Ralph isn't cheap!

[gobills123]

This post is to dispel the theory and multiple posts that Ralph Wilson is cheap and not committed to winning.

 

The Buffalo Bills ranked 12th in the league last year in player salaries including all bonuses paid. We were ranked 25th in total revenue earned in 2008 by Forbes.

 

For comparison, the Bills spent more on players in 2009 than seven playoff teams: the Baltimore Ravens ($109M), Philadelphia Eagles ($102.5M), Indianapolis Colts ($101M), Minnesota Vikings ($100M), New England Patriots ($98M), Cincinnati Bengals ($95M), and Dallas Cowboys ($91M). The Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints spent $122M, while the New York Giants topped the list at $138M.

 

http://content.usatoday.com/sports/footbal....aspx?year=2009

 

 

To say that Ralph isn't committed to winning is not only the wrong opinion it's a complete fallacy. The Bills were said to be worth $909 million which is 26th in the league.

 

Here's a quote from MattRichWarren from Buffalo Rumblings which I think sums it up best.

 

"The better way to truly compare teams is operating income. That's the total income from merchandise, tickets, parking, concessions, and everything else that is unique to an individual team. In 2008, the Bills' operating income was $39.5M, good for a surprising 12. Conversely, the Washington Redskins made $90.3M. So in a truly capitalist system, the Redskins would be able to spend over $50M more on players and coaches than the Bills."

 

Ralph has obviously not made the best choices throughout his tenure, especially over the last decade or so, but he is committed to winning. He has tried to put together a winning product. Just because he has also made money within the framework of allocating resources to the teams success doesn't make him cheap, that's what every business man does.

 

To you conspiracy theorist that believe Ralph does just enough to sell his product, but won't spend enough to win - I disagree. I submit it would take more effort to balance that model, than it would be to win.

 

"Ralph is committed to winning, he has tried to put together a winning product." You are officiailly the biggest moron. If he was committed to winning he wouldnt have hired a coach who has had ONE WINNING SEASON IN HIS WHOLE COACHING CARRER (Dick Jauron). And if he was committed to winning he would sign players who are playmakers and are not washed up. You are the reason the bills and our fans get laughed at, because stupid fans like you make the dumbest comments. haha. I know a buddy who does stand up comedy, and is also a bills fan who hates ralph. ill be sure to tell him so he can talk about how idiotic some bills fans are. you are an idiot.

[Buffalonian-at-Heart]

"Ralph is committed to winning, he has tried to put together a winning product." You are officiailly the biggest moron. If he was committed to winning he wouldnt have hired a coach who has had ONE WINNING SEASON IN HIS WHOLE COACHING CARRER (Dick Jauron). And if he was committed to winning he would sign players who are playmakers and are not washed up. You are the reason the bills and our fans get laughed at, because stupid fans like you make the dumbest comments. haha. I know a buddy who does stand up comedy, and is also a bills fan who hates ralph. ill be sure to tell him so he can talk about how idiotic some bills fans are. you are an idiot.

 

Who could argue with that logic? The way you present your facts is impressive. I see so Ralph is cheap because YOU and the people you know say he is and because if he wasn't he'd sign play makers? How profound your reasoning is and the depth of your knowledge is boundless. I can tell you're a natural leader. People gravitate to you and routinely come to you for advice don't they? And you're right, we certainly wouldn't want people like me to represent our fan base, when we have high level executives like yourself to make us shine.

 

In case you didn't pick up on it, the above was practicing for my stand up act. I need you to be in the audience that night, because as a comic, you always need a buffoon to make fun of. You'd be perfect.

[Mr. WEO]

Keep on telling yourself that one, doc. Maybe someday you'll convince someone besides yourself.

 

See the post above mine. He wasn't just successful with his NFL business venture.

Oh, doctor---this one won't die. Over and over this we have gone. There was no where to move to and no earthly reason to move, given the better-than-Madoff annual return Ralph gets on his $25,000 investement right there in Buffalo. You can pretend there were any number of viable moving spots (and you certainly have!), but he knew there was no other sane option than to stay put and rake in the millions (regardless of football success). You've never come up with a cogent rebuttal to this very obvious conclusion.

