Vic Carucci says Bills to make major changes

[JohnC]

Well thanks for wasting 20 minutes of my life. I tried that and got a lotta natta, well unless you count the several TSW references. Oh well, my fault for being bored and trying to avoid doing what I really should be doing today. So where is this recent text of Ralph's Will that says he cares nothing about Buffalo and will put the team up for auction? Also, can you please provide some proof that the league will actually allow the team to be sold to the highest bidder?

 

While you're at it, provide some evidence that I or anyone else has said that "Ralph Wilson has made arrangements after his death to keep the team in western NY out of the generosity of his spirit". Myself, and a few others, have suggested that there are far better ways to estate plan than to die and sell off all your assets in an auction. Perhaps that is Ralph's plan. However, I'm of the opinion that Ralph has a little more intelligence than that. I'm not suggesting that he has solid plans to keep the team in Buffalo, mind you. I'm simply suggesting that it's logical to assume he's made provisions for the teaam after his passing and he's decided not to tell the world of those plans.

 

But, what you fail to realize is that the absolute only way for the Bills to absolutely stay in Buffalo is for Ralph Wilson to stay alive and continue to own the team. Once the team changes hands, regardless of who buys them... all bets are off. Unless, of course, the new owner promises to keep the team here and is as true to his word as Ralph has been regardless of the financial situation. But keep in mind, any new owner will suddenly be 100's of millions of dollars in debt and that can change a lot of priorities real fast.

 

"Bills’ fans have been in mortal fear of losing their team of the last half century to, in the words of owner Ralph Wilson’s last will and testament, “the highest bidder.” That fear, however, didn’t send them dashing up the Queen Elizabeth Way to attend the most overpriced game in the history of football. Bills’ fans are incredibly loyal but they aren’t completely cuckoo."

 

The above article was written by Larry Felser in a guest column for the Buffalo News.

 

Ralph Wilson is going to do whatever he wants to do. No one is going to change his mind about how he is going to handle his estate. What I would like out of this incompetent owner is for him to make a credible attempt to do what is necessary to rebuild a failed franchise and make this team entertaining and competitive.

 

You don't need to be a football genius to figure out that the people running the football operation, such as John Guy and Tom Modrak, have done a miserable job over the past decade. The Bills are ranked 29 out of 32 during this futile period. Why not go out and get someone who has a good record of performance and is well respected in the field to run the football side of your franchise. How about someone such as Floyd Reese?

 

When the owner and Marv Levy were involved in the hiring of a HC they came up with Dick Jauron. Dick Jauron had a losing record prior to coming to the Bills. It was well known that he was a very conservative HC who coached not to lose and who had some very primitive views on running an offense. The Dick Jauron you see now is the same Dick Jauron we hired. There should be no surprises how his stint has turned out.

 

The owner is 91 yrs old. If he doesn't have an urgency to turn this very flawed and irrelevant franchise around then when is he ever going to do it. The Bills' fans have been exceptionally loyal to him. They deserve better than the garbage they have been getting.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

"Bills’ fans have been in mortal fear of losing their team of the last half century to, in the words of owner Ralph Wilson’s last will and testament, “the highest bidder.” That fear, however, didn’t send them dashing up the Queen Elizabeth Way to attend the most overpriced game in the history of football. Bills’ fans are incredibly loyal but they aren’t completely cuckoo."

 

The above article was written by Larry Felser in a guest column for the Buffalo News.

 

Ralph Wilson is going to do whatever he wants to do. No one is going to change his mind about how he is going to handle his estate. What I would like out of this incompetent owner is for him to make a credible attempt to do what is necessary to rebuild a failed franchise and make this team entertaining and competitive.

 

You don't need to be a football genius to figure out that the people running the football operation, such as John Guy and Tom Modrak, have done a miserable job over the past decade. The Bills are ranked 29 out of 32 during this futile period. Why not go out and get someone who has a good record of performance and is well respected in the field to run the football side of your franchise. How about someone such as Floyd Reese?

