Helpmenow Posted December 23, 2014 Posted December 23, 2014 Because he's not running the team anymore. Whaley is in charge of football decisions and TPegs is the owner. The time of Russ making anything but marketing decisions are gone. Whaley is running the team? It appears the Marrone is telling Whaley that the first round selection of 2013 isn't worth a crap. Got to one up the Russ bashers. Overdorf and Littman are next man up. Real fans know the problem is Berchtold though, just like real Beatles fans know the best song was that B-side, deep track, 'Number 11 Teen' featuring Yoko farting on a snare drum. The bootleg, 1979, BBC session. Not the studio version. They were done by April 1970 So, from these pictures we should deduce that Russ Brandon was running the show in the draft room? Really? Was that Brandon on the phone with the Browns? Was it Brandon that made the call on taking Kouandjio in the 2nd round? It was Brandon that worked the previous 12 months compiling the scouting info, breaking it down, and assigning player grades? It was Brandon that constructed the draft board? Are the terms "collaboration" and "consensus" familiar to you? Can you find me a picture from ANY war room in the league on draft day that DOESN'T have the team president in attendance? As president of the team Brandon was very much involved with the ENTIRE operation; all of it. And that includes taking Whaley, Marrone, personnel directors, scouts, etc. to task for the jobs they were hired to do. That was his job. That DOESN'T mean he thinks he knows more than they do when it comes to football and personnel decisions. Which is why he NEVER made a SINGLE personnel decision on his own. Ever. Including his time as "GM." I'll give him credit for having the good sense to defer to the expertise around him. GO BILLS!!! Did hire his brother now working as general counsel with the Bills
Jauronimo Posted December 23, 2014 Posted December 23, 2014 They were done by April 1970 Not a real fan.
jester43 Posted December 23, 2014 Posted December 23, 2014 Because he's not running the team anymore. Whaley is in charge of football decisions and TPegs is the owner. The time of Russ making anything but marketing decisions are gone. Because he's not running the team anymore. Whaley is in charge of football decisions and TPegs is the owner. The time of Russ making anything but marketing decisions are gone. lol
TSOL Posted December 23, 2014 Posted December 23, 2014 Russ Brandon definatly has the stench of losing on him. Marketing the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo and the surrounding area? C'mon, please. I bet Exxon Moblie's marketing team is highly lauded as well.
Malazan Posted December 23, 2014 Posted December 23, 2014 You completely ignore that the Bills Uniforms are also a common denominator. Were they to sport something akin to the following in the Bills colors, all the Bills problems would be solved:
Sisyphean Bills Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 You completely ignore that the Bills Uniforms are also a common denominator. Were they to sport something akin to the following in the Bills colors, all the Bills problems would be solved: Does this come with a "get out of jail free" card?
K-9 Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 Many of us will vouch for K-9...he's got a history with the organization I 2nd this. When it comes to the personnel side of he Bills there is probably not a more credible poster on this board than K-9. Much appreciated, gentlemen. There have been several folks around here over the years, you guys included, that have known folks in the building at various times and/or are close to the media that covers the team. When we piece all of our tidbits together, we're usually able to cobble together a somewhat coherent picture. GO BILLS!!!
Deranged Rhino Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 I 2nd this. When it comes to the personnel side of he Bills there is probably not a more credible poster on this board than K-9. I dunno, Skooby did drive a BMW...
PromoTheRobot Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 So, from these pictures we should deduce that Russ Brandon was running the show in the draft room? Really? Was that Brandon on the phone with the Browns? Was it Brandon that made the call on taking Kouandjio in the 2nd round? It was Brandon that worked the previous 12 months compiling the scouting info, breaking it down, and assigning player grades? It was Brandon that constructed the draft board? Are the terms "collaboration" and "consensus" familiar to you? Can you find me a picture from ANY war room in the league on draft day that DOESN'T have the team president in attendance? As president of the team Brandon was very much involved with the ENTIRE operation; all of it. And that includes taking Whaley, Marrone, personnel directors, scouts, etc. to task for the jobs they were hired to do. That was his job. That DOESN'T mean he thinks he knows more than they do when it comes to football and personnel decisions. Which is why he NEVER made a SINGLE personnel decision on his own. Ever. Including his time as "GM." I'll give him credit for having the good sense to defer to the expertise around him. GO BILLS!!! I saw him answer a phone for Whaley. Burn the witch.
