Blame Runs Deep - Excellent Article By Tim Graham

[JPL7]

There is no better time for the Pegula's to blow it ALL up than now. And i mean ALL OF IT! They can start completely from scratch. As a still relatively new ownership group, they have the rare chance to complete build from the ground up. Fire Rex, fire Whaley, fire Brandon, fire the whole staff, fire anyone who was under the Wilson regime. The Pegula's did the noble thing by keeping the status quo and not completely leveling Ralph Wilson's legacy. But forget it, its time. According to Spotrac.com, approximately 32 contracts come off the books this offseason anyway (plus Tyrod's would be an easy dump too). Perfect time to completely overhaul everything.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/

I would presume that a new GM and staff would prefer a completely clean slate anyway so they could really put their stamp on things with minimal interference, obstacles, or financial hindrances. Look I am not going to pretend I have all answers here necessarily, but im saying if a team could ever use a fresh start, its the Buffalo Bills. And given the various circumstances laid out above, what better time than now??? They (meaning the Pegula's and new staff) dont have to worry about building a winner in one season, so who cares if they suck in 2017 or even 2018? Its to be expected after a complete overhaul. I would have to imagine that the fanbase, at this point, would have to be understanding and appreciative of a complete rebuild project. The Bills simply cannot keep doing this treading water thing and expect to get better by slapping band-aids on different positions year after year.

THE TIME IS NOW, PEGULA'S!!!

[nucci]

 

I have to disagree. He wants a player and you don't think he puts pressure on whomever is negotiating the contracts to get it done?

I'm sure he goes to Pegula that he wants to sign a player and Overdorf is told to sign him and Overdorf handles the negotiations...doubtful Whaley says to include certain clauses

[ndirish1978]

The only way Brandon is gone is if fans make a huge stink about him. Go stand outside obd with signs for him to be fired and it will at least register with the team owners

[GA BILLS FAN]

Brandon was a failure as a GM, a failure as the head of football operations and a failure as an advisor to the owner on football related matters.

 

Regardless of the role he has today (pick one from the above list), he's failed.

 

This team has failed for over 17 years.

 

The objective is to win, PERIOD.

 

If you want to change the culture you start by getting rid of Brandon and gutting the rest of the FO, the GM and the coaching staff. Sure, in the process, some good people will be victims of the purge, but, in the end, create a winning culture from scratch, this team is TOXIC.

 

Why would/should fans trust Brandon to play any part in any decision that impacts the on the field product ??

Edited December 12, 2016 by TXBILLSFAN

[NoSaint]

Ya, come to think of it, you're right. That rascal Tim Graham tried to play all of us.

 

All is well at OBD. Move along people. Nothing to see here.

To be fair tim can be mostly right in his point and not great in his technique/process. I've felt that way reading many of his articles... the obvious conclusions aren't unfair but he sometimes takes liberty or stretches to help create the narrative to get there.

[MDH]

 

I have to disagree. He wants a player and you don't think he puts pressure on whomever is negotiating the contracts to get it done?

 

Of course he does but I seriously doubt he has input on the minutia of a contract. If he did he'd be the one doing them. I'm guess Whaley outlines the basic parameters of what he thinks a player is worth and leaves it to Overdorf and the agent to hammer out all the specifics.

 

Unless Whaley is given more power I won't be blaming him for every little thing that goes wrong with the organization. I'm all for consolidating power with a guy who runs the entire show but until that happens there's no "buck stops here" guy other than the Pegulas.

[vorpma]

It's called persuasive writing.

 

He is persuading the reader to buy into his thesis, which is that the Bills organization is dysfunctional and needs to be re-structured in total.

 

Have a read through the posts in this thread.

 

The persuasion is working.

Ya, the nerve of Graham to call out this losing organization and ruffle the feathers of gullible fans! The kool aid continues to flow!

To be fair tim can be mostly right in his point and not great in his technique/process. I've felt that way reading many of his articles... the obvious conclusions aren't unfair but he sometimes takes liberty or stretches to help create the narrative to get there.

HOW? What is not accurate?

[nucci]

another Kool Aid reference....how original

[vorpma]

Brandon was a failure as a GM, a failure as the head of football operations and a failure as an advisor to the owner on football related matters.

 

Regardless of the role he has today (pick one from the above list), he's failed.

