shelby
09-12-2010, 06:26 AM
The bolded part is priceless.
Donte Whitner is excited. Whitner is always excited. One year, he even guaranteed playoffs. The guy can't help himself. The roof could be falling down around him and he'd point out the bright blue sky overhead.
Whitner has a big reason for optimism as the Bills prepare to play the Dolphins in this afternoon's opener: the new head coach. Chan Gailey. Today, we embark on another coaching era, the fifth (not counting the Perry Fewell tryout) since Marv Levy's retirement after the 1997 season. And Whitner, the Bills' strong safety, is oozing optimism.
"It's about changing the mindset of the players," Whitner said. "Obviously, Xs and Os are a part of it. But you need to know how to change the psyche of a football team and the energy within the locker room. He's already done that."
Gailey has one thing in his favor. He's not Dick Jauron. The standard is low in this town. A competent coach with a pulse will be a significant improvement. Now that Jauron is gone, Whitner concedes what we knew all along: Jauron coddled his players.
"He did," Whitner said. "You could never question Jauron's character. He was a really nice guy. He looked out for everybody. He would never throw anybody under the bus. But I guess when you're that nice a person, you can't be a head football coach sometimes. You're probably better off as a position coach or a coordinator.
"But Coach Gailey is different. He tells you how it is, puts you on the spot. If you don't like it, you don't like it. If you like it, you like it."
Whitner says you'll like the new coach. I like what I've seen so far. Gailey doesn't seem to care what people think about him. He walked up to the microphone on media day wearing sandals and socks. He answers questions directly. When he was asked if Trent Edwards was playing for his long-term future, he said, "Sure."
Gailey defended Edwards from hecklers at training camp. "You dog one of us, you dog all of us," was priceless. I can't recall a single memorable Jauron quote, other than "It's really tough to win in our league."
Now we find out whether the guy can really coach. Gailey has won before, in college and the pros. He's mostly coached for winning teams. He knows offense. But he hasn't been an NFL head coach in this millennium. It remains to be seen whether Gailey has the command required to succeed in today's fast-paced NFL.
Over the years, I've given new coaches the benefit of the doubt. None of them proved worthy of it. I don't care about his record, Wade Phillips was a bumbler. Gregg Williams was a blowhard. Mike Mularkey was too insecure. Jauron was a mediocrity.
Maybe this time, the Bills got it right. Gailey wasn't the first choice, by a long shot, but that doesn't mean he can't coach. Gailey is 58, the same age Levy claimed to be when he took the job. You never know. You don't need a genius to win football games, just a sheer, unrelenting competence.
The early signs are promising for the Chan Gang, at least on offense. The starters were efficient in the preseason. They didn't commit dumb penalties. Gailey got the ball to C.J. Spiller in space. He made Roscoe Parrish a weapon. He revived Edwards.
But the regular season is another matter. The stakes are higher, the pressure to make snap decisions more intense. Gailey will be head coach and call the plays. That's a lot of responsibility on game day. His assistants are on the spot, too.
No one is expecting Gailey to reinvent the sport, or lead a march to the Super Bowl this year. Most Bills fans would simply like to sit through a full game without getting the urge to heave the coffee table through the front of the TV set.
read more... (http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/jerry-sullivan/article187655.ece)
Donte Whitner is excited. Whitner is always excited. One year, he even guaranteed playoffs. The guy can't help himself. The roof could be falling down around him and he'd point out the bright blue sky overhead.
Whitner has a big reason for optimism as the Bills prepare to play the Dolphins in this afternoon's opener: the new head coach. Chan Gailey. Today, we embark on another coaching era, the fifth (not counting the Perry Fewell tryout) since Marv Levy's retirement after the 1997 season. And Whitner, the Bills' strong safety, is oozing optimism.
"It's about changing the mindset of the players," Whitner said. "Obviously, Xs and Os are a part of it. But you need to know how to change the psyche of a football team and the energy within the locker room. He's already done that."
Gailey has one thing in his favor. He's not Dick Jauron. The standard is low in this town. A competent coach with a pulse will be a significant improvement. Now that Jauron is gone, Whitner concedes what we knew all along: Jauron coddled his players.
"He did," Whitner said. "You could never question Jauron's character. He was a really nice guy. He looked out for everybody. He would never throw anybody under the bus. But I guess when you're that nice a person, you can't be a head football coach sometimes. You're probably better off as a position coach or a coordinator.
"But Coach Gailey is different. He tells you how it is, puts you on the spot. If you don't like it, you don't like it. If you like it, you like it."
Whitner says you'll like the new coach. I like what I've seen so far. Gailey doesn't seem to care what people think about him. He walked up to the microphone on media day wearing sandals and socks. He answers questions directly. When he was asked if Trent Edwards was playing for his long-term future, he said, "Sure."
Gailey defended Edwards from hecklers at training camp. "You dog one of us, you dog all of us," was priceless. I can't recall a single memorable Jauron quote, other than "It's really tough to win in our league."
Now we find out whether the guy can really coach. Gailey has won before, in college and the pros. He's mostly coached for winning teams. He knows offense. But he hasn't been an NFL head coach in this millennium. It remains to be seen whether Gailey has the command required to succeed in today's fast-paced NFL.
Over the years, I've given new coaches the benefit of the doubt. None of them proved worthy of it. I don't care about his record, Wade Phillips was a bumbler. Gregg Williams was a blowhard. Mike Mularkey was too insecure. Jauron was a mediocrity.
Maybe this time, the Bills got it right. Gailey wasn't the first choice, by a long shot, but that doesn't mean he can't coach. Gailey is 58, the same age Levy claimed to be when he took the job. You never know. You don't need a genius to win football games, just a sheer, unrelenting competence.
The early signs are promising for the Chan Gang, at least on offense. The starters were efficient in the preseason. They didn't commit dumb penalties. Gailey got the ball to C.J. Spiller in space. He made Roscoe Parrish a weapon. He revived Edwards.
But the regular season is another matter. The stakes are higher, the pressure to make snap decisions more intense. Gailey will be head coach and call the plays. That's a lot of responsibility on game day. His assistants are on the spot, too.
No one is expecting Gailey to reinvent the sport, or lead a march to the Super Bowl this year. Most Bills fans would simply like to sit through a full game without getting the urge to heave the coffee table through the front of the TV set.
read more... (http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/jerry-sullivan/article187655.ece)