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How Much is Russ Brandon to Blame for Bills' Current Plight?


patfitz

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Listen to him speak on interviews. He fields questions on personnel without deferring anything to Whaley.

He does this because he's in the know, articulate, confident and sufficiently careful with his statements. None of this means he's actually pulling levers on draft day or doing anything other than rubber stamping FA signings.
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I think he is very involved. He was front and center when they brought Mario Williams in. As mentioned, he was the front-man for the coach/GM "search" back in (2009)?

 

You see him in that draft war room picture. He is right in the middle, and he has plenty of informative materials directly in front of himself.

 

 

And if you were him, you wouldnt want to live out your dream in that type of role? I know I would.

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I think he is very involved. He was front and center when they brought Mario Williams in. As mentioned, he was the front-man for the coach/GM "search" back in (2009)?

 

You see him in that draft war room picture. He is right in the middle, and he has plenty of informative materials directly in front of himself.

 

 

And if you were him, you wouldnt want to live out your dream in that type of role? I know I would.

 

He is the President of the team; of course he's in the draft room. As a marketing guy, if you're trying to land the biggest fish on the FA market, shouldn't you be involved in the woo-ing process?

 

And you're incorrect; he's not involved at all on the side of football decisions--that's Doug Whaley's job.

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Choosing Marc Trestman with his NFL & CFL resume would have turned the Bills franchise around sooner, gave them more respect through out the NFL coaching circles & made Brandon look like a genius in all's eyes NFL & fans a like .

 

 

Have to disagree here. When Trestman was hired it was considered to be a move which could either be a slam dunk hire or an epic failure. The jury was out. I remember hearing a lot of criticism and praise of this hire when it happened depending on which talking head was giving his opinion. To say he would have had more respect in coaching circles is a bit ridiculous. By all accounts, Marrone is very well respected in coaching circles (just not so much in Bills fan circles). Same as Trestman.

 

WRT your comment on him being able to turn the franchise around sooner, how do you arrive at that conclusion? If it is just a prediction then i understand, but if it's based on this season's results to date i don't. Trestman took a 10-6 team and turned them into at best a 10-6 team if they win out. Marrone took a 6-10 team and turned them into at best a 7-9 team if they win out. Realistically, I don't see us winning both of our remaining games but I do think we will win one of them. It's hard to say Trestman would have been better.

Edited by KikoSeeBallKikoGetBall
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Here's an idea. Why don't we ask John Wawrow to weigh in? He might actually have an idea how much Russ was involved in things over the years.

 

PTR

 

Sure, bring him on in...I feel like I should disclose, however, that I'm not guessing here...John and I probably talk to the same people.

 

Please don't take this as bragging or touting insider info or anything; I just happen to still have many contacts from my days with the AP.

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Yeah, wasnt he travelling around, meeting with Shanahan and whatnot?

 

 

Its obvious that Brandon has been the functioning arm of this team for a long period of time.

Brandon was the closer. When the Bills decided they wanted Cowher, Shanny or TO, Brandon was the guy selling them on opportunity. I think Buddy was making the call on who to pursue. Russ does ultimately pick the GM and it sounds like he was involved to some point in picking the most recent HC. I haven't seen anything which suggests that Russ is involved in making player decisions.

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Outside of the lousy Toronto series, I think RB has done a good job. Team has no debt, has a new lease, and for the most part, has kept the team viable when the product on the field has been anywhere from lousy to mediocre. He's made some good plausible football-side hires.

