1. Today I heard Howard Simon say (and I’m totally paraphrasing), “Lindy reams these guys out after EVERY GAME, he yells at them, he makes them sit through long video sessions, he drills the fundamentals, he never lets up. And then night after night, they come out flat and with no effort.”
When I heard Howard say all that I was thinking, “Exactly. Lindy’s lost the room. They are tuning him out. Nothing he says is getting through. His message is stale.”
And then Howard finished his thought by saying, “So obviously, it’s NOT LINDY’S fault. Lindy is doing his job. IT’S THE FAULT OF THE PLAYERS. They’re not listening!”
I guess don’t think it matters whose fault it is. To me, the only point that matters is that Lindy is ineffective. I thought it was interesting that Howard Simon thinks all the evidence points to Lindy being awesome, and I think all the same evidence points to the Sabres desperately needing a new coach.
2. I believe change is good, and I think we Buffalonians are too resistant to change. I wrote a lot about that in the comment thread from my last post, so if you want to read more about it go here.
3. It’s been such a relief to hear Mike Schopp and Mike Harrington squawking about Lindy this week. I think it’s absolutely bizarre that our local media, who is SO critical of the Sabres is so many other ways, treats Lindy with such kid gloves. The gloves are begining to come off, and even though it’s painful in some ways, I think the conversation about the team can be a lot more honest now. Even if Lindy has job security for life, he shouldn’t be treated as untouchable in the Sabres dialog anymore.
4. I would say, in general I’m really, REALLY not a FIRE-THIS-MAN-RIGHT-NOW kind of gal. Calling for the head of a man I respect and admire has worn me out, so I’m going to bed. Goodnight, SabresNation! Sleep the deep sleep of fans who had the day off from watching their team play. Maybe tomorrow it will all be better. Zzzz.
The Willful Caboose 
It’s been an exhausting week to be a fan.
If it’s any help, Katebits, I read Howard Simon’s comments exactly the same way you do. That sounds like the textbook example of a group of players who just are not listening to the coach anymore. I just flat-out don’t understand, then, proposing the solution to the problem being to change out all the players.
I thought it was interesting that Howard Simon thinks all the evidence points to Lindy being awesome, and I think all the same evidence points to the Sabres desperately needing a new coach.
I think the logical conclusion is that Lindy is an awesome coach but the Sabres still desperately need a new one. Until the mind-bending contradiction (like, up is down, man) is resolved, I think the Sabres will continue to be mediocre which is the worst thing you can be in the NHL now, at least be bad and get good draft picks or make the playoffs. Finishing just out of the playoffs really handicaps your chances to improve.
in general I’m really, REALLY not a FIRE-THIS-MAN-RIGHT-NOW kind of gal
Yeah, this is why I’m a bit surprised to see you so convinced that letting Lindy go is the best option. But you know the sabres situation way better than I ever will, so I assume you’re right! :P
It’s been an exhausting week to be a fan.
It’s painful to see the misery you guys seem to be going through these days because of the sabres. TWC has been like a rollercoaster lately!
My concern with letting Lindy go is this: Who replaces him, and how do you keep him in the organization? If you let him go, someone will get him, and it might be someone like Toronto (a Brian Burke, Lindy Ruff combo scares the crap out of me, and we’d have to face them 6x a year).
I third the reading of the Howard Simon thing as “Lindy’s lost the room”. If 20 guys all aren’t getting the message, than the messenger is the one that needs changing, even if the messenger isn’t at fault. Firing Lindy isn’t the same as blaming Lindy.
Brendan, should I stay with a guy i know is not good for me just because I’m scared he’ll fall in love again someday? Lindy has a great reputation as a coach, some other team WILL pick him up. That doesn’t change the fact that this team is totally TOTALLY floundering under his care. Sticking with Lindy just because we’re afraid he might go coach another team is not a good enough reason to stay in a bad relationship.
If the Sabres are trying to coach kill, then they’re even doing a half-assed job of that. They’re playing just well enough for Lindy to keep his job, yet just horribly enough for the fans and media to start speculating about whether Lindy should keep some packing boxes handy in the office.
I think they’ve been going full throttle the last two games, Amy. I figure four more games like this and even the stanchest Lindy fan is going to be ready.
Howard Simon is a weenie.
(he doesnt read this does he??)
The real weenie is his side kick, Whitey. That guy is a more than a weenie, he’s a tool. That’s right, I said it. I’m going outside to burn more of my Sabres stuff. It’s gotta work sooner or later.
Don’t burn your house down, seance time! The Sabres aren’t worth it!
I’ve been saying this all along — the team stopped listening to Lindy’s yelling a long time ago. Think, if you have a boss that’s constantly yelling you probably would be looking for your opportunity to transfer or find a new job at the next opportunity, but you would certainly disregard the boss and tune him out.