Levy’s short stint restored goodwill between Bills, fans

By Connor Byrne  |   Wednesday, January 02, 2008  |  Comments( 40 )

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With his two-year reign as the Buffalo Bills' general manager having come to an end, many are now beginning to reflect on the job Marv Levy did during his second stint with the organization. The 82-year-old, Buffalo's former coach, was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame because of his success with the Bills in the 1990s. He retired in '96 but was brought back to the franchise in 2006, when Bills owner Ralph Wilson needed a front-office replacement for Tom Donahoe.

While Levy's two years atop the team produced only 14 wins in 32 regular-season games, a middling-at-best head coaching hire in Dick Jauron and a fairly uninspiring roster, there is no debating that he bridged the gap between the fans and franchise, thus establishing goodwill between the two parties. Although that isn't nearly as important as putting a playoff team on the field, it did mean plenty for the Bills nonetheless.

Keep in mind that Donahoe, who essentially ran the team into the ground from 2001 to '05, didn't have the demeanor or track record needed to become a fan favorite. In fact, the fans' hatred for the highfalutin Donahoe came to a head in December '05, when the Bills hosted the Denver Broncos -- who won 28-17 -- during a prime-time game in Week 15. Many fans who were distraught by the Bills' lackluster play on the field and horrid coaching staff wore clothing or brought signs to the game that featured anti-Donahoe sentiments. Infamously, Donahoe had stadium security remove many of those loyalists from the crowd, thus worsening his relationship with the people who ultimately paid his salary.

Just a few weeks later, Donahoe's days in Buffalo were over, and Levy's second tour of duty with the team was beginning. And though Levy didn't make the Bills into a contender or break their long playoff drought, he gave the franchise a legitimate face and brought more likability to it by way of adding intelligent, hard-working and accountable players during his 23 months on the job.

"Ability without character will lose," Levy said during his introductory press conference.

While Levy managed to restore the Bills' credibility in Western New York, his successor's task will be to beef up the roster and finally return a playoff-caliber squad to Buffalo -- something Levy couldn't do.

*E-mail: cbyrne@realfootball365.com.


RealFootball365.com: Where there is never an offseason for the Buffalo Bills.
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CommentsComments: 40  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
"the Skycap"		09:47 AM
01/02/2008
I can't believe that no one see's the writing on the wall. Marv's Ivy League alum will be the next GM, if Modrak doesn't take the...
No.2
florida dennis		09:58 AM
01/02/2008
There has to be more to this 2 yr contract for Marv story. 1st-nobody knew about the 2 yr term. 2nd-Ralph is surprised by Marvs...
No.3
florida dennis		10:20 AM
01/02/2008
If DJ gets the GM job than i predict Mike Singletery gets Head Coaching job. Mariucci has proved he cant hold a team togther as...
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