A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

[Typ0]

It's the way they think.

Yesterday was a loss...but clearly an impressive effort. Yes, that's what I'm saying--impressive. So what is the problem then? The problem has been, and will be until we get a coach, that we need that effort from the kickoff of the first game of the season to the final whistle of the last. We don't get it. It's cultural. Maybe a good coach could overcome the culture. It's our only chance until the culture changes. We need a sharp motivator at the helm. A guy (or girl I suppose) that gets that effort and doesn't make mistakes keeping our team in the hunt as opposed to being a liability. We play desperate when we are desperate. It is clear to me the Bills culture has no understanding of the constant desperation in the short NFL season that wins championships.

[HAMMER]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

People being paid huge money to play a game should need no motivation beyond their over inflated paycheck.

[Typ0]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

That's exactly why the culture is at fault. It doesn't matter where you go or what you do it's leadership and mindset that drives an organization to success. And it doesn't matter how much money is being thrown around either. They are motivated as individuals...but they don't have the mindset to be a team the way they need to be.

[Ingtar33]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

at the pro level most players have been to the rodeo... rah rah speeches by a coach mean little to them; it's not the same as college.

that's not to say there aren't ways to motivate them. Bill Parcels was/is big into embarrassing a man's pride... either privately or publicly. He also was famous for cutting or benching players who got hurt easy... players played terrified that he would take their jobs and pride all the time. He also was big on building up pride. Bill Parcels where-ever he went transformed players into men and leaders. You hear about a Parcels 'guy', parcels loved his "guys" and liked to pick up as many of them as he could when he came to a new team. His teams turned around fast, not because those players were "great" (most were nothing more then average), but because they brought the "parcels" way into the locker room, and provided leadership to the other players.

That's what a great coach does. I'll refrain from comment about Belicheat (wait, wasn't that a comment?), but you'll notice Parcel's coaching tree towers over pro-football in much the same way George Allen's did. That is because he trained his coaches like he trained his players.


what we need is leadership, not a cheerleader. We need leaders in this locker-room (i don't care how good they are at football, as long as they don't suck up a roster spot). That's the biggest and most glaring problem we have now. Many coaches are quite successful without being good leaders, because they valued players with those skills. Gailey has never shown in his coaching career a willingness to use, or interest in, good leadership in his locker-room.

[Mike]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

People being paid huge money to play a game should need no motivation beyond their over inflated paycheck.

Money is actually not a good motivator. All the research points in the other direction, that being paid a lot based on performance actually is an inhibitor! Further, like many other American, players get bored with their job & their role. You throw millions of dollars towards a good player that doesn't have a 'love for the game' and he will respond similarly to an average Joe who just won the lottery.

[Mike]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

at the pro level most players have been to the rodeo... rah rah speeches by a coach mean little to them; it's not the same as college.

that's not to say there aren't ways to motivate them. Bill Parcels was/is big into embarrassing a man's pride... either privately or publicly. He also was famous for cutting or benching players who got hurt easy... players played terrified that he would take their jobs and pride all the time. He also was big on building up pride. Bill Parcels where-ever he went transformed players into men and leaders. You hear about a Parcels 'guy', parcels loved his "guys" and liked to pick up as many of them as he could when he came to a new team. His teams turned around fast, not because those players were "great" (most were nothing more then average), but because they brought the "parcels" way into the locker room, and provided leadership to the other players.

That's what a great coach does. I'll refrain from comment about Belicheat (wait, wasn't that a comment?), but you'll notice Parcel's coaching tree towers over pro-football in much the same way George Allen's did. That is because he trained his coaches like he trained his players.


what we need is leadership, not a cheerleader. We need leaders in this locker-room (i don't care how good they are at football, as long as they don't suck up a roster spot). That's the biggest and most glaring problem we have now. Many coaches are quite successful without being good leaders, because they valued players with those skills. Gailey has never shown in his coaching career a willingness to use, or interest in, good leadership in his locker-room.

In Jimmy Johnson's own words Fear is the best motivator something Parcels mastered. It's all about manipulative player behavior, habits and installing a certain mentality and culture.

[Typ0]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

There are certainly different approaches to finding a winning culture. But I also think your scenario doesn't work here because of the culture built from the top. Players are not retained and we have even seen highly contributing players be snuffed off at the ends of their careers here. That takes it's toll on the player attitude over time towards the organization. And a vocal leader? Seriously that is not going to be allowed in the culture at OBD. So I would agree with you leadership would be tantamount to the team...but the reason it's not here flows from the leadership above.

at the pro level most players have been to the rodeo... rah rah speeches by a coach mean little to them; it's not the same as college.

that's not to say there aren't ways to motivate them. Bill Parcels was/is big into embarrassing a man's pride... either privately or publicly. He also was famous for cutting or benching players who got hurt easy... players played terrified that he would take their jobs and pride all the time. He also was big on building up pride. Bill Parcels where-ever he went transformed players into men and leaders. You hear about a Parcels 'guy', parcels loved his "guys" and liked to pick up as many of them as he could when he came to a new team. His teams turned around fast, not because those players were "great" (most were nothing more then average), but because they brought the "parcels" way into the locker room, and provided leadership to the other players.

That's what a great coach does. I'll refrain from comment about Belicheat (wait, wasn't that a comment?), but you'll notice Parcel's coaching tree towers over pro-football in much the same way George Allen's did. That is because he trained his coaches like he trained his players.


what we need is leadership, not a cheerleader. We need leaders in this locker-room (i don't care how good they are at football, as long as they don't suck up a roster spot). That's the biggest and most glaring problem we have now. Many coaches are quite successful without being good leaders, because they valued players with those skills. Gailey has never shown in his coaching career a willingness to use, or interest in, good leadership in his locker-room.

