Mr. WEO Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 The D is silent.... So I guess it turns out that Brandon was never a "yes" man to Ralph, but "no" man--trying his best to persuade the aging owner agaisnt every major decision over the past years of his employment. Right. This is the same Brandon who was soundly and roundly mocked here for his stint as GM not long ago (where he convinced Ralph to re-sing Jauron well before his contract was up. No he is the one who will figure it all out and turn the franchise around. Can anyone honestly say that, after his tenure as GM ended (and after the past horrible 6 years) they thought "hey, I can really see and look forward to Russ Brandon making all of the football decisions for this team 3 or 4 years down the road". Of course not, it would have been ridiculous to make such a statement back then. Yet, here we are... We were all teased and primed for 2 days about some earth shaking announcement. There was fevered talk of a very important video message being secretly recorded under tight security which would feature a boldly and freshly coiffed and Ensure-bulked Ralph telling us something "big" (a new owner, of course!). What we got was the "news" that Ralph is still the owner, Buddy is stuill the GM (Russ is emphatic about this), and Brandon is still CEO--and now he is Al Haig. In other words, all of the hope of the franchise is pinned on Russ Brandon, the guy who's signature achievement is bringing camp to his his alma mater (and somehow losing the team's major sponsor, Wegmans< along the way). Can the posters who all along felt Brandon was the guy who should be calling all of the shots convince me how this is not polishing the turd?
2020 Our Year For Sure Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 If Nix isn't actually the GM and isn't actually hiring the next coach and heading the draft...why begin the Russ Brandon era by lying about who's in charge?
Dawgg Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 Ton of holes on defense in general, not just the secondary, I don't believe McKelvin or McGee will be back. They have to resign Byrd or else safety is a big problem. Barnett, Wilson, Scott, Kelsay, Merriman should all be gone. They need 2 starting LB's, at least one safety, maybe 2, then they need backups at CB, LB, S. Defense was one of the worst of all time. It's not just scheme, it's personnel as well. Correct. One can blame Wannstedt all (s)he wants, but the talent level on this team is abysmal. While Mark Anderson and Mario Williams are good players, Dareus has underperformed relative to his draft position and the defensive backfield is woeful outside of Stephon Gillmore. Anyone can throw $150 million at two DE's and claim they improved and just hope it works out. That's insanity and it didn't work. It screws your salary cap and you are stuck. What a smart GM would do, is find players that produce at a reasonable salary. Value for production. I don't see that in many places on the entire roster. Spencer Johnson makes $3M/yr as a reserve. Shawne Merriman makes $4M to be invisible on the field Kirk Morrison and Travis Jackson are weekly inactives making $1M and $3M, respecively This roster has been mismanaged like none other, yet Jim Overdorf is praised by his boss and is blessed with a job for life. Such is life at One Bills Drive.
KOKBILLS Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 If Nix isn't actually the GM and isn't actually hiring the next coach and heading the draft...why begin the Russ Brandon era by lying about who's in charge? Thank You!!! What is being asked of us by the "Nix is gone in 3 months" contingent is to either ignore everything Russ said about Buddy yesterday, OR realize he was just lying...I don't understand why that is OK with some folks...But whatever...
Bangarang Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 Brandon is a business man. As long as he has football people making the football decisions I'm willing to see how this plays out. Brandon said all the right things during the press conference. And not having to get final approval from Ralph is huge. If Brandon doesn't work hard to put a successful product on the field it will kill the business he's trying to revive. I'm waiting for actions and will come to a conclusion then.
BringBackFergy Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 Can anyone honestly say the owner of a $800 million dollar enterprise will not be consulted on big ticket acquisitions or letting go "owner favorites" who are failing to produce. Quite honestly, despite all the stroking of egos yesterday, it is possible Brandon wanted to get a new GM or at least promote Whaley to GM right away....the reason it didn't happen? I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions but I tend to think Ralph likes Buddah and told Brandon you are President but keep Buddy on for awhile (thus, making Brandon nothing more than a lame duck President). On the other hand, as other teams are scampering to find a new GM, we have our front office in place and can concentrate fully on a new coach, new coordinators and a solid game plan for FA acquisitions and the Draft (Aaron Murray Round 1). Go Bills!!!
