Is Reeves ready for new coaching challenge?

[Dempsey Dog]

Did a search, but did not see this posted.

It is good to see the old ball coach getting some love . For somebody who I know we all here at the OM love, but overall does not get the credit he deserves, it is good to see Reeves getting some work.

Speaking of Reeves, what does Mane think, should he be in the HOF? He sure has been part of a lot of winning teams and Super Bowls as a player and coach.

I think Marv Levy in the HOF. Why can Reeves? That's right, he was a Bronco....



Is Reeves ready for new coaching challenge?
By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Writer
Apr 17, 7:32 pm EDT


“P-A-N! P-A-N! P-A-N-T!

“H-E-R! H-E-R! H-E-R-S!

“That’s the way you spell it! Here’s the way you yell it! Panthers, Panthers, go Panthers!”

Actually, that’s the way they used to yell it when Reeves played quarterback at Americus High School, where his wife-to-be was the head cheerleader. But it works just fine in his latest pursuit, helping build a football program from scratch at Georgia State.

The downtown Atlanta university has the same nickname as Reeves’ old high school and even the same colors, blue and white. And, starting in 2010, it’ll have a football team as well.


Georgia State officially unveiled plans Thursday to start a program that will play in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision (the former Division I-AA). The Panthers will compete in the Colonial Athletic Association, play home games at the 70,000-seat Georgia Dome and may just consider the 64-year-old Reeves as their first coach.

“I don’t have that college experience,” said Reeves, who spent his entire coaching career in the NFL. “But I do know football is football. I could do it if it comes down to that. I just don’t know. I don’t want to commit to something unless I’m darn sure that’s what I want to do.”

Lack of college experience notwithstanding, he could be just the right guy for the job. After all, the odds of building a successful football program at a largely commuter campus with little athletic history or fan base can’t be much more daunting than taking the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl, as Reeves did in 1999.

He certainly meets one of the main criteria: name recognition. Reeves is a Georgia native who took the Denver Broncos to three Super Bowls, led the Falcons to their only appearance in the title game, and engineered trades for both John Elway and Michael Vick.

“That’s definitely a consideration,” athletic director Mary McElroy said. “People will second guess and say, ‘Oh my gosh, who is this?’ It has to be someone with some recognition. At the same time, he’s got to have a work ethic. We’re doing this from the ground up.”

Reeves has been out of football since the Falcons fired him late in the 2003 season, and he’s had both knees surgically replaced over the past year. But it’s clear he’s not ready for retirement, even if that’s helping Georgia State hire a new coach rather that pursuing the job himself.

McElroy has already heard from numerous candidates, and she’d like to have someone hired by this summer. The new coach will quickly assemble a staff to hit the recruiting trail, because the Panthers want to bring in their first group of signees next February.

Those players would spend a redshirt year on the practice field, then be joined the following year by another signing class—enough players to actually take the field in 2010.

Up to now, Reeves has served as a consultant to McElroy and university president Carl Patton—a role that technically ended with Thursday’s announcement, though both school officials stressed they want the former coach to remain on board in some capacity.

Reeves spent the past year meeting with alumni and business leaders, gauging potential interest in a new program and lining up financial support. He helped raise $1.2 million in pledged funds, though the school still needs to bring in millions more to handle the massive startup costs of a new program, which include a new practice field, training facilities, offices and meeting rooms.

“He convinced people it was real,” Patton said. “He opened doors and helped us raise a lot of that money. The bulk of that money came from people who had never given us a dime, and they were giving it to us for football. Oh, we’ll have a job for Dan Reeves. He’s a great ambassador.”

Reeves sure seems attached to a school he never attended, never played for and never coached at—not yet, anyway. He’s already referring to Georgia State as “us” and said he looks forward to playing Georgia Southern, which has won six national titles in the Football Championship Subdivision.

“That’s going to be a good rivalry,” Reeves said. “We’ll find out who has the right to call themselves GSU.”

