BrooklynBills Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Everyone wants go pile on Sullivan, but I have not seen anyone refute his basic point--that the Pegulas appear to be behind the curve, reacting to events rather than acting like owners with a well-thought out plan. I tend to agree with this perception, although I totally disagree that the Pegulas should have done what was necessary to keep Marrone around. I am just looking for some evidence that they know how to run a football franchise and I'm not seeing it. I know Terry made a lot of money in the energy business, but that does not mean he knows how to run an NFL franchise. They haven't shown they do. BUT They haven't shown that they are bumbling owners yet either. What happens next will go a long way towards swaying the public's view of them with regards to actually running the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackInDaDay Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Great post. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PS 56 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Sullivan....the same guy that reported that Sammy was bored in Buffalo when in fact Sammy was in Florida.. It is just a speculation piece. He likes to stir the pot and did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackInDaDay Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Here's what I wrote in the "What a circus thread": We've heard stories before that the Old Guard (Littman, Berchtold, Overdorf, and maybe a few others) viewed themselves as the heart of the team and weren't anxious to change things for a coach when we all know coaches come and go. According to TG, Marrone's beef was mostly with the Old Guard, not so much with Whaley. Rumor has it that Whaley himself has been frustrated with the Old Guard as he tries to change the organization. Polian was fired because he had conflict with the Old Guard, particularly Littman. And this shows you how powerful the Old Guard was. When Ralph had to choose between the guy who built the Bills into a SB contender or the Old Guard, he chose the Old Guard. Pegula needs to dismantle the Old Guard. And that's what he seems to be doing. Littman, probably seeing the writing on the wall, retired. None of the Old Guard will be involved in the HC interviews (contrary to initial reports). And none of the Old Guard will have any authority over our new coach who will report directly to the Pegulas. And these are just the first steps we've learned. I'm sure Pegula has an overarching strategic plan though he's still assessing things, too. Of course, he's not sharing the plan or the assessments with us. But his first moves are dropping some telling hints. I don't see a circus. I see hope. We've known for a long time (since Polian was wrongly fired, at least) that OBD needs to change. Now we see signs of change. It's about time. i hadn't seen this.. thanks, hondo. it appears the repairs are being made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobonators Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I for one believe in the Pegulas. In over their head? Nonsense. You don't become that successful in life and get in over your head. They're smart enough to know their limitations and hire the right people to make the right decisions for them. That's what successful people do. That's what they'll do. Give them time for christ's sake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockinon Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 God, I hope the Pegulas aren't putting any stock in this drivel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ontario51 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I started to read some of Sullivan's story then decided it was jibberish. His over the head concept is pretty silly. Do you think there are football people available who are at least as competent as Marrone? These are pretty desirable positions that pay well. Heck Schwartz would make a pretty good HC. As far as QB, someone will (can) defineitly play QB as well as last season at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgang Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 The Pegulas would have been in over their head had they caved to Marrone's ridiculous demands. I stopped reading Sully's article when I got to the second paragraph (and even that was 1 paragraph too many). I've always read his columns but basically this one is over the top and I'll never read him again once I figure out who is on the by-line of future BN articles. He is basically a shrill, bitter, person that has no accountability for his opinions and that says the same thing, weak after weak (misspelling is intentional). Life is too short to support his drivel. The Pegulas are going to make mistakes. No question, they are new at this and will make mistakes, but the only mistake I've seen them make so far is clinging to the past, putting their eggs in the Polian basket, and the resulting delay in hiring a czar-- if that's what they want to do. That doesn't mean they are in over their heads. It doesn't mean the sky is falling. It doesn't mean there is "blood in the water." Personally, I think they've done pretty well with the crisis, especially given that they've only owned the team for 3 months. Let the chips fall where they may; I am going to sit back, enjoy the suspense, support them, and see where things end up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Wow, I couldn't wait to log on and see the hissy fit over this column and I sure wasn't disappointed. Another great 8th-grade-girls-cafeteria-table moment brought to you by the koolaid drinkers at TBD. Sullivan is 100% right -they should have lined up some expertise immediately upon learning their bid was accepted...did they learn nothing from the Sabres debacle? Now the braintrust who frittered away next year's number #1 and left EJ as our best option at QB are leading a coaching search, but the successful candidate will report the the ...owner? To say it looks a little messy is putting it politely. I will say Sully picked a bad time to flat-out TROLL his haters after his stupid tweeting yesterday regarding Sammy. And I disagree completely that Polian is so damn irreplacable that they should have moved heaven and earth to get him here. But I don't know how you can argue that the Pegulas haven't already messed up. They better just hope that whoever they land to coach this team can get something out of EJ and manages the roster better than Marrone. If they can do that, all this "controversy" just dissolves away. But they're going to have to get lucky. If they just go out and hire Frank Reich because he is a hero here and fine christian, then we'll know we're in trouble. They seem to be driven more by nostalgia than good judgment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Sully hates Marrone, and yet his negativity is such that he blames the Pegulas for not keeping guys Sully thinks are crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keukasmallies Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) I for one believe in the Pegulas. In over their head? Nonsense. You don't become that successful in life and get in over your