Nix, Gailey and Whaley triple-teaming Ralph

[benderbender]

Ralph Wilson doesn't drive anymore because he's too old to perform this task effectively. At some point someone took the keys to the car for his best interest. Why some kind soul couldn't do the same with this team is beyond me.

[Pilsner]

Why do you think DW's contact is a big lift for Ralph?

 

If he's making a million bucks per year I'd be surprised. Ralph's never objected to those kind of numbers (as opposed to the rock star-type deals that guys like Shanahan et al command).

 

I'm not sure how much DW will be paid. I just figured Ralph wouldn't want to pay two DCs but perhaps you're right and it's not a stretch for him. I'm just glad Nix and the gang convinced Ralph that more DC experience was needed.

[Red]

I hope you are right.

 

I do believe that Ralph trusts Nix to some extent. The fact they spent some money signing Wannstedt is a great sign. The fact they snatched Doug Whaley from the great Steelers organization is a great sign.

 

I am excited for the future. But we really need a strong draft to erase the failures of past drafts (even last years). A few free agents are critical to our development as a team. We can't keep relying on undrafted guys. Get 'er done, Buddy!!

 

Amen, buddy.

 

I wish the Bills would finally close the door of ineptitude by firing Modrak.

 

We need to recover, and losing Modrak would be a fantastic end to a horrible decade.

[CSBill]

I'm glad we have the coaches and GM we have, and I think there is progress with them; however, as a college coach I will tell you, I'm a much smarter and better coach when I have good players, when I don't, I'm a dip. Players - good players - win games.

[JohnC]

About this point, I don't think so. Gailey has actually led a rather charmed coaching career. He's worked for the Broncos, Steelers, Cowboys, and Dolphins for the majority of his NFL experience. Those were all above average teams and organizations and there was a lot of winning in those years. Gailey's experience with rebuilding a cellar dweller is (and he has said so point blank himself) rather limited. He was with the Chiefs for one dismal season and now he's here in Buffalo. Now, hopefully he sponged up enough from the good organizations he worked at before and is able to bring that to Buffalo, but he is clearly not a head coach with tons of experience in rebuilding franchises from the dirt up.

 

You make an interesting point. Let me further explain. Gailey has been with a variety of teams in different capacities, as a HC and as a OC. In the NFL of today the hallmark of the system, due to the cap and free agency, is player movement and replacement. Even good teams have to constantly rework their rosters and units. The challenge is not only to get good players but to get good contract value for the particular player and position. Gailey has been with teams that do it exceptionally well (Steelers) and teams that are not as proficient at that task. The point I'm making is that he has an understanding of how the system and process works.

 

Gailey is experienced enough to know what is a competitive roster and what is a depleted roster. When he took over the Bills he basically took over a team that is closer to being an expansion caliber team than a serious playoff caliber team. What you are going to see in the next few years is a roster that is going to be turned over and (hopefully) bolstered.

I'm confident that if the owner doesn't overly meddle and allows the current top football staff the room and resources to do their jobs this franchise will be on the right path.

[Sisyphean Bills]

You make an interesting point. Let me further explain. Gailey has been with a variety of teams in different capacities, as a HC and as a OC. In the NFL of today the hallmark of the system, due to the cap and free agency, is player movement and replacement. Even good teams have to constantly rework their rosters and units. The challenge is not only to get good players but to get good contract value for the particular player and position. Gailey has been with teams that do it exceptionally well (Steelers) and teams that are not as proficient at that task. The point I'm making is that he has an understanding of how the system and process works.

 

OK, but Gailey has been out of the NFL 7 of the last 9 seasons. He was last with the Steelers in 1997. I'm hoping he does turn this pile around just like you, but I think it goes without saying that his contacts at the NFL level aren't exactly "current". This is reflected in his staff hires and in some of the mid-season replacement players that were brought in which had a certain Georgia Tech flavor. Things change in any business.

 

Gailey is experienced enough to know what is a competitive roster and what is a depleted roster. When he took over the Bills he basically took over a team that is closer to being an expansion caliber team than a serious playoff caliber team. What you are going to see in the next few years is a roster that is going to be turned over and (hopefully) bolstered.

I'm confident that if the owner doesn't overly meddle and allows the current top football staff the room and resources to do their jobs this franchise will be on the right path.

There is no doubt that the roster will be turned over. It's even possible (not a certainty though) that the organization will get pointed in the right direction.

 

The problem is that "the plan" is a long-range plan, but the franchise is not and cannot be long-range. Ralph will be 93 next season. Nix, albeit a youngster by comparison, will turn 72 in December.

