birdog1960
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Posts posted by birdog1960
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Why oh why can't we be like other teams when we choose our General Managers?
Why oh why do we have to promote from within a guy who has been involved with drafting numerous Pro-Bowl players and who has a life time of experience scouting and recommending top college talent?
Why oh why did we have to pick a guy who has been part of winning organizations (plural not singular) while playing a key role in the drafts that built the teams?
And, why oh why did we choose a plain speaking guy who is willing to criticize past decisions about the drafting of 'one year wonders?'
And, did we have to pick a guy with southern accent who sounds like he just came out of the woods?
We could have made the choice the Philadelphia Eagles have made for their new GM ... Howie Roseman (even that first name rings with football authority .. Howie ...).
Roseman is young not old - He is 34 years old
He has not wasted his years away on college campuses scouting players and talking with college coaches but instead he is an expert in the SALARY CAP.
He is a lawyer so no 'off-th-cuff' remarks down in Philadelphia and he sounds smart.
He was promoted from within the Eagles organization and never wasted any time working for some other team to learn how other teams general managers work. No need for wasted time trying to take credit for work others might have done and Howie (boy that name resonates football) has never been allegedly fired from some other team.
And, Howie is not going to be critical of his team.
There is no doubt in my mind that all of the Buddy critics right now are wishing that the Bills could have made the type of decision that BIG CITY PHILLY has made with their team. In fact a quote in today's Philadelphia Inquirer says that the Eagles even "interviewed a couple of other fellows" before staying in-house with Howie.
So, Buffalo Bills' fans ... the NFL has these two new general managers before the month of January has disappeared.
We got Buddy with all that scouting baggage ... blunt talk loaded with a southern accent ... experience working for the likes of Polian and Butler and for several winning teams ... and he is OLD ... my goodness he is almost AS OLD AS RONALD REAGAN was when Reagan was President.
The Eagles have a young lawyer who is really well spoken, team oriented and who knows all about the salary cap.
Which one would you have chosen if we had had a shot at young HOWIE?
All those Buddy critics here's your chance to cheer for a new team and they already have McNabb, Vick, and Jason Peters so go for it my friends.
As for me ... GO BILLS!
reagan was demented
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lots of factors go into making the playoffs: luck, coaching, what division you're in, free agent moves, etc etc.
i bet if you went over the most successful playoff team in our division over that period the pats with a fine tooth comb, you'd also find a very disappointing drafting record
um..the pats are in our division, coaches are chosen (many times over by the bills) and the application of statistics over a decade would minimize the effects of luck. The article mentions poor free agent choices. Nit pick away, the general, overriding thrust of the article, that the bills have drafted consistently horribly is indisputable...and once again what is the one constant presence in all of these drafts? the gm? coach? scouts?...Oh yeah, the owner.
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So Ralph offers a guy a 35% raise, the guy doesn't take it, and then goes to one of the wealthest clubs at the time .. because that club's owner broke an agreement that Ralph would not break ... and you blame Ralph for being cheap? Then you believe that this incident is the reason why Scott Norwood misses a FG in the SB, against that same team 25 years later.
Makes sense to me.
the clip of gogalak on nfl network last night had him stating he was refused a raise, period. Was he actually offered 35%? 35% might not be cheap but no raise to keep a great kicker probably is.
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You need to understand the situation. Back then there was not a common draft. College players were drafted by both leagues. That was tough enough for the upstart AFL to have to compete with the NFL for rookies.
Maybe Ralph should have given him a raise but none of the owners would have taken part in a bidding war either. Ralph did them a favor and sent a message for the better of the league at that time. About that same time Ralph was helping to negotiate a sweet TV deal for the NFL. His lending money to help Al Davis in Oakland and the Sullivans in Boston (Pats*) were key to keeping the league together.
Ralph is in the HoF because he was a key builder of this league. He works as a partner with his fellow owners for the better of the league and the fans. Today he is no longer well connected in the league. He is not buddies with Jones, Synder and that other clown in Boston.
