JohnC

Paul Hamilton told the same story on WGR a few years back. He said Overdorf gave the GM a menu of players and contracts that he had to select from. There is nothing unusual about factoring in salaries when making personnel decisions. But with Buffalo the financial environment was more restrictive and the finance people were more influential in the football operation compared to other franchises.

The Levy hire as an artificial GM was one of RW's most absurd hires. The honorable and proud Levy was placed in an untenable postion that only could result in failure. Levy took the position (he reallt wanted to coach) out of loyalty to the owner. With the Bills Tom Modrak remained in his position for a decade of mediocre work. In my opinion John Guy was even worse at his job. He stayed on for a decade, if not longer. When you hire mediocre people and empower them you inevitably fail. When you hire quality people and empower then you eventually succeed. For me Whaley and Brandon are high quality hires. I'm a strong believer that eventually things are going to turn in the right direction. That's why I believe that another change in regimes with a new owner will prove to be futile. The main driver for success is going to be determined by our qb play (as you noted). EJ is a work in progress. In the long run I think he will work out. In the short run the road is going to be bumpy.

The Levy set up of a division of labor with no strongman GM was an untenable organizational structure in the pro football business. Brandon took over the postion because the owner placed him there. It was obvious not only to the owner but also to RB that he wasn't suited for the position. The CEO position is the right position for him and his talents.

You are making a big mistake in not recognizing what Brandon has done for the franchise. He, more than anyone else, has modernized a very archaic organization. Ralph Wilson has a history of blundering when making key hires for the franchise. However, he got it right when he entrusted Brandon to act on his behalf when he retreated from the business. There was a year when he was involved in the football side of the business. It didn't take him long to make an adjustment to a more suitable role as a CEO, a critical role for a successful operation. That personal recognition about himself and the adjustment in his role says a lot about him as a person. For him it wasn't about ego and power, it was about the success of the franchise. I respectfully but strenuously disagree with your "clean slate" approach to the current football staff. Whaley and his staff are very credible football people. What this long-term struggling franchise needs more than ever is some continuity and not the continuous churning of staff that kept this bedraggled franchise in a constant state of flux. Very often when searching for a fix the solution is thoughtful patience and not unthoughtful reaction.

He is not fighting with anyone. He is simply responding to comments made by Goodell and league reps regarding stadium issues. He is the top public figure in the county. When comments are made regarding ownership, relocation and the stadium he gets a ton of questions regarding those matters. He is simply responding so the public understands the issues and how it impacts the public. That what a good public servant and politician supposed to do. Mr. Polocrantz would look like an incompetent and a fool if he remained silent on an issue that is so prominent in the community. I give him a lot of credit for bringing clarity (as much as he is capable of) to a complex issue where a lot of inaccurate information is swirling around. I have heard the County Executive on WGR on a number of occasions. He was on multiple times during the lease negotiations and after the negotiations. He has also been on while the sale process is going on explaining how the lease deal influences the sale. I am very impressed with him. He comes off as a sober-minded and competent individual representing the interests of the public at large. That sure is a refreshing differenc with loud-mouth politicians who say things simply to curry favor.

Houston, I just listened to the Poloncrarz interview on WGR. I don't understand why anyone would object to the postion he is taking at this point in the sale process. (Not saying that you are.) He is Erie County's County Executive who very often is asked about the sale and stadium situatiion. He gave his well reasoned thoughts on the team and stadium issue. For anyone who has followed the situation there was nothing provocative about his comments. He certainly isn't locked into any position other than if a new stadium is required the cost will be shared by the parties. His general stance is that the County is not going to foot the full bill on any new stadium project. That is not only the prevailing view but it is also the overwhelming view of the public. There are posters who believe that he is interfering with the process and undercutting the prospects of the team remaining in the region. That is absurd. He is Erie County's top public servant who is keeping the public informed on an issue that is important to many people. It's my opinion that he is representing the interests of the public at large and that so far he is doing a good job. Attached is the WGR link of the interview. http://audio.wgr550.com/a/95549486/8-13-erie-county-executive-mark-poloncarz.htm

If I may offer a suggestion why not have your case reviewed by another doctor? Sometimes having a set of fresh eyes wil result in a more effective treatment. The doctor you are seeing should be able to recommend other doctors in the field who can review your case and give a second opinion. A long time ago I was going to have back surgery. I asked the doctor who was treating me who would he see if he had the same issue. He told me the name of the doctor, who was rated as the top neurosurgeon in the region. In the end I went to the recommended doctor. I'm glad I did.

If Hurley's team does well I suspect that he will be a hot commodity for the next stepping stone job. The current athletic director, Danny White, is an energetic and ambitious person who desires to quickly move up the ranks. http://en.wikipedia....hletic_director)

Just a thought after reading some of the moving comments. When dealing with people you just don't know what they are contending with in their lives. So sometimes the first impression or judgment of someone doesn't reflect the essence of the person and the major challenges that person is coping with. The reality is that the people who have health issues are not simply average people but in a certain sense they are heroic in dealing on a daily basis with very difficult circumstances. Very often we lose perspective and don't count our blessing while there are so many people who are facing life long challenges.