[Ingtar33]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

I agree.

Cutting Moorman is a great example of how this team treats vet leadership. Gailey isn't a fan of leader in his locker room, I suspect this thought process goes back to how he lost his job in Dallas.

[K-Gun]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

It's the way they think.

Yesterday was a loss...but clearly an impressive effort. Yes, that's what I'm saying--impressive. So what is the problem then? The problem has been, and will be until we get a coach, that we need that effort from the kickoff of the first game of the season to the final whistle of the last. We don't get it. It's cultural. Maybe a good coach could overcome the culture. It's our only chance until the culture changes. We need a sharp motivator at the helm. A guy (or girl I suppose) that gets that effort and doesn't make mistakes keeping our team in the hunt as opposed to being a liability. We play desperate when we are desperate. It is clear to me the Bills culture has no understanding of the constant desperation in the short NFL season that wins championships.

I don't understand how you could possibly think that a team's mental attitude has any effect on their success. What does thinking have to do with football?

And even if thinking had anything to do with football, how in the hell can you say that the culture within the organization of the team has anything to do with the team's mentality.

In unrelated news, when Tom Brady was warming the bench at the University of Michigan, he hired a sports psychologist to learn how to control his anxiety and adopt a winning mentality.

I think Chan Gailey needs to do same thing. Obviously some coaches and players have naturally winning mentalities. But you can also learn some really important competencies to control anxiety and increase your mental focus. And perhaps just as importantly, if not more, Chan needs to learn the things that he has been doing in the face of defeat over the last season and a half that have psychologically hurt the team. He has hurt the team, and I'm fairly confident it was not intentional on his part.

[justasportsfan]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

Problem is exactly what Chandler said. No killer instinct.

The first time I saw Fitz pissed is when he got hit last Sunday. As much as I hate Brady the guy breeds fire into his teammates. As a team, they will step on your throat even if they are 3 TD's ahead.

Other than Kyle and even Kelsay, no other player on this DL is aggressive. They don't have a Killer mentality.

MARRIO IS SOFT! Sheppard belongs on the bench.

[imbondz]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

Problem is exactly what Chandler said. No killer instinct.

The first time I saw Fitz pissed is when he got hit last Sunday. As much as I hate Brady the guy breeds fire into his teammates. As a team, they will step on your throat even if they are 3 TD's ahead.

Other than Kyle and even Kelsay, no other player on this DL is aggressive. They don't have a Killer mentality.

MARRIO IS SOFT! Sheppard belongs on the bench.

I loved when Fitz got pissed yesterday, it's the first time I saw it too. Agree about Brady too. Brady flipped out on one of his guys yesterday when he got sacked.

[Typ0]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

I agree.

Cutting Moorman is a great example of how this team treats vet leadership. Gailey isn't a fan of leader in his locker room, I suspect this thought process goes back to how he lost his job in Dallas.

and it goes back to how he got the job here too. He's a yes man and he likes yes men. It's a good old boys club now.

- - - Updated - - -

If only lack of thinking counted for points!!

I don't understand how you could possibly think that a team's mental attitude has any effect on their success. What does thinking have to do with football?

And even if thinking had anything to do with football, how in the hell can you say that the culture within the organization of the team has anything to do with the team's mentality.

In unrelated news, when Tom Brady was warming the bench at the University of Michigan, he hired a sports psychologist to learn how to control his anxiety and adopt a winning mentality.

I think Chan Gailey needs to do same thing. Obviously some coaches and players have naturally winning mentalities. But you can also learn some really important competencies to control anxiety and increase your mental focus. And perhaps just as importantly, if not more, Chan needs to learn the things that he has been doing in the face of defeat over the last season and a half that have psychologically hurt the team. He has hurt the team, and I'm fairly confident it was not intentional on his part.

[Typ0]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

Again it's what I am alluding too. They have killer instinct when times become most desperate. We have seen this time and again year after year. They are professionals and can muster up a good game in desperation. If only they could do that in earlier games and get more wins that desperation would not be make or break. This is where Ingtar is saying the on the field leadership is missing to get the consistency required in the NFL to have winning seasons. And then we have a boneheaded coach shooting us in the foot as well...

Problem is exactly what Chandler said. No killer instinct.

The first time I saw Fitz pissed is when he got hit last Sunday. As much as I hate Brady the guy breeds fire into his teammates. As a team, they will step on your throat even if they are 3 TD's ahead.

Other than Kyle and even Kelsay, no other player on this DL is aggressive. They don't have a Killer mentality.

MARRIO IS SOFT! Sheppard belongs on the bench.

[DraftBoy]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

Problem is exactly what Chandler said. No killer instinct.

The first time I saw Fitz pissed is when he got hit last Sunday. As much as I hate Brady the guy breeds fire into his teammates. As a team, they will step on your throat even if they are 3 TD's ahead.

And when he got pissed and hit by Spikes how many teammates came to his defense? Not one that I recall.

[Extremebillsfan247]

Re: A Perfect Time To Point Out The Problem With Our Football Team

This team doesn't have a problem. They have problems as in many of them. Changing coaches again will only increase that number. In my opinion this team should change everything from top to bottom, or change nothing at all, and keep playing with the tools you have. Those are the only 2 paths to fixing this organization.