That's just wrong. Point to me where RW has not opened his checkbook since the mid-1980s and not signed (at the time) the most high profile players (TKO, SA or all the way back to Corny Bennett) or GM candidate (TD) available.
Just because 5-years later we see TD as a failure, you can't hang that on Ralph. Same with Butler before he left. Same with Poilian. Ralph has done his part. He could have said no to FA signing bonuses like Mike Brown in Cincy...but he didn't. He could have moved the team to greener pastures in the middle of the night like Modell...but he didn't.
How do you hang TDs failures on Ralph. Every off season of the TD era has been an exciting one in terms of the team being aggressive (even signing Miloy opening week).
sh-- happens that RW can't control any more than you can. TKO getting injured? Must be RW's fault. Mike Williams has an empty chest cavity? Must be RW's fault (even though 90% of the TSW hailed the pick at the time). CV can't stay on the field in Buffalo after being a very good player in Chicago? Must be Ralph's fault. Troy Vincent running out of gas after week 7? Must be Ralph's fault. MM not being the coach we've been looking for (after going 9-7 last year and getting a lot of buzz for coach of the year)? Must be Ralph's fault.
Ralph wants to win as much as any fan. He has more knowledge of the NFL than 95% of the posters on this board. He attends every game, comes to training camp regularly, stays very involved with the team now that the Bills are his primary business venture.
He hired THE guy at the time (TD) and if you take the effort to Google/Nexis or check the archives here, I'm sure the overwhelming sentiment was positive...just as it was leading up to opening day this season. That TDs plan has gone up in flames is something we all regret...RW included.
It's easy to blame problems on someone else using revisionist history as a rationale...its just human nature. It's also wrong most of the time.
I'm not saying RW's sh-- don't stink, but I'm glad he's our owner, especially over the past two decades. That he has to go through a GM search yet again is frustrating...and not something any of us anticipated three months ago. But it happened and now he/we have to deal with it again.