The Panthers know they’ll play in the shadow of the state’s two most prominent schools, Georgia and nearby Georgia Tech, and they must compete for fans with all the other sporting options in a city that has teams in all four major pro leagues, plus a couple of minor league franchises in the suburbs.

But Reeves is convinced there’s plenty of room for Georgia State to carve out its own niche.

“There’s no better place in the world to recruit from than right here,” he said. “So many kids end up going out of state to play, go far away to play, when they’d love to stay right here. And not every kid that goes to college wants to play pro football. A lot of them want to get a good education and, when they get through with football, have a good business opportunity. This is a slam dunk.”

Is Reeves a slam dunk as the next coach?

Well, plenty of students at Thursday’s announcement were thrilled when he posed for pictures wearing a “Georgia State Football 2010” cap.

“What I would like to see is whoever we find is the best possible coach for Georgia State,” Reeves said. “If that happened to turn out to be me, that would be great. But I don’t think I’m a candidate. I want to find someone with some college experience.”

One thing is for sure: Reeves plans to attend that first game in 2010.

“I hope,” said a student standing nearby, “you’re on the sideline.”

[Kaylore]

Woah. That would be weird. Why would he take a job there?

[B-Love]

Good for Dan, he is a very good football coach!

[Atlas]

Reeves deserves to be in the HOF every bit as much as Marv Levy... Even more so.

[Bronco Jamus]

He should absolutely be in the HOF. He was a part as player or coach in 8 super bowls by 91.

[~Crash~]

Originally Posted by Bronco Jamus

He should absolutely be in the HOF. He was a part as player or coach in 8 super bowls by 91.

Yep he is what the NFl should stand for in the end he is a real winner .

[Broncos123]

Reeves definetly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

[Bronco Jamus]

Originally Posted by 56crash

Yep he is what the NFl should stand for in the end he is a real winner .

By Super Bowl 33 it was 9 Super Bowls, Almost 1/3rd of all Super Bowls played.

[kmonty]

Yet the Broncos won't even put him in the Ring of Fame.

[24champ]

Originally Posted by Broncos123

Reeves definetly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

The ONLY Broncos Head Coach going into the HOF, is Shanny. Period.

Losing 4 SB's as a Head Coach of the Broncos and coming close to kicking Elway out of Denver. I can see why he isn't up there in the ROF...

[BroncoFiend]

Originally Posted by 24champbailey

The ONLY Broncos Head Coach going into the HOF, is Shanny. Period.

Losing 4 SB's as a Head Coach of the Broncos and coming close to kicking Elway out of Denver. I can see why he isn't up there in the ROF...

Yea his relationship with both Elway and Shanahan, not to mention the fact that his coaching style really hurt Elway's all time numbers means no ROF for him. Can't say I blame them too much despite the fact that he was such a good coach.

[Bronco Jamus]

3 Super Bowls..not 4

[Dempsey Dog]

I think he deserves his due in both the ROF and the HOF. Yeah, he alienated Elway and had some issues, but you don't coach 10+ somewhere if you are not doing something right in the NFL, AKA "Not-For-Long".

I will say this about Reeves, he somehow managed to get get a lot out of what I would consider a not overly talented roster year in and year out. Sure the Bronocs had their players, but other than a few like Elway, Dennis Smith, Atwater, Mecklenburg, and a few here and there, it was not much. We did not have great linemen, WR or RB when he coached, but we won. I think that says something. If Levy got in, he should too.

[watermock]

I thought he was allready in the HOF...good grief! inexcusable if he's not...

[wabbit]

Dan didn't "engineer" the trade for Elway...that was all Edgar Kaiser.

As a matter of record, Reeves was initially opposed to the trade...even made a comment along the lines of '...we already have a QB'...he did!

Initially, when hired, Dan brought along all kinds of offensive innovation he learned from Tom Landy, but his offenses staled...and stalled if not for John Elway & his tendency to ad lib.

