The key to Ralph Wilson

[DIE HARD 1967]

I am an old Bills fan, been a season ticket holder before most of you were born 1967. I am from the Jack Kemp Rockpile Era. Season tickets were $55 or 5.50 per seat on the 30 yard line.

 

There is a key to Ralph Wilson that escape most people. Ralph WILL spent the money IF he has something to build around.

 

Jack Kemp, O.J. Simpson, Jim Kelly.

 

I remember it well, Jim Kelly was playing in the U.S.F.L. and finally the league folded, Jim Kelly had few options. It was Buffalo or force a trade. I was at the stadium and my buddies were used to the cheapness. Actually the cheapness was the blunt of weekly jokes.

 

Kelly signs, and Buffalo starts throwing ALL KINDS of Money on players.

 

When Buffalo traded for Cornelius Bennett, we thought Ralph had gone mad. He did the same thing with O.J. Simpson and on a smaller scale, Jack Kemp.

 

Spiller may be the key IF he becomes a SUPERSTAR, if not,WE NEED THAT ELITE QUARTERBACK then the money will flow, trust me!

 

DIEHARD 1967

Edited August 22, 2010 by DIE HARD 1967

[nucci]

Why didn't he give Kelly the money in the first place when he was drafted? Why didn't he give Joe Cribbs his incentive bonus when he was only 15 yards short of the goal? Why wouldn't he pay Rashad...I don't bash Ralph but there are too many examples of when he didn't pay the money.

[Beerball]

The key to Ralph Wilson is..........wait for it

 

 

 

wait for it....................................

 

 

 

inside the Taurus.

 

 

Thank you very much, I'll be here all the week. Try the veal.....

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Why didn't he give Kelly the money in the first place when he was drafted? Why didn't he give Joe Cribbs his incentive bonus when he was only 15 yards short of the goal? Why wouldn't he pay Rashad...I don't bash Ralph but there are too many examples of when he didn't pay the money.

Tom Cousineau was also extremely lowballed.

 

Yes there are examples of when Ralph has spent the money such as the entire Polian era. And he did make O.J. Simpson the highest paid player in the league.

 

And there's lots of examples of when he hasn't spent the money.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

The key to Ralph Wilson is..........wait for it

 

 

 

wait for it....................................

 

 

 

inside the Taurus.

 

 

Thank you very much, I'll be here all the week. Try the veal.....

Good one, Beerball.

 

Waiter! Another round for the table please.

[JohnC]

Tom Cousineau was also extremely lowballed.

 

Yes there are examples of when Ralph has spent the money such as the entire Polian era. And he did make O.J. Simpson the highest paid player in the league.

 

And there's lots of examples of when he hasn't spent the money.

 

The Polian era was a resounding success on the field. There were four consecutive SB appearances, an unprecedented feat in the history of the league. What was going on behind the scenes of the organization during that period of time was the contant battle between the football side of the operation led by Polian and the business side of the operation led by Littman. It was inevitable that there was going to be an end game where one stayed and the other left. There was no surprise that Ralph sided with his trusted Detroit business advisor over Polian.

 

 

For the most part Ralph has run his franchise in a consistent manner. The product on the field was never his priority. He is a businessman first and foremost. My harsh view of Ralph is not that he makes money but that he has been very blatant in skewing the balance between making money and being competitive on the field. He is in his 90s. It is time that the balance be moved a little more in the direction of being successful on the field.

 

Most reasonable people are very aware that the Bills and similar market teams can't be operated in the same profligate way that the larger revenue franchises are operated. Franchises such as Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Baltimore etc have demonstrated that if you run a are smart and prudent operation you can compete and be successful. The owner has for the most part not been able or willing to get the right balance in managing his football business venture.

[nucci]

Tom Cousineau was also extremely lowballed.

 

Yes there are examples of when Ralph has spent the money such as the entire Polian era. And he did make O.J. Simpson the highest paid player in the league.

 

And there's lots of examples of when he hasn't spent the money.

Not quite the entire Polian era. That is the reason he left. Before the Wolford mess, Polian wanted to sign him long-term before his contract expired but Littman/Wilson said no. I can't provide links to this but there are many stories about it. Polian helped with the CBA so he knew all of the loopholes.

[DIE HARD 1967]

Why didn't he give Kelly the money in the first place when he was drafted? Why didn't he give Joe Cribbs his incentive bonus when he was only 15 yards short of the goal? Why wouldn't he pay Rashad...I don't bash Ralph but there are too many examples of when he didn't pay the money.

 

It wasn't about money with Jim Kelly, he cried on draft day 1983. He signed where he wanted to play Houston.

[DIE HARD 1967]

The Polian era was a resounding success on the field. There were four consecutive SB appearances, an unprecedented feat in the history of the league. What was going on behind the scenes of the organization during that period of time was the contant battle between the football side of the operation led by Polian and the business side of the operation led by Littman. It was inevitable that there was going to be an end game where one stayed and the other left. There was no surprise that Ralph sided with his trusted Detroit business advisor over Polian.

 

 

For the most part Ralph has run his franchise in a consistent manner. The product on the field was never his priority. He is a businessman first and foremost. My harsh view of Ralph is not that he makes money but that he has been very blatant in skewing the balance between making money and being competitive on the field. He is in his 90s. It is time that the balance be moved a little more in the direction of being successful on the field.