 

As for Ralph's "other ventures"--they were funded by the money from his father's insurance company. It's hard to find much info on "Ralph Wilson Industries" but it's something he was making some money with maybe 30 0r 40 years ago. The insurance agency that bears his name is a local operation. The vast majority of his wealth comes from owning the Bills, or, the as Wilsons call it form their permanent home in the State of Michigan, "the Buffalo Mint".

[Doc]

Oh, doctor---this one won't die. Over and over this we have gone. There was no where to move to and no earthly reason to move, given the better-than-Madoff annual return Ralph gets on his $25,000 investement right there in Buffalo. You can pretend there were any number of viable moving spots (and you certainly have!), but he knew there was no other sane option than to stay put and rake in the millions (regardless of football success). You've never come up with a cogent rebuttal to this very obvious conclusion.

Wait, your "obvious conclusion" is that Buffalo is/was SUCH a booming market, that Ralph couldn't find another city to move the team and "rake in the millions?" LOL! I guess that all the teams that had moved or been created in the past 30 years were like the 8th season of Dallas: a dream. Does this even NEED a rebuttal?

[JohnC]

Fair enough. But again, over the last 2-1/2 decades, and outside of the 4 years of Levy/Brandon, the organizational hires have been sound WRT GM's, who in turn hire the coaches.

 

Other than Polian (fired) and Butler(fired) who were the capable GMs you were referring to? If I recall correctly you have been harshly critical of Butler for the way he handled the cap? Other than Polian and Butler the owner has historically had a collection of non-descript GMs and front office staff .

 

Most people agree that the Donahoe stint was a failure, and very disappointing. Trying to be charitable to the owner the hiring of Donahoe was understandable. Most people thought that it was a good hire. It didn't work out. In my view his ego and insufferable arrogance had a damaging affect on his work product. The owner then bringing in Levy to follow Donahoe was a disaster which the franchise is still trying to overcome. I thought the Levy hiring was very odd since he really didn't really want the GM job, he wanted the HC job.

 

 

If you review Ralph's half century of ownership his front office selections were abysmal. The product on the field during his very extended ownership is a reflection of his front office hiring miscues.

[thewildrabbit]

Ralph Wilson has accomplished more in his life then anyone on this board could even dream of... much less match In age, wealth, and as owner of one of only 32 NFL teams in the world. To call this man a loser simply reflects that same name back at the person stating it.

 

The problem with the Buffalo Bills as I see it is that RW only takes steps when the fans stop buying seats. It took an entire decade of losing to the Miami Dolphins. yea that's right...the Bills didn't beat the Dolphins for ten straight years, the entire decade of the 70's was lost before the owner made a strong coaching hire in Chuck Knox. The only reason he took those steps is because the stadium seats were no longer filled.

 

Those back to back 2-14 seasons, It was a sad time for Bills fans to see the stadium half filled at home games and many sitting there with bags on their heads, which finally prompted Ralph Wilson to make coaching changes.

 

Even the back to back 2-14 seasons in the mid 80's didn't propel Wilson to make a strong coaching hire, he basically got very lucky with the current GM at the time having a heart attack and the team let the director of pro personnel (Bill Polian) and the scouting director were asked to sign the 1st round pick in Bruce Smith. Polian so impressed with those contract negotiations that RW fired the guy with the heart attack and hired Bill Polian to GM, the rest is history.

 

You can say in frustration that Ralph is cheap, or the he hires idiots that make bad decisions, the facts are that Bill owner appears to only make bold hires and changes to the team and front office when the team is in jeopardy of losing its fan base, which means the team is in jeopardy of losing money.

 

 

Most of the realists on this board can see this team at the bottom of the division again this season, and yet the team has announced they have sold out several home games. So until the fans stop buying tickets for home games...

You guys can cry, stomp, piss, B word and moan and it will change nothing, history has shown that the Buffalo Bills will remain a losing franchise until there is great fear that the team won't meet its monetary goals.

[Doc]

Other than Polian (fired) and Butler(fired) who were the capable GMs you were referring to? If I recall correctly you have been harshly critical of Butler for the way he handled the cap? Other than Polian and Butler the owner has historically had a collection of non-descript GMs and front office staff .

 

Most people agree that the Donahoe stint was a failure, and very disappointing. Trying to be charitable to the owner the hiring of Donahoe was understandable. Most people thought that it was a good hire. It didn't work out. In my view his ego and insufferable arrogance had a damaging affect on his work product. The owner then bringing in Levy to follow Donahoe was a disaster which the franchise is still trying to overcome. I thought the Levy hiring was very odd since he really didn't really want the GM job, he wanted the HC job.

