venis2k1
12-10-2002, 02:33 PM
Gilbride's offense a challenge for Chargers
by Scott Pitoniak
NFL Insider
(Dec. 10, 2002) -- Kevin Gilbride wasn't trying to dump lake-effect snow on anyone's parade. But the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator also didn't want people getting too far ahead of themselves.
"We're still a work in progress," Gilbride cautioned last week when asked if the 3-13 Bad News Bills of a year ago were on the verge of becoming the NFL's next Greatest Show on Turf. "We have a lot of young, talented guys, and if this unit stays together, it could become something really special. But we're not there yet. We still have a ways to go."
That was apparent in Week 14's 27-17 loss to the New England Patriots. The Bills self-destructed with five turnovers -- including a season-high four interceptions by ex-Patriot Drew Bledsoe, who was hardly a homecoming king during his first game back in New England. The Patriots turned three of the turnovers into 17 points.
"I think we've done some things this season that we can be very proud of, but football is a week-to-week proposition," says Gilbride, whose offenses have finished among the top three in total yardage five times in his nine seasons as an NFL coordinator. "We've had stretches when we've really found a rhythm offensively, and we've had some games where we did a good job of moving the football but wound up shooting ourselves in the foot."
Kevin Gilbride's offense is ranked third in points scored in the AFC.
For all intents and purposes, the loss to their AFC East rival knocked the Bills from playoff contention. But as they attempt to play spoiler against the San Diego Chargers, it's apparent the Bills' future is much brighter than it's been in recent years, thanks to a quarterback and an offensive coordinator who have been reborn in Buffalo.
After flopping as a head coach in San Diego and as an offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, the man fellow Oilers assistant Buddy Ryan once tried to punch on the sideline was supposed to be down for the count.
But just as critics were too quick to write Bledsoe's football obituary, so, too, were they premature in burying the career of a coordinator who was instrumental in the successes of quarterbacks Warren Moon in Houston and Mark Brunell in Jacksonville.
"After the Bills traded for me, I spoke to a few guys I knew who had worked with Kevin, and they said, 'You're going to love the guy,' " Bledsoe says. "It's imperative that a quarterback be on the same page as his coordinator, and that's been the case with Kevin and me. [When] he says something, you can take it to the bank."
Gilbride's attacking, share-the-wealth approach has paid dividends as the Bills have increased their offensive output by nearly nine points per game from a year ago, when they finished 27th in scoring.
At times, they have evoked memories of the early 1990s when Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and James Lofton were fast-breaking their way to an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowls without the benefit of a huddle.
Although Bledsoe turned in two subpar performances against his old team, he is on a pace to pass for a career-best 4,729 yards. Eric Moulds and Peerless Price have blossomed into the league's most dangerous receiving tandem, combining for 162 receptions, 2,231 yards and 18 touchdowns. With 1,466 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns, second-year running back Travis Henry is reminding people of Thomas in his prime. The young line, featuring perennial Pro Bowl guard Ruben Brown and promising rookie right tackle Mike Williams, is the best the Bills have fielded since their Super Bowl run.
And the man lighting the pyrotechnics has been the 51-year-old Gilbride, a flexible-thinking, players' coach who worked similar magic with the Oilers during the early 1990s and the Jaguars a few years later.
"He doesn't get the credit he deserves, but he's the architect," Moulds says. "Kevin's the guy who has given us the blueprint for success."
Gilbride's success with the Oilers and Jaguars got him the Chargers' head-coaching job in 1997. But things didn't work out in San Diego, where he was jettisoned six games into the '98 season with a 6-16 record.
"I really believe if they had just been a little more patient and had given us more time, we would have gotten it turned around," says Gilbride, who is reluctant to get into specifics about his time in San Diego. "In retrospect, we were walking into a situation where there were no quick solutions. We had to let things bottom out before it would get better."
After two unproductive seasons as the Steelers' offensive coordinator, Gilbride spent last season commentating for ESPN and a Canadian sports network. He enjoyed the opportunity to be a Monday morning quarterback, but he missed the camaraderie and drama that comes from being a part of a football team. He wanted to call the plays, not second-guess them.
When Bills head coach Gregg Williams, a former colleague with the Oilers, came calling, Gilbride jumped at the offer.
"The year I was away from it, I realized that I wasn't ready to give it up," he says. "Plus, the competitor in me wanted to come back and show people that I still had it, that what they had been saying wasn't necessarily true."
He has proven his point. With him and Bledsoe working in concert, the Bills became playoff contenders a year ahead of schedule, and there's speculation that Gilbride may get another head-coaching job. His track record with quarterbacks might entice a team such as the hapless Cincinnati Bengals, who will take a hard look at drafting Southern California quarterback Carson Palmer or Marshall's Byron Leftwich next April.
