Russ Brandon

[Mr. WEO]

Not to poke holes in your analogy but it's different. The CEO of GM can come in an institute new protocols that start tomorrow. The Bills changes can only be reflected as success or failure during the season.

 

In addition, GM does not face obstacles where their assets do not operate (injuries). Sports are a totally unique business model in that your assets (players) are your liabilities. How would GM operate if their most important machine did not function for 3/8 of the year? Would that ultimately impact their success or failure? That is the equivalent of a QB starting only 10 of 16 games.

 

Another thing is that the Bills are constricted by a salary cap. GM can throw an unlimited amount of cash at their problems. Regardless of what the budget is they can elect to spend past it. It may not work but it is still an option. The Bills do not have that option.

 

 

They would have a replacement machine that works just as well--which is what the Bills had in their backups. Same win/loss percentage with Lewis and EJ.

 

Also, few major changes to the GM product would be able to be changed "tomorrow". Significant changes in what the public can purchase from this or other car comapnies can take years to design and produce.

 

Obviously GM's budget is not unlimited--you and I just bailed them out of bankruptcy. And, unlike GM, every one of the Bills competitors have the exact same budget limit.

[thewildrabbit]

Yeah, it was a huge mistake to cut star QB Trent Edwards and your highest paid offensive player in Langston Walker. I do understand the way that it works. I have a masters degree in sports business and worked in pro sports for 8 years. With that being said, I can relate to the challenges that they face and have a solid understanding of the responsibilities of each position. I am not trying to be a "Kool-Aid" drinker and at the same time I am not trying to be a negative Nancy. I am trying to be a realist.

 

It is a bit of a pet peeve of mine when someone is being held accountable for something that they are not responsible for. I brought it up earlier "do we hold Hackett responsible for poor ST play?" Of course not!! It is very much the same thing. Think of Russ as a former offensive coordinator who recently was promoted to Head Coach. He didn't use to have a say in the defense but now he does. You cannot blame him for the performances of past defenses. You can blame him for any business decision in the last decade (Toronto, seat heaters, etc...) as well as any football decision in the last year or so (Levitre, Byrd, EJ, Kiko, Marrone, Whaley, etc...). That is the point that I have been trying to make all along. If you want to point the finger, go for it but make sure that you are pointing it in the right direction.

 

As an aside, the 2 people that get the biggest passes on here are John Guy (pro) and Tom Modrak (college). Those are the two that were responsible for building the talent on the roster between Donahoe and Buddy. Others, may have had the title but those are the two that had the responsibility. I think that they did a pretty miserable job of assembling talent in that period.

While I agree with the "I think that they did a pretty miserable job of assembling talent in that period." statement. While Modrak was the VP of college scouting, chief scout, Ray Guy was the VP of pro personnel, also in charge of the free agent scouting. Those two didn't make the final decisions on things like who gets drafted.

 

However, I don't agree that Brandon is not accountable! Wasn't Brandon named director of football operations right next to Marv Levy in 2006? Then when Marv retired, Russ Brandon took over as de facto GM. Although his title didn't change, his share of the responsibility certainly did change in my view.

 

Since Marv Levy stepped down, the name of the game has been shifting the blame around so nobody outside the org knows who to blame. I think it falls right on Brandon because the very same things that have been happening for the last decade are still happening. Stupidity seems to reign with no accountability for three years.

[Kirby Jackson]

While I agree with the "I think that they did a pretty miserable job of assembling talent in that period." statement. While Modrak was the VP of college scouting, chief scout, Ray Guy was the VP of pro personnel, also in charge of the free agent scouting. Those two didn't make the final decisions on things like who gets drafted.

 

However, I don't agree that Brandon is not accountable! Wasn't Brandon named director of football operations right next to Marv Levy in 2006? Then when Marv retired, Russ Brandon took over as de facto GM. Although his title didn't change, his share of the responsibility certainly did change in my view.

 

Since Marv Levy stepped down, the name of the game has been shifting the blame around so nobody outside the org knows who to blame. I think it falls right on Brandon because the very same things that have been happening for the last decade are still happening. Stupidity seems to reign with no accountability for three years.

John Guy, Ray Guy was a punter.

 

I am telling you (whether you want to believe it or not is up to you) that Guy and Modrak were the ones with the say. Marv actually slept through their biggest scouting meeting of the year. They would go through the book and debate prospects as he napped -literally. Then he would wake up and start stretching. This probably doesn't guve off too much confidence but it's true. He had zero say. I always chuckle when people analyze Marv as a GM. He was put there to inspire confidence and connect the past to the present. He was not there to make personnel decisions.

 

RB had the title but did not make personnel decisions. It was those same two. He has involved with trying to "build the organization" but not to evaluate talent.

[thewildrabbit]

John Guy, Ray Guy was a punter.