 

 

If you review Ralph's half century of ownership his front office selections were abysmal. The product on the field during his very extended ownership is a reflection of his front office hiring miscues.

Butler mismanaging the cap was huge. The piper needed to be paid, he knew it, and "Bolted." Not that I could blame him, since he could take over a rebuilding franchise and have a few year's grace period, while making more money and living in SD. If anything, it would have been better if the Bills could have kept AJ Smith, who seems like the real brains behind Butler, but he and Butler were a package deal.

 

As for TD, again it was considered a good move, one which I don't recall you saying anything bad about at the time. And yes it failed. I guess since Ralph is the owner and hired him, he ultimately gets the blame. But it was TD who really failed.

 

And Levy was just a matter of getting back to the glory days, which was a mistake on Ralph's part. And a large part of that was Levy's hiring of Jauron.

 

Now it seems that you believe Nix and Gailey are good hires. I guess we'll see.

[JohnC]

As for TD, again it was considered a good move, one which I don't recall you saying anything bad about at the time. And yes it failed. I guess since Ralph is the owner and hired him, he ultimately gets the blame. But it was TD who really failed.

 

I have never criticized Ralph for hiring Donahoe. I thought it was a good hire. It didn't work out for a variety of reasons. Bringing in Levy, who was for the most part not involved in the league for five years, was not only a terrible hire it was outright peculiar.

 

Now it seems that you believe Nix and Gailey are good hires. I guess we'll see.

 

I do think that Nix and Gailey are good hires. On the other hand I also believe that the Bills are years away from being a serious team.

[Doc]

I have never criticized Ralph for hiring Donahoe. I thought it was a good hire. It didn't work out for a variety of reasons. Bringing in Levy, who was for the most part not involved in the league for five years, was not only a terrible hire it was outright peculiar.

Again, he was hired as a nod to the glory years and Ralph knew him well. And he was simply a figurehead. Jauron, Modrak, and Guy had most of the control of personnel.

 

I do think that Nix and Gailey are good hires. On the other hand I also believe that the Bills are years away from being a serious team.

That's why they play the games.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Butler mismanaging the cap was huge. The piper needed to be paid, he knew it, and "Bolted." Not that I could blame him, since he could take over a rebuilding franchise and have a few year's grace period, while making more money and living in SD. If anything, it would have been better if the Bills could have kept AJ Smith, who seems like the real brains behind Butler, but he and Butler were a package deal.

Interesting that you lay it all at the feet of Butler. Ralph could have stepped up at any point and said, "No, I don't want to keep these bums together. I don't want to give it another go. They can't do it, it's obvious. I don't want to pay these players, the core of the most successful stint in my entire ownership. I want to blow it up and start over." Did you know that Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas are still closely associated with the team? Perhaps Ralph likes having them around?

 

After Butler was escorted from the building, Ralph made it plain that he felt Butler was nothing but a scout, unqualified for his job and deserved to be fired. Kind of interesting that it was "Butler's fault" and yet most of the scouting department, including one Buddy Nix, packed up their bags and followed Butler to San Diego, refusing to stay on and be promoted from within. Hell, a fair number of players followed Butler to San Diego as well. It's unlikely that Ralph's low opinion of Butler changed from one of high esteem instantly. More likely, that there was a tension between the bean counters, which it should be pointed out remained with Ralph, and the football side of the business, which left enmasse. Butler was, compared to his contemporaries, underpaid and apparently, given the aforementioned comments, not thought of very highly by the other executives in the Inner Circle. The surest way to get rid of an employee that doesn't really suck is to underpay them and disrespect their efforts. Works like a charm.

 

It's funny that Butler gets dumped on for not really doing anything to turn around a dysfunctional Chargers organization, largely because he dared to die before the turnaround story was complete. Another word for it is bizarre. Why continue to regurgitate the company spew that was meant to marginalize Butler as a stark contrast to Donahoe and make the upheaval appear an absolute necessity? The curtain was pulled back on Donahoe half a decade ago already. There is no need to justify him or Marv Levy any longer. They failed.

[birdog1960]

Ralph Wilson has accomplished more in his life then anyone on this board could even dream of... much less match In age, wealth, and as owner of one of only 32 NFL teams in the world. To call this man a loser simply reflects that same name back at the person stating it.

