New jw Tweets 1/9

[TheFunPolice]

Then Educate me. What REALLY happened. oooo what happened when he quit the Islanders ( I believe). But hey lets defend a quitter and frag another (Marrone)

 

Difference of opinion on a few major issues.

 

Pat L dropped the hammer of Thor but it broke when it hit Terry's unbreakable table.

 

Pat L then went out in a blaze of rage and quit rather than not get his way.

 

Short version for you.

[May Day 10]

OO Know Pat Quit because he didn't get what he wants. Hmmm he has Quit before too.

 

So he looked for a GM, picked one, the GM got the power and he cried and ran back to the league office. Hmmmm he has a history of that.

 

And yet again they ultimately sided with their GM to tank

 

So waiting for ONE piece of history they over-ruled their GM

 

 

First, LaFontaine has this "stigma" due to the Islanders situation that was extremely toxic. He was an unpaid advisor, and was expecting to work with Neil Smith... However, Charles Wang, a notoriously meddlesome owner of a dysfunctional franchise fired Smith like a month later and replaced him with their backup goaltender... and hours later, the unpaid LaFontaine resigned.

 

 

Any reasons people give for LaFontaine's departure from the Sabres is speculation. Only a few people know and they are on NDAs.

 

 

I do know I would want LaFontaine running the ship right now as opposed to a Brandon-Pegula-Murray triumvirate. They also had Craig Patrick on board and lost him in the process. I also know the Pegulas are amassing a repeat history of front office drama where it is only fair to not heap all blame on LaFontaine based on assumption.

Edited January 9, 2017 by May Day 10

[Delete This Account]

jw - great work. Thanks

 

I know there were some Tweets that the Bills were going to interview Frank Reich (with McDermott, Lynn, etc)...but haven't seen anything scheduled for him. Did Pegula/Whaley decide against Reich?

 

Reich's name has never come up this offseason. Doesn't mean it won't, but ...

 

jw

[MAJBobby]

 

Oh, he's (Pat L) is nearly impossible to deal with from many accounts. Unless you just fawn over him and do what he says. Then who isn't easy to deal with? I agree there.

 

But dysfunction is not new to this ownership group. They make huge decisions without seeming to think them through (i.e could there be issues working with this guy, who is a legendary Sabres player but also a headcase?)

 

Nah! Love him! Do it!

 

I admire that, to be honest. But it has its downsides.

I get that, but I think there is reasons they do that. You don't become worth Billions by being dumb. Alot of how they ran the Sabres early is the same as they did the Bills. Big swing for the fences. Big Money hires, big money spend in UFA. Those are all perception (cheap) changing moves.

 

But once all settled and GM picked and vision established they supported GM.

 

The reality is when you have inherit dysfunction it tends to get worse before it gets better

[TheFunPolice]

 

Not really. Did you read the story? It says LaFontaine hired Murray and Murray started doing GM things like trading players, which apparently LaFontraine was against and quit in a huff. The problem doesn't sound like the Pegulas, but LaFontaine hiring a GM who thought he had GM authority and wasn't a puppet.

 

Exactly. Power struggles in the front office. Just like the Bills.

 

Different circumstances, but same overall idea.

 

Everyone is not pulling in the same direction.

[PromoTheRobot]

I think that this is the $20M question. I am trying to take an open mind in this coaching search. A lot of the names that I had hoped to see, I haven't seen. With that being said Doug Whaley knows 20,000,000,000 x more than me and I trust his judgment. I do not agree necessarily with what these rumors are indicating but I think that he understands the landscape of the league well. I know that the top people in Pittsburgh think the world of him. I trust him to identify a successful NFL HC more than anyone else in that building.

 

I get where the Pegulas are coming from too. They have a vision and an expectation of where this team will be next year. I'm not at all surprised at the rumors that they lean towards TT being back. He gives the Bills the best chance to win in 2017. At the end of the day, the owner makes the final decision on what happens. It is a little frustrating that the owners and the leader of their football operations department don't see eye-to-eye. Hopefully whatever they decide, regardless of how it sounds now, will be the right decision.

And on a maybe related side note, season ticket renewals have not gone out. Usually they are sent before the season ends. They seem to be holding back until the HC thing is settled. Just throwing that out there.

[Nihilarian]

Exactly, I've speculated that given the choice it's the path Whaley would take. He has the survival skills of a cockroach, and will put self preservation above all else. New coach and new QB buys him 3-4 years at his high paying job.

Tell us how you really feel.

 

The only way Whaley stays if he dumps Tyrod and hires a new HC. Is if he manages to acquire Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer or some other veteran QB and they play well this year. I feel anything less than an a 9-7 season and Whaley is gone.

 

If he drafts a rookie QB and starts him with a rookie HC that is normally a recipe for a disaster of a season and we might see a 4-12 or worse season. JMO

 

 

If this is true, then we are truly screwed. Im no Whaley fan... but if Pegula wants to interject with every decision, the Bills are in worse shape than ever. It is like we have a younger, less knowledgeable Ralph Wilson

And you can thank Russ Brandon for this as he told the new owners that "they would know who to hire after they interviewed all the candidates". It's like once Bill Polian said he would hire AJ Smith to run the football side both Whaley and Brandon went into cockroach mode!

[MAJBobby]

 

Difference of opinion on a few major issues.

 

Pat L dropped the hammer of Thor but it broke when it hit Terry's unbreakable table.

 

Pat L then went out in a blaze of rage and quit rather than not get his way.

 

Short version for you.

Ok so Pat Cried because he wanted Power.

 

Pat Cried because he didn't like the tank

 

so Pat took his puck and quit. Yep I think I said that

[GG]

I get that, but I think there is reasons they do that. You don't become worth Billions by being dumb. Alot of how they ran the Sabres early is the same as they did the Bills. Big swing for the fences. Big Money hires, big money spend in UFA. Those are all perception (cheap) changing moves.