 

Most reasonable people are very aware that the Bills and similar market teams can't be operated in the same profligate way that the larger revenue franchises are operated. Franchises such as Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Baltimore etc have demonstrated that if you run a are smart and prudent operation you can compete and be successful. The owner has for the most part not been able or willing to get the right balance in managing his football business venture.

 

Absolutely true, I agree

[DIE HARD 1967]

I am an old Bills fan, been a season ticket holder before most of you were born 1967. I am from the Jack Kemp Rockpile Era. Season tickets were $55 or 5.50 per seat on the 30 yard line.

 

There is a key to Ralph Wilson that escape most people. Ralph WILL spent the money IF he has something to build around.

 

Jack Kemp, O.J. Simpson, Jim Kelly.

 

I remember it well, Jim Kelly was playing in the U.S.F.L. and finally the league folded, Jim Kelly had few options. It was Buffalo or force a trade. I was at the stadium and my buddies were used to the cheapness. Actually the cheapness was the blunt of weekly jokes.

 

Kelly signs, and Buffalo starts throwing ALL KINDS at Money on players.Trades were the main discussion and money was not an issue.

 

When Buffalo traded for Cornelius Bennett, we thought Ralph had gone mad. He did the same thing with O.J. Simpson and on a smaller scale, Jack Kemp.

 

Spiller may be the key IF he becomes a SUPERSTAR, if not,WE NEED THAT ELITE QUARTERBACK then the money will flow, trust me!

 

DIEHARD 1967

[Albany,n.y.]

It wasn't about money with Jim Kelly, he cried on draft day 1983. He signed where he wanted to play Houston.

There's a lot more to the story than that. I think the crying story was just hype for the media when he signed with the USFL. Kelly was in the Bills office working out a contract when he got a call from the USFL right in the office. The secretary sent the call through & the guy representing the USFL told him they'd do whatever it took to sign him & he left unsigned by the Bills. Aside from an offer that topped the Bills financially & getting to play in a bigger city, I think one of the main reasons Kelly signed with the USFL was he didn't want to sit behind Joe Ferguson. The Bills plans were to bring Kelly along slowly & have him not play-Kelly wanted to play. People forget that Ferguson was still playing at a high level when Kelly was drafted with the 2nd of the Bills 1st round picks. Ferguson started the 1983 season pretty well (not counting the opening day shutout) and at one point the Bills were 5-2, scoring 28 points or more in 4 of those victories. It wasn't until the 2nd half of the 1983 season and 1984 where the Ferguson decline took place. Kelly would have sat his rookie year & possibly begun the 1984 season 2nd on the depth chart. He wanted no part of that.

[Chalkie Gerzowski]

There's a lot more to the story than that. I think the crying story was just hype for the media when he signed with the USFL. Kelly was in the Bills office working out a contract when he got a call from the USFL right in the office. The secretary sent the call through & the guy representing the USFL told him they'd do whatever it took to sign him & he left unsigned by the Bills. Aside from an offer that topped the Bills financially & getting to play in a bigger city, I think one of the main reasons Kelly signed with the USFL was he didn't want to sit behind Joe Ferguson. The Bills plans were to bring Kelly along slowly & have him not play-Kelly wanted to play. People forget that Ferguson was still playing at a high level when Kelly was drafted with the 2nd of the Bills 1st round picks. Ferguson started the 1983 season pretty well (not counting the opening day shutout) and at one point the Bills were 5-2, scoring 28 points or more in 4 of those victories. It wasn't until the 2nd half of the 1983 season and 1984 where the Ferguson decline took place. Kelly would have sat his rookie year & possibly begun the 1984 season 2nd on the depth chart. He wanted no part of that.

 

I hope that secretary was fired... WORST SECRETARY EVER!!!

[DIE HARD 1967]

There's a lot more to the story than that. I think the crying story was just hype for the media when he signed with the USFL. Kelly was in the Bills office working out a contract when he got a call from the USFL right in the office. The secretary sent the call through & the guy representing the USFL told him they'd do whatever it took to sign him & he left unsigned by the Bills. Aside from an offer that topped the Bills financially & getting to play in a bigger city, I think one of the main reasons Kelly signed with the USFL was he didn't want to sit behind Joe Ferguson. The Bills plans were to bring Kelly along slowly & have him not play-Kelly wanted to play. People forget that Ferguson was still playing at a high level when Kelly was drafted with the 2nd of the Bills 1st round picks. Ferguson started the 1983 season pretty well (not counting the opening day shutout) and at one point the Bills were 5-2, scoring 28 points or more in 4 of those victories. It wasn't until the 2nd half of the 1983 season and 1984 where the Ferguson decline took place. Kelly would have sat his rookie year & possibly begun the 1984 season 2nd on the depth chart. He wanted no part of that.

 

Sure there is more to the story, but I had to let you do that for me!

 

Personally, I think Kelly gets the job as a rookie and Ferguson is traded.

Edited August 22, 2010 by DIE HARD 1967

[JohnC]

Sure there is more to the story, but I had to let you do that for me!

 

Personally, I think Kelly gets the job as a rookie and Ferguson is traded.

 

I agree with your assessment. Kelly was a high profile first round qb pick. If he would have joined the team that first year he immediately would have been the starting qb or sometime soon in his rookie year been the starting qb.

Edited August 22, 2010 by JohnC