You follow the team. What are their prospects for the season? Will the program be taking a step forward or was last year an aberration? I saw portions of a couple games last year and I thought that Licata was a good college qb. It just seems that the team hasn't drawn much local or even university fan support Your thoughts?

I respectfully but strenuously disagree with your approach toward the qb position. How do you expect to make a determination on a young qb's prospects unless he is given the time to demonstrate his abilities or lack there of? If you expect instant success than you are not being realisiic. Many people, including you and me, thought that based on Trent Edwards initial success that he would become this franchise's long term starter. It took more than one season to conclude that his mental and psychological makeup (risk aversion) would prevent him from being a success. Even with Losman no one really knew in advance whether he was going to be a successful qb. It wasn't until he got enough playing time that a fair determination could be made about his prospects. My central point is simply: Let the prospect play and then make a determination. The "bandwith" factor is a consideratiion but it is not the most important evaluating "tool". How the qb performs and does he get better is the real determing factor. My sense with EJ is that he is not going to make quantum leaps forward but will steadily get better. That's fiine with me. EJ Manuel was never going to be an instant success because he was simply too raw of a qb coming into the pro ranks. The key thing to keep in mind when judging EJ this year is whether he steadily gets better. If he does that then I consider him a worthy prospect (risk) to invest in. If not then you continue on looking for a better option. There are no guarantees and there is no other way of doing it. You need to participate more. Your observations and contributions positively add to the discussions.

In general we are in agreement on this issue so I don't want to exaggerate the differences. There were no angels in this conflict. RGIII made it clear that after his injury and strenuous rehab in the offseason that he was going to be the starter when the season started. He even had a commercial promoting the fact that he was back, all the way back. The reality was that he should not have been the starter for at least the first four games buying him more time to get back to full health. It was very obvious to everyone that he was a shadow of his self. It didn't help when surrogates such as his father publicly and privately blamed the HC for exposing his son to injury by the type of offense he ran. There was another major complication to the Shanahan/Griffin dynamic: the HC's son was the offensive coordinator. The OC was not happy with the way RG III was responding to his coaching and play calling. And RG III was not enamored with the OC. What made the situation even worse is that RG III had a habit of spouting out direct and indirect barbs when he was answering reporters' question which kept the tension going. It was simply a bad situation where the main problem stemmed from the conflicting personalities more than with any particular issue.

The problem had little to with the owner. The source of the problem was two headstrong people clashed and both were unyielding. The owner was involved to the entent that the situation was untenable. One of them had to go. Since the team mortgaged its future on this trenemdously talented diva qb it is not surprising that the HC left. Dan Snyder is not now interfering with the football operation. He wants to be kept apprised of what is going on and on impending moves. But the way he behaved before is not the way he is behaving now. The past meddling criticisms he received before are to be fair not now warranted.

If that is the case then why did RG III have such a superlative rookie year in which he led his team to the playoffs? Last year was a disaster for him because he had a serious knee injury at the end of the prior season and was not fully healed last year. The problem with RG III and Shanahan had little to do with the owner. Shanahan is a very head strong coach who likes to demonstrate that he is in charge. RG III is a tiresome diva who has to publicly comment on every topic even when no comment is the best answer. The breach between the former HC and the narcissitic qb was not fixable. One of them had to go. Shanahan wanted out as much as the qb wanted him gone. So the disposable coach left with a hefty bag of money and the perceived indisposable player stayed. Thes two giant egos were never going to mesh. There is no doubt that Dan Snyder's interjecting himself into the football operation damaged the operation and created chaos. But his meddling ways have stopped for the past number of years. For the most part he now let's the football people run the fooball side of the business. I live in the Md/DC area so I have a closer view on the scene here. Dan Snyder ciriticisms for how he managed the team was well warranted. But over the past few years those same criticisms are not warranted now.

Is that a backhand compliment or insult? I'm a hot blooded Sicilian so be very careful with your response.

The stadium is not the main driver in his "idealistic" urban plan. It is a part of a comprehensive plan that focuses on the waterfront and large segments of undeveloped downtown space. The type a plan he is promoting is the type of project that can take 20 years to complete. It will be a generic plan that directs development in a cohesive way and in manageable stages. The canalside area is already being developed in stages as is one of the most potent economic drivers of the region is being built i.e. the medical corridor. (As noted by many others.) One building block added to another until the critical mass of development carries the momentun for ancillary projects. Don't reflexively be dismissive of what is already going on and what is planned to go on. Just because the aforementioned plan has some improbable aspects to it it doesn't mean that the overall plan isn't viable. The forward momentum is already present and with smart planning and actiion the building blocks will continue to stack up. The convention center that you derisively refer to is part of a comprehensive plan to refurbish a large almost vacant building that includes within the plan office space, condos, hotel, stores etc. There have been a couple of studies dealing with this enormous building that call for similar usage. In other words it isn't as crazy as you make it out to be!

