Article bashing Ralph

[300yrds]

First off, I am not a RW fan, infact I was totally against his induction into the HOF. However this article is formed by loose ties and is unnecassarily brash and uneducated. While I disagree with a lot of his football minded decisions, never once do I question his character as a man, nor should the author of this article based on some half truth he posts about the Saints and Sabres.

[todd]

Ralph has his faults, but he deserves a little more respect than that fatass dork gives him. The dude is a WWII vet, and HAS committed himself to Buffalo, and has some of the lowest ticket prices in the NFL. He deserves more respect than that article gives, and is service in WWII makes him more man than the author will ever be.

 

http://www.lockportjournal.com/local/local..._041015510.html

 

 

 

I may be against some of the things Ralph does but I do think he deserves more respect than he was shown in this article

[WyoWind]

fully agree with the sentiment in the piece and I feel bills fans deserve more respect than wilson shows.

 

 

I also agree and I hope that Ralph, Russ, and all the powers that be read this article. Sometimes ya just gotta call the baby ugly and this article did exactly that. Bills fans should probably start preparing for the kick in the gut feeling when the team finally leaves Buffalo. I hate to think about it but I'm afraid that unless something miraculous happens, we'll be without our beloved Bills within the next 5 years.

 

I was living in Baltimore in 1996 when the Browns left and move to Baltimore. Thankfully for Cleveland, they left their colors and history/heritage in Cleveland. I just remember watching the news and seeing grown men sobbing outside Cleveland Stadium in September that year and thinking that could eventually happen in Buffalo.

[billsfreak]

Ralph has his faults, but he deserves a little more respect than that fatass dork gives him. The dude is a WWII vet, and HAS committed himself to Buffalo, and has some of the lowest ticket prices in the NFL. He deserves more respect than that article gives, and is service in WWII makes him more man than the author will ever be.

Not sure what service in WWII has to do with being an NFL owner? Timothy McVie served in the Iraq War (believe he was pretty decorated too, Purple Heart?) before he bombed the Federal Building in Oklahoma City (O.K. maybe a little harsh comparison). Not slamming veterans (I did over 20 years in the Navy myself and still work for the Navy), but not finding the connection between running an NFL Team and serving in the military.

[Doc]

This guy is an idiot. First he paints Tom Benson like some kind of saint. Benson had the team set to leave N.O. for good. It was the NFL that stopped him, not some desire to do good. Second, everything Ralph says about the economy is true. No one would think of putting an NFL team in WNY. The Bills exist because of Ralph Wilson.

 

As for the Toronto "money grab" I see it as smart business, not greed. Give up 8 games and 1) add to your bottom line, and 2) lock up the Toronto market from any other NFL team moving in.

 

What asshats like Root completely ignore is that Wilson can sell and move the Bills any time he feels like it. The lease with Erie County is printed on tissue paper. There is absolutely nothing, other than the NFL itself, that would stop the Bills from leaving town. They are still here because of Ralph Wilson Jr.

 

Now is Ralph a meddling, bumbling owner? You bet. Have the Bills been badly run for most of it's 50 year history? No question. Have the Bills treated the fans badly? I don't think so. No one puts a gun to your head to buy tickets. I've been a season ticket holder since just after Donahoe and I think the Bills actually do a nice job of reaching out to me. The teams blow but that has nothing to do with how they treat me as a ticket buyer.

 

My suggestion to Mr. Root and anyone who agrees with him is find a new team to follow and see how they treat you as a fan. I believe the Patriots* are looking for some new bandwagon jumpers. Maybe Mr. Root can take out a mortgage and buy a PSL at the new football palace in New Jersey. If Root thinks the Bills are a money grab, he doesn't know the meaning of the phrase. I suggest he do a little research into how deep other NFL owners reach into their fans pockets before casting aspersions at Ralph Wilson Jr.