 

The problem with the Buffalo Bills as I see it is that RW only takes steps when the fans stop buying seats. It took an entire decade of losing to the Miami Dolphins. yea that's right...the Bills didn't beat the Dolphins for ten straight years, the entire decade of the 70's was lost before the owner made a strong coaching hire in Chuck Knox. The only reason he took those steps is because the stadium seats were no longer filled.

 

Those back to back 2-14 seasons, It was a sad time for Bills fans to see the stadium half filled at home games and many sitting there with bags on their heads, which finally prompted Ralph Wilson to make coaching changes.

 

Even the back to back 2-14 seasons in the mid 80's didn't propel Wilson to make a strong coaching hire, he basically got very lucky with the current GM at the time having a heart attack and the team let the director of pro personnel (Bill Polian) and the scouting director were asked to sign the 1st round pick in Bruce Smith. Polian so impressed with those contract negotiations that RW fired the guy with the heart attack and hired Bill Polian to GM, the rest is history.

 

You can say in frustration that Ralph is cheap, or the he hires idiots that make bad decisions, the facts are that Bill owner appears to only make bold hires and changes to the team and front office when the team is in jeopardy of losing its fan base, which means the team is in jeopardy of losing money.

 

 

Most of the realists on this board can see this team at the bottom of the division again this season, and yet the team has announced they have sold out several home games. So until the fans stop buying tickets for home games...

You guys can cry, stomp, piss, B word and moan and it will change nothing, history has shown that the Buffalo Bills will remain a losing franchise until there is great fear that the team won't meet its monetary goals.

you've made my point. winning on the field isn't wilson's top priority, revenue and profit are. screw those moronic, proletarian, blindly loyal fans. they get what they deserve. losing is perfectly acceptable. to me, that defines a loser. our definitions of that word obviously differ. monetary success appears a prerequisite for a winner in your view. someone posted earlier that wins and losses aren't the only measures of success in life. neither is money or exclusivity. avarice, greed, pride and selfishness have been considered human flaws for centuries. only recently have they been widely perceived as admirable traits. i take the position that the ancients were correct. you and wilson obviously subscribe to more contemporary values.

[thewildrabbit]

you've made my point. winning on the field isn't wilson's top priority, revenue and profit are. screw those moronic, proletarian, blindly loyal fans. they get what they deserve. losing is perfectly acceptable. to me, that defines a loser. our definitions of that word obviously differ. monetary success appears a prerequisite for a winner in your view. someone posted earlier that wins and losses aren't the only measures of success in life. neither is money or exclusivity. avarice, greed, pride and selfishness have been considered human flaws for centuries. only recently have they been widely perceived as admirable traits. i take the position that the ancients were correct. you and wilson obviously subscribe to more contemporary values.

 

First of all, I'm not defending the man, just pointing out that calling him a loser by any definition of the word is simply nonsensical. Besides, what does he care what you call him, I'll bet he sits at his home, smiles and recalls his days of winning 2 AFL championships, being the sole owner of the Buffalo Bills all these years.

 

Clearly the man cares more about his bottom line the he does about winning championships, his team... his prerogative. More then likely he probably takes more pride in the fact that his team makes a profit every year in one of the smallest market's in the NFL then he would if he won the division every year.

 

To be honest I can't understand his thought process at all, to me winning is everything. I couldn't tolerate a losing team for long, this man let the entire decade of the 70's slip by him, and now 2000-2010 with no playoffs, another full ten years of losing with only 2 seasons at 8-8 and one at 9-7.

 

If I owned the Buffalo Bills I'd spend every extra dollar I could to put a good head coach on the team, and a top GM to run the organization for me, as a good coach and GM can find and make players great.

 

 

 

My choice as owner would have been Marty Schottheimer for HC, he really wanted the job and would have hired his son away from the Jets to run the offense. The guy has a history of resurrecting bad teams into winners and deserves another shot at the big prize, I'd give it to him. He is a supreme motivator and would get the most out of his players, along with a top GM to find the players and run the team I have no doubts the team would be headed to the playoffs.

[Mr. WEO]

Wait, your "obvious conclusion" is that Buffalo is/was SUCH a booming market, that Ralph couldn't find another city to move the team and "rake in the millions?" LOL! I guess that all the teams that had moved or been created in the past 30 years were like the 8th season of Dallas: a dream. Does this even NEED a rebuttal?

