "dominant on defense" too.

The guy is a Hall of Fame, 3 time Super Bowl winning QB. He's a lot more decorated with his NFL accomplishments than Chan Gailey. I'll take his spin on this for what it is.

[Ingtar33]

he wasn't the only one. most of his former players don't have very kind things to say.

[HHURRICANE]

The guy is a Hall of Fame, 3 time Super Bowl winning QB. He's a lot more decorated with his NFL accomplishments than Chan Gailey. I'll take his spin on this for what it is.

I would say that it wasn't a good sign. At least Jauron's players liked playing for him.

[Mudflap1]

he wasn't the only one. most of his former players don't have very kind things to say.

But we should forget all of that because all of those Hall of Fame, Pro Bowl, Super Bowl-winning players were over the hill, right? Got it.

[alohabillsfan]

how come some posters act like they are 11???

[ArcticWildMan]

I would say that it wasn't a good sign. At least Jauron's players liked playing for him.

Whooppee!!!! They liked losing.

The NY Giants players hated Coughlin .... until they started winning. Then the griping ended.

We need a coach who will be a coach, not a players best friend. We have tried the touchy feely routine for years and it hasn't worked. Time to try something different.

[TigerJ]

As I understand it, Aikman at that point was dealing with his own eroding skills. Perhaps he was dealing with his own denial and the possibility that Gailey didn't think as highly of his ability as Aikman did.

Gailey is clearly a run first guy. I'm not thrilled with that philosophy. You need to be able to run, but if that's all you want to do, defensive coordinators are smart enough to shut that down in a hurry. Aikman may not be an objective voice to ask about Gailey though.

[ArcticWildMan]

As I understand it, Aikman at that point was dealing with his own eroding skills. Perhaps he was dealing with his own denial and the possibility that Gailey didn't think as highly of his ability as Aikman did.

Gailey is clearly a run first guy. I'm not thrilled with that philosophy. You need to be able to run, but if that's all you want to do, defensive coordinators are smart enough to shut that down in a hurry. Aikman may not be an objective voice to ask about Gailey though.

We play in Buffalo in the snow. We need to be a run team that sets up the pass. There is nothing wrong with a run first philosophy.

[JD]

Anybody see it? They asked Troy Aikman what he thought of the Gailey hire, and the first few things he said (after he paused) was "Interesting" and "out of left field", or something to that effect. The only positive thing he said was a few sentences later that he knows how to put a running game together. Bottom line -- he did not give Gailey a ringing endorsement. He did not come out and say "about time this guy gets another shot" or "he's a great coach" or even "he's a good coach" or "I really liked him". Nothing like that. More of a deer-in-the-headlights look, and "yeah... that was interesting, kind of out of left field".

So much for the blind faith thinking Chan did such a great job in Dallas. The Hall of Fame QB that played for him did not seem to register much of a pulse when asked about him.
We're ****ed.

[psubills62]

The guy is a Hall of Fame, 3 time Super Bowl winning QB. He's a lot more decorated with his NFL accomplishments than Chan Gailey. I'll take his spin on this for what it is.
I guess then you believe also that we have a dominant defense? Aikman's rings doesn't always give him the most knowledge regarding the situation.

Am I defending the Gailey hire? No. But I don't think one former player's opinion, whether biased or unbiased, is worth very much. Especially when you're reading into it.

[don137]

Well if Gailey is conservative then Captain check down will be a great fit.

[SABURZFAN]

From what I've read it appears Aikman and Chan clashed in Dallas because Gailey was too conservative.


that's because Aikman was concussion- prone.

[jamze132]

As I understand it, Aikman at that point was dealing with his own eroding skills. Perhaps he was dealing with his own denial and the possibility that Gailey didn't think as highly of his ability as Aikman did.

Gailey is clearly a run first guy. I'm not thrilled with that philosophy. You need to be able to run, but if that's all you want to do, defensive coordinators are smart enough to shut that down in a hurry. Aikman may not be an objective voice to ask about Gailey though.
You're a smart poster so you should realize that winter in Buffalo requires one to run and stop the run in order to win.

[Tatonka]

not surprising.. he didnt like gailey..


Gailey went 10-6 in his first year, including a club-record 8-0 mark against the then-five-team NFC East, before losing in the wild-card game to Arizona. Dallas went 8-8 and made the wild-card game again the next year, losing to Minnesota. Now, Troy Aikman thought Gailey was prehistoric and should have compromised to leave some of the Ernie Zampese/Norv Turner offense in place, but Gailey's offensive broom swept clean. So before you say he failed in Dallas, I'd caution you use another word. He didn't fail. He took a team in decline and staved it off for as long as he could.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/01/19/mailbag/index.html#ixzz0dAbFS1FN
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[RockStar36]

I would say that it wasn't a good sign. At least Jauron's players liked playing for him.