I agree with everything except the "meddling, bumbling owner" part. Ralph only meddles when he sees he's not getting results. But to hear Mort talk, it's like TD was bothered every day since the beginning. As for "bumbling," sure he fired Polian, but that was coming given his irascible personality and the 3rd (and eventually 4th) SB loss (if only the Bills had played a team as weak as the Bears, sigh). After Butler high-tailed it out of town, he hired Donahoe and gave him total control, a move which was widely hailed...but it didn't work. Then he reversed course and went with a guy with whom he'd had success in the past in Levy...and that also didn't work. And as this past off-season proved, the lack of big name GM's and coaches has had little to do with him.

 

Getting back to the Saints and being a "winner," they took a huge gamble on Brees, at a time when no one else in the NFL wanted him, including the Dols, who were Brees' top choice. Luck plays a large factor in being successful.

[C.Biscuit97]

First off, I am not a RW fan, infact I was totally against his induction into the HOF. However this article is formed by loose ties and is unnecassarily brash and uneducated. While I disagree with a lot of his football minded decisions, never once do I question his character as a man, nor should the author of this article based on some half truth he posts about the Saints and Sabres.

 

 

You're right. Who cares that Ralph has been to 4 SBS, has 2 AFL championships, was a founding father of the AFL, gave money to the Raiders to keep them afloat, and most of all keep a NFL football in a economically dying market for 50 years??? He definitely doesn't deserve the HOF.

[billsfreak]

You're right. Who cares that Ralph has been to 4 SBS, has 2 AFL championships, was a founding father of the AFL, gave money to the Raiders to keep them afloat, and most of all keep a NFL football in a economically dying market for 50 years??? He definitely doesn't deserve the HOF.

You made everyone's point. I haven't seen anyone say that Ralph hasn't done anything-ever? But look at the things you listed in your post, they almost all are two decades old. As far as keeping a team in a economically dying market, with the revenue sharing in the NFL, you can make millions in any market. He used to be a great owner, so did Al Davis (with a case full of Lombardi Trophies), but now they are two of the worst, if not the two worst, and both need to go.

[DarthICE]

http://www.lockportjournal.com/local/local..._041015510.html

 

 

 

I may be against some of the things Ralph does but I do think he deserves more respect than he was shown in this article

 

No he doesn't. HE is directly all that is wrong with this team. The sooner we get a new owner, the sooner this thing can finally turn around for good.

[C.Biscuit97]

You made everyone's point. I haven't seen anyone say that Ralph hasn't done anything-ever? But look at the things you listed in your post, they almost all are two decades old. As far as keeping a team in a economically dying market, with the revenue sharing in the NFL, you can make millions in any market. He used to be a great owner, so did Al Davis (with a case full of Lombardi Trophies), but now they are two of the worst, if not the two worst, and both need to go.

 

 

I blame TD million times more for this decade than I do Ralph. And everyone (if this board existed back then) was falling all over themselves with praise when we hired TD. He was thought of as one of the best at the time and RW gave him full control. He let a great DT walk when he wanted to stay in Buffalo. He draft a 1st round QB that wasn't the answer. That sets franchises back for years. The last few years are all of a result of fixing the mess TD made.

[Ghost of Rob Johnson]

That story was BS and seemed to be based on no facts at all. He makes assumptions about a lack of help for the community, that Ralph would move the team but hasn't had a substantial enough offer all out of thin air with no factual evidence to back any of it up. A simple google search of Ralph Wilson comes up with multiple sites for his charitable donations/foundations. So to claim he is a "blood sucking leach who has done nothing for our community" is ridiculous and uncalled for.

[JohnC]

I blame TD million times more for this decade than I do Ralph. And everyone (if this board existed back then) was falling all over themselves with praise when we hired TD. He was thought of as one of the best at the time and RW gave him full control. He let a great DT walk when he wanted to stay in Buffalo. He draft a 1st round QB that wasn't the answer. That sets franchises back for years. The last few years are all of a result of fixing the mess TD made.

 

It was the owner who hired TD after he drove out John Butler and A.J. Smith. Bringing in the ill-equipped Marv Levy to preside over the football operation set the franchise back more years. Elevating Russ Brandon to be more involved in the football operation continued to set back the organization. The owner is doing the hiring for the most critical position in any franchise. He is a dismal failure.

