BuffaloWest Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 (edited) AP just sent out a long write-through a couple of minutes ago. John Wawrow's interview with Ralph Im happy to see he at least spoke up. Yes it is a fluff piece and he needs to take full blame~ which he does...He also needs to understand that no one wants to play or coach or manage here because of him. The team is a wreck. Forget about a 3 year plan to get things back on track. If he dies in year 2 or 3 , they team gets sold and everyone is fired and they start all over again-perhaps in a different city. His biggest problem is that he has no succession plan in place (That we know of), if the team were sold, any of his current hires would be blown out - it is the reason so many people passed on the head coaching job. He'd be better off coming out and laying out a plan for the future, espcially when it comes to the teams future ownership. That way we could at least get the right personnel in place who would feel a sense of job security moving forward. That is his fault and now its to the point where the word is out and no one wants to work there. It wasnt always that way. They once had the most respected front office in the league.I dont even dislike Ralph..I actually like him, but I wish he would just do the right thing and announce the teams succession plan. Edited October 11, 2010 by BuffaloWest
BEAST MODE BABY! Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 JohnC, I truly and sincerely apologize if that's what you inferred from my post (and i can see how that might have happened). i did not mean for it to come out that way. mine, on that subject, was more of a general response to some others here. again, my apologies. as for your other point, he is, in fact, acknowledging that he hired the people who failed him and the team's fans. he accepts that blame, and says it's on him. it's not much in some ways, but it's telling that Mr. Wilson is capable of seeing his shortcomings. how is that wrong? jw Hi John, Thanks for the article. As a business owner, I always feel it is in my best interests to find the smartest and most brilliant people to work with. Now, I could be wrong, but that doesn't seem to be Mr. Wilson's MO. Now, I like Buddy Nix and all, but Mr. Wilson is the same guy who didn't have a GM in place for a number of years. I just don't get that. But hey, it's his team and he can do whatever he wants. I just think the actions don't match the words.
Arkady Renko Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 What strikes me is that he seems to realize that he likely won't be around for the team's turnaround. That's sad to me.
beerfriday Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 As a business owner, I always feel it is in my best interests to find the smartest and most brilliant people to work with. Now, I could be wrong, but that doesn't seem to be Mr. Wilson's MO. Was Donahue not widely praised when he came in? Seems like he found the people he and everybody else thought were the smartest, etc. etc. When he got burned by that, he turned the keys over to someone he knew he could trust (Levy) while that may not have been the right move I think it's understandable after the Donahue thing. Remember, everybody's job is easy in hindsight.
BEAST MODE BABY! Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 Was Donahue not widely praised when he came in? Seems like he found the people he and everybody else thought were the smartest, etc. etc. When he got burned by that, he turned the keys over to someone he knew he could trust (Levy) while that may not have been the right move I think it's understandable after the Donahue thing. Remember, everybody's job is easy in hindsight. If I have someone like Bill Polian working for me, I don't let him walk. And I don't give Jeff Littman say over him and go making my daughter a professional football scout. Nepotism ain't my thing. But Ralph rarely goes outside the organization. It seems as though he wants "him" people instead of the best people. But hey, that's just my observation.
JohnC Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 JohnC, I truly and sincerely apologize if that's what you inferred from my post (and i can see how that might have happened). i did not mean for it to come out that way. mine, on that subject, was more of a general response to some others here. again, my apologies. as for your other point, he is, in fact, acknowledging that he hired the people who failed him and the team's fans. he accepts that blame, and says it's on him. it's not much in some ways, but it's telling that Mr. Wilson is capable of seeing his shortcomings. how is that wrong? jw I appreciate the clairification. As you noted there is a segment of the posters who exhibit an ignorance bordering on cruelty. Don't let the ignorant minority contaminate your view on the majority of the more earnest posters. As you have previously noted the mere mention of Wilson is predictably going to elicit a lightning bolt of responses. I'm sure you have read the Buffalo News article written by Don Esmonde a week or so ago on the dispirited state of affairs of Bills' fans. It captured the sentiment of the fanbase. Not trying to be maudlin but in some ways the loyal fanbase has for a very long time been cheated out of watching entertaining football. The extended stretch of mediocrity is very unpalatable. I am tired of it.