 

I am telling you (whether you want to believe it or not is up to you) that Guy and Modrak were the ones with the say. Marv actually slept through their biggest scouting meeting of the year. They would go through the book and debate prospects as he napped -literally. Then he would wake up and start stretching. This probably doesn't guve off too much confidence but it's true. He had zero say. I always chuckle when people analyze Marv as a GM. He was put there to inspire confidence and connect the past to the present. He was not there to make personnel decisions.

 

RB had the title but did not make personnel decisions. It was those same two. He has involved with trying to "build the organization" but not to evaluate talent.

So, exactly who made the decisions on draft day, on free agent signings? The scouting people or the director of football operations?

 

 

 

Did i say Ray Guy, I did didn't I

[Kirby Jackson]

So, exactly who made the decisions on draft day, on free agent signings? The scouting people or the director of football operations?

 

 

 

Did i say Ray Guy, I did didn't I

Modrak on the draft (obviously with input from his staff) and Guy on free agents (with the same input from his staff). The scouting people had a big say. I believe that is when Marc Ross and he always had substantial say. That was part of the reason that they wanted to bring on an actual GM in Buddy Nix.

 

[thewildrabbit]

Modrak on the draft (obviously with input from his staff) and Guy on free agents (with the same input from his staff). The scouting people had a big say. I believe that is when Marc Ross and he always had substantial say. That was part of the reason that they wanted to bring on an actual GM in Buddy Nix.

I recall that when Marv Levy was asked who made the draft selections. He then stated that he left it up to the consensus, and later added that usually meant that Dick Jauron made the selections.

 

It does seem rather far fetched to me that the director of football operations was promoted to chief executive officer without having his hand deeply involved in the football side of operations. That someone has had the job of overseeing the entire football side of things for that long, and the team continues to lose. Then gets promoted to CEO of the entire org after seven losing seasons.

 

I don't believe I've ever seen anyone get promoted to the CEO position after so many years of failure....unless of course the owners definition of failure is different then the fans definition.

 

Anyway, from my perspective the very same mindset that has plagued this team for so many years still has a hold on it.

 

 

 

Bottom line here is I think Brandon is making a huge mistake in thinking he will land another job as CEO with another team or company after all this losing. There is a perfect window of opportunity to turn this thing around by changing the philosophy on how to build a winning team. This idea that the team can win with sub par players on either line is moronic.

 

The Bills FO should take a long hard look at the Seahawks, Pete Carroll on how to build a winning team. That is of course, if they honestly want a winning team.

[Kirby Jackson]

I recall that when Marv Levy was asked who made the draft selections. He then stated that he left it up to the consensus, and later added that usually meant that Dick Jauron made the selections.

 

It does seem rather far fetched to me that the director of football operations was promoted to chief executive officer without having his hand deeply involved in the football side of operations. That someone has had the job of overseeing the entire football side of things for that long, and the team continues to lose. Then gets promoted to CEO of the entire org after seven losing seasons.

 

I don't believe I've ever seen anyone get promoted to the CEO position after so many years of failure....unless of course the owners definition of failure is different then the fans definition.

 

Anyway, from my perspective the very same mindset that has plagued this team for so many years still has a hold on it.

 

 

 

Bottom line here is I think Brandon is making a huge mistake in thinking he will land another job as CEO with another team or company after all this losing. There is a perfect window of opportunity to turn this thing around by changing the philosophy on how to build a winning team. This idea that the team can win with sub par players on either line is moronic.

 

The Bills FO should take a long hard look at the Seahawks, Pete Carroll on how to build a winning team. That is of course, if they honestly want a winning team.

The Marv era was pretty ridiculous. He was there in name only.

 

I don't disagree that this is the perfect opportunity to turn things around. I think that we just have different levels of confidence. When Brandon took over the business side completely he made some decisions that would not have been popular by clearing out high paid employees that were on the gravy train. The business side of things in 2014 is light years ahead of where it was in 2004.

 

That is why he was given the opportunity to do the same thing on the football side. He was tasked with building a winning organization and winning culture. We are entering year 2 of that. His success or failure will largely depend on Marrone, Whaley and EJ. For the most part I like Marrone and his staff (Crossman excluded), really like Whaley and his staff but have serious reservations about EJ. We will know a lot more a year from now and should know everything in 2 years. That is 3 seasons to build the plan, organization, people and to see results.

 

I really have no idea how it will end but I do have a lot of confidence in those in charge. Those guys have tons of respect within OBD and around the league. That has not always been the case.

Edited April 3, 2014 by Kirby Jackson

[thewildrabbit]

The Marv era was pretty ridiculous. He was there in name only.

 

I don't disagree that this is the perfect opportunity to turn things around. I think that we just have different levels of confidence. When Brandon took over the business side completely he made some decisions that would not have been popular by clearing out high paid employees that were on the gravy train. The business side of things in 2014 is light years ahead of where it was in 2004.