 

The Buddy Nix hiring was a reasonable hire. What this fool owner needs to do more than anything else is stay out of the way. Buddy Nix knows football. Ralph Wilson may think he knows something about football but his record clearly indicates that he is clueless. The owner needs to spend more of his time counting his money and less of his time interfering with the team.

[SuperKillerRobots]

http://www.lockportjournal.com/local/local..._041015510.html

 

 

 

I may be against some of the things Ralph does but I do think he deserves more respect than he was shown in this article

 

The author brings up some good points about how Ralph could go out of his way to help the community. That being said, Ralph isn't from Buffalo, so how much committment to the city does he have to have? Is he a bad person because he doesn't donate money to our charities or come out in support of the city? He is right about the economy. To me the Toronto experiment looks like he stole $75mm from Rogers Communications. That's a business deal done by a good businessman. He had to bridge the gap until a new labor agreement could be worked out.

[SuperKillerRobots]

You made everyone's point. I haven't seen anyone say that Ralph hasn't done anything-ever? But look at the things you listed in your post, they almost all are two decades old. As far as keeping a team in a economically dying market, with the revenue sharing in the NFL, you can make millions in any market. He used to be a great owner, so did Al Davis (with a case full of Lombardi Trophies), but now they are two of the worst, if not the two worst, and both need to go.

 

So he's a bad owner because he wiffed on two or three (depending how you call it) hires over the past decade? The Lions have never even been to the SB and have been owned by the same people. Are they even worse than Al and Ralph now? At least Ralph had the sense to call a spade a spade and voted against the last labor agreement, which is the basic cause of the probable work stoppage in 2011.

[C.Biscuit97]

It was the owner who hired TD after he drove out John Butler and A.J. Smith. Bringing in the ill-equipped Marv Levy to preside over the football operation set the franchise back more years. Elevating Russ Brandon to be more involved in the football operation continued to set back the organization. The owner is doing the hiring for the most critical position in any franchise. He is a dismal failure.

 

The Buddy Nix hiring was a reasonable hire. What this fool owner needs to do more than anything else is stay out of the way. Buddy Nix knows football. Ralph Wilson may think he knows something about football but his record clearly indicates that he is clueless. The owner needs to spend more of his time counting his money and less of his time interfering with the team.

 

 

Brandon hired Nix. He also got $78 million from Toronto, showed they aren't a viable NFL market, and has sold out every game for the last 2 seasons. Hardly a failure.

[Doc]

It was the owner who hired TD after he drove out John Butler and A.J. Smith. Bringing in the ill-equipped Marv Levy to preside over the football operation set the franchise back more years. Elevating Russ Brandon to be more involved in the football operation continued to set back the organization. The owner is doing the hiring for the most critical position in any franchise. He is a dismal failure.

Why bring up Butler and Smith? Butler rode on Polian's coattails and Smith was the architect of the Chargers (apparently along with Nix), seeing as how Butler died just 2 years after joining the team. And Polian now has the ignominious distinction of being the architect of 2 teams who have lost 5 SB's out of 6 tries. Unfortunately the Bills didn't play an opponent as weak as the Bears, and the Colts would be the 2000-era 1990's Bills. And again, the hiring of TD was widely hailed by the so-called "experts."

[CountDorkula]

Comparing a city without power for a few days to an entire city under feet of water is absurd.

 

SO he sees the Sabres as trying to build a winner but the Bills as money 's...

 

They are both the same IMO. (We know about how the Bills do)

 

The Sabres keep getting average players and portraying them as stars in the league (Stafford, McCarthur, Sekera....)

Teh Sabres are "afraid" to go after the big name guys and play teh Free agent trade game.

The Sabres let their own free agents walk instead of paying the money (Drury, Campbell, Briere, Griere(the first time), Got backed into a corner and wound up having to overpay Vanek)

 

I see both owners, FO staff being one in teh same, but that is just me.

