Mularkey talks to Ruben Brown

[Tatonka]

Mularkey On Brown: Mike Mularkey spoke to reporters at the opening of the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. He broached a variety of subjects regaring the combine and the Bills. He did reveal that he spoke to Reuben Brown this past week and said that his on the field performance is his first priority and indicated that the off the field problem he had with Gregg Williams at the end of the season wasn't a real big issue with him. Brown missed the final week of practice and was suspended by the head coach for the season finale against New England.

billsdaily.com

[DraftBoy]

Man Boobs is an idiot and I dont hold it against Brown to speak his mind about why the offense sucked nuts.

[The_Philster]

Originally posted by DraftBoy
Man Boobs is an idiot and I dont hold it against Brown to speak his mind about why the offense sucked nuts.

Someone should have said something sooner if anything.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Did Mike Dozer write that article for Bills Daily?

[helmetguy]

Originally posted by The_Philster
Someone should have said something sooner if anything.

I wonder what would have happened if more guys spoke up during the bye week. My guess is that KG and Moobs woulda suspended 'em all and brought more guys from Tennesse that nobody ever heard of; like Moobs did with his coaching staff!

[Bert102176]

I like Reuben always have and I don't blame him but I do hope he will restructure his contract

[SABURZFAN]

the thing is that r.brown should have said something when he was spotted by the media at RWS while the team was in new england.he could have at least say that he didn't quit and that he'll speak further into detail about it in the next few days.

[HenryRules]

We still have a fair number of staffers from last year. While they're all on defense, I still think they should have the final say on what happens in this situation.

[helmetguy]

What final say? Let the DEFENSIVE ASSISTANTS make the call on whether Brown stays or goes? Or are you talking about having them explain what happened between Brown and KG/GW? By all accounts, Brown still wants to finish his career in Buffalo. He has already spoken with Mularkey, so one would like presume that the two of them at least discussed the Brown incident. Seems to me that Mularkey's recommendation to TD is to keep Brown. But TD will have the final say.

[HenryRules]

Originally posted by helmetguy
What final say? Let the DEFENSIVE ASSISTANTS make the call on whether Brown stays or goes?

Yes, that is precisely what I am talking about.

Only the assistants from last year's team truly know the situation and the conditions under which RB spoke up. You're talking as if the defensive assistants would have never talked to the offensive assistants at all. This is not a performance issue, this is a discipline issue.

Obviously, Mularkey retained the coaches he retained because he respects them ... well, they're the only members of the coaching staff who know what happened with this last year, so they should definitely be the ones that make the call.

If what RB did was professional and GW/KG either overreacted or brought it upon themselves, I'm sure the assistants would say so. However, if RB was just being a pain in the ass and not offering anything constructive at all, and just belly-aching and the assistants feel that retaining him would either be a slap in their face or set a bad precedent, then why should we retain him.

All that Mularkey and the other new assistants are going to know is RB's opinion on the situation ... do you really think he's going to say, "Look, I was a classless *******. I just stopped trying and gave up on the team." I'm not saying that's what he did (nor am I saying it's not - I don't know either way), but we all know there's no way he'd say that if that were the case.

[helmetguy]

That's just preposterous on its face. Brown's problem was with the offense and the offensive coaching staff. All the defensive assistants can do is render their take on the issue as well. Does that settle the matter? Not at all. The matter was settled when KG and GW hit the road. Aside from the incident (of which we still know very little about) there is nothing to indicate that Brown is, in any way, some whiny, petulent pain in the ass. I'm sure the coaching staff looked quite closely at the game films, and, having done so, might even empathize with Brown over his frustration. Or, Brown could have told the new coaching staff that he did behave like a whiny, petulent pain in the ass and even possibly over-reacted. In any case, it sounds as though Clements and Mularkey are satisfied that the incident is in the past and it's time to move on. Now that is the professional way to deal with it.

[HenryRules]

Originally posted by helmetguy
That's just preposterous on its face. Brown's problem was with the offense and the offensive coaching staff. All the defensive assistants can do is render their take on the issue as well. Does that settle the matter? Not at all. The matter was settled when KG and GW hit the road. Aside from the incident (of which we still know very little about) there is nothing to indicate that Brown is, in any way, some whiny, petulent pain in the ass. I'm sure the coaching staff looked quite closely at the game films, and, having done so, might even empathize with Brown over his frustration. Or, Brown could have told the new coaching staff that he did behave like a whiny, petulent pain in the ass and even possibly over-reacted. In any case, it sounds as though Clements and Mularkey are satisfied that the incident is in the past and it's time to move on. Now that is the professional way to deal with it.