He is not perfect. He has made mistakes, but your barking up the wrong tree on this example.
I do understand the situation. The draft and just about everything was a war between afl and nfl but, while rw worked as a partner to his fellow owners he often didn't work as a partner with the fans to produce winners. Then, as now, I contend, the bottom line was more important than winning to him. I'd hoped that would change as his life expectancy dwindled but I guess not.
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great story!...not sure how well he did selling trees in that neighborhood though. I can remember having a liquor bottle thrown at the window of the bus we were riding from Sears to the rockpile (used to park at sears). Showered me with glass and scared the hell out of me (I was a little kid). Was very glad when they moved.Not from the NFL ... They picked up Cookie Gilcrest from the CFL and he was probabaly the best all around football player in the league. Maybe both leagues? He loved to block and seemed to want to hurt people. He had tailback speed and could block like a pulling gaurd. He was bigger than most linebackers and stronger than most lineman. He was our first 1,000 yard rusher. He could catch and throw. He even kicked for the Bills for awhile!Off of the field and in the locker room he was troublesome. He was always asking for more money and looking for ways to make money. One year Ralph let him sell Christmas Trees in front of the Rockpile! (Rockpile = War Memorial Stadium)
They traded him to Denver which was the worst team at the time. He had one more good season and then he started to fade.
Great stuff. The Bills had some of the best players to ever play in the AFL.
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Anybody recall if the Bills poached any big names from the NFL at that time? I can't think of any. Anybody else they let walk?
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Interesting you mention that as in Larry Felsers book about the NFL, that move was cited as one of the biggest events that forced the merger. Gogolak wasn't a free agent as back then there was not such thing as a free agent. So the Bills still owned exclusive rights to him. Supposedly the two leagues had a "handshake" agreement not to sign players whom were signed by the other league. When the Giants signed him, Al Davis then declared open season on signing anyone, from there the floodgates opened and within a couple of years the merger was in place. There was a whole chapter i nthe book about this.
For those old enough to recall the AFL, was an interesting book to read and remember the old days.
yup, that was the gist of it in the episode. With this move the nfl fired a pistol shot and Al Davis returned fire with a machine gun raiding the Rams and other teams for free agents. Mike Ditka was even poached from the bears.
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last nights "hx of the AFL" episode reminded me that not paying to keep good players has been rw's m.o. since the beginning. Gogolak, arguably the top kicker at the time, asked for a raise, the Bills said no and he left for the Giants. The more things change, the more they stay the same. great show though!
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Anybody care to comment and give their opinions on players?
larry, darryl (starters) and his other brother darryl(back up)
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Tell that to the folks across the street at Rivermist and Marina Park who bought their properties 15-20 years ago, pay $12K in property taxes, and are now watching their property values plummet because Carl's selling his new buildings with a 10-year tax exemption!
Dammit, Carl, you took my money to build that hi-rise - YOU OWE ME!!!
BTW, talk about ridiculous analogies - when you drag BMW into this, you're talking about a $$$multi-billion$$$, mutli-national corporation. Doesn't really compare to Ralph Wilson's insurance agency now, does it?
As a percentage of tax revenues, rw's $1billion insurance agency has probably received more subsidy than bmw in Spartansburg. I think that makes the analogy apt.
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Undocumented? Undocumented??? Are you nuts, or blind, or maybe just can't read???
What, exactly, would you like 'documented', that I have not already provided thru multiple links to reputable web sites and publications?
Your argument is empty, your reasoning ridiculous. And I did read Webster Guy's post -
But Ralph has stated unequivocally that he won't sell the team, and the team's not moving as long as he's alive.
So what I'm wondering is, if Ralph's not moving OR selling the team while he's alive, just how does he provide a detailed explanation of what happens once he's deceased??