 

When the owner and Marv Levy were involved in the hiring of a HC they came up with Dick Jauron. Dick Jauron had a losing record prior to coming to the Bills. It was well known that he was a very conservative HC who coached not to lose and who had some very primitive views on running an offense. The Dick Jauron you see now is the same Dick Jauron we hired. There should be no surprises how his stint has turned out.

 

The owner is 91 yrs old. If he doesn't have an urgency to turn this very flawed and irrelevant franchise around then when is he ever going to do it. The Bills' fans have been exceptionally loyal to him. They deserve better than the garbage they have been getting.

 

It hasn't been too long since Tom Donahoe. People act like we have gone an entire decade without real football people. And its not too long ago Tom Modrak was the #1 GM candidate outside of NE's front office.

 

When Donahoe was was fired Ralph made no secret about what they were going to do. He said they will be doing things differently, they would have no one in the front office calling the shots, they would make consensus decisions. The worst record since this change has been 7-9, which is middle of the pack. 7-9 without a QB is not terrible, but not good.

 

We will see what happens, but I think Ralph is trying. IMO, the Franchise being irrelevant has more to do with its location then the team. Its just the truth. The Bills this decade have made some big moves IMO. They are trying.

[Dan]

"Bills' fans have been in mortal fear of losing their team of the last half century to, in the words of owner Ralph Wilson's last will and testament, "the highest bidder." That fear, however, didn't send them dashing up the Queen Elizabeth Way to attend the most overpriced game in the history of football. Bills' fans are incredibly loyal but they aren't completely cuckoo."

 

The above article was written by Larry Felser in a guest column for the Buffalo News.

 

Ralph Wilson is going to do whatever he wants to do. No one is going to change his mind about how he is going to handle his estate. What I would like out of this incompetent owner is for him to make a credible attempt to do what is necessary to rebuild a failed franchise and make this team entertaining and competitive.

 

You don't need to be a football genius to figure out that the people running the football operation, such as John Guy and Tom Modrak, have done a miserable job over the past decade. The Bills are ranked 29 out of 32 during this futile period. Why not go out and get someone who has a good record of performance and is well respected in the field to run the football side of your franchise. How about someone such as Floyd Reese?

 

When the owner and Marv Levy were involved in the hiring of a HC they came up with Dick Jauron. Dick Jauron had a losing record prior to coming to the Bills. It was well known that he was a very conservative HC who coached not to lose and who had some very primitive views on running an offense. The Dick Jauron you see now is the same Dick Jauron we hired. There should be no surprises how his stint has turned out.

 

The owner is 91 yrs old. If he doesn't have an urgency to turn this very flawed and irrelevant franchise around then when is he ever going to do it. The Bills' fans have been exceptionally loyal to him. They deserve better than the garbage they have been getting.

Could you provide a link to the quoted article? I'm most interested in the date. Because, people change. Their opinions change. Their decisions change. So, unless that article was written in the last 2 months, there's more than a possibility that the situation has changed.

 

By the way, I agree with Ralph, talk of selling the team when the owner has clearly stated that he has no intention of selling the team and as long as he's alive he'll be the owner aand keep the team in Buffalo, is distasteful. And if Kelly does have the notion to buy the team, he needs to respect Ralph's wishes and just shut up about it.

 

Now, has Ralph run the team badly during the last decade? Yes and No. He and the FO have made some poor decisions, but I wouldn't say its from lack of trying. But, it's not as black and white as many suggest. There have been some good moves over the years, just not enough to negate the bad. And, yes, someone like Reese could be great.. but weren't a lot of people sayign the same thing about Donahoe? My point being, just because you or any one is convinced that's what this franchise needs, there's no guarantee that it's going to work.

[GrudginglyPessimistic]

"Bills’ fans have been in mortal fear of losing their team of the last half century to, in the words of owner Ralph Wilson’s last will and testament, “the highest bidder.” That fear, however, didn’t send them dashing up the Queen Elizabeth Way to attend the most overpriced game in the history of football. Bills’ fans are incredibly loyal but they aren’t completely cuckoo."

Mr. Ralph simply cannot sell the team to the highest bidder.