It does. Expansion teams are that, not moved teams. And exactly where was Ralph going to put the team? What community was he in discussions with and what facility was waiting or proposed for him? What city was going to offer him the financial arrangement he has in Buffalo--with a low overhead named after him that sells out the vast majority of its games no matter the team performance? Maybe he could have moved to Jacksonville? Are they "raking in the millions" there? Cleveland?

 

Tell me why it would have made financial sense for a guy like Ralph to risk huge sums of money when he has a sure thing in Buffalo? Buffalo has been a booming market for NFL football for many years--it has proven recession proof. How is it possible you don't realize this?

[JohnC]

Clearly the man cares more about his bottom line the he does about winning championships, his team... his prerogative. More then likely he probably takes more pride in the fact that his team makes a profit every year in one of the smallest market's in the NFL then he would if he won the division every year.

 

The owner primarily considers the franchise as a business venture. That has been long evident. He has owned the franchise for half a century. When there is a conflict between the football side of the operation and the financial side of the operation everyone knows which side of the aisle he is going to be on. Just ask Bill Polian.

 

To be honest I can't understand his thought process at all, to me winning is everything. I couldn't tolerate a losing team for long, this man let the entire decade of the 70's slip by him, and now 2000-2010 with no playoffs, another full ten years of losing with only 2 seasons at 8-8 and one at 9-7.

 

His mindset has long been established; profitability trumps performance on the field. There is nothing new about that approach. The owner of the Clippers in the NBA, Sterling, has the same perspective. His team is reknowned for its historical ineptitude, yet it is still very profitable. The owner of the Pirates in baseball has a systemically losing team and still the owner finds it very profitable. The owner of the Pirates has a very slick business model going on. When the wealthy teams share some of its revenues with the smaller markets the owner takes a chunk of that dedicated money and buys down his debt. So when he ineveitably sells he will have greater equity and make more on the sale.

 

If I owned the Buffalo Bills I'd spend every extra dollar I could to put a good head coach on the team, and a top GM to run the organization for me, as a good coach and GM can find and make players great.

 

Ralph Wilson had the scenario you described. The GM was Polian. He was an architect of a team which went to the SB four consecutive years. When Polian clashed with Litton, Ralph's finacial representative, it got to the point one of them had to go. Of course, the owner sided with his finance man over his football man, a certain GM Hall of Famer.

 

 

 

My choice as owner would have been Marty Schottheimer for HC, he really wanted the job and would have hired his son away from the Jets to run the offense. The guy has a history of resurrecting bad teams into winners and deserves another shot at the big prize, I'd give it to him. He is a supreme motivator and would get the most out of his players, along with a top GM to find the players and run the team I have no doubts the team would be headed to the playoffs.

 

The owner never seriously considered Marty for the simple reason that Shottzy likes to have near total control of the football operation. The owner would never allow that. Shottenheimer did a terrific job in turning the Redskins around in only one year. The owner, Snyder, let him go because Marty was not receptive to the owner's interfernce. The boss told him to take a hike. Marty is a headstrong person who got involved with another headstrong person in the Chargers' GM AJ Smith. Although Marty did a good job as a HC he was constantly engaged in conflicts with the GM. Ultimately the owner of the Chargers, Spanos, realized that one of them had to go. Marty was dispateched.

 

Ralph Wilson is very old. Even though he is getting physically and mentally frail he is no fool. Marty is Marty. The owner is not going to tolerate having a challenging Marty work for him.

[Doc]

It does. Expansion teams are that, not moved teams. And exactly where was Ralph going to put the team? What community was he in discussions with and what facility was waiting or proposed for him? What city was going to offer him the financial arrangement he has in Buffalo--with a low overhead named after him that sells out the vast majority of its games no matter the team performance? Maybe he could have moved to Jacksonville? Are they "raking in the millions" there? Cleveland?

 

Tell me why it would have made financial sense for a guy like Ralph to risk huge sums of money when he has a sure thing in Buffalo? Buffalo has been a booming market for NFL football for many years--it has proven recession proof. How is it possible you don't realize this?