Solomon Grundy Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 I know he was. What's your point? I believe fridge is saying that there were "probably" more qualified candidates available at the time of Marrone's hiring and that this was "probably" a "homeboy network" hiring. Can we not help but wonder where this team would be with Bruce Arians coaching? is it really shocking that people get the impression that Russ Brandon has and continues to be a major influence and voice on the football team? I dont get how people just dismiss others who have that perception. Tim Graham even said Brandon continues to have heavy influence in football matters the other day (on twitter). Heck, Ive seen people make arguments that when he was named General Manager he still wasnt making any decisions, lol. The equipment manager may get to go in the draft room, but is he front and center with materials in front of him? http://proplayerinsi...-pic-of-day.jpg http://www.buffalobi...elegate-714.jpg http://www.buffalobi...c0-06e835414672 http://www.buffalobills.com/photos/photo-gallery/Inside-the-Bills-Draft-Room/af5ab3f5-3e98-49af-a306-1d23ba1cda0d#d66e9b21-64f4-4e04-8e73-747f909bea2d Is frustration and discontent with Overdorf really unwarranted too? The guy is in charge of negotiating contracts... so many have gone so well. Peters, Byrd, Pat Williams, Winfield, etc... At least we locked in Kelsey for so long. The team has a history of squeezing out the wrong (best) players. The team is in great cap position for playing "cash to the cap" forever. I just cant wrap my head around why any Bills fan is/would be satisfied with the status quo here. This franchise has not been good with Ralph's management. They have a grand total of 1 playoff win without Jim Kelly. I do not want to see a continuation of that legacy. Im sure Pegula has a higher vision for this. Don't forget the Ryan Fitzpatrick contract
T master Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 I can't go down the Sullivan/Carrucci path of looking at plays or individual players or coaches anymore. After 15 years, it's time to recognize that there is a greater pattern. Questions: On what planet do you fail for as long as he has and keep your job? Why is he the only Pres in the AFC East without an Ivy League graduate degree? How many other team Presidents in the NFL are running teams with their bachelors degrees? How did a bachelors degree from St. John Fischer, some experience with the Marlins, and 9 years with the bills make him qualified to run an NFL franchise? How many hours and dollars did he spend on the Toronto deals which could have been spent trying to make the team better? Why have we hired more head coaches than any team (except Raiders) since 2000? Why have we not been able to hire a head coach with a winning record? Why is the team winning less than 40% of its games during his tenure? How do prospects feel about coming to play for a guy with this track record, who has the same education level as they do? I'm sure Ive missed some details, but the point is, the guy is grossly under qualified with a long track record of failure. I think he had RW brainwashed, and I hope Pegula asks the hard questions about Mr. Brandon. It's time to have this team run professionally. I agree the dude should NOT be running a NFL franchise but at what he does he is very good . The first part of the Toronto series although being a total turd to the fans in that it took away home games from the Ralph it did make the team $78 mill so even though it wasn't great for the fans it wasn't terrible for the team ... Then there is the thing with hiring our coach , total homer hire , could have done a lot worse (i guess) but with who was out there at the time not real sure how ... Put the guy back where he belongs & get a NFL guy putty in his place ...
Playoff Bound Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 This team is frustrating. I remember in the 1980's the Bills were frustrating but you knew they were honestly making gains and success was coming. This team does not leave me with that feeling. It just leaves me feeling frustrated. How do you beat Green Bay and then not show up for a critical game against a loser like Oakland? You can make the argument that the Bills should have won eariler games so that this one would not have had the impact it did. I can agree with that. Then how do you not beat teams like Houston and Kansas City? How do you not show up for the game in Miami? The franchise needs a total house cleaning and Brandon should be the first to be shown the door. When my dog craps in the house the smell doesn't go away until all of the crap is removed.
Jauronimo Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 I believe fridge is saying that there were "probably" more qualified candidates available at the time of Marrone's hiring and that this was "probably" a "homeboy network" hiring. Can we not help but wonder where this team would be with Bruce Arians coaching? He's said 9 different things and has yet to demonstrate lack of due diligence and its very much a subject of debate that it was the wrong hire. Lay that on Russ all day, but theres nothing but unfounded speculation and plausibility.
fridge Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 He's said 9 different things and has yet to demonstrate lack of due diligence and its very much a subject of debate that it was the wrong hire. Lay that on Russ all day, but theres nothing but unfounded speculation and plausibility. We have a much different definition of unfounded. What 9 different things did I say, Yoko?
Jauronimo Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 We have a much different definition of unfounded. What 9 different things did I say, Yoko? Badges Unqualified Leave no stone unturned Hired coaching Cuse coaching staff In the War Room etc You've advanced several disjointed arguments as to why Russ is to blame for our woes and these arguments have either been discredited or gone unsupported. I'm not interested in breaking this down for you any further since you've yet to even attempt to address any of the pointed questions I've asked. Instead you reply with some version of "OK, so he had no influence?? OK. I believe you", which is something I've never stated. Its clear that you have little understanding of what I write and little memory of your own involvement in this thread.
Gordio Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 I know he was. What's your point? His point is that Brandon once again blew the coaching hire. Why are you trying to be so argumentative?
Jauronimo Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 His point is that Brandon once again blew the coaching hire. Why are you trying to be so argumentative? That was a small part of his ever evolving point for those who are paying attention. Why is it unreasonable to ask someone who implied that Russ failed to do proper due diligence and based his decision on a Syracuse buddy network to back that up? Which other times has Russ blown the coaching hire? If you and fridge don't want to have your opinions questioned than why post them publicly?
thebandit27 Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 His point is that Brandon once again blew the coaching hire. Why are you trying to be so argumentative? And that point is, in the very least, overstated. For one, the team is better under Marrone than they were before he got here. For another, Brandon didn't force the hire. He recommended Marrone, and Nix/Whaley made the hire. Had they really wanted someone else, Russ wouldn't have stood in the way--it's not at all how he operates.
Heitz Posted December 24, 2014 Posted December 24, 2014 (edited) I don't know...does Immult sit next to the designers before their deadline? Does he set up an engineers table right next to the engineers? Did he at one point become a de facto engineer? (I checked, and surprisingly - no he has an MBA from Harvard) Fair point. But does he check-in on the designers before deadline? Is he there when they unveil the next gen turbine? I bet yes... Granted the "Russ as football GM" was a bad idea, but, while I'm sure he has some influence (he is the President), I'm pretty sure the football guys are making the football decisions now. And the Bills are a well run team and that is in part because of Brandon. Of course as a guy with 10+ years in the sports marketing world, I'm all for firing Russ and hiring me! I promise TBD I'll stay out of Football decisions... For another, Brandon didn't force the hire. He recommended Marrone, and Nix/Whaley made the hire. Had they really wanted someone else, Russ wouldn't have stood in the way--it's not at all how he operates. So funny the number of people here that think Russ (or Whaley, or Buddy) work and make decisions in a vacuum. Any big decision like this is made by a core group of "upper management", or at least that's how major decisions are made at every company I've ever worked for (and, you know, that's what articles have said happened in this case). Edited December 24, 2014 by Heitz
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