Chan Gailey

The Chan Gailey era in Buffalo officially begun on Tuesday as the team introduced the career play-caller as their next head coach. Gailey, who was fired from his only other head coaching position by Jerry Jones, will get his second, and most likely last chance to prove himself as a successful head coach in the NFL.

Gailey will have his work cut out for him in Buffalo Bills. The Buffalo Bills team he’s taking over hasn’t made the playoffs in a decade and its fans have been clamoring for a big name coach, such as Bill Cowher, during what most fans are interpreting a unsuccessful search. “I can’t say anything to change anybody’s mind. All I can do is go try to help us win football games,” Gailey said. “We win football games, everybody’s minds will be changed, right?”

Gailey was hired by first-time general manager Buddy Nix, ending a two-month search to replace Dick Jauron, who was fired in November. He takes over a Bills team coming off its fifth straight losing season following a 6-10 finish and in the midst of a 10-year playoff drought that is tied with Detroit as the longest active streak in the NFL. “I’ve been around enough winning programs … that when I walk on the field I expect to win.

I don’t just hope to win,” Gailey said. “But the bottom line is we’ve got to do it on the field” For Nix, it was Gailey’s extensive experience that impressed him and met most of the criteria the General Manager set out when he took over the search two weeks ago. Nix was eager to find someone with previous head-coaching experience and who had an offensive background, especially considering the Bills quarterback situation.

“Without any doubt in my mind, we got the best qualified guy, a guy that was on the list early,” Nix said.”We got the right guy for us. I’ve got full confidence in him to answer your question.”

Gailey has spent 15 of his 35 years of coaching in the NFL. In his two years coaching the Dallas Cowboys, he went 18-14 and led the team to consecutive playoff appearances – both losses. He was dismissed after the 1999 season, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has acknowledged his mistake in firing Gailey.

Gailey has been out of football since he was removed as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in August, two weeks before the season opener. He was entering his second season with Kansas City Chiefs after a six-year stretch as Georgia Tech’s coach, during which he went 44-33 before being fired in 2007.

Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was considered the top candidate after interviewing two weeks ago. Frazier’s stock appeared to climb even further after his defense shut down the Cowboys in Minnesota’s 34-3 win in the playoffs Sunday.

Elsewhere around the NFL:

Detroit: ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that Matthew Stafford is “iffy” for Thursday’s game against the Packers. X-rays revealed no fracture to Stafford’s collarbone, which the team initially feared, but he amazingly reentered Sunday’s game against the advice of doctors. Stafford will undergo further test on Monday, including an MRI, but the team has officially called his status for Thursday a “game-day decision.”

Arizona: Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner completed 15-of-19 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a “minor” concussion that knocked him out for the rest of Sunday’s win over St. Louis. Warner, 38, was replaced by Matt Leinart with :47 left in the second quarter and did not return. Even though Warner was on the sideline for the second half and the game remained close, he did not see any further action.

Green Bay: According to Packers beat writer Greg Bedard, the initial prognosis for OLB Aaron Kampman is that he has a torn ACL. Green Bay Packers may not pursue re-signing Kampman in the offseason because he’s not a good fit in their 3-4 defense.

Washington: The Redskins have already ruled out Clinton Portis (concussion) for Week 12, coach Jim Zorn revealed Sunday. Offensive coordinator Sherman Smith added that the team will scour their free agent list and pick up a back to be active behind Rock Cartwright and Quinton Ganther because Ladell Betts (torn MCL) is probably done for the season.

Buffalo: Marshawn Lynch, who left in the second quarter Sunday with a shoulder injury, said after the game that he expects to be fine. Lynch had eight carries for 18 yards, no catches and no touchdowns before departing. He’ll undergo a precautionary MRI Monday, which will go a long way in determining his readiness for Week 12.

Burress was a man amongst boys when he played college football at Michigan State due to his play and size. At 6’6″ he was a nightmare match up for any defensive back that he went up against.  Even though he was extremely talented as a receiver at MSU, he was known to get into occasional trouble also.  The Pittsburgh Steelers felt they needed a big receiver which is why they drafted Burress with the 8th overall pick in 2000, despite his troubled history.