 

Under his purchase agreement when bought the team from the AFL (which then transferred all agreements to the NFL upon merger) he can ONLY SELL THE TEAM TO A QUALIFIED BIDDER (if you do not understand this then search for any of the articles which state that new owners must win the approval of roughly 70% of the current owners.

 

It does not matter if Mr. Ralph's estate receives a ginormous bid from someone making them the highest bidder if that bidder cannot win the the approval of a vast majority of the current teams Even those who want to fall back on some belief it is Mr. Ralph's property to do with what he wants needs to understand yes in our society it is contractually his property but he has to observe any contracts he signed to acquire this property.

 

Thus Mr. Ralph is perfectly free to think something like the new CBA is a bad deal, but since he and the Bengals owner were voted down by the rest of the NFL Mr. Ralph and the Bills MUST operate based on the agreed upon framework of the new CBA without regard to what he thinks or wants to do individually.

 

So also with selling of the team. Mr. Ralph cannot simply sell to the highest bidder because he wants to and his will says so. He can only sell to the highest qualified bidder and the NFL a a whole will say who is qualified or not. Thus just as with the Deadskins where the highest bidder was someone named Millstein or something, the NFL did not judge him as qualified due to a habit he had of being a litigious partner.

 

Just as in the case where the arguably majority partner of the NFL the players (who under the current CBA command 60.5% of the total NFL revenue) got Rush Limbaugh thrown out of the St. Louis ownership team simply by sending a harsh worded letter this vast majority of the support of owners is subject to a number of outside factors (such as Congressional threats to the NFL's limited antitrust exemption which allowed a poorer city than Buffalo, Cleveland (it and Detroit outpace even Buffalo in fiscal implosion), to beat the NFL and keep its franchise despite an owner going to get a high bid.

 

As pointed out in several posts in this thread, one would have to be a financial fool not to be able to avoid the estate tax from a number of methods ranging from taking out loans to get cash to avoid a massive estate tax hit to leaving the team to a IRS 501c3 controlled by whomever the dead owner designates.

 

I am not arguing that he is going to do a particular thing or another, I am arguing that the idea his estate is going to simply auction this asset off to the highest bidder only happens if Mr. Ralph is stupid and the NFL is asleep.

 

Neither is the case.

 

As far as the NFL, its a pretty good bet that it will go where the money is. However, it is simply a misread of the situation to believe that the best money for an individual team is in their 1/32nd of fees from a new owner or transfer fee. The real money is and has been since the lockout in the mid-80s with the networks who ship billions of $ to the NFL for them to pass around,

 

In fact, the bucks from the TV networks is so large that the owners virtually unanimously voted down Mr. Ralph and accepted the current CBA which "only" gives them a minority stake from the total revenues of 39.5% of the total gross revenues.

 

39.5% of billions is a lot more than 70% of the millions NFL teams used to rake in under a system which led to labor unrest and threatened making the sport an unstable product to sale ads around.

 

A bidder might well end up being the highest bidder, but if his ownership threatens labor peace, threatens the limited antitrust exemption, or the new owner strikes the current owners as an idiot then the highest bidder will not be judged qualified and will not get the team.

 

The claim that Felser, logic or whomever makes that the team will simply go to the highest bidder is almost certainly simply wrong.

[GrudginglyPessimistic]

Would you, or someone else perhaps please explain to me why Raplh never hired Marty Schottenheimer, an ex-Bill? I simply cannot understand this.

He should hire him and let him do as he pleases. Yep, count me as one who believes that Marty in virtually any capacity would make the Bills a playoff team.

Sorry for the delay in responding to your reply to me.

 

Unfortunately, I have heard nothing beyond the flat statement that it would not be Marty. In the various times we have been shopping for an HC either Marty S. was not available or I thought there were better candidates so I did not worry about Mr. Ralph putting a kibosh on this idea.

 

My GUESS is that Schottzy actually gave some slight to Mr. Ralph (either real or perceived) and this is why he was on the outs. Certainly when one sees how seemingly personal piques led to:

 

a. apparently this was why the chief architect of the great winner of the 90s, Polian got the axe,

b. Butler certainly went out of his way personally to screw Mr. Ralph and unfortunately Bills fans with the way he departed

c. Mr. Ralph clearly tilted at windmills in his ill-fated attempt to screw Wade out of a year's salary

d. Many signs point to Mr. Ralph being unwilling to pay Mularkey to go elsewhere and the result was that MM simply seemed to have walked away.

e. Mr. Ralph clearly gave the car keys to TD and then apparently did little to check TD's worst tendencies and booted him early.

