Phil Housley discussion thread 2

[Bearbait]

I don't care if they put Jesus himself behind this bench, we are still going to suck.

At the end of the day, we need NHL players and we only have a few, certainly not enough.

But lets not let that fact get in the way of running the coach out of town and blaming him for having mostly an AHL roster to throw out on the ice game after game.

Some people really need to give their head a shake...

Housley is the least of our problems

 

[sabremike]

I don't care if they put Jesus himself behind this bench, we are still going to suck.

At the end of the day, we need NHL players and we only have a few, certainly not enough.

But lets not let that fact get in the way of running the coach out of town and blaming him for having mostly an AHL roster to throw out on the ice game after game.

Some people really need to give their head a shake...

Housley is the least of our problems

Again I go back to the Pat Riley example with the Knicks: if you decide to implement a system despite knowing that your players are incapable of pulling it off you are a terrible coach. And that's just one of countless examples of Housley stupidity.

 

[DON VITO]

Housley was asked several questions about his status. Does he expect to be the coach of the #Sabres next year? "Yes, I do." But acknowledged things should be finalized around him tomorrow or Monday.

 

[GameMisconduct]

I don't care if they put Jesus himself behind this bench, we are still going to suck.

At the end of the day, we need NHL players and we only have a few, certainly not enough.

But lets not let that fact get in the way of running the coach out of town and blaming him for having mostly an AHL roster to throw out on the ice game after game.

Some people really need to give their head a shake...

Housley is the least of our problems

I honestly just can't get over this take. We've watched him make stupid decision after stupid decision all season long, many of which actively suppress the idea of accountability and at best show little to no understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his players.

You can definitely argue the roster needs to get better and I'd certainly agree. But Housley's coaching far too often actively undermines the roster he's working with.

Further, I'll just reiterate something I asked at the beginning of the season: what is he good at? Can someone honestly describe a strength he possesses as a coach?

He is a huge part of this mess. There isn't any credible reason to bring him back that I can see.

 

[Willgamesh]

Housley was asked several questions about his status. Does he expect to be the coach of the #Sabres next year? "Yes, I do." But acknowledged things should be finalized around him tomorrow or Monday.

Kill me. This is truly the darkest timeline.

 

[GellMann]

Kill me. This is truly the darkest timeline.

There is no situation in which Housley would answer any other way. It means nothing

 

[Sabre the Win]

I don't care if they put Jesus himself behind this bench, we are still going to suck.

At the end of the day, we need NHL players and we only have a few, certainly not enough.

But lets not let that fact get in the way of running the coach out of town and blaming him for having mostly an AHL roster to throw out on the ice game after game.

Some people really need to give their head a shake...

Housley is the least of our problems

Do you think Bylsma had a better roster to work with than Housley? Why do you forget we were at 82 points 3 years ago?

 

[Chainshot]

can anyone here write a synopsis of housley's system with only the xs and os and no opinions about him?

@Der Jaeger had a write up regarding the breakouts and d-zone options after the last game in Carolina. Basically the wingers only run slants and the forwards don't come back deep enough to support them or offer any other option on the breakout.

The defensive zone coverage is a floating man-to-man which is why we see people chasing their check out of position (defensemen rotating out to the blueline? wtf... ) and is why the easiest way to turn the Sabres into a splattered mess in their own zone is simply to circle from below their net to the blueline with the puck. Everyone scrambles as a hole opens and one player is now out of position, allowing us to wonder at the marvels of the same guys being in terrible spots and covering air over and over again.

 

[MrMaster]

There is no situation in which Housley would answer any other way. It means nothing

Do you love your wife?
Are you a good father?
Do you care about the environment?
Are you still the Sabres' coach next season?
...

 

[valet]

@Der Jaeger had a write up regarding the breakouts and d-zone options after the last game in Carolina. Basically the wingers only run slants and the forwards don't come back deep enough to support them or offer any other option on the breakout.

The defensive zone coverage is a floating man-to-man which is why we see people chasing their check out of position (defensemen rotating out to the blueline? wtf... ) and is why the easiest way to turn the Sabres into a splattered mess in their own zone is simply to circle from below their net to the blueline with the puck. Everyone scrambles as a hole opens and one player is now out of position, allowing us to wonder at the marvels of the same guys being in terrible spots and covering air over and over again.

thanks, I'll try to pay more attention to this tonight

 

[joshjull]

Is this bad?

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Is this bad?

You don't even have to be into analytics to know that's bad...so yeah...that's bad.

 

[jputt99]

I vote to can Phil . I like the guy , but I think he's in way over his head . It's time to bring in an old school guy .
Someone who demands work and fundamentals . We have a ton of young talent in the pipeline and they need to learn how to play the right way . I think the progress of Dahlin is a good example . He's a tremendous puck moving D man , but he's still struggling with his defense . This is a young team and should be growing as the season progresses . Instead , we 're seeing regression .

 

[GellMann]

It's possible that Boudreau, Quenneville, Vigneault, Keefe etc. all go to new franchises this offseason.

The Sabres cannot go into next season with Phil behind the bench.

 

[Montag DP]

Do you think Bylsma had a better roster to work with than Housley? Why do you forget we were at 82 points 3 years ago?

And I think we all agree Bylsma was terrible. There are countless examples of teams turning it around after getting the right coach. I don't know why anyone would think coaching doesn't matter.

 

[Kyndig]

I have to avoid facebook Sabres comments. People already saying "We need to give Phil another year. We've improved this year."

 

[Chainshot]

I have to avoid facebook Sabres comments. People already saying "We need to give Phil another year. We've improved this year."

Recency bias is all the rage.

 

[Der Jaeger]

Is this bad?

And math is very much a part of the Axis of Evil.

 

[sabresandcanucks]

It shouldn't even be about whether Phil deserves another year or not. It should be clear that he is not a very good coach and there are a couple of really good options available that may not be on the market next Fall if we don't act now.

 

[Chainshot]

Sabres fans to Jason Botterill:

 

[Snippit]

I fear that the last 2 games may have saved his job.

It's absurd but Botts probably sees these games as progress.

 

[Chainshot]

It shouldn't even be about whether Phil deserves another year or not. It should be clear that he is not a very good coach and there are a couple of really good options available that may not be on the market next Fall if we don't act now.

Exactly. Don't be lured into thinking they need to give him a few games to start this season again. End his tenure, bring in the next one and move forward. Don't delay, don't miss out on the high quality candidates available this summer out of some sense of loyalty. He does not deserve it and has not produced results in two straight years.

End his tenure. Let's get to the next one.

 

[Icicle]

Owner meddling save us please

 

[sincerity0]

If the Pegulas / Botterill even think for a second about bringing back Phail with a “short leash” next year they need to fire him now.

There’s no way you can risk starting another season poorly just to fire him in December and try to salvage a season.

 

[Buffaloed]

Recency bias is all the rage.

There is actually a significant trust the process group. Many are STH's and members of the Sabres Booster Club. They think Housley needs another year with a more talented team and that it's important he remain to provide stability and continuity. As far as they're concerned the plan is on schedule.