head. They're smart enough to know their limitations and hire the right people to make the right decisions for them. That's what successful people do. That's what they'll do. Give them time for christ's sake. How much time do you figure they'll need before they take some ahead-of-the-curve actions that promise to right the ship? Isn't the clock ticking louder and louder as the faux pas add up at OBD? Edited January 4, 2015 by Keukasmallies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed83HOF Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Sully hates Marrone, and yet his negativity is such that he blames the Pegulas for not keeping guys Sully thinks are crap. Aren't two negatives supposed to make a positive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 How much time do you figure they'll need before they take some ahead-of-the-curve actions that promise to right the ship? Isn't the clock ticking louder and louder as the faux pas add up at OBD? What faux pas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobonators Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 How much time do you figure they'll need before they take some ahead-of-the-curve actions that promise to right the ship? Isn't the clock ticking louder and louder as the faux pas add up at OBD? Exactly what "ahead of the curve" actions did you want them to take? Are you assuming that they KNEW Marrone was going to opt out? I don't know that. I'm under the assumption that they DIDN'T know he was going to opt out. So if they didn't know he was going to opt out, what the heck did you expect them to do? Start interviewing candidates BEFORE he opts out, just in case? According to reports, an extension was in place with Marrone, but yet he bounced anyway. So what do you WANT? Elaborate. I for one, don't need the owner making an announcement saying "Everything will be alright, fans". We lost MARRONE not freaking Vince Lombardi for christ's sake.. No announcement needs to be made for that scumbag in order to make me feel better as a fan. But that's just my personal opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keukasmallies Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Exactly what "ahead of the curve" actions did you want them to take? Are you assuming that they KNEW Marrone was going to opt out? I don't know that. I'm under the assumption that they DIDN'T know he was going to opt out. So if they didn't know he was going to opt out, what the heck did you expect them to do? Start interviewing candidates BEFORE he opts out, just in case? According to reports, an extension was in place with Marrone, but yet he bounced anyway. So what do you WANT? Elaborate. I for one, don't need the owner making an announcement saying "Everything will be alright, fans". We lost MARRONE not freaking Vince Lombardi for christ's sake.. No announcement needs to be made for that scumbag in order to make me feel better as a fan. But that's just my personal opinion. What I want(ed) was for the Pegulas to hire a consultant on the day the purchase was official- an individual who could assess the state of affairs from a neutral vantage point then make recommendations regarding practices and personnel in the organization to the owner and then go away - his consultancy job would be finished. The owner would accept some of the recommendations, probably reject others, then hire a permanent employee as a "change agent" charged with carrying out the recommendations endorsed by the owner. Too late for most of that now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lofton80 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Why alienate the Pegula's? They will be fine, Marrone or no Marrone. Another good offseason and this team is ready to fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobonators Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 What I want(ed) was for the Pegulas to hire a consultant on the day the purchase was official- an individual who could assess the state of affairs from a neutral vantage point then make recommendations regarding practices and personnel in the organization to the owner and then go away - his consultancy job would be finished. The owner would accept some of the recommendations, probably reject others, then hire a permanent employee as a "change agent" charged with carrying out the recommendations endorsed by the owner. Too late for most of that now.... That's fine. But how could a consultant have predicted that Marrone was going to opt out months later? There was nothing preemptive that could've been done about that until the opt out is actually exercised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 What I want(ed) was for the Pegulas to hire a consultant on the day the purchase was official- an individual who could assess the state of affairs from a neutral vantage point then make recommendations regarding practices and personnel in the organization to the owner and then go away - his consultancy job would be finished. The owner would accept some of the recommendations, probably reject others, then hire a permanent employee as a "change agent" charged with carrying out the recommendations endorsed by the owner. Too late for most of that now.... I'm more inclined to believe that Pegs was going to hire a czar immediately, but saw that the team was competitive and winning. Then things started to regress offensively towards the end of the season, and after it was over, he thought about bringing in someone because he wasn't confident in Marrone. Hence the reason he didn't offer extensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) I'm more inclined to believe that Pegs was going to hire a czar immediately, but saw that the team was competitive and winning. Then things started to regress offensively towards the end of the season, and after it was over, he thought about bringing in someone because he wasn't confident in Marrone. Hence the reason he didn't offer extensions. I hope that is not true. Would show startling bad business judgement not hiring a consultant to help him evaluate the situation just because the team was playing better than expected. He is a better businessman than that however, at least in my opinion. Edited January 4, 2015 by CodeMonkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keukasmallies Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 That's fine. But how could a consultant have predicted that Marrone was going to opt out months later? There was nothing preemptive that could've been done about that until the opt out is actually exercised. Marrone appears to be but one of the several major problems in the organization. However, with the widespread dislike/suspicion of Marrone that is coming to light now, chances are a consultant just might have gotten a sense of what was to come and relayed that to his employer. At the very least a consultant would be sure that the owner at least knew that the head coach could opt out at some point with the coming of a new owner. With that knowledge, the owner could have developed a series of options if/when the opt out came to pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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