Gailey Versus the Teens: Where Nobody Wins
August 25, 2010 | Author Nick
(WECK 1230) — When Chan Gailey marched through the throng of reporters gathered to record his post-practice words on Tuesday, he was fuming like a school teacher who heard the peep he requested not be uttered.
The Bills head coach had heard enough from a group of kids reportedly volleying vulgarities and criticism toward the field. The barbs specifically targeted quarterback Trent Edwards.
Gailey told the teens they would not be getting autographs from any players because going after a single player meant they were going after the whole team. Then, the whole team gave the kids wedgies and Gailey bought his players pizza.
Obviously, the last part isn’t true, but the whole scenario is so quirky. Do punks deserve their comeuppance for masquerading as fans and wasting their afternoons being negative? Yeah, for sure. Should the head coach of the team be the guy to do it? I don’t know. It sure as heck shouldn’t have been a player.
Do I like the “get off my lawn” side of Gailey? Yes, for the most part. I just don’t like the thin-skinned appearance of this episode. Grown men should be able to handle chirping from some kids, but then again these kids may have needed to take guff from the coach of their presumably favorite team. Either way, it’s a bad moment in an otherwise completely acceptable training camp.
Fact of the matter is a good season won’t have benefited from this moment, but bad weeks will call things like this to mind in a negative light. At best, this is an indicator that Gailey has his players’ backs, like almost every coach in football. At worst, it’s a “Relax, Grandpa” issue, and that’s silly stuff.
Then again, Gailey doesn’t give a crap… which is what I love about him.
Email: nickonweck@gmail.com
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I’m ready for week 1. I like that he is a no-nonsense guy, just hope he coaches that way too. Jauron barely had a pulse. So a guy like this is going to resonate with Bills fans. All I care about is wins and losses.
“he has players backs” is this equivalent to everyone telling me Mularkey was “the guy we can sit and have a beer with”? The defense is nice, where was it after the washington game? One good game VS Indy in pre season and he treats Trent like Montana? I hope this passion is seen on the field not in the stands. In the big picture Trents going to have to be something speacial otherwise it’s the Locker or Luck show after this year
The issue was not about Trent Edwards. You missed the point. It would not have mattered who was getting trashed the coach needed to do what he did. Simple as that.
I think this is a non issue. Please move on.
Nick, you must have been one of those teenagers, did you get your feelings hurt? Good for Chan.
Really?
You are condoning a grown man taking his ball and going home?
That’s sad!
“I am the coach and you hurt my feelings so I am taking my ball and I am going home!”
The fans have a right to heckle any one they think is not worth the money they are getting!
They are men and paid millions of dollars not little 3 year old girls!
This was a waste of the minute it took to read. How do you have a job covering sports with nonsense like this? Also, I’m probably not the first to say this but please spare us your Cubs allegiance, this is a Buffalo, NY website. Christ.
Last I checked this was nickmendola.com and not ‘a Buffalo website’
My bad, I thought it was part of WECK radio.
Henry said “One good game VS Indy in pre season and he treats Trent like Montana?”
No, he treats him like a human being with respect, did your parents ever teach you this? Maybe not.
actually bob i don’t need anyone to defend me i can take care of myself with some hammer strikes to a clavicle shattering it thanks to Krav maga
I support Chan’s decision. When you pay to see the Bills you have the right to criticise them, but when you are a guest of the Bills (such as at a free training camp) you should conduct yourself accordingly. I don’t know what was said but that is certainly no place for vulgarities. I also think this helps gain the player’s trust in Chan. Perhaps a necessary thing for a first year coach.
Absolutely no problem with this. Growing up as a loud mouth kid, some of my most vivid memories and lessons are from when an adult put me in my place. Now that I’m older I would be glad to return the favor and do the Chan….
I applaud Gailey for taking care of the situation if these guys were actually screaming vulgarities at a training camp practice. Where the hell was security?? There are a lot of people who take younger kids there to see football rather than take them to any of the 8 Sundays of Toga at the Ralph. Love the tailgating but we are in a generational funk where teenagers are allowed to take liberties that were asskicking-worthy 25 years ago. Thin-skinned is a cop-out, I’d like to think that Gailey stepped up when no one else had the cojones to.
Not a story, media trying to make something out of nothing on a slow sports day. The 40 seconds I wasted reading the article is time poorly used on my part.
Chan is supposed to be a teacher. It seems to me, he was just teaching. Sometimes kids don’t realize or think about the fact that their actions have consequences. Most adults don’t care about other peoples’ kids and generally won’t say anything. But old school teachers are different. It was a teaching moment and he took advantage of it. It was nothing more than that.
there is nothing not to like what what the coach did. NOTHING. <- yep, that’s a period!