If we're going with this mindset, then I'm more than pleased to know that Gailey isn't considered a players coach.

[Jan Reimers]

Are any of you actually giving credence to the ramblings of a concussed, broken down ex-QB who didn't get along with his coach?

Gailey did very well to get 18 wins in 2 years out of a QB who was a shell of his former self.

[Throne Logic]

Whooppee!!!! They liked losing.

The NY Giants players hated Coughlin .... until they started winning. Then the griping ended.

Coughlin also got taken to task somewhere in the middle and made the decision to lighten up just a tad. I was actually quite impressed with Coughlin's ability to do that.


We need a coach who will be a coach, not a players best friend. We have tried the touchy feely routine for years and it hasn't worked. Time to try something different.

I agree 100% with this. However, the HC still needs to be able to maintain the respect of the players. It appears that Gailey has lost that respect at a few stops along his coaching tour.

Hopefully, Gailey has learned from previous experience and can find the balance between control and respect.

[dotatough]

We need to be more conservative.

Amen. Run and stop the run.

[SABURZFAN]

Are any of you actually giving credence to the ramblings of a concussed, broken down ex-QB who didn't get along with his coach?

Gailey did very well to get 18 wins in 2 years out of a QB who was a shell of his former self.


and a RB on his last leg.

[PIZ]

and a RB on his last leg.

Maybe they should interview a QB that was successful with Chan. Like Kordell Stewart - I don't think that offense was conservative.

Was Chan the offensive coordinator when they had O'Donnel and went to the Super Bowl?

Not sure I like this idea, but I would think Chan Gailey + Tim Tebow could be deadly.

[Jan Reimers]

I think that Gailey has won with Mike Tomczak, Kordell Stewart, Jay Fiedler and a Troy Aikman whose brain had turned to mush and whose back was a mess.

I like him more and more.

[Mudflap1]

I think that Gailey has won with Mike Tomczak, Kordell Stewart, Jay Fiedler and a Troy Aikman whose brain had turned to mush and whose back was a mess.

I like him more and more.

No.... it was Neil O'Donnell and Stewart only at Pittsburgh, the non-Super Bowl year, not Tomczak. Ron Erhardt was the OC when Pitt went to the Super Bowl.

[Mudflap1]

Here are Aikman's stats during the "mush" years as you would say:

<TABLE class="sortable stats_table small_text" id=passing><TBODY><TR class=full_table onmouseover=hl(this); style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffcc" onmouseout=uhl(this);><TD align=left>1998 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1998/)</TD><TD align=right>32</TD><TD align=left>DAL (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/1998.htm)</TD><TD align=left>QB</TD><TD align=right>8</TD><TD align=right>11 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AikmTr00/gamelog/1998/)</TD><TD align=right>11</TD><TD align=right csk="0.63636">7-4-0 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/game_query.cgi?qb=AikmTr00&yr=1998)</TD><TD align=right>187</TD><TD align=right>315</TD><TD align=right>59.4</TD><TD align=right>2330</TD><TD align=right>12</TD><TD align=right>3.8</TD><TD align=right>5</TD><TD align=right>1.6</TD><TD align=right>67</TD><TD align=right>7.4</TD><TD align=right>7.4</TD><TD align=right>12.5</TD><TD align=right>211.8</TD><TD align=right>88.5</TD><TD align=right>9</TD><TD align=right>58</TD><TD align=right>7.0</TD><TD align=right>7.1</TD><TD align=right>2.8</TD><TD align=right>9</TD></TR><TR class=full_table onmouseover=hl(this); onmouseout=uhl(this);><TD align=left>1999 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1999/)</TD><TD align=right>33</TD><TD align=left>DAL (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/1999.htm)</TD><TD align=left>QB</TD><TD align=right>8</TD><TD align=right>14 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AikmTr00/gamelog/1999/)</TD><TD align=right>14</TD><TD align=right csk="0.50000">7-7-0 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/game_query.cgi?qb=AikmTr00&yr=1999)</TD><TD align=right>263</TD><TD align=right>442</TD><TD align=right>59.5</TD><TD align=right>2964</TD><TD align=right>17</TD><TD align=right>3.8</TD><TD align=right>12</TD><TD align=right>2.7</TD><TD align=right>90</TD><TD align=right>6.7</TD><TD align=right>6.3</TD><TD align=right>11.3</TD><TD align=right>211.7</TD><TD align=right>81.1</TD><TD align=right>19</TD><TD align=right>130</TD><TD align=right>6.1</TD><TD align=right>5.7</TD><TD align=right>4.1</TD><TD align=right>10</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Griff]