Ralph owes you nothing, and has no 'moral obligation' to provide you anything, other than a seat at RWS (if you bought a ticket). And it's your county legislature that gave him naming rights and rents him the stadium, and it's your county and state legislatures that financed contruction of the stadium (still one of the least expensive facilities - if no THE least expensive - in the league), so blame the guys you voted for if you don't like it, not Ralph Wilson.
Now since Carl Paladino received substantial government incentives and tax credits (including a 10-year Empire Zone tax exemption - something originally intended to spur investment in depressed areas) to build his luxury high-rise and townhouses on the exclusive downtown Lake Erie waterfront, I guess (by your reasoning) that he (and every other business that receives government incentives) is also indebted to you. Why don't you try hitting Carl up for a new condo? Tell him he 'owes' you.
(And please let me know when you do - I want to be there to see Carl's face and hear his reply.
)Also, it seems you are unaware that, save for the one (and only) completely privately financed and owned Gillette Field, virtually every stadium in the NFL is either publicly owned, or has received some kind of public incentive, handout, land grant, or public (i.e., taxpayer) financing - so I guess every NFL owner except Bob Kraft is 'indebted' to the taxpayers.
Take your time, mull it over, and try again.
yes, I think every publicly subsidized company is indebted to the taxpayers. Unless its in a contract, then no, not legally, but ethically, yes. When S Carolina lures a BMW plant with tax incentives, they expect a good faith effort on the part of BMW to add financially to the community over a reasonable period of time.. If BMW up and leaves after 2 years because someone offers them a better incentive, I find that unethical. Some might see it as shrewd but I would disagree. Your condo analogy is ridiculous as the benefit to the community is presumed to be something other than subsidized housing from the outset. I think its reasonable to expect that a business subsidized for 50 years by local govt at least consider the interests of the citizens of that gov't when making future plans that might include moving.
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When I moved down South, one of the first things I realized is, while the southern accent tends to be associated with a low IQ (at least it was in my mind), that is just a stereotype. Some of the sharpest and smartest people I know down here have heavy accents. You can't necessarily equate the accent with IQ.
and the really smart folks are happy for you to believe that myth while the get the better of a deal. Underestimate at your own peril.
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greatness isn't measured with a balance sheet. rw should never be considered a great man...decent? I'm not sure.He is an old bastard though, with his consistant cheap hires.There is no lack of common decency there, and why should RW command respect?
He'd look a lot more decent to many if he laid out a succession plan with Buffalo's interests considered.
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I don't hate Gailey at all, the only one I hate is Ralph (Bledsoe doesn't count).
this
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yes and completely at odds with rw's glorious historyNGU, thanks for your information. I, and other fans, appreciate it.It's still not that clear cut to me. Having served in management in various jobs personally, I know that big decisions are a consensus forming process with the big boss. Hiring who will probably be Mr. Wilson's last HC and last chance is a big decision (to say the least) and Buddy is going to do what Mr. Wilson is comfortable with regardless of whether it is nominally "Buddy's decision" or not and regardless of his personal druthers. Now, Buddy may have never even talked to Ralph about Marty's interest for whatever reason or they (plural) decided not to pursue the matter. Whatever the case it is quite strange as Mr. Nix did pursue (and eventually hired) coaches directly or indirectly from the Marty Schottenheimer coaching tree: Cowher, Brian Schottenheimer, and Chan Gailey (via Cowher).
One last point, if this was 100% Buddy's decision, given the negative backlash of that information, I have to question his suitability for the job he now holds. To not even run one of the most respected names in the coaching profession by the boss would be really mind boggling and an action someone could be fired for in many businesses.
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You stated in an earlier post that a less expensive coach hire would indicate that Littman was still in control. Is that no longer true? Your posts are starting to read like a Le Carre novel. Anonymous informants sometimes have ulterior motives in his books. btw, if you knew about schott wanting the job before Nix was named GM, why not let us in on that? Would you have divulged that info if Graham had not?Just trying to provide some legitimate information. Ralph can be blamed for many things. All I was pointing out was that this was Buddy's decision. The last thing I am is an apologist for Ralph. No one has time to cover for all the missteps he has made. However I thought you would want some legitimate information on this situation. My mistake. Go on believing whatever you like. -
Don't let the door hitcha where the good lord splitcha!! Adios bandwagon jumper.