[BillnutinHouston]

There is very little factual information in the article - it's all sentiment. Mr. Root is a guy who has made up his mind about Ralph and has molded reality to fit his view.

 

For example, he postulates (but offers no proof) that Ralph never took offers to move because those offers weren't substantial enough. So I guess his thinking is, Ralph got the upper hand on those making weak offers by staying in Buffalo and selling his product at rock-bottom prices (by NFL standards) for decades after. Yea, Ralph really showed them, didn't he Mr. Root?

 

And to compare the Sabres to the Bills as business ventures is just silly - the difference in order of magnitude is significant. You almost need to take an NHL franchise's balance sheet and put one or two 0's on the end of every number, to compare it to an NFL franchise. And while Mr. Root admits that even the Sabres may have to adjust their operating practices due to a lack of sufficient revenues (foregoing key free agents), he begrudges Ralph the opportunity to expand his market into Canada.

 

Unfortunately, Mr. Root's perspective is that Ralph is "the man" squeezing the little guy at every opportunity. I guess he does not realize that the other owners are squeezing "bigger guys" in their cities at a much higher rate.

 

Here's some info from his Foundation's website on how he's squeezing WNY:

 

"He has long been recognized for his diverse and generous charitable endeavors that include such beneficiaries as the food banks of Buffalo and Rochester, the Ronald McDonald House, the United Way, S.P.C.A., the Buffalo Philharmonic, Shea's Performing Arts Center, and the Hospice Center of WNY, which recently named a new building wing the "Mary and Ralph Wilson, Jr. Hospice Inpatient Unit". For his tremendous charitable efforts in the Buffalo area over the years, Mr. Wilson was named the Seymour Knox III Humanitarian Award winner in the spring of 2003."

[Doc]

There is very little factual information in the article - it's all sentiment. Mr. Root is a guy who has made up his mind about Ralph and has molded reality to fit his view.

 

For example, he postulates (but offers no proof) that Ralph never took offers to move because those offers weren't substantial enough. So I guess his thinking is, Ralph got the upper hand on those making weak offers by staying in Buffalo and selling his product at rock-bottom prices (by NFL standards) for decades after. Yea, Ralph really showed them, didn't he Mr. Root?

More than a few have offered-forth this absurdity, claiming that since Ralph never moved the Bills, a) he never had a chance, b) never got a substantial offer, or c) didn't want the pressure associated with a fan base other than (the purported) lemmings that are) Bills fans.

 

And moving a game to Toronto is the cost of doing business in the post-2006 CBA NFL, where owners made the salary cap based on TOTAL league revenue, versus shared revenue, which was the best scenario for everyone but the players and had worked well for 13 years. So instead of raising prices out of the bottom in the NFL, he takes a game away and keeps the team's bottom line healthy while ensuring the team has a foothold in Toronto (where more than a few Bills fans hail from) and a viable future. Oh and he also got the bigger market owners to subsidize him. Sounds like a "bumbler" to me.

[The Poojer]

people need to get over the correlation of ralph wilson to winning.....the only important factor to ralph wilson is profit. as it should be...winning is nice, but he is in business to make money....if he's not in it to make money then he truly is a fool...and as far as tom benson staying in NO, I would bet that there was a lot of money thrown at benson from various sources, including public funds, to keep the team in NO...staying in NO for purely unselfish reasons would have been a business disaster....i bet thee were a ton of 'incentives' to keep NO in place...

[Doc]

people need to get over the correlation of ralph wilson to winning.....the only important factor to ralph wilson is profit. as it should be...winning is nice, but he is in business to make money....if he's not in it to make money then he truly is a fool...and as far as tom benson staying in NO, I would bet that there was a lot of money thrown at benson from various sources, including public funds, to keep the team in NO...staying in NO for purely unselfish reasons would have been a business disaster....i bet thee were a ton of 'incentives' to keep NO in place...

As has been stated, the NFL wasn't going to let Benson move the Saints for awhile after Katrina. The backlash would have been epic.