 

Some personal problem with Marty sounds like the issue here for a candidate who should have been an obvious choice to at least contend for the job when it was open and he was free.

[1billsfan]

Carucci lost me a couple the last couple of years when listening to Sirius NFL Radio, I'd hear the huge Jauron supporter and apologist talk endlessly about how it was never the head coach's fault, and that the Bills just needed to stick with him for the sake of "continuity". Made me sick. To think I used to think he was a intelligent football man who knew what was best for the Buffalo Bills. Put a cork in it Vic.

[Rico]

Sorry for the delay in responding to your reply to me.

 

Unfortunately, I have heard nothing beyond the flat statement that it would not be Marty. In the various times we have been shopping for an HC either Marty S. was not available or I thought there were better candidates so I did not worry about Mr. Ralph putting a kibosh on this idea.

 

My GUESS is that Schottzy actually gave some slight to Mr. Ralph (either real or perceived) and this is why he was on the outs. Certainly when one sees how seemingly personal piques led to:

 

a. apparently this was why the chief architect of the great winner of the 90s, Polian got the axe,

b. Butler certainly went out of his way personally to screw Mr. Ralph and unfortunately Bills fans with the way he departed

c. Mr. Ralph clearly tilted at windmills in his ill-fated attempt to screw Wade out of a year's salary

d. Many signs point to Mr. Ralph being unwilling to pay Mularkey to go elsewhere and the result was that MM simply seemed to have walked away.

e. Mr. Ralph clearly gave the car keys to TD and then apparently did little to check TD's worst tendencies and booted him early.

 

Some personal problem with Marty sounds like the issue here for a candidate who should have been an obvious choice to at least contend for the job when it was open and he was free.

I think it's the other way around, Marty has a problem with Ralph. Forget the details, but I remember something happened to piss him off during his time with the Chiefs.

[billsfan89]

Jim Kelly on wgr55 radio a few weeks ago stated that Ralph Wilson told him in no uncertain terms not to bring up the subject of buying the team from him. According to Jim Kelly the owner told him that he was being disrespected with the new ownership discussion. When asked to elaborate by the host, Howard Simon, he curtly told him that he won't discuss the matter. End of disucussion.

 

Well Ralph knows Kelly is interested so while Ralph currently might not be interested now maybe in a year or two he feels the need to leave a legacy in Buffalo or something. Like I said it wasn't likely but its possible.

[ConradDobler]

I think it's the other way around, Marty has a problem with Ralph. Forget the details, but I remember something happened to piss him off during his time with the Chiefs.

 

IIRC Marty came down hard on Bills fans who made some classless catcalls to Don Shula regarding his then ill (or was she recently deceased?) wife.

[Phil Hansen Forever]

I pray that he is right......

 

I'm praying too, singing to the heavens if necessary.

[JohnC]

Could you provide a link to the quoted article? I'm most interested in the date. Because, people change. Their opinions change. Their decisions change. So, unless that article was written in the last 2 months, there's more than a possibility that the situation has changed.

 

By the way, I agree with Ralph, talk of selling the team when the owner has clearly stated that he has no intention of selling the team and as long as he's alive he'll be the owner aand keep the team in Buffalo, is distasteful. And if Kelly does have the notion to buy the team, he needs to respect Ralph's wishes and just shut up about it.

 

Now, has Ralph run the team badly during the last decade? Yes and No. He and the FO have made some poor decisions, but I wouldn't say its from lack of trying. But, it's not as black and white as many suggest. There have been some good moves over the years, just not enough to negate the bad. And, yes, someone like Reese could be great.. but weren't a lot of people sayign the same thing about Donahoe? My point being, just because you or any one is convinced that's what this franchise needs, there's no guarantee that it's going to work.

 

I couldn't bring up the link. The article was written around September or so in one of his guest columns.