Translation: "I hated playing for this idiot, but since I have a high-profile job in the media now, it would be quite unprofessional of me to go on national TV and tell everyone how much he sucks."

real translation: I didn't like Chan because he cramped my style

[Griff]

Here are Aikman's stats during the "mush" years as you would say:

<table class="sortable stats_table small_text" id="passing"><tbody><tr class="full_table" onmouseover="hl(this);" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 204);" onmouseout="uhl(this);"><td align="left">1998 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1998/)</td><td align="right">32</td><td align="left">DAL (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/1998.htm)</td><td align="left">QB</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">11 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AikmTr00/gamelog/1998/)</td><td align="right">11</td><td csk="0.63636" align="right">7-4-0 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/game_query.cgi?qb=AikmTr00&yr=1998)</td><td align="right">187</td><td align="right">315</td><td align="right">59.4</td><td align="right">2330</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">3.8</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">1.6</td><td align="right">67</td><td align="right">7.4</td><td align="right">7.4</td><td align="right">12.5</td><td align="right">211.8</td><td align="right">88.5</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">58</td><td align="right">7.0</td><td align="right">7.1</td><td align="right">2.8</td><td align="right">9</td></tr><tr class="full_table" onmouseover="hl(this);" onmouseout="uhl(this);"><td align="left">1999 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1999/)</td><td align="right">33</td><td align="left">DAL (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/1999.htm)</td><td align="left">QB</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">14 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AikmTr00/gamelog/1999/)</td><td align="right">14</td><td csk="0.50000" align="right">7-7-0 (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/game_query.cgi?qb=AikmTr00&yr=1999)</td><td align="right">263</td><td align="right">442</td><td align="right">59.5</td><td align="right">2964</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">3.8</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">2.7</td><td align="right">90</td><td align="right">6.7</td><td align="right">6.3</td><td align="right">11.3</td><td align="right">211.7</td><td align="right">81.1</td><td align="right">19</td><td align="right">130</td><td align="right">6.1</td><td align="right">5.7</td><td align="right">4.1</td><td align="right">10</td></tr></tbody></table>

Their offense was ranked 9th and 11th those years.

[Philagape]

No.... it was Neil O'Donnell and Stewart only at Pittsburgh, the non-Super Bowl year, not Tomczak. Ron Erhardt was the OC when Pitt went to the Super Bowl.

Tomczak was in Pitt from 1993 to 99. He started 15 games in 96, and Pitt was 10-5 in those games with Gailey as the OC. He also started both playoff games that year.

[John Doe]

As I understand it, Aikman at that point was dealing with his own eroding skills. Perhaps he was dealing with his own denial and the possibility that Gailey didn't think as highly of his ability as Aikman did.

Gailey is clearly a run first guy. I'm not thrilled with that philosophy. You need to be able to run, but if that's all you want to do, defensive coordinators are smart enough to shut that down in a hurry. Aikman may not be an objective voice to ask about Gailey though.

Exactly right - Gailey is a "run first guy" and that was the essence of the Aikman interview.

Aikman said to the effect that if you believe that establishing a running game and playing defense will win you ballgames then this hire fits that philosophy.

[Cleve]

real translation: I didn't like Chan because he cramped my style
Yeah, or possibly a bit of "Gailey acted like he, not me, was the boss!" Aikman's ego at that point may have been so large that he had a problem with playing a subordinate role. As Thermos said yesterday on AM 550, Gailey called a lot of players out during meetings and film viewing, including Thomas. Maybe Aikman didn't care to be told he wasn't perfect?


At this point, I've heard more people that have actually worked with Gailey say good things about him, than bad. I have the feeling that he will be a huge improvement over Jauron - but it will take some time - even the Bill Polian era required a couple seasons to get rolling.

[Historian]

Are any of you actually giving credence to the ramblings of a concussed, broken down ex-QB who didn't get along with his coach?

.

Yea, he only won three Super Bowls...what would he know?

[baalworship]

Cowboy record year before Gailey as head coach: 6-10

Cowboy record year after Gailey as head coach: 5-11

Cowboys went to playoffs in both years he was head coach.

Why can't people make fun of his accent because it makes more sense than ripping his record in Dallas.

Aikman is a whiny punk that wanted Jimmy Johnson. He kept getting concussions and his career was near the end. Those who quote him or use this to criticize the Bills are trying way too hard.