"I would welcome the opportunity to become a head coach again somewhere," Gilbride says. "But I know that will only come about if we have success here and we turn this team into a playoff team. We're close to doing that, but we're not quite there."
http://www.nfl.com/insider/story/6003924
check it fool
by Scott Pitoniak
NFL Insider
(Dec. 10, 2002) -- Kevin Gilbride wasn't trying to dump lake-effect snow on anyone's parade. But the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator also didn't want people getting too far ahead of themselves.
"We're still a work in progress," Gilbride cautioned last week when asked if the 3-13 Bad News Bills of a year ago were on the verge of becoming the NFL's next Greatest Show on Turf. "We have a lot of young, talented guys, and if this unit stays together, it could become something really special. But we're not there yet. We still have a ways to go."
That was apparent in Week 14's 27-17 loss to the New England Patriots. The Bills self-destructed with five turnovers -- including a season-high four interceptions by ex-Patriot Drew Bledsoe, who was hardly a homecoming king during his first game back in New England. The Patriots turned three of the turnovers into 17 points.
"I think we've done some things this season that we can be very proud of, but football is a week-to-week proposition," says Gilbride, whose offenses have finished among the top three in total yardage five times in his nine seasons as an NFL coordinator. "We've had stretches when we've really found a rhythm offensively, and we've had some games where we did a good job of moving the football but wound up shooting ourselves in the foot."
Kevin Gilbride's offense is ranked third in points scored in the AFC.
For all intents and purposes, the loss to their AFC East rival knocked the Bills from playoff contention. But as they attempt to play spoiler against the San Diego Chargers, it's apparent the Bills' future is much brighter than it's been in recent years, thanks to a quarterback and an offensive coordinator who have been reborn in Buffalo.
After flopping as a head coach in San Diego and as an offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, the man fellow Oilers assistant Buddy Ryan once tried to punch on the sideline was supposed to be down for the count.
But just as critics were too quick to write Bledsoe's football obituary, so, too, were they premature in burying the career of a coordinator who was instrumental in the successes of quarterbacks Warren Moon in Houston and Mark Brunell in Jacksonville.
"After the Bills traded for me, I spoke to a few guys I knew who had worked with Kevin, and they said, 'You're going to love the guy,' " Bledsoe says. "It's imperative that a quarterback be on the same page as his coordinator, and that's been the case with Kevin and me. [When] he says something, you can take it to the bank."
Gilbride's attacking, share-the-wealth approach has paid dividends as the Bills have increased their offensive output by nearly nine points per game from a year ago, when they finished 27th in scoring.
At times, they have evoked memories of the early 1990s when Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and James Lofton were fast-breaking their way to an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowls without the benefit of a huddle.
Although Bledsoe turned in two subpar performances against his old team, he is on a pace to pass for a career-best 4,729 yards. Eric Moulds and Peerless Price have blossomed into the league's most dangerous receiving tandem, combining for 162 receptions, 2,231 yards and 18 touchdowns. With 1,466 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns, second-year running back Travis Henry is reminding people of Thomas in his prime. The young line, featuring perennial Pro Bowl guard Ruben Brown and promising rookie right tackle Mike Williams, is the best the Bills have fielded since their Super Bowl run.
And the man lighting the pyrotechnics has been the 51-year-old Gilbride, a flexible-thinking, players' coach who worked similar magic with the Oilers during the early 1990s and the Jaguars a few years later.
"He doesn't get the credit he deserves, but he's the architect," Moulds says. "Kevin's the guy who has given us the blueprint for success."
Gilbride's success with the Oilers and Jaguars got him the Chargers' head-coaching job in 1997. But things didn't work out in San Diego, where he was jettisoned six games into the '98 season with a 6-16 record.
"I really believe if they had just been a little more patient and had given us more time, we would have gotten it turned around," says Gilbride, who is reluctant to get into specifics about his time in San Diego. "In retrospect, we were walking into a situation where there were no quick solutions. We had to let things bottom out before it would get better."
After two unproductive seasons as the Steelers' offensive coordinator, Gilbride spent last season commentating for ESPN and a Canadian sports network. He enjoyed the opportunity to be a Monday morning quarterback, but he missed the camaraderie and drama that comes from being a part of a football team. He wanted to call the plays, not second-guess them.
When Bills head coach Gregg Williams, a former colleague with the Oilers, came calling, Gilbride jumped at the offer.
"The year I was away from it, I realized that I wasn't ready to give it up," he says. "Plus, the competitor in me wanted to come back and show people that I still had it, that what they had been saying wasn't necessarily true."
He has proven his point. With him and Bledsoe working in concert, the Bills became playoff contenders a year ahead of schedule, and there's speculation that Gilbride may get another head-coaching job. His track record with quarterbacks might entice a team such as the hapless Cincinnati Bengals, who will take a hard look at drafting Southern California quarterback Carson Palmer or Marshall's Byron Leftwich next April.
"I would welcome the opportunity to become a head coach again somewhere," Gilbride says. "But I know that will only come about if we have success here and we turn this team into a playoff team. We're close to doing that, but we're not quite there."
http://www.nfl.com/insider/story/6003924
check it fool