 

Your assessment about the Bills is much more positive than my view of the franchise over the past decade. Prior to this season the Bills ranked 29 out of 32. They had a record of 60-82, for a .417 winning percentage.

 

Whether the owner has strenuously tried to improve the situation is not the issue. The issue is whether what he tried worked or not. Bringing in Marv Levy as his GM or facilitator or whatever you want to call his position was disasterous. The HC he hired, the expensive free agents he brought in for the OL didn't work out. Bringing in Marv who was out of the NFL for at least five years (although he did some TV work for Bear preseason games) to restore order to the front office was a stretch, to put it kindly.

 

I don't want to overdo the Larry Felser point of view but here is another excerpt from one of his articles:

 

"The fantasy of the Bills' fans is to see Jauron replaced by someone like Mike Shanahan, Bill Cowher, Mike Holmgren or Jon Gruden. The fans should remember that coaches at rest watch football on TV, too. They know this team is toxic waste. Can you imagine any big-time NFL coach saying to himself, "Boy, I can hardly wait to coach this collection of bozos, work with this GM/marketer and rely on a scouting staff that comes up with an impact player once every 10 years."

 

Ralph Wilson's only option now is to stock up on Pepto-Bismol and bear the consequences, clearing house on Jan. 4, the day after the season ends."

 

Larry Felser, former News columnist, appears in Sunday's editions.

 

The point he is making is the same many other people are making. Incremental or marketing type of changes is not going to alter the fortune of this rudderless franchise. There needs to be major changes in the front office and throughout the organization. I have my doubts as to whether the owner is up to it at this stage of his life. You seem to have more confidence in the owner than I do.

[reddogblitz]

The fans should remember that coaches at rest watch football on TV, too. They know this team is toxic waste. Can you imagine any big-time NFL coach saying to himself, "Boy, I can hardly wait to coach this collection of bozos, work with this GM/marketer and rely on a scouting staff that comes up with an impact player once every 10 years."

 

I see this a little differently. I think at least some of the coaches see a team that is competitive almost every Sunday. They play hard and don't give up. They've got good talent in all skill positions except QB. They've got tremendous fan support and sell out all games. A smart coach could come in and shore up the OL and QB and put in an offense that actually tries to score points. They could also change up the defensive scheme to more aggressive and be vying for the playoffs in his first season. Seems a much better situation than say Washington or Cleveland or Detroit. Add that to the fact that are only 32 NFL head cochings in the world with only a half dozen or so coming up this year. If a guy wants to get back in the NFL, he could do a lot worse.

[Sen. John Blutarsky]

Does anyone know if Cowher was calling the shots, as far as the draft is concerned, during his stint with the Steelers?

He and Tom Donahoe had a power struggle which Cowher eventually won. Donahoe left the Steelers after the 1999 season. Before we get all hot and bothered with Cowher, please remember, Steelers fans HATED his game management and he lost several AFC Championship games at home. He's actually very similar to Andy Reid and Marty Schottenheimer in that way

 

Now I understand that we'd all like to GET to an AFC Championship game but life with Cowher wasn't all roses. He was under some fire after the 2003 season where they went 6-10 and canned Mike Mularkey as OC.

 

Personally I'd like to have him, but only if he's 100% committed. If he's half into retirement mode I'm not interested. I think it's more likely that he or Schottenheimer would come on as GM/President a la Parcells with a new, younger, coach in tow.

 

I'd be curious to see if Cowher would go get Russ Grimm to be his HC. He was with Cowher his last 6 years in Pittsburgh so you have to figure that they know each other well and would work well together.

 

I've also thought that Jim Harbaugh of Stanford sounds like a Bills HC candidate and these last two weeks (beat Oregon at home and waxed USC on the road) have probably bumped him up all sorts of radar screens.

 

I'd actually be ok with an arrangement like that. An experienced guy at the helm who knows what kind of team he wants to build and a coach with some fire who can get everything there is to get out of his players. Stanford has no business beating the people they are beating (thumpings on top of it).

[GrudginglyPessimistic]

I agree with you that Dan's view of the Bills is too rosy, but right along with this is that your indictment of the Bills (and the rants of many of my fellow Bills fans is too harsh.