He never did get him an O-line, receivers, or a RB to put the Broncos over the top...sorry, Sammy WInder, Vance Johnson & Bobby Humphry fans.

The man was always a gentleman, but, curiously like Mike of late, cultured a poisonous relationship with the local media, became Hitlerian in his management style and was laughable (to outsiders at any rate) with the his draft selections and personnel decisions, which, of course, only dumped fuel onto the media fire.

...even so, Bowlen stood by the guy...until he opened trade talks with Washington dangling Elway for draft picks...even then, it was only a sharp rebuke.

Finally Elway said...in so many words...me or him..."bye Dan".

Still, he led Denver to many, many wins and was inducted into the Colorado SPorts Hall of Fame...but the NFL HOF??...no, not hardly.

[~Crash~]

Originally Posted by watermock

I thought he was allready in the HOF...good grief! inexcusable if he's not...

I totaly agree it is a joke that he is not in look at what he did in atlanta that was a great team he built

[B-Love]

Originally Posted by wabbit

Dan didn't "engineer" the trade for Elway...that was all Edgar Kaiser.

As a matter of record, Reeves was initially opposed to the trade...even made a comment along the lines of '...we already have a QB'...he did!

Initially, when hired, Dan brought along all kinds of offensive innovation he learned from Tom Landy, but his offenses staled...and stalled if not for John Elway & his tendency to ad lib.

He never did get him an O-line, receivers, or a RB to put the Broncos over the top...sorry, Sammy WInder, Vance Johnson & Bobby Humphry fans.

The man was always a gentleman, but, curiously like Mike of late, cultured a poisonous relationship with the local media, became Hitlerian in his management style and was laughable (to outsiders at any rate) with the his draft selections and personnel decisions, which, of course, only dumped fuel onto the media fire.

...even so, Bowlen stood by the guy...until he opened trade talks with Washington dangling Elway for draft picks...even then, it was only a sharp rebuke.

Finally Elway said...in so many words...me or him..."bye Dan".

Still, he led Denver to many, many wins and was inducted into the Colorado SPorts Hall of Fame...but the NFL HOF??...no, not hardly.

Ridiculously overstated wabbit.

Sad to see someone of your caliber buy into so many greatly exaggerated cliches of the Dan Reeves era.

[BroncoMan4ever]

truthfully i am surprised he isn't coaching in the NFL. He may not win the big game but he gets a franchise a lot of wins.

[footstepsfrom#27]

Originally Posted by Dempsey Dog

For somebody who I know we all here at the OM love, but overall does not get the credit he deserves...

Stopped reading right there.

[wabbit]

Originally Posted by B-Love

Ridiculously overstated wabbit.

Sad to see someone of your caliber buy into so many greatly exaggerated cliches of the Dan Reeves era.

I take offense. I really do.

Sorry, truth hurts.

Overstated?? Not at all. Exaggerated?? If anything; understated out of some remaining degree of respect.

I worked closely with the team during the entire Reeves area. I knew him personally, and while I respected many aspects of his leadership ability & stewardship, he suffered a fatal human failing typical of people who have complete control of anything; only he knew what was best.

He was secretive, vindictive, quick to anger and slow to admit error.

He drafted Ted Gregory, Tommy Maddox and offered John Elway in a trade to Washingtons' Joe Gibbs.

He alienated Randy Gradishar to the point of retirement...followed in the next couple of years by Louie Wright.

He ignored his scouts and drafted on whim.

He fired Mike Shanahan for 'conspiring' with John Elway on offensive game plans.

Despite all that, he still managed to win, which speaks volumes about his ability...but his failings were, at the very least, as glaring.

[Northman]

Originally Posted by wabbit

He was secretive, vindictive, quick to anger and slow to admit error.

I definitely buy into this. In the weeks before the Super Bowl with the Falcons Reeves was the only too come out and say he got a raw deal from Denver and that it was about revenge for him. John and the Broncos wouldnt play that game and just went out and thoroughly whipped his team's ass.