Bill from NYC Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 JohnC, I truly and sincerely apologize if that's what you inferred from my post (and i can see how that might have happened). i did not mean for it to come out that way. mine, on that subject, was more of a general response to some others here. again, my apologies. as for your other point, he is, in fact, acknowledging that he hired the people who failed him and the team's fans. he accepts that blame, and says it's on him. it's not much in some ways, but it's telling that Mr. Wilson is capable of seeing his shortcomings. how is that wrong? jw John, generally (and for many years) I am/have been one who believes in building the lines first, ala the Colts and others. This year I agree that qb is the way to go, because imo Ryan Mallet is well suited for this team/town. That said, Mr. Wilson seems hell bent on a qb in general. Does he think that Fitz is the major problem on this team? I ask because imo, he realizes that this team needs a draw to earn cash morseo than to win games. Spiller didn't cut it in terms of fannies in the seats, let alone wins. In fact, many of our one trick ponies and/or gadget players made a play or 2 yesterday....Parrish had an amazing catch. Spiller had a nice gain or 2 and Evans caught the TD. But, this isn't enough to win games. Would you do us a favor and whisper in his ear that we have no OTs or LBs, and I mean absolutely NONE. A qb, some credible OTs and some tough LBs could win us games and it is doable imo.
todd Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 I'm still thinking he's going to open up and admit he was "undercover boss" the first few weeks of the season...How else do you explain Cornell Green? That was pretty damn funny, tenny. :-)
pimp on da' net Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 Wrong. The draft is how any successful team is built. Check the rosters of the Patriots, Steelers, Colts, Ravens, Packers, Chargers and see how much of their rosters are draft picks. They will have more draft picks than FA's as part of their core talent. Free Agency is a two way street. A player has to agree to come to a team. What FA is out there this coming March that the Bills should go after? Or I should say what FA is out there that will be an impact player. If Nate Clements was a 49er should the Bills have offered him 88 mil? Have to be smart about FA. And the draft is the most important thing any organization has to build their team. Did you actually read my reply? Because if you did, how is your comprehension? Where do I say build from FA signing ? I said, to break down more clearly, " I don't believe building with FA's but to be selective,sign playmakers and vet players eg. NE" to supplement these rookies. Maybe if my full time job was to evaluate present & future players and the inside comraderie that exists, I would have a list of upcoming avail FA's but its the job of the GM. Also in your comparison of these teams to the Bills, whats the missing link ( hold on to clarify) FO,scouting dept. and owner. WTF DO YOU READ OR JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS...btw I read your reply before I wrote my response.
todd Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 I totally agree with you, but I think we've seen what it takes to get FAs here, and even if the Bills offer a gazillion dollars, a team that isn't rebuilding is more appealing at a lower salary. I'm sure he'll be happy to take everyone's money while they "rebuild" for 3 more years. Someone should file a consumer fraud lawsuit. I'm serious. You know why it's gonna take 3 years? Because he won't pay for any more expensive free agents. I'll say it again: "building through the draft" is a financial strategy, not a football strategy.
bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 Would you do us a favor and whisper in his ear that we have no OTs or LBs, and I mean absolutely NONE. A qb, some credible OTs and some tough LBs could win us games and it is doable imo. everyone loves to clamour about franchise QBs byt we need franchise LBs and OT as u pointed out. fix the lines and the LB corp than go for the luxury pick of the franchise QB
Spiderweb Posted October 11, 2010 Posted October 11, 2010 What strikes me is that he seems to realize that he likely won't be around for the team's turnaround. That's sad to me. Good, bad or indifferent, and era will end soon. Two of Ralph's biggest mistakes were the hiring of Stew Barber and the firing of Polian. Barber made the 79-83 a miserable time when Ralph had actually hired a quality HC (Chuck Knox). Like it or not, Ralph is inextricably tied to Buffalo for eternity.
bladiebla Posted October 12, 2010 Posted October 12, 2010 It takes a big man to see his own faults, it takes a bigger man to admit he'd made them. Mr. Wilson is a very big man in my book.