 

Like it or not while the last ten years under Mr. Ralph's ownership has been extremely hard for those of us who love the Bills. One of the problems has been the results have not been disastrous as you cite to justify throwing it all out.

 

Almost every year is certainly really really awfully bad. However, even DJ's harshest critics should admit if they want to be credible that 3 straight 7-9 years are a measure of incredibly consistent mediocrity which is acceptable at all to this fan (purely based on his W/L record he deserves to be canned).

 

However this incredibly consistent mediocrity which some fans harp on as they demand DJs head (agin no argument against that here) is actually proof positive that like it or not Jauron cannot be blamed for the majority of the decade of failure.

 

A true assessment of the Bills MIGHT call the assemblage of the 10 year record disastrous, but a fair and balanced view (not that us fans are required to be fair at all) of the Bills really needs to judge almost every individual year as putrid but not disastrous. TD. certainly Jauron, and even MM and GW (on some planet) had some positive aspects to their work. Claims that they are the worst ever simply undercut the arguments of the ranter.

 

If you want to declare this disastrous as a whole then the blame needs to fall on Mr. Ralph and folks should be clear about that if they want to be credible.

 

Shuffling around lower level functionaries like Modrak and Guy might be fun to do for a while but ultimately it is quite doubtful that a shift in these folks will make the difference.

 

I couldn't bring up the link. The article was written around September or so in one of his guest columns.

 

Your assessment about the Bills is much more positive than my view of the franchise over the past decade. Prior to this season the Bills ranked 29 out of 32. They had a record of 60-82, for a .417 winning percentage.

 

Whether the owner has strenuously tried to improve the situation is not the issue. The issue is whether what he tried worked or not. Bringing in Marv Levy as his GM or facilitator or whatever you want to call his position was disasterous. The HC he hired, the expensive free agents he brought in for the OL didn't work out. Bringing in Marv who was out of the NFL for at least five years (although he did some TV work for Bear preseason games) to restore order to the front office was a stretch, to put it kindly.

 

I don't want to overdo the Larry Felser point of view but here is another excerpt from one of his articles:

 

"The fantasy of the Bills' fans is to see Jauron replaced by someone like Mike Shanahan, Bill Cowher, Mike Holmgren or Jon Gruden. The fans should remember that coaches at rest watch football on TV, too. They know this team is toxic waste. Can you imagine any big-time NFL coach saying to himself, "Boy, I can hardly wait to coach this collection of bozos, work with this GM/marketer and rely on a scouting staff that comes up with an impact player once every 10 years."

 

Ralph Wilson's only option now is to stock up on Pepto-Bismol and bear the consequences, clearing house on Jan. 4, the day after the season ends."

 

Larry Felser, former News columnist, appears in Sunday's editions.

 

The point he is making is the same many other people are making. Incremental or marketing type of changes is not going to alter the fortune of this rudderless franchise. There needs to be major changes in the front office and throughout the organization. I have my doubts as to whether the owner is up to it at this stage of his life. You seem to have more confidence in the owner than I do.

[Nanker]

I am starting to think....Tony Dungy....good guy/smart football guy...

Then you'd better be prepared to cheer for Michael Vick.

[JohnC]

I agree with you that Dan's view of the Bills is too rosy, but right along with this is that your indictment of the Bills (and the rants of many of my fellow Bills fans is too harsh.

 

Like it or not while the last ten years under Mr. Ralph's ownership has been extremely hard for those of us who love the Bills. One of the problems has been the results have not been disastrous as you cite to justify throwing it all out.

 

Almost every year is certainly really really awfully bad. However, even DJ's harshest critics should admit if they want to be credible that 3 straight 7-9 years are a measure of incredibly consistent mediocrity which is acceptable at all to this fan (purely based on his W/L record he deserves to be canned).

 

However this incredibly consistent mediocrity which some fans harp on as they demand DJs head (agin no argument against that here) is actually proof positive that like it or not Jauron cannot be blamed for the majority of the decade of failure.