GG Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 If all is true, why in the world would he keep Nix in any role?? I dunno, Brandon appeared all but infatuated with Nix at his presser and stated that Buddy has FULL CONTROL over the football operations. It was not an ambiguous or vague statement. My guess is that it is the quid pro quo Brandon got for getting the President job. Remember it was Wilson who hired Nix and was in his corner. Brandon was saying the right corporate speak yesterday. But it appears more clear that the change is on. I think that the next month will make it clear on who is running what.
FLFan Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 Did this really require a new thread on top of the 45 pages already pinned on this subject?
Kelly the Dog Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 If Nix isn't actually the GM and isn't actually hiring the next coach and heading the draft...why begin the Russ Brandon era by lying about who's in charge? Ummmm... because you don't say publicly or privately that the old goat is being phased out and the new guy is being brought in when looking for a new coach because that guy is going to say "why am I even talking to him?", combined with the fact that Whaley himself holds Nix in very high regard, as do most people around the league as a talent evaluator. So Buddy is in on the selection committee, and is in charge of the draft that he and his scouts have prepared for (Whaley did more pro scouting and evaluation versus college) and he works through the draft and then the reigns are slowly handed over to Whaley. I am not certain it will happen right after the draft as others have said. I would imagine it's more like over the next year (although that is just a guess).
Mr. WEO Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 Did this really require a new thread on top of the 45 pages already pinned on this subject? You shouldn't answer a question with a question. I didn't see anyone asking this questionin the other threads. If you already answered it somewhere else, I apologize, bro.
mrags Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 Thank You!!! What is being asked of us by the "Nix is gone in 3 months" contingent is to either ignore everything Russ said about Buddy yesterday, OR realize he was just lying...I don't understand why that is OK with some folks...But whatever... unless you believe that Nix will be stepping down over time to Whaley to become GM and take back his old position in scouting. Just a thought. Ummmm... because you don't say publicly or privately that the old goat is being phased out and the new guy is being brought in when looking for a new coach because that guy is going to say "why am I even talking to him?", combined with the fact that Whaley himself holds Nix in very high regard, as do most people around the league as a talent evaluator. So Buddy is in on the selection committee, and is in charge of the draft that he and his scouts have prepared for (Whaley did more pro scouting and evaluation versus college) and he works through the draft and then the reigns are slowly handed over to Whaley. I am not certain it will happen right after the draft as others have said. I would imagine it's more like over the next year (although that is just a guess). this
MDH Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) Can anyone honestly say that, after his tenure as GM ended (and after the past horrible 6 years) they thought "hey, I can really see and look forward to Russ Brandon making all of the football decisions for this team 3 or 4 years down the road". Of course not, it would have been ridiculous to make such a statement back then. Yet, here we are... But he's not going to be the one making the football decisions. He's going to be running the entire business and the people making the football decisions will - hopefully - be doing so without his interference (other than a budget which they have to adhere to.) I'm not sure why this is so hard for people to understand. Yeah, Brandon sucked as a GM but so does Jerry Jones. Does that mean if Jones gave up his role as GM you wouldn't trust him to run the business of the Cowboys organization? Brandon has seemed more than capable of running the entire organization, he's regionalized the team and kept them profitable despite a horrible economy and a city which isn't doing that well finically. That is what you want from a guy running a business. Now, what I also want is for him to hire the right football people to find the right personal and coaches for the actual product on the field and then step back and let them do their jobs. Right now we have no idea of he's capable of doing this but I don't get the negativity coming out of people saying "he sucked as GM so he'll suck in this role" when those jobs are completely different. Edited January 2, 2013 by MDH
Malazan Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) Can the posters who all along felt Brandon was the guy who should be calling all of the shots convince me how this is not polishing the turd? So you want Ralph to call the shots? Maybe Littman? Who else is int he organization to call the shots? This is being thrown up all over this board. Someone has to make a decision. If you don't want Brandon then we're back to Ralph. We don't know the dynamic between Russ and Ralph, but most people don't go to their boss with things they know the boss won't like...such as maybe Ralph hates people from Chicago so Russ could not have considered Lovie Smith, but now he may be able to do so. Edited January 2, 2013 by jeremy2020
Bills of Boston Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 I truly think the biggest factor is as follows. Regardless if we all think Russ has been in essence calling the shots for the past few years with minimal input from Ralph, the rest of the league wasn't so sure, nor did they give a crap. IMO they assumed a 94 year old owner was calling the shots from Detroit and now they know officially that its not the case, that has got to change the way others view this opportunity as a potential landing spot for coaches, players etc.
