Mark VI gets some press time

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-badbills

[cåblelady]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-badbills

Hrmph.

[Buftex]

“The incentive to win finishes a distant second to the bottom line,” Burr said. “He has a reasonable expectation to turn an acceptable profit, but the product has suffered more often than not.”

 

You tell them Ironside!

[Rubes]

Cool, didn't realize that was him.

[todd]

I miss his football posts.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-badbills

[Bill from NYC]

I miss his football posts.

 

So do I, and his comment was on the money.

[BillsVet]

The more the team unravels, the more fans see what the true goal is: set the team up for sale but make some profit while the owner lives. Nothing more, nothing less.

[boyst]

I really wonder what goes through his head when he hears this stuff. Can Ralph really not be affected by this? With so much of his life tied in to this team does anyone believe he simply regards this as people talking about things they do not know?

 

I am jealous. I want to be quoted for a story. John, Tim, Lori, I know you're reading this, gimme a chance!

Edited October 18, 2010 by jboyst62

[Bill from NYC]

The more the team unravels, the more fans see what the true goal is: set the team up for sale but make some profit while the owner lives. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Imo, most people cannot relate to Mr. Wilson. The man, at 92, can make millions with less effort than it takes for you and I to tie our shoes. Please think about this for a few seconds.

Remember when he voted against the contract? I admit to thinking that he was being contrary. Meanwhile, he was making perfect sense. I admire the man for being able to do this. It is a talent that I surely lack. A man like Mr. Wilson could have 100 lives and be a multi-millionaire every time. This however doesn't produce a winning football team. He meddles with professionals, and screws up everything but his bank account.

 

I hope this post isn't taken to be a "hate" post because it isn't. I respect the man and thank him for keeping the team in WNY. But, Mr. Wilson is a money man, not a football man.

[ExiledInIllinois]

I really wonder what goes through his head when he hears this stuff. Can Ralph really not be affected by this? With so much of his life tied in to this team does anyone believe he simply regards this as people talking about things they do not know?

 

I am jealous. I want to be quoted for a story. John, Tim, Lori, I know you're reading this, gimme a chance!

 

He (Ralph) is probably not even listening... What makes you like he keeps up with this stuff?

[Bill from NYC]

He (Ralph) is probably not even listening... What makes you like he keeps up with this stuff?

 

I generally agree with this statement. The man turned $25,000 into $800,000,000, while making a huge yearly income. His mind is going in different directions than the average person.

[boyst]

He (Ralph) is probably not even listening... What makes you like he keeps up with this stuff?

I cannot imagine he does not care that his fan base is pissed right now. He has spent over 50 years creating this team and that we're in possibly the worst position in the teams franchise while he must know he is on his final moments of life? My gramps passed away at 93, granted he didn't make millions, but I know he still cared about the farm. He may have thought the cows were goats and complained when the temperature was less than 80 degrees but he still did farm work. Of course, it was still his way or no way until the end, we weren't allowed to touch anything without his permission.

 

...wait, I really am confused by myself. Could Ralph just want to pass away remembering how great we once were instead of leaving us in the best possible position to succeed? I mean that, could some of ya'll chime in here. Does that make sense, knowing what we know about Ralph?

[ExiledInIllinois]

I cannot imagine he does not care that his fan base is pissed right now. He has spent over 50 years creating this team and that we're in possibly the worst position in the teams franchise while he must know he is on his final moments of life? My gramps passed away at 93, granted he didn't make millions, but I know he still cared about the farm. He may have thought the cows were goats and complained when the temperature was less than 80 degrees but he still did farm work. Of course, it was still his way or no way until the end, we weren't allowed to touch anything without his permission.

 

...wait, I really am confused by myself. Could Ralph just want to pass away remembering how great we once were instead of leaving us in the best possible position to succeed? I mean that, could some of ya'll chime in here. Does that make sense, knowing what we know about Ralph?

 

I am not saying he doesn't care. I am just saying he is not listening to this... What makes you even think that he reads this stuff? Like Bill from NYC said.

[Just Jack]

I am jealous. I want to be quoted for a story. John, Tim, Lori, I know you're reading this, gimme a chance!

I got a radio interview last year after the Toronto game thanks to TBD.

[boyst]

I am not saying he doesn't care. I am just saying he is not listening to this... What makes you even think that he reads this stuff? Like Bill from NYC said.

I cannot believe that he does. I am sure he'll skim an article or two from time to time. Even so, does the staff not inform him of what is going on? In the meetings when they discuss market value, merchandise, and season tickets does no one bring up the fan disgust seriously? Do they merely look at this as letting us suffer 2 or 3 more years until they rebuild? I guess my question is: Are they spinning this in to any positives at OBD? Perhaps locals would know more than I do, but I cannot imagine how Ralph is sleeping at night.

 

I got a radio interview last year after the Toronto game thanks to TBD.

I'm jelly. What did you have to say? Who was it with? Any more details?

[Just Jack]

I'm jelly. What did you have to say? Who was it with? Any more details?

Scott had one of the Buffalo radio stations contact him to see if he knew of anyone going to the Toronto game, he put them in touch with me. I'm sorry, I can't remember for sure which station it was, I think it was an NPR station, is there one in Buffalo? They asked me things like how was the crowd size, the feel of the game, how it compared to the year before, nothing really earth shaking. One comment I do remember making was when they were asking about crowd size, and I mentioned even though the game was officially a sell out, on the news just a couple hours before kick off they were interviewing a guy from Rogers Centre who said there were still plenty of tickets available.