 

A true assessment of the Bills MIGHT call the assemblage of the 10 year record disastrous, but a fair and balanced view (not that us fans are required to be fair at all) of the Bills really needs to judge almost every individual year as putrid but not disastrous. TD. certainly Jauron, and even MM and GW (on some planet) had some positive aspects to their work. Claims that they are the worst ever simply undercut the arguments of the ranter.

 

If you want to declare this disastrous as a whole then the blame needs to fall on Mr. Ralph and folks should be clear about that if they want to be credible.

 

Shuffling around lower level functionaries like Modrak and Guy might be fun to do for a while but ultimately it is quite doubtful that a shift in these folks will make the difference.

 

Anyone who has read anything I have said about the struggles of the organization know exactly where I lay the blame: the incompetent owner.

 

DJ is a small part of the problem of this dysfunctional organization. He was a medicore HC prior to his selection. The indictment of the ownership and organization has to do with having a selection process that comes up with DJ as the best candidate. As I stated in a prior posting DJ is what he is and always has been: He is a very concervative HC who coaches not to lose. His offenses have always been very primitive. So when he applys his coaching philosophy here there shouldn't be any surprise.

 

Over the past decade (excluding Houston as an expansion team) only two teams have not made the playoffs. The Detroit Lions and the Bills. That company in itself is a sad commentary on the franchise. My view is until the owner allows for major changes in how the organization is run, starting with getting qualified people to work in the front office and make the tough football decisions this organization requires the team will continue to flounder. Is a 91 yr old owner who has owned a franchise for half a century and has done things his way going to do things dramatically different? I have my doubts. Others are more optimistic than I am.

[JohnC]

It hasn't been too long since Tom Donahoe. People act like we have gone an entire decade without real football people.

 

We will see what happens, but I think Ralph is trying. IMO, the Franchise being irrelevant has more to do with its location then the team. Its just the truth. The Bills this decade have made some big moves IMO. They are trying.

 

During the Bill Polian regime and Jim Kelly and the SB run era the Bills were one of the most entertaining and relevant teams in the NFL. The reason for their relevancy had to do with their winning record, and not their poplulation base. The Steelers are one of the most relevant franchises because of their success on the field, not because of their regional demographics. The Colts are a relevant franchise because they consistently win and compete for championships, not because their area is known for its prosperity, which it certainly is not. The Packers are very relevant in the NFL. It has everything to do with its tradition and general success on the field, not because of the less than sterling economy in the midwest. The Vikings are a very relevant team because they have a very good team and are entertaining to watch. The regional economy has nothing to do with their relevance.

 

Teams such as Buffalo, St. Louis, Detroit etc are not very relevant because they are located in very economically troubled regions so much as they consistently lose and are not considered serious contenders.

[BuffaloRebound]

Jim Kelly on wgr55 radio a few weeks ago stated that Ralph Wilson told him in no uncertain terms not to bring up the subject of buying the team from him. According to Jim Kelly the owner told him that he was being disrespected with the new ownership discussion. When asked to elaborate by the host, Howard Simon, he curtly told him that he won't discuss the matter. End of disucussion.

 

Disrespected, please. Ralph doesn't want Kelly to continue to talk about it because Ralph doesn't want pressure from the likes of Schumer, Goodell, and the other owners to sell to Kelly's group, which could potentially mean less money for Ralph. When it comes to Ralph, simply follow the money. For those who say Ralph could have made more money moving the team, I'd love to hear the credible offers he had to move and how much more money he'd have made than the millions, probably billion he's made/will have made keeping the team in Buffalo where he effectively gets free use of a stadium named after himself and gets the same TV money as every other franchise.

[Red]

Anyone who has read anything I have said about the struggles of the organization know exactly where I lay the blame: the incompetent owner.

 

DJ is a small part of the problem of this dysfunctional organization. He was a medicore HC prior to his selection. The indictment of the ownership and organization has to do with having a selection process that comes up with DJ as the best candidate. As I stated in a prior posting DJ is what he is and always has been: He is a very concervative HC who coaches not to lose. His offenses have always been very primitive. So when he applys his coaching philosophy here there shouldn't be any surprise.