If Gailey turns out to be an excellent HC I'll laugh hysterically at these people. Look for the bandwagon to fill up if that happens.
Will you laugh at yourself if he doesn't?
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i must...protect...my...delusions ..at ..any...cost...Seriously, what is the cost to you if you're wrong? you might have to change your sign in name. The cost to Tim Graham for putting this out without good evidence might be his job and certainly risks his reputation and access to the Bills. I know who I believe.prove me wrong....rather, prove tim graham correct.....i see no reports other than unnamed sources stating that Marty wanted the job 'badly' and was not part of the final plan? the rest of the speculation about ralph being a horrible owner is just from the posters here.... -
A.) This is not new news. This was talked about last week.
B.) Schottenheimer is the exact definition of re-tread coach. In his best days, he took bad teams and made them mediocre. He also took great teams and made them mediocre. He would not be any better than Gailey.
I know we are desperate to be even mediocre, but Marty is not the savior this franchise was looking for. Best case scenario, we gets us to 9-7.
Gailey and Nix might just do better than mediocre.
and you base this best case scenario on what exactly. How'd you do betting the playoff games last weekend? Please post this weeks picks so I can bet the opposite.
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exactly, this is ralph spitting right in the fans (our) faces. Even if he proved unsuccessful most fans would have had hope.Mr. Gale Gilbert... all I can say is you definitely would have been in the minority of those not satisfied with Marty being hired. I was holding out hope against hope that we could land Cowher. But Marty was #2 on my list... and I would've been thrilled. Because, I would have reason to believe that with Marty on the sideline, this team would be a 10+ win team within a season or two. Now we have Chan Gailey, who got sheet-canned along with Turk Schonert before the season started. Chan Gailey, who wasn't on anyone's radar for a HC gig in years and years. He hasn't sniffed an NFL HC job in a decade.Honestly, I can't even see the debate here. This debate begins and ends with common knowledge that Marty is infinitely better than most other NFL coaches... and isn't even in the same league as a Chan Gailey. Now I hope and pray that Gailey will somehow turn this thing around, but this feels exactly like it felt when Dick Jauron got hired. I can't even believe the organization made this hire. They knew after the way this season and the Dick Jauron thing turned out that they HAD to bring someone of a certain reputation in here or the pitchforks were going to be out in full force. And their response... Chan... Gailey.
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The schottenheimer news is huge and you'd have to assume the reporter new this in advance and held it at the request of his sources. You also have to assume the sources are pretty solid for TG to go out this far on a limb with such damning info on rw. Unfortunately, he'll lose some hero worshipers here who will now call him the same names they call Jerry Sullivan. Anyway, nice work on breaking the story! btw , what happened to the link to the article at tbd? It was there and now it's not.
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Fixed. At least Al Davis got results, Ralph is an EPIC FAILure.
this day will forever cement rw's legacy as a football loser who consistenly screwed his long suffering fans. If this doesn't turn every bills fan against him, nothing will
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Do you think this is funny?
yes, very
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Southern accent or no, Nix is pretty likable. He may turn out to be OK w/regard to drafting personnel.
I've met some pretty smart folks with drawls but Nix doesn't strike me as one of them. Gailey however was impressive..loved how he handled the question about disappointment to fans over lack of big name(paraphrasing)"there have been a lot of successful 6th and 7th round draft choices. What matters is what you do with the opportunity"-smart, honest and effective. Didn't see the whole thing. Did anyone ask him if he got assurances against meddling by rw? That's probably the most important question they could ask.
Super Bowl Commercials
in The Stadium Wall Archives
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way too many self loathing and emasculation themes....how is that supposed to sell the average red blooded american male football fan anything? Maybe they think the women have the money now (maybe they do). Did like the little Audi though...just not the ad for it.