BuffaloRush Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 (edited) Scroll to the 35 minute mark http://buffalonews.com/2018/03/21/tim-graham-show-a-conversation-about-interviewing-o-j-simpson/ Again another cheap plug for the Tim Graham show. This show contains audio excerpts from his interview with OJ Simpson. One clip features OJ saying that Ralph wasn't interested in winning in Buffalo because it would mean he'd have to give players raises. He later claimed that once he made his money from the NFL, he changed his mind around the time that Polian was running things. Jerry Sullivan though says that Ralph Wilson was always a cheap owner. While he spent money on players during the salary cap era, he was notoriously frugal when it came to coaches and general managers. Sully even claimed that he called Ralph a "cheapskate" in one article and he refused to talk to him again. LOL. Sully said that Ralph didn't believe any coach or GM was smarter than his and so he didn't believe in paying them. Graham said that Ralph would pay people who "filled seats," like OJ and the Electric Company. This also would account for Ralph's alleged fondness for drafting running backs very high in the draft - to fill seats. This is what makes Ralph Wilson somewhat complicated. On one hand, you have to admire him bringing a team to Buffalo and keeping in the area. While there is some debate, at worst, Ralph made a possible move after his death, a little more challenging than what it could have been. There's also the charitable aspect that he's made to the community and the fact the he seemed like a genuine person. For that I admire him. But what Sully says is fairly spot on for the majority of Ralph's career - with the exception on Tom Donahoe in 2001. He gave him some pretty money and more importantly control of the organization. Things went horribly wrong both from a football and administration standpoint and after Donahoe's firing, it was back to cheap coaches and GM's that Ralph felt "safe" with. In my opinion, this perhaps was the biggest reason for the Bills 17 year drought. Ralph was reluctant to give the money and power to competent people to run football operations. In researching this topic, I came across a great article in Pro Football talk from 7 years ago which further supports what Sully was saying: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/01/01/bills-decision-to-hire-nix-draws-criticism/ “The Buffalo hire is a joke and a slap in the face to all hard working people in the NFL,” the source said. “The Bills have not been to the playoffs in over 10 years and that run will continue for years to come. The owner has made three hires in a row that shows he only cares about mediocrity. “Bills fans can rest assured that, a year from now, two years from now, and three and four years from now, the team will still be in last place in the AFC East. The Jets, Patriots, and Dolphins continue to make moves to get better while the Bills just tread water. There are good people who were very interested in that job, like Dave Gettelman, Scott Studwell and Doug Whaley that never got a chance. All those guys could have helped that team. The best hope for Bills fans is that the owner decides to sell the team and then someone who cares about winning takes over and brings in qualified people.” Ouch! Ironically everything in this article pretty much came to fruition. Again, Wilson is a complicated figure. You love what he did from a humanistic standpoint - but no so much from a football standpoint. Edited March 30, 2018 by BuffaloRush 7 5
GG Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 Wilson discovered that as long as he maintained a minimum viable product in Buffalo, he was guaranteed to clear $30mm/yr. That's why he was never going to move the franchise. He couldn't get away with that anywhere else. 7
PolishDave Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 It's very classy insulting dead people who did great things for their community during their lifetimes. 12 2
BuffaloRush Posted March 30, 2018 Author Posted March 30, 2018 Just now, GG said: Wilson discovered that as long as he maintained a minimum viable product in Buffalo, he was guaranteed to clear $30mm/yr. That's why he was never going to move the franchise. He couldn't get away with that anywhere else. You might be right. But the fact remains that Ralph had opportunities to move the Bills to more lucrative markets. He kept the team in Buffalo and toward the end of his life, made a deal with Erie County and local politicians which would have made it hard to relocate. I honestly believe that as the end was coming near, Ralph did want the team to stay in Buffalo. Just now, PolishDave said: It's very classy insulting dead people who did great things for their community during their lifetimes. If you read what I wrote, I gave Ralph a lot of credit for his contributions to the community. Yes, I did criticize the way that he ran the Bills toward the end of his ownership and when you look at the product that he put out post 2000, I believe that criticism is warranted 2
C.Biscuit97 Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 Can someone just take Sullivan out back and put him out of his misery? Dudes like this are why some people think newspapers are a joke. 1
4_kidd_4 Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 Buffalo News no longer gets any clicks from me whatsoever. It’s a filthy rag to begin with, and giving that ultimate attention whore OJ an audience was the last straw. They have zero integrity in my eyes. 1
BuffaloRush Posted March 30, 2018 Author Posted March 30, 2018 Just now, C.Biscuit97 said: Can someone just take Sullivan out back and put him out of his misery? Dudes like this are why some people think newspapers are a joke. Jerry is a skeptic for sure - but he does his job as a columnist. Would you rather have him develop a Chris Brown-like style of positive reporting? I don't agree with Sully all the time, but I appreciate his opinion and I think he's right on the money with Ralph
D. L. Hot-Flamethrower Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 I wonder what Sully would score on the Wonderlic.
