Did Mularkey meet your expectations?

[Tatonka]

Just wondering how everyone feels now that the season is over and the pain of missing the playoffs is starting to dull. The fact that it is the offseason is starting to set in and we can all reflect a little more rationally.

The topic is Mike Mularkey. there were a WIDE range of opinions from the first time his name was even mentioned.. people clung to either "look how great his offenses were in 2001/2002 or "look how bad his offense was in 2003"...

then when he was hired there was really 2 reactions..

1. i dont know if i like this, but i will wait and see.
2. i hate this hire, why didnt we hire (insert washed up coaches name here)!

i personally fell into catagory 1.. i wasnt sure MM was the right hire, but something about him made me want to like him.

after the first four games.. pretty much everyones response to him was starting to go south, and understandably so.. but he righted the ship and put buffalo on a great run, behind some player benchings and releases that not alot of rookie head coaches would have had the balls to do.

what i want to know is.. was it him that did it? how did he do? he made some touch choices and some rookie mistakes.. but overall.. how do you feel now knowing he is our guy going into the future?

[Iehoshua]

I was lukewarm about the hire at the time. I wasn't in the camp that wanted to hang TD however but I did have reservations. With this year, he's shown me nothing to think he's not the right guy for the future. We were on the edge of the playoffs and he was a rookie Head Coach. Of course you could counter this argument with Jim Mora Jr. in Atlanta, but these are exceptions. Most rookie Head Coaches need at least a year to adjust and actually have a winning season. Mularkey is therefore ahead of the game IMO. It's a difficult argument to say he's below average. I feel good about having him now. Hopefully our upward rise will continue, for only time will tell the true story.

[The King]

I think keeping the team focused and keeping spirits up was what got him the most respect from me. I did question the play calling ealry on and there were a few calls late into the season I didnt like. But he has the respect of his players and his trick play timing is great! With a reliable kicker in the lineup next year I think we will continue to see more points on the board.

I also really like what he did with his coaching staff.

[Earthquake Enyart]

I'm still lukewarm on him. I will say that he did improve as the year went along. He seems to be too enamored with gadget plays. He also hasn't made a bold "Let's go for it" 4th down call yet.

But, special teams were vastly improved. Both lines seemed to get better as the year went on. They seemed to start finding Evans at the end of the year, but McGahee helped getting that opened up.

But then again, it did take them 5 games to figure out that Willis was better than Travis.

[Kolbiss]

cat. 1 as well

[ArcticWildMan]

I was pretty down on the team after the 0-4 start. I wasn't calling for Mularkey's head but I sure wasn't seeing much upside to his hiring. I chalked the poor start up to his learning curve and was just hoping next season would be better.

It was an amazing show of leadership by him to keep the players motivated and playing hard.

I credit the turn around on his coaching as well as the staff he hired. Our special teams were amazing for once after being one of the worst units in the league. Our offensive line actually looked solid for once. Not stellar, but solid. The offensive play calling was smart and capitolized on the strengths of our players and tried to minimize the weaknesses.

I really liked the way some players were asked to switch sides (ala Sam Adams on offense). That showed he wasn't afraid to try new things and take a chance.

This upcoming FA period and the draft will be interesting to watch. Who we pick up and who we let go will shape the team as MM wants it to be. Judging from his decisions to play certain players and sit others, I think he has a pretty good eye for players that can help us.

[Ebenezer]

the turning point for me came in the home Miami game when they sat Adams and after the Jets game when they cut Shaw...I think he grabbed the team and they caught on...

as far as Henry thing...all attempts were made to keep his stock up...who knew he wouldn't be the back he was the last two years...also no guarentee that WM would have been just as bad behind the OL the first four games.

[Earthquake Enyart]

the turning point for me came in the home Miami game when they sat Adams and after the Jets game when they cut Shaw...I think he grabbed the team and they caught on...

as far as Henry thing...all attempts were made to keep his stock up...who knew he wouldn't be the back he was the last two years...also no guarentee that WM would have been just as bad behind the OL the first four games.
Willis looked way better in preseason. It looked like they were afraid to hurt Travis' fellings.

[Tatonka]

i wonder how many Rookie head coaches have posted winning records and how they went on to do.

anyone care to look that up?

[Typ0]

the turning point for me came in the home Miami game when they sat Adams and after the Jets game when they cut Shaw...I think he grabbed the team and they caught on...

as far as Henry thing...all attempts were made to keep his stock up...who knew he wouldn't be the back he was the last two years...also no guarentee that WM would have been just as bad behind the OL the first four games.

All attempts to keep Henrys stock up would have been not having him play and starting WM. Now there are more questions about Henry...and WM was clearly the better back all season.

[Ebenezer]

i wonder how many Rookie head coaches have posted winning records and how they went on to do.

anyone care to look that up?
I belief that only one Bills rookie coach ever had a winning record and that was in the 60s after 2 AFL championships

[Typ0]

i wonder how many Rookie head coaches have posted winning records and how they went on to do.

anyone care to look that up?

I know the Falcons are in the conference championship game.

[Tatonka]

to my understanding, willis was just not physically ready to play that much at the start of the season.. but regardless.. you dont just take a stud rbs job from him because of a few preseason games.. willis played in the first four games, it is not like he was inactive.

i dont fault MM for making willis earn his starting spot.

and i also dont fault him for the 0-4 start.. as many have pointed out.. if milloy is healthy, we probably win at least one, maybe 2 more games.. and if the refs make the right call on the goal line, we win against oakland..

he did an incredible job w/ his staff and especially mcnally.. the line showed a ton of improvement over the year from the start of the season..

i know alot of very good coaches like gibbs, parcells and belichick sucked as rookies.