JPS Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 My guess is that it is the quid pro quo Brandon got for getting the President job. Remember it was Wilson who hired Nix and was in his corner. Brandon was saying the right corporate speak yesterday. But it appears more clear that the change is on. I think that the next month will make it clear on who is running what. I think you and Kelly Dog are going to be disappointed when Nix is at the podium next year. I just can't get over this question: Why would you keep Nix around if you thought of him as a poor GM? If anything, I would think a new coach would rather work for a younger guy who may be open to the coach's personnel suggestions. If Nix is on his way out, it just doesn't make sense to me, on any level, that Brandon insists that he is in the GM and will make all football decisions. I think the job is Buddy's either as long as he wants it or unless the Bills further regress next year.
Mr. WEO Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 But he's not going to be the one making the football decisions. He's going to be running the entire business and the people making the football decisions will - hopefully - be doing so without his interference (other than a budget which they have to adhere to.) I'm not sure why this is so hard for people to understand. Yeah, Brandon sucked as a GM but so does Jerry Jones. Does that mean if Jones gave up his role as GM you wouldn't trust him to run the business of the Cowboys organization? Brandon has seemed more than capable of running the entire organization, he's regionalized the team and kept them profitable despite a horrible economy and a city which isn't doing that well finically. That is what you want from a guy running a business. Now, what I also want is for him to hire the right football people to find the right personal and coaches for the actual product on the field and then step back and let them do their jobs. Right now we have no idea of he's capable of doing this but I don't get the negativity coming out of people saying "he sucked as GM so he'll suck in this role" when those jobs are completely different. He's not the one who will pick the next HC? Everyone else seems to think he is. And if you want him hire "the right football people", who do have in mind? He already has Buddy and Whaley--who do you think he is going to hire? The comparison of a professional GM and a meddling owner is meaningless. The sellouts at the Ralph have nothing to do with Russ Brandon. That is nuts. The Bills have the most loyal fans in the league ina region with very few other such distractions. I am convinced that the Bills could have gotten all of the current Ontario fans in the seats at the Ralph without selling the home games to the Rogers family. The Toronto games have proven beyond a doubt--to the fans in Buffalo, in Canada, to the press and to the players--to be an unmitigated embarrassment. How does Ralph make tens of millions in profit every year despite hardly any sellouts past Dec 1? Easy--The vast majority of his expenses are paid by the shared revenue/TV contracts. The gate money is gravy. None of this has anything to do woth Russ Brandon's marketing genius. So you want Ralph to call the shots? Maybe Littman? Who else is int he organization to call the shots? This is being thrown up all over this board. Someone has to make a decision. If you don't want Brandon then we're back to Ralph. We don't know the dynamic between Russ and Ralph, but most people don't go to their boss with things they know the boss won't like...such as maybe Ralph hates people from Chicago so Russ could not have considered Lovie Smith, but now he may be able to do so. That's the whole point of this thread---aren't you tired of the same old names?? Ralph, Jim, Russ---what's the difference? It's all the same "thinkers" who have gotten us where we are. Do you really think Russ Brandon has some totally new vision he's never shared with Raplh for this team that he is now ready to put forth into motuon? I have no reason to suspect this is the case. Does anyone think that the new owner(s) of the team would keep Brandon as CEO/President, given his past performance (in all capacities)?