 

But once all settled and GM picked and vision established they supported GM.

 

The reality is when you have inherit dysfunction it tends to get worse before it gets better

 

Just like they supported the Sabres GM they inherited with the purchase, until they didn't.

[PromoTheRobot]

 

Exactly. Power struggles in the front office. Just like the Bills.

 

Different circumstances, but same overall idea.

 

Everyone is not pulling in the same direction.

But not originating (directly) from the Pegulas. More like LaFontaine misreading his role, maybe hiring someone too independent. I mean if you hire a GM and immediately have problems with the GM you hired, who's to blame?

[MAJBobby]

 

 

First, LaFontaine has this "stigma" due to the Islanders situation that was extremely toxic. He was an unpaid advisor, and was expecting to work with Neil Smith... However, Charles Wang, a notoriously meddlesome owner of a dysfunctional franchise fired Smith like a month later and replaced him with their backup goaltender... and hours later, the unpaid LaFontaine resigned.

 

 

Any reasons people give for LaFontaine's departure from the Sabres is speculation. Only a few people know and they are on NDAs.

 

 

I do know I would want LaFontaine running the ship right now as opposed to a Brandon-Pegula-Murray triumvirate. They also had Craig Patrick on board and lost him in the process. I also know the Pegulas are amassing a repeat history of front office drama where it is only fair to not heap all blame on LaFontaine based on assumption.

So let me guess Pegulas fault Marrone quit? Probably not, Marrone is a Jerk right?

 

Amazing how much fans just bend over for the former greats

[Billschinatown]

 

Reich's name has never come up this offseason. Doesn't mean it won't, but ...

 

jw

So you've gone as far to confirm one theory in this thread makes sense. Would the theory of the Pegulas being higher on Lynn and TT than Whaley is also make sense?

[MAJBobby]

 

Exactly. Power struggles in the front office. Just like the Bills.

 

Different circumstances, but same overall idea.

 

Everyone is not pulling in the same direction.

And when you inherit Dysfunction it gets worse before it gets better

[TheFunPolice]

Ok so Pat Cried because he wanted Power.

 

Pat Cried because he didn't like the tank

 

so Pat took his puck and quit. Yep I think I said that

 

Well you can say he "cried" or you can say he was hired to be the president of the team and make hockey decisions, not to come here and figure out the ticket pricing structures. Then he (a guy with a bit of a loose cannon reputation) got upset when it became apparent that he (as team president) really didn't have any say in what was going on.

 

In the end, it's not about "blame." It's about having factions who are at war with each other in the front offices of these teams. That is not healthy.

[MAJBobby]

 

Just like they supported the Sabres GM they inherited with the purchase, until they didn't.

Did they give Darcy the OK to hire the next coach?

 

Hmmm if you wanted to not support Whaley and wanted your guy then maybe you should have just fired Whaley as well

 

Well you can say he "cried" or you can say he was hired to be the president of the team and make hockey decisions, not to come here and figure out the ticket pricing structures. Then he (a guy with a bit of a loose cannon reputation) got upset when it became apparent that he (as team president) really didn't have any say in what was going on.

 

In the end, it's not about "blame." It's about having factions who are at war with each other in the front offices of these teams. That is not healthy.

He was hired to find the next GM and then that GM was going to have all the final say. That was WELL reported when Pat was hired. So what one to many hits to the head to not understand his role?

[ndirish1978]

 

if there is disagreement how did this come out?

 

Who does Pegulas want and why doesn't Whaley like him?

 

LOL, I like how you demand answers like he owes you something. You are aware he gathers information and writes about it as a profession, correct? I do not walk up to your office and just you do work for free because we both post on here.

Edited January 9, 2017 by ndirish1978

[TheFunPolice]

And when you inherit Dysfunction it gets worse before it gets better

 

Yeah, I tend to agree with that. I'm not down on the Pegulas. They will figure it out.

 

But they tried the band aid with the Sabres. IMO things are settled down there and hopefully trending up. For a guy with an awful W/L record Sabres fans seem to love Tim Murray. The team is stacked with serious star potential. Hockey takes a long time for those picks to pay dividends but wow is that team loaded with young talent.

 

I think they'll get the Bills situation right as well. Some more people are going to need to go, though, before it gets settled.

[MAJBobby]

Exactly.

 

Whaleys clueless if he thinks he gets another 3 years to try again.

Waiting for the 1st three years of his coach let alone another 3 years

[May Day 10]

So let me guess Pegulas fault Marrone quit? Probably not, Marrone is a Jerk right?

 

Amazing how much fans just bend over for the former greats

 

No... but we do not know what happened behind the scenes. All season there seemed to be an impending 'struggle' between Marrone and those entrenched in the Bills' organization.

 

There is likely blame on both sides. Sometimes, general opinion can be 'accepted' as fact, such as "Saint Doug is a Jackazz who attempted a power and money grab". Even if that is true... was he wrong?

[MAJBobby]

 

Yeah, I tend to agree with that. I'm not down on the Pegulas. They will figure it out.

 

But they tried the band aid with the Sabres. IMO things are settled down there and hopefully trending up. For a guy with an awful W/L record Sabres fans seem to love Tim Murray. The team is stacked with serious star potential. Hockey takes a long time for those picks to pay dividends but wow is that team loaded with young talent.

 

I think they'll get the Bills situation right as well. Some more people are going to need to go, though, before it gets settled.

I do love GMTM, he has an eye for talent, and just love his attitude as well. He won me over in the first draft.

 

When the entire Hockey world always does the standard puff up the draft host etc etc he just walks up says "Buffalo Selects Sam Reinhart" drops mic and walks away. No BS from that man