[ExiledInIllinois]

I cannot believe that he does. I am sure he'll skim an article or two from time to time. Even so, does the staff not inform him of what is going on?

 

No... I don't think he knows about any of this. I will probably get jumped on for this, but GW Bush was famous for this. Totally isolate themselves from the what is being said... Handlers are pumping him with stuff he wants to here. Not that any Prez nowadays doesn't do it, some just worse than others.

 

There is only so many minutes in a day from the time you wake up to the time you sleep. I think he (Ralph) is oblivous... That is all.

[Bill from NYC]

There is only so many minutes in a day from the time you wake up to the time you sleep. I think he (Ralph) is oblivous... That is all.

 

This is where we disagree. Mr. Wilson is far from oblivious imo. He sounds a bit out of it when he speaks at times but oblivious? Nope. He has his priorities, and making millions come first.

He is looking at his product and knows it is bad, and the profits are way down. Now he will take steps to raise said profits. It didn't work with Spiller, but my money says that in 2011 Mr. Wilson will take many steps to return the Bills to high profits, and it will work this time.

 

I hope that his course of action makes us a better team in the process, and we are SO bad it almost HAS to work. The man is a genius.

Edited October 19, 2010 by Bill from NYC

[JohnC]

This is where we disagree. Mr. Wilson is far from oblivious imo. He sounds a bit out of it when he speaks at times but oblivious? Nope. He has his priorities, and making millions come first.

He is looking at his product and knows it is bad, and the profits are way down. Now he will take steps to raise said profits. It didn't work with Spiller, but my money says that in 2011 Mr. Wilson will take many steps to return the Bills to high profits, and it will work this time.

 

I hope that his course of action makes us a better team in the process, and we are SO bad it almost HAS to work. The man is a genius.

 

Sometimes it is better to listen to what a person says and not intrepret his comments by what you think he says. The owner clearly stated how the franchise is going to be run in the next few years. It is going to be through the elongated process of the draft. There won't be a splurge of money spent on free agents or major trade acquisitions. The owner said it very succinctly: Pain and Patience.

 

The owner's comments to JW acknowledging the lack of talent on the team is similar to comments he has made in the past. It is the recycled response that he offers when the fanbase gets very restless and the paying customer is rebelling.

 

The owner is buying time to stretch things out so he can squeeze his asset to the very end. There is no urgency on his part. Where I will give him credit is that he is espousing an approach which is the most effective way of rebuilding a team: through the draft. Where I won't give him credit is that he hasn't said and done anything differently for the past generation.

 

From a financial standpoint he has a successful business plan which has worked for him. It certainly hasn't worked on the field too well. So what. When you are 92 yrs old and have operated a business in a certain way do you think he is going to dramatically change how things are done with his bountiful business? Of course not. The financial advisors (Littman, Oberdorf etc) are the same. They have been with him for a very long time. Don't expect major changes or initiatives to the way the franchise is being run. Remember: Pain and Patience.

[rockpile]

Wow! Cigar Mark!

I miss tailgating with him.

 

I really wonder what goes through his head when he hears this stuff. Can Ralph really not be affected by this? With so much of his life tied in to this team does anyone believe he simply regards this as people talking about things they do not know?

 

I am jealous. I want to be quoted for a story. John, Tim, Lori, I know you're reading this, gimme a chance!

 

I have been fortunate to tailgate with Lori and John (and a very large number of other TBDers over the years - too many to mention) so I am a lucky man! Most of my quotes are either illogical or not suitable for print, so I am OK with that!

 

Ralph must be aware of the media focus on the paper bags. Even if he does not care about the fan opinions, he is aware that if fans are totally disgruntled, games will not be sold out at The Ralph.

 

My biggest puzzle was this: I thought he LIKED football and wanted a championship for his own pleasure as much as he wanted to make millions on the team. He makes millions on many businesses he owns, and winning a Super Bowl would not result in a red line financial statement.

 

Sometimes it is better to listen to what a person says and not intrepret his comments by what you think he says. The owner clearly stated how the franchise is going to be run in the next few years. It is going to be through the elongated process of the draft. There won't be a splurge of money spent on free agents or major trade acquisitions. The owner said it very succinctly: Pain and Patience.

 

The owner's comments to JW acknowledging the lack of talent on the team is similar to comments he has made in the past. It is the recycled response that he offers when the fanbase gets very restless and the paying customer is rebelling.

 

The owner is buying time to stretch things out so he can squeeze his asset to the very end. There is no urgency on his part. Where I will give him credit is that he is espousing an approach which is the most effective way of rebuilding a team: through the draft. Where I won't give him credit is that he hasn't said and done anything differently for the past generation.

 

From a financial standpoint he has a successful business plan which has worked for him. It certainly hasn't worked on the field too well. So what. When you are 92 yrs old and have operated a business in a certain way do you think he is going to dramatically change how things are done with his bountiful business? Of course not. The financial advisors (Littman, Oberdorf etc) are the same. They have been with him for a very long time. Don't expect major changes or initiatives to the way the franchise is being run. Remember: Pain and Patience.

 

Ralph sadly did not say much of any substance in the article, did he? "And even Bills owner Ralph Wilson had few words to describe his team's woes, except to say, "It's bad," and suggest it might take as many as three years to turn it around." There is NOTHIING said that suggests the Bills are a priority to Ralph.

 

I think we have heard that 'three year thing' before.

Edited October 19, 2010 by Rockpile