Da Big Man Posted October 12, 2010 Posted October 12, 2010 (edited) Great now Buddy Nix has that old fossil trying to sell the fans on the whole " We're three years away". Build through the draft are you f'n kidding me Here's a crazy idea, go out and spend some money on some top notch free agents. 1 quality QB, 1 quality DE and a couple quality OL. We would be 2-3 or 3-2 But what do I know, I'm just a ...wait I am always right. Edited October 12, 2010 by Da Big Man
pimp on da' net Posted October 12, 2010 Posted October 12, 2010 Just hope he understands that after THIRTEEN YEARS (and counting) without a home playoff game, our patience has long since worn threadbare. +1
todd Posted October 12, 2010 Posted October 12, 2010 Excellent point. it is sad. and it's also sad that a person who got into the AFL because he was a fan of football, and wound up making something of it to the point where he is enshrined in Canton, can't make this thing work. i've written it once and i'll write it again, there are people here who mistake Mr. Wilson for someone who doesn't care. i truly believe he does. and what's sad is that he's provided 51 years of entertainment in Buffalo and gets rightly and wrongly criticized for it to the point where there are people who openly and sadly and insensitively root for his demise. last i checked, the sun did go up this morning, and my car was still damaged from the yahoo, who sideswiped it and took off this past weekend. to me, that's a big worry and perhaps more disturbing than maybe a football team getting off to an 0-5 start. but then again, i'm not a fan. and given some of the ongoing posts on this board in regards to Mr. Wilson's health, i'd rather maintain my objectivity than sink into the mud of some people here. but of course, this will be misconstrued as a post blindly favoring Mr. Wilson and the job he's done, with some responding about Polian this and Jauron that. there have been screwups. major screwups, which is why this team is where it is. is it wrong for Mr. Wilson to come clean and accept that blame, saying he's at fault for the decisions that were made. might be wrong if he hadn't, too. jw Excellent points, all of them. There isn't an *intelligent* poster on the board who can refute any of it. Yeah, Ralph screwed up. But yes, Ralph is a good guy who DOES care. And yes, fans can be insensitive bastards. And to those who say Ralph is just looking for ticket sales, let's get real. The guy is 92 and soon he will have no use for more money he can't spend. He knows that. End of conversation.
bladiebla Posted October 12, 2010 Posted October 12, 2010 Great now Buddy Nix has that old fossil trying to sell the fans on the whole " We're three years away". Build through the draft are you f'n kidding me Here's a crazy idea, go out and spend some money on some top notch free agents. 1 quality QB, 1 quality DE and a couple quality OL. We would be 2-3 or 3-2 But what do I know, I'm just a ...wait I am always right. Didnt exactly work for Washington either did it? The combination is what is important, get your playmakers and future big names through the draft whilst adding base quality through FA. Solely the draft or solely FA doesnt work. That's what gave the Patriots* their bowls, the combination, the last couple of years they seem to have switched to a rely on lower round draft picks but higher volume kinda strategy. Which could work if you have a lot more staff in place to actually groom them, but looking at the Pats* defense rating in the NFL i'm tempted to say their strategy seems to be failing at least on the defensive side of the ball.
Hapless Bills Fan Posted October 12, 2010 Posted October 12, 2010 AP just sent out a long write-through a couple of minutes ago. John Wawrow's interview with Ralph John, Thanks for sharing. I guess I am curious - did you ask him about the Kelsay extension? If so, what did he say? If not, why not? Pain and patience - we've had pain and patience for about a decade. What should fans believe is different now? Interesting interview but there are some questions I would really like to know the answer to
thewildrabbit Posted October 12, 2010 Posted October 12, 2010 Ok the Bills are Officially now rebuilding! I don't recall ever reading about this from OBD before the season started. I know I kept reading it here from the fans posting excuses for this new regime. I do recall hearing Buddy Nix stating that " this team is not that far away". I do recall hearing him say that the fans don't want to know about the labor pains, they just want to see the baby. Since the season started and the Bills lost a few games the fans here have been posting that this year isn't even for rebuilding, its for evaluations! Even Buddy Nix has acknowledged that this is going to be a long and painful process. Now Ralph Wilson comes out and back up his choice for GM and states the same old thing, its the players. the Bills lack talent on the field. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5674582
tonyd19 Posted October 12, 2010 Posted October 12, 2010 Yes. QB is top priority. Translation... in the 5th round, Bills select Case Keenum, quarterback, University of Houston. The Bills empire is safe... we will have our franchise QB. Hey, but if he can't play QB in the NFL....I bet he'll be a helluva special teams presence and a great locker room guy!
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