I'm sorry, I missed the part where the Bills set up a separate practice field for the defense than the offense. Who cares who Brown had his beef with - it was with a member of the coaching staff and some members of that coaching staff remain. And by the way ... being suspended for a week normally means a lot more than a simple beef. We don't know what happened, but I'm pretty sure there's much more to it than what we know.

Also, are you telling me that if Jerry Gray thinks that Ruben is a discipline problem than just because JG coaches on defense we should retain RB? That's an idiotic suggestion.

We only have 4 or so members of management who have seen Ruben on a day-to-day basis. To think that their opinion should not be considered when evaluating his discipline is downright moronic.

Yes, the issue came to a head at the end, but I think most people thought Brown had one of his worst seasons in whole last year. Was that because he was never practicing hard? Was that because he was missing meetings throughout the year? Was this a constant discipline problem that only came to head at the end of the year or just something at the end? Who in hell knows ... but maybe the coaches that were on staff last year could offer some insight ... oh, that's right, they're defensive coaches, so they were in Rochester with the defensive players at the time while the offense was practicing at the field house. They'd have no clue what went on with the rest of the team.

[G. Host]

My relative saw McNally and Ruben at McKinley Mall (store and restaurant) together. Ruben seemed to giving a tour to him making him feel welcome in Buffalo.

[helmetguy]

Did you discount, also, the fact that Brown played hurt for the better part of the season in your analysis of his performance. Did you also discount the possibility that the defensive assistants CHOSE to distance themselves from the problem? Like I said earlier, if Mularkey and Clements are satisfied that the problem has been laid to rest, then that should be sufficient. Do you really think Mularkey, after talking with Brown, would ask his defensive staff what to do? Or would it make more sense to ask the guys who are going to work directly with Brown if they can work together? As long as you think more opinions should be sought, why not ask the security guy in the player parking lot for some insight? Is it also possible, having already cleaned up a Gilbride mess in the past, that Mularkey might already have a feel for the situation. Bottom line is, Mularkey is the Head Coach, Clements the OC, and McNally the O-line coach. They will have to work directly with Brown. If they need help from the defensive staff in dealing with one of their own subordinates, then they should get out of coaching now.

[HenryRules]

Originally posted by helmetguy
Did you discount, also, the fact that Brown played hurt for the better part of the season in your analysis of his performance. Did you also discount the possibility that the defensive assistants CHOSE to distance themselves from the problem? Like I said earlier, if Mularkey and Clements are satisfied that the problem has been laid to rest, then that should be sufficient. Do you really think Mularkey, after talking with Brown, would ask his defensive staff what to do? Or would it make more sense to ask the guys who are going to work directly with Brown if they can work together? As long as you think more opinions should be sought, why not ask the security guy in the player parking lot for some insight? Is it also possible, having already cleaned up a Gilbride mess in the past, that Mularkey might already have a feel for the situation. Bottom line is, Mularkey is the Head Coach, Clements the OC, and McNally the O-line coach. They will have to work directly with Brown. If they need help from the defensive staff in dealing with one of their own subordinates, then they should get out of coaching now.

Do I have to keep repeating this ... it's not a performance issue, it's a discipline issue. Why do you keep harping on the performance part and the people that deal directly with him? When it comes to discipline, there are no boundaries within the team.

The team interacts as a team. If Brown is disruptive in the dressing room, he disrupts the defense and the offense. McNally, Clements, and Mularkey may not need help coaching him, but they have no clue what his discipline is like.

And no, I did not discount that his performance may have been due to injuries or a variety of other facts. And if that were the case, when Mularkey talks to the defensive coaches about Brown's discipline, they would say discipline is not a problem.

Look, Mularkey kept the coaches from last year because he respected them (at least one hopes that's why). Well, when there's a holdover discipline issue, why not consult them on the matter?

We're not talking a discipline problem here like going offsides one too many times or anything like that ... we're talking about someone who didn't show up to practice on time at the end of the season (as far as we know).

Have you ever played a team sport before? Do you not realize that attitude from one single person can disupt the entire team?

If Brown didn't have a disruptive attitude, or if it was a reasonable reaction of his, then the coaches that are holdovers will state that.