 

Let's be specific. We're following the San Diego Chargers blueprint for building a small market mismanaged franchise back into a competitive team in an economical and conservative way. The Chargers own plan has been in action for a full 10 years in San Diego and they still have not made the Super Bowl let alone won it. It took them 4 years to make the playoffs and 7 years to win a playoff game. And, things have gone very well in San Diego. San Diego has been lucky enough to find two great QBs, good skills players, good defensive players, good coaches and so on. (Comparison point: Drew Brees was drafted the first year Butler got there; the Bills took Levi Brown in the 7th round.) And, San Diego is in a division that is relatively a joke.

 

That ought to be vaguely sobering "news".

[JohnC]

The problem is that "the plan" is a long-range plan, but the franchise is not and cannot be long-range. Ralph will be 93 next season. Nix, albeit a youngster by comparison, will turn 72 in December.

 

What do you do when a 92 yr old owner doesn't exhibit an urgency to refashion his franchise to be competitive with the big boy franchises? What do you do when a long-range plan is administered to a franchise whose long term existence in western NY is in question?

 

Welcome to the world of a Ralph Wilson owned team. He is the owner. And that is that. Ralph Wilson has owned the team for half a century. For the most part he has not deviated from his business model that the franchise is nothing more than a profit center for him.

 

Let's be specific. We're following the San Diego Chargers blueprint for building a small market mismanaged franchise back into a competitive team in an economical and conservative way. The Chargers own plan has been in action for a full 10 years in San Diego and they still have not made the Super Bowl let alone won it. It took them 4 years to make the playoffs and 7 years to win a playoff game. And, things have gone very well in San Diego. San Diego has been lucky enough to find two great QBs, good skills players, good defensive players, good coaches and so on. (Comparison point: Drew Brees was drafted the first year Butler got there; the Bills took Levi Brown in the 7th round.) And, San Diego is in a division that is relatively a joke.

 

That ought to be vaguely sobering "news"

 

I'm not trying to discourage you. But you are very astute with your Chargers' model observation. It certainly is a rather long term approach given that the owner is 92 yrs old. What did the owner say? He did not shy away from stating his thoughts. He explicitly stated that he might not be around to see the fruits of his established plans. Buddy Nix was also very upfront that his strategy is simple: draft well, develop players and to the best of your ability retain them. There isn't any hidden agenda. It is a multi-year plan for a fading owner who will probably auction off the team when he passes.

 

Under the currtent owner the prospect for playoffs is nil. Compare us to the Patriots. With or without Brady they will always be better than us because they have a first-rate organization, top to bottom. In this upcoming draft they have multiple picks in the first, second and third rounds. How are we going to catch them? You don't think that the Jets are more willing to pore resources to improve their team compared to the Bills? Those are the teams the Bills have to leap to get into the playoffs.

 

In life you deal with what you got . We got Ralph Wilson. It is as simple as that. A lot of people on this board talk about the playoffs and how we are just around the corner to the playoffs. That is foolish talk. My view point is much more sober. Some people get very upset when that viewpoint is expressed and skewer the messager.

[SoulMan]

Kyle Williams is a star !!

 

Thank you for the fine post, Kyle.

[BillsVet]

I'm not trying to discourage you. But you are very astute with your Chargers' model observation. It certainly is a rather long term approach given that the owner is 92 yrs old. What did the owner say? He did not shy away from stating his thoughts. He explicitly stated that he might not be around to see the fruits of his established plans. Buddy Nix was also very upfront that his strategy is simple: draft well, develop players and to the best of your ability retain them. There isn't any hidden agenda.

 

Let's not forget the Chargers used free agency to acquire some big names (at the time) and didn't just sleep through it as Buddy talks. They signed Marcellus Wiley in 2001, and David Boston to a huge deal a few years later. Not to mention they found an All-Pro TE and Pro Bowl caliber G among the undrafted ranks. And they scored in the later rounds with guys like Michael Turner, Shaun Phillips, Darren Sproles, and a few others.

 

RW still talks about luck being a big factor in the success of a NFL franchise. In order to follow SD's model, they need a lot of luck, because the talent people aren't on the same level and the money isn't going to be flowing for UFA's. Besides the fact they're playing against 3 other teams with significantly more financial resources.

[3rdand12]

Thank you for the fine post, Kyle.

rofl!!