[Ebenezer]

I know the Falcons are in the conference championship game.
Seifert won a SB with SF...the Falcons were in the playoffs two years ago...

the better question to ask is how many rookie coaches took over a team that was 4 years removed from the playoffs and had a winning record...

[Tatonka]

I know the Falcons are in the conference championship game.

i was kind of looking for a bit more history.. i know that.. i also know alot of other rookie head coaches that sucked a fat one.

like john fox.. didnt he win in his first season? then in year 2 or 3 he was in the superbowl?

just wondering if there is any kind of trend that shows that rookie head coaches that have winning seasons go on to be above average.

like cowher.. how did he do his rookie season. and gruden.

i dont put alot into head coaches from the stone ages.. so i could care less about lombardi and the like.

[Ebenezer]

to my understanding, willis was just not physically ready to play that much at the start of the season.. but regardless.. you dont just take a stud rbs job from him because of a few preseason games.. willis played in the first four games, it is not like he was inactive.

i dont fault MM for making willis earn his starting spot.

and i also dont fault him for the 0-4 start.. as many have pointed out.. if milloy is healthy, we probably win at least one, maybe 2 more games.. and if the refs make the right call on the goal line, we win against oakland..

he did an incredible job w/ his staff and especially mcnally.. the line showed a ton of improvement over the year from the start of the season..

i know alot of very good coaches like gibbs, parcells and belichick sucked as rookies.
Gibbs was 5-11...Belicheck blew in Cleveland...I think Parcells was 6-10...didn't Tom Landry go winless his first year in Dallas?

[Dantheman1280]

I feel mm did a good job this year, but I also am not sold on him until he wins a few meaningful games. Every game that we won this season besides the jets game came to a lower oppnent. If he can get this team to the next left I will be the first one to personally kiss his ass.

[Section 130 Row 26]

John Fox was 1-15 in his first season with Carolina I think...

JG

[G. Host]

I thought MM was a good choice intially especially after his choice of assistant coaches and thought other than not holding an extra week of practice as entitled to as a new head coach he did a good job. I did NOT think the Bills would have a winning season however since I feel the players have been so poorly coached for so many years. The Bills record far exceeding my expectations this year with a rookie head coach and this raised my opinion of him. . :posrep:

[jamze132]

I am more than satisfied OVERALL for the way the season played out. The first few games where rough, same old Drew...bla bla bla. But the thing that hooked me on Mularkey was the fact that he never tried to change the gameplan. He stuck with what he thought would produce wins and it did in a really great way. I like his "pound the ball" approach and his ability to get through to the players so they believe in what he is telling them. I am not a big fan of all the gadget plays they installed this year, but some seem to work really well. I think our future in Buffalo is bright for years to come.

F the Patsys!

[lordofgun]

Why does it take him so long to see what the fans already know?

Drew Bledsoe is washed up.
WM is a much better RB than TH.

I knew both of these things a long time ago.

[EDS]

to my understanding, willis was just not physically ready to play that much at the start of the season.. but regardless.. you dont just take a stud rbs job from him because of a few preseason games.. willis played in the first four games, it is not like he was inactive.

i dont fault MM for making willis earn his starting spot.

and i also dont fault him for the 0-4 start.. as many have pointed out.. if milloy is healthy, we probably win at least one, maybe 2 more games.. and if the refs make the right call on the goal line, we win against oakland..

he did an incredible job w/ his staff and especially mcnally.. the line showed a ton of improvement over the year from the start of the season..

i know alot of very good coaches like gibbs, parcells and belichick sucked as rookies.

Agreed. The veteran players would have tuned MM out if he started WM at the beginning of the season over Travis Henry. Travis was the offensive MVP the previous year and a poor pre-season is not a justification for losing your job, particularly when you factor in the new offensive scheme.

[Charlieguide]

I'm suprised no one has yet brought up what I'm going to write.

I was impressed with the turnaround. MM stuck to his guns, Kelly and DB had a good talk, Willis earned his wings, and it all came together to produce a long winning streak.

But in the end, for the game that mattered most, when the playoff window was clearly open as the Jets were losing, the Bills couldn't get it done against backups. No single mistake or player to lay the blame on here, folks, they just got outplayed and outcoached. The Steelers ran right over the Bills defense in the 4th quarter, and the offense was impotent except for a few short minutes.

That, above all else, leads me to question this decision. Mularkey brought us a winning record, but he still has a LOT to prove.

[Philagape]

I'm pleased with MM's first year. It went as well as one could expect from a rookie coach, if not better, considering the talent we have. He was blessed to have such a good defense and special teams, but how much credit can he take for that? His forte is offense, so I think our assistants deserve a lot of credit, especially April.
MM does deserve the credit for keeping the team's heads and hearts in it through the nightmare start. He's a player's coach who relates well to them but still makes clear who's the boss. Offensively, he can improve; he tries to get cute too often while at other times being too conservative, as if he's trying to outthink himself (then again, when you have a QB who, COUGH COUGH, ahem, never mind) ... we need to find a good in-between mix. That just comes with experience, so I'm encouraged.
I would have voted for the first option if it didn't have "great" in it, so I voted #2.