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Brandon is 50% responsible for the Bills being the JOKE of the NFL. Ralph is the other 50% responsible. These two misers don't care about winning, only filling seats and making money. Ralph is still running the show and Brandon is just a puppet on a a string. Russ is not a football person only a marketing genius. He is an expert at duping Bills fans into spending their money on an inferior product. That's why Ralph hired him. Ralph wants maximum profits on the least amount spent.These two are snake oil salesman. :bag:

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Russ is not a football person only a marketing genius. He is an expert at duping Bills fans into spending their money on an inferior product. That's why Ralph hired him. Ralph wants maximum profits on the least amount spent.These two are snake oil salesman. :bag:

 

I disagree with this in general. This team/franchise could be so much more than the sorry state it is in. There is very little effort put into the team, and we are told by them that we, as a region are being "maxed out" which is a slap in the face. I think the people would attend these games with or without Brandon.

 

I would love to see the day that a new, excited, positive owner takes the reins and creates waves through the fan base.

Edited by May Day 10
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Bills are coming off the best draft they have had in a long time and the current coaching staff in my opinion is one of the best Buffalo has had in years.

 

Brandon is 100% to blame,

 

Good job Brandon :thumbsup:

 

Signed...Russ Brandon.

 

But seriously, the fact that at this point a fan could be moved to post something like this is proof of Brandon's genius.

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Brandon is 50% responsible for the Bills being the JOKE of the NFL. Ralph is the other 50% responsible. These two misers don't care about winning, only filling seats and making money. Ralph is still running the show and Brandon is just a puppet on a a string. Russ is not a football person only a marketing genius. He is an expert at duping Bills fans into spending their money on an inferior product. That's why Ralph hired him. Ralph wants maximum profits on the least amount spent.These two are snake oil salesman. :bag:

 

That's not correct in any way, shape, or form.

 

Signed...Russ Brandon.

 

But seriously, the fact that at this point a fan could be moved to post something like this is proof of Brandon's genius.

 

What, exactly, did he say that you so ardently disagree with?

 

By all appearances, has this past draft not been the best that the Bills have had in a long time?

 

Do you think that any of the previous 4 coaching staffs were better than this one?

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May Day 10, why would you say you disagree with my statement in general? You said the same thing I said. This team will stink until Ralph kicks the bucket. The team needs an owner who cares more about winning than lining his pockets. Brandon is just carrying out Ralph's orders. When Ralph and Brandon are gone, then and only then will this team have a chance to become a contender. You can take that to the bank.

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The Bills are like heroin to fans. They don't need to be marketed. They sell themselves. Maybe some other fans are different, but I can't think of one thing they've done marketing-wise that made me spend an extra dollar on them.

 

Like others have posted, their efforts seem very low-rent and unprofessional. Hiring Psy as halftime entertainment last season? What an embarrassment.

 

Not only that, but Brandon comes across as incredibly smug and unlikable. He's like a slimey used car salesman when being interviewed.

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May Day 10, why would you say you disagree with my statement in general? You said the same thing I said. This team will stink until Ralph kicks the bucket. The team needs an owner who cares more about winning than lining his pockets. Brandon is just carrying out Ralph's orders. When Ralph and Brandon are gone, then and only then will this team have a chance to become a contender. You can take that to the bank.

 

1) Ralph has always cared about winning--his problem isn't apathy, it's incompetence in putting the right structure in place.

2) Brandon is not carrying out any orders; he's running the show. You don't have to like it, but it's true.

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I disagree with this in general. This team/franchise could be so much more than the sorry state it is in. There is very little effort put into the team, and we are told by them that we, as a region are being "maxed out" which is a slap in the face. I think the people would attend these games with or without Brandon.

 

I would love to see the day that a new, excited, positive owner takes the reins and creates waves through the fan base.

 

Do you mean like Dan Snyder in Washington? How about Jerry Jones in Dallas? Both of those guys are poster boys for "excited committed ownerers who spend a ton of money". I don't think either has had any great success in a long time.

 

There is no conspiracy by Mr. Wilson and his folks to "dupe" the fans into buying an inferior product. The problem lies in poor decisions on players, bad luck and an inability to find a good/great QB. I can't think of any case where spending even a lot more would have solved their QB problem - unless someone thinks that they had any real shot at signing Peyton Manning...

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