 

That is why he was given the opportunity to do the same thing on the football side. He was tasked with building a winning organization and winning culture. We are entering year 2 of that. His success or failure will largely depend on Marrone, Whaley and EJ. For the most part I like Marrone and his staff (Crossman excluded), really like Whaley and his staff but have serious reservations about EJ. We will know a lot more a year from now and should know everything in 2 years. That is 3 seasons to build the plan, organization, people and to see results.

 

I really have no idea how it will end but I do have a lot of confidence in those in charge. Those guys have tons of respect within OBD and around the league. That has not always been the case.

I don't dislike Marrone, Whaley, or Brandon. i just dislike the clear, constant mistakes I keep seeing every year, and last year with all the new faces was no exception.

 

My take is Marrone was brought in specifically because of his background with the offense, with the O line, and with developing QB's like Brees while at NO, and Nassib at Syracuse.

 

Then if you see what happened with that line last season you simply can't come away feeling that the line indeed got better because of Marrone. When in fact every player regressed except Cordy Glenn, and I attribute some of that success to how poorly the rest of the line played. Meaning that the other players were so bad that the LT was never the real focal point of the opposing pass rush.

 

This Marrone being thought of as an O line guru is eerily similar to thinking that Chan Gailey was a QB guru when in fact he was anything but that, and chose to put all his effort into a broken QB. I can only think that Marrone must feel he can resurrect Chris Williams into the player he once was, as in back when he was considered a #1 pick. Last year he graded 74th out of 81 OG's, and 76th at pass blocking. Otherwise, I have no idea what this FO can be thinking when they pay a player who should be a backup, 5.5 mill guaranteed. Makes no sense to me, unless of course the plan is to fail again this year.

 

IMHO, EJ would be the man if given a three to five second window to make plays...instead of the two to three second window he had last season.

 

I can tell you right now how it will end should that line stay the same.

 

 

BTW, Dick Jauron was very highly thought of throughout the league as one of the hardest working coaches in the league. Now, if the man only had the brains to match that work ethic, and he had hired a decent NFL experienced OC.

[Kirby Jackson]

I don't dislike Marrone, Whaley, or Brandon. i just dislike the clear, constant mistakes I keep seeing every year, and last year with all the new faces was no exception.

 

My take is Marrone was brought in specifically because of his background with the offense, with the O line, and with developing QB's like Brees while at NO, and Nassib at Syracuse.

 

Then if you see what happened with that line last season you simply can't come away feeling that the line indeed got better because of Marrone. When in fact every player regressed except Cordy Glenn, and I attribute some of that success to how poorly the rest of the line played. Meaning that the other players were so bad that the LT was never the real focal point of the opposing pass rush.

 

This Marrone being thought of as an O line guru is eerily similar to thinking that Chan Gailey was a QB guru when in fact he was anything but that, and chose to put all his effort into a broken QB. I can only think that Marrone must feel he can resurrect Chris Williams into the player he once was, as in back when he was considered a #1 pick. Last year he graded 74th out of 81 OG's, and 76th at pass blocking. Otherwise, I have no idea what this FO can be thinking when they pay a player who should be a backup, 5.5 mill guaranteed. Makes no sense to me, unless of course the plan is to fail again this year.

 

IMHO, EJ would be the man if given a three to five second window to make plays...instead of the two to three second window he had last season.

 

I can tell you right now how it will end should that line stay the same.

 

 

BTW, Dick Jauron was very highly thought of throughout the league as one of the hardest working coaches in the league. Now, if the man only had the brains to match that work ethic, and he had hired a decent NFL experienced OC.

I pretty much agree. I like the line a little more than you (not a lot) and you like EJ more than me. Neither of us likes Chris Williams. There are certainly some holes on this team. They need a #1 WR & RT for sure. In addition, they could use a DE, S, P, OL and TE.

 

Jauron has always been looked at as an intelligent guy an a hard worker. With that being said people weren't lining up to hire him.

 

We will see come September.

[machine gun kelly]

With the trust, they have two years. I am too confident in this front office, and coaching staff. I won't make comments on EJ as it is too early.

 

That is part of the problem with this organization in making bad hires, blowing up teams too early, bad important pics in drafts. All of the obvious stuff. This team I'm convinced needs time to build this team. They need two years to demonstrate progression or we will forever work our way out of a team and we can all root for the LA Bills.

 

It is possible to get out of this mess.

[3rdand12]

With the trust, they have two years. I am too confident in this front office, and coaching staff. I won't make comments on EJ as it is too early.

 

That is part of the problem with this organization in making bad hires, blowing up teams too early, bad important pics in drafts. All of the obvious stuff. This team I'm convinced needs time to build this team. They need two years to demonstrate progression or we will forever work our way out of a team and we can all root for the LA Bills.

 

It is possible to get out of this mess.

Here is the second year.

Defining for sure. Those 3 year cycles have worn thin

Edited April 4, 2014 by 3rdand12