4merper4mer Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 He kept the team in Buffalo and poison pilled the lease so drunk Kraft wouldn't notice. He operated from low liquidity compared to the Jones's andMcNairs of the world. He gave $900M to charity upon his death. Cheap. Right. Sullivan is a low life. 5
BuffaloRush Posted March 30, 2018 Author Posted March 30, 2018 1 minute ago, 4merper4mer said: He kept the team in Buffalo and poison pilled the lease so drunk Kraft wouldn't notice. He operated from low liquidity compared to the Jones's andMcNairs of the world. He gave $900M to charity upon his death. Cheap. Right. Sullivan is a low life. It's all about context - he said that Ralph was cheap when it came to paying management and many fans and journalists will agree. He never said he was cheap when it came to charity etc. Please don't twist his words into something other than the original point. 4
TH3 Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 Polian left after a heated argument about Ralph not wanting to pay an injury settlement to Jamie Mueller...Polian said it would be impossible to attract free agents if bills cheaped out...argument...Polian dropped C word regarding Ralph's daughter...history is made...
BuffaloRush Posted March 30, 2018 Author Posted March 30, 2018 3 minutes ago, horned dogs said: I wonder what Sully would score on the Wonderlic. He's not a dumb guy Just now, baskin said: Polian left after a heated argument about Ralph not wanting to pay an injury settlement to Jamie Mueller...Polian said it would be impossible to attract free agents if bills cheaped out...argument...Polian dropped C word regarding Ralph's daughter...history is made... LOL where is this story documented? Again, it would certainly back up Sully's "cheap" claim
K D Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 4 minutes ago, BuffaloRush said: Jerry is a skeptic for sure - but he does his job as a columnist. Would you rather have him develop a Chris Brown-like style of positive reporting? I don't agree with Sully all the time, but I appreciate his opinion and I think he's right on the money with Ralph I don't like Sully but this is accurate. We need both sides of the argument presented otherwise it would be a pretty boring narrative 4
PromoTheRobot Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 In other breaking news, water is wet, the Pope is catholic and bears do crap in the woods. 1
hondo in seattle Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 The Bills were criticized by Rosenthal (and, as I recall, Peter King) for not hiring Doug Whaley when we hired Buddy Nix to be GM. But Nix quickly hired Whaley, Whaley eventually took over the reins, and then failed. The media gurus aren't always right. Another note, I don't recall the exact number buy the Bills won about 46% of their games over the years with Wilson as the owner. Something was clearly going wrong. The argument that he was cheap with GMs and coaches makes some sense. But Wilson kept the team in Buffalo and gave tons of money to charity. For that, he has my respect.
D. L. Hot-Flamethrower Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 5 minutes ago, BuffaloRush said: He's not a dumb guy LOL where is this story documented? Again, it would certainly back up Sully's "cheap" claim Queue. He's not as dumb as you think! SMH
TheElectricCompany Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 (edited) I'm not one to put owners on a pedestal, which has become commonplace in the modern NFL. Wilson, like all owners, made business decisions that benefited his checkbook. While I don't know if he was a cheapstake owner, I do believe that he especially challenging to work with, especially in the later half of his life. The history is all there. Edited March 30, 2018 by TheElectricCompany
D. L. Hot-Flamethrower Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 6 minutes ago, baskin said: Polian left after a heated argument about Ralph not wanting to pay an injury settlement to Jamie Mueller...Polian said it would be impossible to attract free agents if bills cheaped out...argument...Polian dropped C word regarding Ralph's daughter...history is made... That would do it!
C.Biscuit97 Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 6 minutes ago, BuffaloRush said: Jerry is a skeptic for sure - but he does his job as a columnist. Would you rather have him develop a Chris Brown-like style of positive reporting? I don't agree with Sully all the time, but I appreciate his opinion and I think he's right on the money with Ralph Ralph is the sole reason the Bills are still in Buffalo. He never was shy on spending on players. Anyone who says different is full of it. He certainly struggled with trusting people but I’d blame Polian (I won’t like a guy if he called my daughter the c word either) or TD (who was given full control and was awful). There’s a reason why Ralph is in the Hall of Fame and has a statue built and why Sullivan will be forget/ slightly remember as the miserable guy who went down in a dying medium (and I love newspapers). 2
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