Head Coach
"Attuned to a coaching philosophy subscribed to only by winners, Joe Collier says, 'Sit and wait for the teams in this league to catch you and they'll trample you to death.' Having inherited the Eastern powerhouse Bills last season and having led them to another division title, Collier has not been one to sit on his success. Instead, he has gone out during the off-season and instituted trades to bolster sagging positions. The acquisition of such established operatives as Keith Lincoln, Art Powell, Mike Mercer and Tom Flores reflects the thinking of a man who intends staying right where he started - on top.
Collier was an assistant under Lou Saban for four years, the man who blueprinted the defenses that in the last three seasons held the opposition to just 15 touchdowns on the ground. He was the popular choice to succeed Saban when Saban elected to depart Buffalo.
'I can't remember when I didn't plan on a coaching career,' says Collier. As best as he can recall, it started back when he attended Rock Island High School in Illinois. He later was a star end at Northwestern and was drafted by the New York Giants. But he preferred to enter coaching instead, and in 1960 joined the Patriots as an assistant. Two years later, he joined the Bills."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1967
No comments:
Post a Comment