 

This team has failed for over 17 years.

 

The objective is to win, PERIOD.

 

If you want to change the culture you start by getting rid of Brandon and gutting the rest of the FO, the GM and the coaching staff. Sure, in the process, some good people will be victims of the purge, but, in the end, create a winning culture from scratch, this team is TOXIC.

 

Why would/should fans trust Brandon to play any part in any decision that impacts the on the field product ??

How can so many not get this?

another Kool Aid reference....how original

Take another swig; everything is fine. Next year!

[jms62]

 

Of course he does but I seriously doubt he has input on the minutia of a contract. If he did he'd be the one doing them. I'm guess Whaley outlines the basic parameters of what he thinks a player is worth and leaves it to Overdorf and the agent to hammer out all the specifics.

 

Unless Whaley is given more power I won't be blaming him for every little thing that goes wrong with the organization. I'm all for consolidating power with a guy who runs the entire show but until that happens there's no "buck stops here" guy other than the Pegulas.

 

The injury provision is hardly Minutia.

[yungmack]

I don't doubt it. At the same time, Saint Doug was in line for several HC positions before he ended up OL coach of the Jags, so I don't doubt he's a grade-A !@#$up no matter the story.

 

None of which makes the conjecture that "Marrone left because he was sick of two years of dysfunction after three days of new ownership" make any sense whatsoever. And Graham's article is full of nonsense like that.

Exactly. Boom!

[bananathumb]

I didn't much like Ralphie boy, but I think he'd be firing a few of these FO knuckleheads today. Maybe not his money men, Like Oberdork and Brandon, but he'd be upset at how Schwartz's defense has been decimated by the two fools named Ryan. They'd be gone already

and he'd be very disappointed in Whaley's horrible drafts. He'd be gone today. Trouble with Ralph is, he'd hire Jim Kelly as Coach, Thurman as OC, Bruce as DC and bring back Marv as Football Czar. What a nightmare! Can we change ownership too?

[hondo in seattle]

Brandon is the "President" of the Bills franchise. So of course he's involved. The open question is how involved is he in football decisions? Or, to say it differently, how much blame does he bear? Without more information than TG presented, I'd hesitate to share an opinion.

 

But we can see from the product on the field that something's going wrong. The Bills aren't terrible, they just aren't good. And those two observations worry me because average, middle-of-the-pack performances usually don't cost a guy his job or bring about dramatic change.

 

Looking at the roster, Whaley hasn't done a terrible job. But he's clearly not a top echelon GM.

 

Looking at the team's W-L record, Rex isn't doing a terrible job. But he's no Bill Belichick.

 

Looking at his on field performance and passer rating, TT isn't terrible. But he's no Tom Brady.

 

Are any of these guys so bad they should be replaced? Well, if the Super Bowl is our goal, then maybe all of them need to go because none of them are producing at the Super Bowl level.

[T master]

Yes i agree to a point Brandon if he is allowed to stay around which i'm thinking he will be should be taken completely out of the decision loop as it pertains to players & coaches !

 

With that said i think Whaley & his team if given the chance to truly do their jobs & not have to move left or right to bring Brandon's opinions into the fold could have a better track record than with Brandon's input !

 

Taylor was brought in because he was Rex's guy & Whaley THOUGHT Rex knew what he was talking about but it's showing maybe not . Taylor is a lot better than EJ but that's not saying much .

 

So move on to the future how ever they do it with out the none football people making decisions & maybe things can change !!

[GA BILLS FAN]

Brandon is the "President" of the Bills franchise. So of course he's involved. The open question is how involved is he in football decisions? Or, to say it differently, how much blame does he bear? Without more information than TG presented, I'd hesitate to share an opinion.

 

But we can see from the product on the field that something's going wrong. The Bills aren't terrible, they just aren't good. And those two observations worry me because average, middle-of-the-pack performances usually don't cost a guy his job or bring about dramatic change.

 

Looking at the roster, Whaley hasn't done a terrible job. But he's clearly not a top echelon GM.

 

Looking at the team's W-L record, Rex isn't doing a terrible job. But he's no Bill Belichick.

 

Looking at his on field performance and passer rating, TT isn't terrible. But he's no Tom Brady.