Where was Ralph going to put the team (besides Jax)? Gee, how about Indianapolis? Tennessee? Baltimore? Cleveland? Carolina? Houston? You do know that these cities received NFL teams, whether relocated or expansion (it doesn't matter, but nice try) in the past 30 years, right? And what overhead would he have had in those places? His $25K investment in the team wouldn't have changed. They built shiny new stadiums for their new teams and pay for their upkeep, with the owners being charged rent that is a pittance compared to the increase in revenue. What "risk" was there, doc? The answer is: there was none.

 

I know what you're trying to say, and it's "well, since he didn't move, he was never thinking of moving." This sounds like your other poorly crafted argument that since Jones didn't ask Gailey for an interview, it meant he didn't want to and was lying (err, "tossing out a compliment") when he called firing him a mistake.

[Doc]

Interesting that you lay it all at the feet of Butler. Ralph could have stepped up at any point and said, "No, I don't want to keep these bums together. I don't want to give it another go. They can't do it, it's obvious. I don't want to pay these players, the core of the most successful stint in my entire ownership. I want to blow it up and start over." Did you know that Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas are still closely associated with the team? Perhaps Ralph likes having them around?

You mean Ralph could have meddled and not let Butler do the job he was hired to do? That's what he finally did in 2000, which is what Butler complained about and used as an excuse for leaving.

 

And yes, I realize that Kelly and Thomas are still closely associated with the team and Ralph probably likes having them around, in the same vein as why he hired Levy to be a figurehead GM. What does that have to do with anything?

 

After Butler was escorted from the building, Ralph made it plain that he felt Butler was nothing but a scout, unqualified for his job and deserved to be fired. Kind of interesting that it was "Butler's fault" and yet most of the scouting department, including one Buddy Nix, packed up their bags and followed Butler to San Diego, refusing to stay on and be promoted from within. Hell, a fair number of players followed Butler to San Diego as well. It's unlikely that Ralph's low opinion of Butler changed from one of high esteem instantly. More likely, that there was a tension between the bean counters, which it should be pointed out remained with Ralph, and the football side of the business, which left enmasse. Butler was, compared to his contemporaries, underpaid and apparently, given the aforementioned comments, not thought of very highly by the other executives in the Inner Circle. The surest way to get rid of an employee that doesn't really suck is to underpay them and disrespect their efforts. Works like a charm.

 

It's funny that Butler gets dumped on for not really doing anything to turn around a dysfunctional Chargers organization, largely because he dared to die before the turnaround story was complete. Another word for it is bizarre. Why continue to regurgitate the company spew that was meant to marginalize Butler as a stark contrast to Donahoe and make the upheaval appear an absolute necessity? The curtain was pulled back on Donahoe half a decade ago already. There is no need to justify him or Marv Levy any longer. They failed.

Given that Butler was essentially only with the Chargers for a year and a half before he was diagnosed with cancer, and died prior to the 2003 season, and that the Chargers became successful after that, it can easily be argued that the brains behind it all (even in Buffalo) was AJ Smith, and that Ralph's (alleged) claim that Butler was little more than a scout was correct. Ralph tried to promote Smith, but he, Butler, and many of the scouts were all good friends who had a chance to leave for a rebuilding project with better draft picks, a clean cap situation, and in San Diego...so they left. Had Butler stayed, he likely would have recommended Smith for the Chargers' GM job. And he still would have had to rebuild the Bills with worse draft picks, a horrible cap situation, and he would have been dead in 2 years, necessitating the Bills find a new GM (not that Ralph knew this at the time, obviously).

 

As for the players, the only ones who went to SD were Flutie, who no one else wanted as a starter, and Wiley, who was a highly sought-after FA that the Bills had to let go because they only had enough money to re-sign Moulds.

 

And again the point with TD was that he was considered a good hire at the time, but he ultimately failed. Marv was a bad hire that also failed. So if I'm justifying anyone, it's TD, while I'm giving the reasoning as to why Ralph hired Levy.

[Gabe Northern]

Donahoe picked the players in the early part of the decade and Jauron had the final call on players since he came in...not every owner tries to run the player personnel dept like Jerry Jones does.

As far as cheap with coaches? Try paying attention to the facts and stop making ignorant posts. He pays coaches who have proven themselves better than ones who haven't....which is smart business sense. He was willing to throw $10M at Shanahan...which is more than Shanahan is getting in DC.