 

Over the past decade (excluding Houston as an expansion team) only two teams have not made the playoffs. The Detroit Lions and the Bills. That company in itself is a sad commentary on the franchise. My view is until the owner allows for major changes in how the organization is run, starting with getting qualified people to work in the front office and make the tough football decisions this organization requires the team will continue to flounder. Is a 91 yr old owner who has owned a franchise for half a century and has done things his way going to do things dramatically different? I have my doubts. Others are more optimistic than I am.

 

Exactly.

 

Which is why when the proverbial boobs (not the good kind) on this site call for Vick, or some "hot" coordinator as the solution to our ills, I can't help but .

 

How can they be so simple-minded as to think that the head coach is drafting the players, pursuing and signing free agents, and is solely responsible for the collapse and mediocrity of a once great team?

 

Clearly, the very STRUCTURE at OBD is not working. You can't have GM-by-committee, and you can't allow a man more suited to be a circus promoter in Russ 'Barnum & Bailey' Brandon make the football decisions. Modrak and Guy have been there through 2 (3 if you count the ringmaster) GMs, 3 head coaches, and how many different QB's? The players have all changed. The coaches have all changed this decade. Yet somehow, and with the exception of Ralph, the only 2 constants have been in the talent department: Tom Modrak and John Guy.

 

Why would signing Vick be the answer with the same incompetent personnel people calling the shots?

 

No experienced, outside observer can identify the Bills PLAN for improvement. I forget his name, but that former GM on the NFL Network has come out and publicly questioned if there even is a plan in place at OBD. As has agent Drew Rosenhaus (agent of TO and Parrish) as of late. Tim Graham over at ESPN commented on exactly the same thing. Now Vic Carucci appears to have something that may prove that Ralph is not brain-dead, after all.

 

They cannot identify a plan because currently, with the circus running the talent show, there is no plan other than to sell out the stadium- by any means necessary.

 

Losing Jauron will help. We need a real offense. I am convinced that the 'Tampa 2' and its emphasis on undersized players is outdated. We need more than just a team of excellent special teamers, which is really all that Modrak and Guy have proved capable of building.

 

A real, experienced, PROVEN football man is needed at GM/ President. Modrak, Guy, and Jauron need to be fired. Nix needs to be promoted. Brandon should go back to marketing and the business side of things. And then Ralph needs to settle down, and let the football people do what they do best.

 

Until those changes take place, no personnel moves with this current regime in place will make any difference, whatsoever.

[Doc]

The claim that Felser, logic or whomever makes that the team will simply go to the highest bidder is almost certainly simply wrong.

I agree and I said that before. Felser doesn't know what's in Ralph's will and making people believe he does is disingenuous at best, and lying at worst. Since Ralph's wife and daughter DON'T want the team, it will be sold to the group with the best creds, regardless of price. The same would apply if Ralph were to sell to a minority owner while he's still alive.

"The fantasy of the Bills' fans is to see Jauron replaced by someone like Mike Shanahan, Bill Cowher, Mike Holmgren or Jon Gruden. The fans should remember that coaches at rest watch football on TV, too. They know this team is toxic waste. Can you imagine any big-time NFL coach saying to himself, "Boy, I can hardly wait to coach this collection of bozos, work with this GM/marketer and rely on a scouting staff that comes up with an impact player once every 10 years."

Again, no wonder Felser is retired (although not retired enough). For starters, there are a half-dozen (Holmgren, Shanahan, Billick, Gruden, Dungy, Cowher) out-of-work coaches who have SB rings, who have been out of the NFL for at least a year, and who are itching to get back in. There is also Schottenheimer. There are 5 teams, maybe 7, that will be looking for a new HC. They are the: Bills, Redskins, Panthers, Jags, and Raiders, and maybe the Titans and Browns. The Panthers will target, and sign, Cowher, leaving 4/6 teams. Out of the rest, the Redskins, Jags, Raiders, and Browns are no better, if not worse, situations than the Bills given their ownership/fanbase/talent. So it'sa buyer's market for the Bills for the first time that I can recall, and it's not like those coaches can sit-out indefinitely, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Hopefully what Carucci said is true and that he's got some inside info.