RVA Buffalo Guy

Welp. Welcome to the offseason. Go Bills.

Blarg

a cartoon character is standing in front of a clock and a jersey that says a wagon ? ALT: a cartoon character is standing in front of a clock and a jersey that says a wagon ?

Sabres are what?

Drink every time Romo says “conditions”

Honestly I would give up some draft picks to get Tomlin. Make hay in free agency. Seriously. He inherits a machine, can win a Super Bowl or two in 5 years, rides off into the sunset.

I agree with Webb for OC. HC though… I just don’t know if Daboll can keep the momentum McD had with team culture and building a brotherhood. Something he really didn’t get off the ground in NY.

I mean, it’s definitely going to suck. Virginia is not built for this.

Gonna recreate the 90s and play in the ice storm with my goathead Sabres jersey over my winter coat. Been a minute since I’ve been in a good ice storm. I’m an adult now and it’s probably going to suck.

What coach will want to come to Buffalo knowing that he could get fired on a whim by Terry's locker room vibe check? The only draw for coaches and players is Josh Allen (admittedly a big draw), but culture matters.

Jesus this press conference and what is coming out of it is way worse than I thought it would be. What the hell, Terry?!?

Hell of a first goal for Konsta Helenius ⚔️

I think they'd have a mutual agreement on who owns what aspects (roster/culture). Tomlin would come in for 4-5 years. Get a SB (maybe 2 or 3). Best case scenario for a team built around Josh and not Josh being the one forced to adapt. I think Tomlin would actually want to work with Beane.

The HC of the Buffalo Bills will be Mike Tomlin and the OC will be Davis Webb. I have spoken.

This aligns with history: most elite QBs need either continuity or clear, immediate scheme enhancement to improve SB odds — not disruption. Coaches who try to impose new systems often see a short-term drop in offensive performance.

Best:
Offensive-minded coach, evolves current system
Minimizes schematic disruption
Keeps Allen in a structure he can excel in
Mid:
New scheme with learning curve
Initial performance dip offset by long-term cohesion
Worst:
Philosophically different coach
Mismatched play-calling
Execution regression

Yeah Manning is kind of the outlier I guess, but different circumstances. I'm just getting at it's VERY RARE.

And I don't thing Manning would count either.

Elite QB, in prime, changes head coaches, and wins his first Super Bowl afterward
❌ Manning does not qualify
❌ Aikman does not qualify
There are no clear examples of a prime, elite QB winning his first Super Bowl after HC change.

BUTTTTT:
Aikman already won a SB before that... so I take it back. He doesn't count

What didn’t change:
Same offensive system
Same core roster (Irvin, Smith, dominant OL)
Same defensive culture
Same locker-room hierarchy
Barry Switzer didn’t install anything. He inherited a machine.

Yes! that counts!
Troy Aikman — 1996 Season
Head coaches:
Jimmy Johnson → Barry Switzer
Super Bowl: XXX (1995 season, played Jan 1996)
QB age: 29 (squarely prime)

Bottom Line
Yes, it has happened—but almost never in the way people imagine.
The mythology of “just get a better coach and your elite QB will win it all” doesn’t hold up historically.

What almost never works:
Prime elite QB
External head coach/new system
SB win afterward
That combination has no clean examples.

Pattern
When it happens, one of these is true:
The QB is system-proof & the coach barely matters (Manning).
The change keeps continuity (same offense).
The QB is late in his career, relying more on experience than adaptation.
The roster is already championship-ready, the coach is the final tweak.

Aaron Rodgers:
McCarthy → LaFleur
Two MVPs, 0 Super Bowls.
Team improved, ceiling did not.
Drew Brees:
Never had a coaching change during his Saints years.
Peak success came with long-term stability (Sean Payton).
Brett Favre:
Won Super Bowl before coaching change (Holmgren).
Never won one after.

John Elway
Head coaches: Dan Reeves → Mike Shanahan
Super Bowls: XXXII & XXXIII
Elway finally won after the coaching change, and Shanahan’s offense unlocked a different version of the team.
Caveat:
Elway was late-prime / aging (36–37). Still elite, but not peak athletic Elway.

To AI I go:
Peyton Manning
From Tony Dungy → Jim Caldwell
Super Bowl: XLIV (2009)
Manning in his prime (age 33, MVP). Coaching change in 2009, won the Super Bowl.
Caldwell was an internal promotion and kept the same offensive system. This was continuity, not a philosophical reset.

Wondering if there has ever been an elite QB in his prime have an HC change and then went to win a SB? Thinking back to Manning, Favre, … who was the last elite QB to get over the Super Bowl hump after a coaching change?

Wasn’t a coaching problem. It was a roster problem.

Wow.