Plaxico also had trouble following the rules of his former coach Bill Cowher when he was with Pittsburgh Steelers, and he had legal problems also.  It’s funny that Burress had problems following the rules of a coach who Burress had said was the “Coolest coach he ever had” in his book Giant: The Road To The Super Bowl. Burress formed a great receiving duo threat with Hines Ward during his time with the Steelers.  He just never learned to be a leader like Ward or to make a commitment to become great.  The on the field problems that Burress had with the Steelers are the same ones that he has had with the Giants; short arming passes thrown to him, not running his routes all the way through, taking plays off, injury problems, etc..  Burress had a great repore his last year in Pittsburgh with then rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.  Then he left as a free agent to sign with the Giants without hardly any resistance from the Steelers front office.

Burress is a player who seems to have taken his God given abilities for granted.   Here is a guy with all of the talent in the world but doesn’t appear to have the commitment that goes along with being successful.   He doesn’t seem to have to much of an interest in what it means to be a NFL player.  He doesn’t understand the responsibility that comes with being an NFL player.  It’s not about just reaping all of the rewards.

We all know that every player currently playing in the NFL will eventually be replaced.  Even the greats like Tom Brady; Brett Farve has already been replaced in Green Bay which seems surreal.  Some players like to believe that they are invincible, they believe they are untouchable.  I believe that Burress falls in this category.  Players who have felt like this and didn’t truly make a commitment to their NFL profession have wound up being replaced a lot earlier than they should have.  I’m not saying that this is going to happen to Burress, but the potential is definitely there.

Burress has had plenty of time to mature asa a player and person; he has had great men who have done their best to tutor him and take him under their wing.

For one reason or another Burress actions have displayed that he either doesn’t get it or he doesn’t care.  Either one is detrimental to his career, and potentially to his life outside of football.  Burress is missing the very valuable life lessons that the game of football has been trying to teach him.  If Burress continues on the path that he is on, you can best believe that Tom Coughlin will be looking to have him replaced sooner than latter.  There is Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon and David Tyree waiting in the wings.  None of these guys have the great height that Burress possesses, but all of these guys are incredible playmakers, and Eli Manning also loves to utilize his Tight Ends in the passing game as he showed in the Super Bowl.  Plaxico needs to realize that the Giants and the game of life will move on with or without you.  There are men on the Giants who are trying to win another Super Bowl and that is where all of their concentrated energies are.  They don’t have a lot of time to be trying to babysit another grown man.  Just how they saying goes “You are either with us or against us!”  There is not a team in the NFL that likes unnecessary distractions when the team is trying to meet their goals to make the playoffs and beyond!

Burress will not always be making the millions of dollars that he is now to play the sport.  Even though he and his family might not have any financial worries in life, there will be many other challenges in life that money won’t be able to fix.  Burress will not always be able to use the NFL as a crutch.  It’s way past time for Plaxico Burress to be a responsible NFL player and person.

The 1970′s were dominated by the Steelers making eight playoff appearances and winning four Super Bowls: IX, X, XIII, XIV. The Steelers were the first team to win four Super Bowls and also the first team to win back to back Super Bowls twice. Key players in the Steelers success of the 1970′s was quarterback Terry Bradshaw, wide receiver Lynn Swann, running back Franco Harris, linebacker Mean Joe Green, wide receiver John Stallworth, linebacker Jack ham, linebacker Jack Lambert and coach Chuck Noll, all members of the Hall of Fame. In total the Steelers have seventeen members in the Hall of Fame and nine of those members were on the 1970′s championship teams.

After a long drought of not making the Super Bowl, the Steelers once again returned to their past success making it to Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers lost 27-17 which was the third Super Bowl victory for the Cowboys in the previous four years. A more successful Super Bowl appearance came only nine seasons later with a Super Bowl XL victory over the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 under coach Bill Cowher who is now retired and a NFL analyst on The NFL Today. The Steelers are tied with Dallas Cowboys, and the San Francisco 49ers with five Super Bowls each.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the working mans team, grind -out low scoring games by playing hard defense and running the ball first. Ben Roethlisberger was the quarterback of the Super Bowl winning team and is one of the more productive quarterbacks in the NFL. He is the youngest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl and was named Rookie of Year in 2004.

The Steelers future is a bright one and hopefully for them and their fans another Super Bowl victory is not too far in the future. With the AFC being the stronger conference, the road to the Super Bowl is that much more difficult.