Kelly the Dog Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 I think you and Kelly Dog are going to be disappointed when Nix is at the podium next year. I just can't get over this question: Why would you keep Nix around if you thought of him as a poor GM? If anything, I would think a new coach would rather work for a younger guy who may be open to the coach's personnel suggestions. If Nix is on his way out, it just doesn't make sense to me, on any level, that Brandon insists that he is in the GM and will make all football decisions. I think the job is Buddy's either as long as he wants it or unless the Bills further regress next year. The guy from NFL Network was on GR this morning who is pretty wired in on the NFL and he was basically saying it's going to be Whaley's gig and the reason Wisenhunt is so high on the Bills and wants the job is because of Brandon and Whaley. It just makes sense. That is going to be their spiel to potential coaches, we have this young highly regarded executive with total power, this young highly regarded GM to work with, and this older talent evaluator/scout to oversee the transition. This isn't an attack on you, but I think what you and others here are having a hard time getting your head around is the fact you think Nix sucks and needs to go immediately. I would not doubt at all what GG surmised, that Ralph told Brandon that part of the this power transfer is to keep Buddy on through the draft and transition to Whaley.
San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) Quite honestly, despite all the stroking of egos yesterday, it is possible Brandon wanted to get a new GM or at least promote Whaley to GM right away....the reason it didn't happen? I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions but I tend to think Ralph likes Buddah and told Brandon you are President but keep Buddy on for awhile (thus, making Brandon nothing more than a lame duck President). I think considering the fact that they all like Nix and that Nix hired Cook, Gibbons, Whaley, and most of the personnel department that the Bills determined that it would be way too damaging to show Nix the door at this time. However in another thread Promo posted numerous Howard Simon tweets attributed to Ken Whisenhunt. These quotes comment on Brandon and Whaley but do not mention Buddy Nix. This speaks volumes. I think that the Bills are being more honest to the head coaching candidates than they are to the fans in this regard (Buddy's future with the team). Edited January 2, 2013 by San Jose Bills Fan
NoSaint Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) The guy from NFL Network was on GR this morning who is pretty wired in on the NFL and he was basically saying it's going to be Whaley's gig and the reason Wisenhunt is so high on the Bills and wants the job is because of Brandon and Whaley. It just makes sense. That is going to be their spiel to potential coaches, we have this young highly regarded executive with total power, this young highly regarded GM to work with, and this older talent evaluator/scout to oversee the transition. This isn't an attack on you, but I think what you and others here are having a hard time getting your head around is the fact you think Nix sucks and needs to go immediately. I would not doubt at all what GG surmised, that Ralph told Brandon that part of the this power transfer is to keep Buddy on through the draft and transition to Whaley. whisenhunt also made comments shared by howard simon about how he thought he could get on the same page as brandon and whaley, that he knows whaley has a great reputation, etc.... nixs name noticeably absent. hsimon62 on with @RapSheet:said whisenhunt likes how Brandon thinks and feels he can be on same page with whaley. hsimon62 said whisenhunt considered good coach when it comes to x's and o's. he was too involved in personnel decisions w/cards. should just be coach hsimon62 he also said he's been talking to scouts and personnel people around league about Whaley last couple days and hearing good things Edited January 2, 2013 by NoSaint
LabattBlue Posted January 2, 2013 Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) ...We were all teased and primed for 2 days about some earth shaking announcement. There was fevered talk of a very important video message being secretly recorded under tight security which would feature a boldly and freshly coiffed and Ensure-bulked Ralph telling us something "big" (a new owner, of course!). Edited January 2, 2013 by LabattBlue
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