It's true that Jauron was ranked near the bottom of the league in head coach salaries when he was hired...as he should've been. He wasn't a proven winner. However, the contract extension he signed after that strong 2008 start....made him the 10th highest paid coach in the entire NFL...10TH!!! Ralph is still paying on that $3.5M a year deal...but he's cheap?

Do yourself a favor and get your facts straight before making such idiotic statements...unless you enjoy being thought of as a comedian

 

More of the Shanny turned down more money from Ralph nonsense, eh?

 

Sure. I bet Shanny and his agent had no role in conjuring that $10 m figure. Also didn't hurt Russ' efforts to sell tickets to this st show to have people think Ralph was willing to write that kind of check.

 

Don't people read JW? Remember his interview where Ralph basically answers "never heard of him" to questions about Shanny? This guy was never close to seriously considering anything close to the actual contract Shanny got from the Skins let alone something much greater than that.

[Sisyphean Bills]

And yes, I realize that Kelly and Thomas are still closely associated with the team and Ralph probably likes having them around, in the same vein as why he hired Levy to be a figurehead GM. What does that have to do with anything?

Let me connect the dots for you slowly then.

 

You laid all the credit for the salary cap situation at the feet of John Butler, even going so far as to repeatedly state that A.J. Smith was "the real brains" as some sort of posthumous coup de grace. In other words, you are stating that John Butler should not have allowed the player contracts that happened while he was in charge of the football operation. The natural consequence of not making those contracts would obviously be that players would not have been signed, they would not play for the Bills, they would have gone elsewhere and earlier. Slowly: the only way one doesn't pay big contracts to star players in their prime is to get rid of the star players. Further, your argument dismisses the obvious; John Butler had bosses. It's splitting hairs to claim "it was all that idiot Butler's idea" but apparently you can't see that either.

 

Your defense of Ralph Wilson is as predictable as it is unflagging.

[BillsfaninFl]

This post is to dispel the theory and multiple posts that Ralph Wilson is cheap and not committed to winning.

 

The Buffalo Bills ranked 12th in the league last year in player salaries including all bonuses paid. We were ranked 25th in total revenue earned in 2008 by Forbes.

 

Good post, if you wanted to get the two camps arguing.

 

Bad post, because it is meaningless. The point is... many of the fans are fed up with 50 years of local product which hasn't been very entertaining for most of that time: especially the last decade. We can argue until we are blue in the face about which of Ralph's issues are at fault, but the only important fact is that he has been a poor owner of a pro football team.

 

His track record appears to show that he never realized that to be successful in this league, you pay the "best football people" what they are worth, then stay out of their way and count the profits. He had superior football people on his staff and dumped them for crossing swords with him (Polian, Butler, Phillips, etc.). Perhaps his "cheapness" was focused on management and elite players, because he didn't understand their worth in helping a team become/keep being a winner. The average player salary and profit does not address that.

 

But in any case, he has not been fair to the people who have given him all that money and now many of them have had enough.

If it makes you feel better, change "cheap" to "inept."

[gobills123]

Says the guy who first tried to reply and it was blank, couldn't figure out how to delete it, and then posted this garbage.

 

Haha are we a child? "says the guy who first tried to reply and it was blank." That was a good one, you hurt my feelings : ( I think you should read all of the other replies to your post, if you know how to read, you will see that almost everyone on this board agrees that ralph is indeed very cheap. There are a few people who disagree and those people are pretty blind and must not have paid any attention to the bills for the past ten years. Ralph never signs any big names because they are too much money. You know that the Terrell Owens signing was the only big name we have signed since lawyer milloy. Those two guys are the only big names we have signed in the past decade. Instead of the bills trading or signing a free agent left tackle, Ralph decides to draft one late in the draft so we dont have to pay him nearly as much money as a quality free agent would cost. Open your eyes. Yes, I know Ralph is our owner and you want to support him. But look around, and ask around. Not only most bills fans, but even people who dont like the bills agree that Ralph is the reason for our failure. Face it, hes too old. The guy can barely walk..At halftime speaches he talks right to the last second because he can barely get the words out. He's too old, he needs to sell the team to jim. You say that he does care about winning. I dont think he even knows what winning means. They have showed the guy during games this past year in his suit. And he looks like hes freaking sleeping. Im pretty sure an owner should be standing up watching his team. Instead he sits down and naps. When ur sucking ralphs old pidler tonite, tell him to read this, if he knows how.