 

Are any of these guys so bad they should be replaced? Well, if the Super Bowl is our goal, then maybe all of them need to go because none of them are producing at the Super Bowl level.

 

Famous leadership book, Good is the enemy of Great -- in Bills case, Mediocrity has been the enemy of Good, so no path exists to be Great

 

 

 

Yes i agree to a point Brandon if he is allowed to stay around which i'm thinking he will be should be taken completely out of the decision loop as it pertains to players & coaches !

 

With that said i think Whaley & his team if given the chance to truly do their jobs & not have to move left or right to bring Brandon's opinions into the fold could have a better track record than with Brandon's input !

 

Taylor was brought in because he was Rex's guy & Whaley THOUGHT Rex knew what he was talking about but it's showing maybe not . Taylor is a lot better than EJ but that's not saying much .

 

So move on to the future how ever they do it with out the none football people making decisions & maybe things can change !!

 

The point on Brandon that has to be highlighted to all his defenders is that he's been involved over the past 17 years of a failing organization. The defenders want to debate his exact involvement, I no longer do. The fact that he has had ANY influence says it ALL. He's failed when he's had 100% control and he's failed when he's had 10% control.

 

I don't want him to be a Bills employee or have Pegula's phone number when they search for the next GM or HC or even a football czar.

 

The fact that he was partly responsible or full responsible over the past 17 years says it all

Edited December 12, 2016 by TXBILLSFAN

[Webster Guy]

I find articles like this funny.

 

They just slam everybody at every turn, and pick out examples that make no sense (Darby has been benched for part of a game so Whaley stinks at drafting!)

 

Mack over Watkins! Gimme a break dude. They were both dominant in college and are both elite nfl players now. Julio and A.J carry their teams to the playoffs all the time and Sammy was just as good in college as they were.

 

Saying everyone should be fired is such a lame take. If you don't have a stud qb your upside is limited. Duh. Some years (like E.J's draft) there isn't a single qb that will have nfl success. We should fire all the colleges for not producing qb's.

[GA BILLS FAN]

I find articles like this funny.

 

They just slam everybody at every turn, and pick out examples that make no sense (Darby has been benched for part of a game so Whaley stinks at drafting!)

 

Mack over Watkins! Gimme a break dude. They were both dominant in college and are both elite nfl players now. Julio and A.J carry their teams to the playoffs all the time and Sammy was just as good in college as they were.

 

Saying everyone should be fired is such a lame take. If you don't have a stud qb your upside is limited. Duh. Some years (like E.J's draft) there isn't a single qb that will have nfl success. We should fire all the colleges for not producing qb's.

 

How many 1st, 2nd or 3rd round picks have the Bills used over past 20 years on the most important position in team sports ?

 

How many successful GM's have the Bills had in the past 20 years ?

 

How many successful HC's have the Bills had in the past 20 years ?

 

 

EDIT (with answers):

 

Most important position in team sports and no franchise QB: they've used 3 picks in first 3 rounds over 20 years !! --- criminal

 

Not one successful GM (0 for 5), not one successful HC (0 for 7) over past 17 years

 

Keep defending

 

Keep tolerating mediocrity

 

Keep Brandon

 

What a !@#$ing joke !

Edited December 12, 2016 by TXBILLSFAN

[LabattBlue]

Whaley doesn't negotiate contracts for players

He has to have some say. There is no way Littman or Overdorf(whichever member of Ralph's inner circle is left) is determining both dollars and term without some input from Whaley?

 

Please tell me I'm correct? If not, this team is screwed up from the Pegula's on down.

[MDH]

He has to have some say. There is no way Littman or Overdorf(whichever member of Ralph's inner circle is left) is determining both dollars and term without some input from Whaley?

 

Please tell me I'm correct? If not, this team is screwed up from the Pegula's on down.

 

There's no way to know exactly how much input Whaley has. It's clear he doesn't have total control of contracts but other than that it's just speculation.

[Haslett_Stomp]

As much as I despise the team that consistently wins the AFC East, they turned it around as an organization when they brought in Parcells as coach in 1993 followed by Kraft purchasing the team in 1994. Those of us who live(d) in the Boston area at the time will remember the dysfunction that existed in that organization prior to that time. Kraft brought in new people to run the front office, had a bit of luck along the way (i.e. Marcia) and here we are today.