Why discriminate? You respond to my dumb posts all the time. LOL

Winners win and losers make excuses. You get nowhere by being a crybaby.

The stadium cost is not the most significant cost associated with the project. The infastructure costs and site preparation costs are tremendous. The challenge on agreeing to a site is not going to be easy to settle. Dedicated hotel taxes in itself is not a simple issue because using those funds for a stadium project results in not using those same funds for other worthy projects. I want to see a new stadium built. But it's my view that a new facility should be mostly borne by the owner of the franchise in order to get the support of the public for the ancillary projects required for the new facility. The expectations of public support taken by the last owner is not the approach that is going to be accepted in this more restrictive era for the next owner. The building of a new Peace Bridge seemed to make a lot of sense for a city located next to the Canadian border. The wrangling lasted more than a decade. The bottom line is it couldn't get done for a variety of reasons associated with politics, environment and philosophy regarding development. Similar issues will come into play on the stadium issue.

The level of public fundig of stadiums is certainly a central issue in the long term viability of keeping the franchise in western NY. The issue of public funding for stadiums of professional franchises can't be categorized as a conservative or liberal issue. There is a shared view within the political spectrum that $$$ shouldn't be used (or at least less should be used) for franchises (private businesses). A lot of attention is focused on what the costs would be for a stadium (especially located downtown). That isn't the main money issue. The major financial committment from the public is going to be for infrastructure upgrades and land preparation for a new facility. In my view the prospective owner of the Bills will assume the major cost for the sport facility and the infrastructure costs will be borne by the public because of the spillover economic effect that will benefit the general public. In general I agree with much of what you say regarding the sale of the franchise. Where I have a slightly different view from you is that I believe that you are minimizing the political and financial challenges associated with the building of a new facility. It seems to me that your PSL approach to building a stadium is simply too facile for this very complicated financial committment. There are a number of reasons why I am a staunch advocate for Pegula as an owner. One of the primary reasons is that he understands what his financial obligation will be regarding the cost of a stadium that his team will play in.

This topic comes up every year. We continue to lose and they continue to win. Denigrating others who are successful while your own performances reek with mediocrity is an embarrassing demonstration of jealousy. Bill Belicick is going to be a first ballot HOF inductee. What he has accomplished in New England as a HC and as the most important person in the football operation is remarkable. For a number of reasons this annual topic irks me. It represents is an attitude of inferiority. Instead of striving to be at the elite level it promotes a notion that one's own failures are caused by others. With respect to our hometown team nothing is further from the truth. Our failures are self-induced by historic levels of incompetence. In a cap era with rapid player movements what the Patriots have accomplished under BB is remarkable. They are a franchise that should be emulated. Instead of complaining about their sterling legacy it would be a more mature approach to channel one's energies on creating one's own legacy to be proud of.

BB is going to be a first ballot HOF coach. He is recognized as being the driving force for one of the most successful franchises in the modern era of the league. The Bills have been out of the playoffs for fourteen consecutive years, and still counting . Over the last decade they have barely had one or two winning records. Fans from a historically losing franchise shouldn't waste their energies criticizing a franchise that is one of the most successful franchises in the history of the league compared to a Bills franchise that has been one of the worst performing franchises over the past generation. Winners win and losers make excuses. Every year this topic is reprised. This exhibition of jeolousy and excuse making is not only pathetic, it is embarrassing.

It's too late to trade for Cousins. He is their backup qb. It would be foolish for them to get rid of their backup qb in case Griffin goes down. The ominous problem for he Bills is that they really don't have a backup plan if EJ falters. Whaley took a major risk by not adding a veteran qb such as Schaub or Cassell to tide them over if EJ struggled.

What distinguishes him from other young qbs is his poise and decision-making. The thought that he was available as a draft prospect and Buddy Nix selected for a qb starved franchise TJ Graham is exasperating. Graham is a superb athlete but a marginal football player. Wilson is a short but good athlete who is an exceptional football player. What else is there to say that hasn't already been said. Losing franchises are not plagued with bad luck---they are plagued with their own self-afflicted bad decisions.

Is Russell Wilson a more effective qb playing for the Seahawks rather than the Bills? Absolutely. You can say that about all qbs playing with good teams compared to mediocre teams. But what is apparent about Wilson is that he is mobile, an accurate passer, a terrific decision-maker and an exceptional leader. Those attributes are associated with him regardless where he plays. I'm not an EJ basher although at this time I can't say for sure he will develop into a legitimate franchise qb. My sense of him is that he is the type of qb that is going to take time for him to get to a point where he can be relied on. If he steadily improves I will be satisfied. But let's not get carried away with a hometown bias. There isn't anyone associated with the NFL who wouldn't prefer Wilson over Manuel, either now or at a later time. (I'm not suggesting that you are making that claim.) Although it is a very early stage in Wilson's career the near unanimous opinion is that RW is a quality starting qb. For Manuel it is still a very open question whether he will develop into an adequate starting qb.