[JohnC]

Let's not forget the Chargers used free agency to acquire some big names (at the time) and didn't just sleep through it as Buddy talks. They signed Marcellus Wiley in 2001, and David Boston to a huge deal a few years later. Not to mention they found an All-Pro TE and Pro Bowl caliber G among the undrafted ranks. And they scored in the later rounds with guys like Michael Turner, Shaun Phillips, Darren Sproles, and a few others.

 

RW still talks about luck being a big factor in the success of a NFL franchise. In order to follow SD's model, they need a lot of luck, because the talent people aren't on the same level and the money isn't going to be flowing for UFA's. Besides the fact they're playing against 3 other teams with significantly more financial resources.

 

The David Boston signing was a fiasco. It was wasted money. The Marcellus Wiley signing was not a very good long term value signing either. The key to the Chargers' success was their exceptional drafting ability. The irony is that a good portion of the scouting deparment came from the Buffalo organization. A number of Buffalo scouts migrated to rejoin Butler/A.J. Smith. As an example, my friend's brother scouted for the Bills. When Butler left he eventually left to work for the Chargers. I'm sure he wasn't the only one.

 

There is no magic to developing a good team. Teams that draft well succeed. Teams that don't or try to short circuit the development process with an over-emphasis on high profile free agent acquistions (Redskins) fail.

 

The model for the Bills should be the Steelers, Ravens and Green Bay. They are small market teams with quality ownership and strong organizations.

 

Name another organization in the league in which a Tom Modrak type performer could exist for more than a decade? Bill Polian, Butler/A.J. Smith get driven out by the owner while Modrak continues to be cemented in. It is more than perplexing. It is outright weird.

Edited January 23, 2011 by JohnC

[3rdand12]

must be those pictures of Ralph paying for his own coffee.jk

[Sisyphean Bills]

What do you do when a 92 yr old owner doesn't exhibit an urgency to refashion his franchise to be competitive with the big boy franchises? What do you do when a long-range plan is administered to a franchise whose long term existence in western NY is in question?

 

Welcome to the world of a Ralph Wilson owned team. He is the owner. And that is that. Ralph Wilson has owned the team for half a century. For the most part he has not deviated from his business model that the franchise is nothing more than a profit center for him.

It is what it is. There are no magic wands to fix years of dysfunction. Half-measures aren't going to get it done. Waiting isn't going to solve it. Pushing a few deck chairs around and playing peppy tunes isn't going to cut it. Throwing money around like confetti in free agency and signing all the big names isn't going to work.

 

What I'm driving at is that the succession plan is unknown save for a very small group of people. When Ralph Wilson does pass on, what then? Does the team stay in Buffalo? Does it even matter what Nix and Gailey have done? In order to build a franchise, you want to be able to forecast current trends out a few years ... and for this organization that outlook is a big question mark.

[Dan]

Didn't really want to start a new thread.. but FWIW:

 

Polian, the God of all GMs, has signed just four, yes, 4 free agents since 2004. They were talking about it in the context of Manning's new contract and making him the highest paid player ever. They did that in 2004 with a 7 year, $98mill contract. Since that time, they've signed 4 FAs. And now Polian is promising to the bring in more FAs to help get them win

 

And how many Super Bowls have they been in? So, the Colts are clearly trying to do it all through the draft, albeit because a couple of high contracts are forcing them to. And how far have they gotten with the leagues best QB? How good has Polian's drafting been? Interesting to say the least.

 

Makes you wonder if Manning will take a pay cut, to help the team pay for other players to help him win more?

[JohnC]

What I'm driving at is that the succession plan is unknown save for a very small group of people. When Ralph Wilson does pass on, what then? Does the team stay in Buffalo? Does it even matter what Nix and Gailey have done? In order to build a franchise, you want to be able to forecast current trends out a few years ... and for this organization that outlook is a big question mark.

 

Don't you think that it is odd that an owner of a franchise for half a century and is plus 90 won't reveal what his plans are? He not only refuses to publicly answer the question but the royal owner gets upset that the peasant fans and media are impertinent enough to ask the question.

 

Face the reality. The owner doesn't give a dam what anyone thinks. He is not from the affected community. When he was at the podium announcing the Toronto series he was ridiculing the pauper market that he currently is located. He lamented on how much he has lost by not having a franchise in a rich market like Toronto instead of being stuck in a rust belt city like Buffalo.

 

While you are asking questions about the football team, the owner and his business advisors are trying to figure out how to maximize his asset while he is alive and when he passes. You should be able to figure it out. It really isn't too difficult. Just crunch the numbers. Then you will have your answer. Ralph is simply being Ralph.