Jerry Sullivan: Ralph Wilson Was A Cheapskate

[Lurker]

5 minutes ago, Murdox said:

 

I think I agree with much of what you are saying, but I think it overemphasizes a "treading water" aspect to the Wilson mentality.  Wilson was an old man.  I've worked with many old men in my life, and I can tell you one thing - I am CERTAIN Wilson felt that he could adopt the business plan you describe while STILL being competitive.   In many ways, the modern game - and CBA issues - passed him by, and certainly age influenced that. 

 

I think Wilson began relying too much on his front office.  I'm sure he asked Brandon can we competitive spending X and Brandon said sure and laid out a plan that Wilson was ill-equipped to really second guess.  Following the team's failures each year,  Wilson, at his age, likely was far too willing to accept the excuses from the front office, and was talked into assigning the majority of the blame to a variety of things like the QB issue and coaching.  He didn't have the energy to really do the work to revamp the front office completely.  This gradually even got worse as he got older.  Certainly, they were trying to make certain moves over the years - they drafted at least 3 QB busts and made a move for Bledsoe at the end of his career.  They hired advisers, and generally spent the cap money.  They just didn't have the right front office in place to be what the team needed in Wilson's later years.

 

Man, that's a lot of words that have absolutely no relation to who Ralph was or how he ran the team....

[SoTier]

16 hours ago, LABillzFan said:

Man, there is nothing more reassuring than a sports journalist making about $100K/year explaining to everyone what makes a billionaire a cheapskate.

 

Since when did wealth become a synonym for altruism?  As a point of fact, historically numerous wealthy individuals were notoriously tight-fisted and ruthless when it came to their business dealings.   For numerous reasons, sometimes because they felt compelled to share their good fortune or sometimes just to avoid taxes, they or their heirs made generous gifts to all kinds of charities both before and after their deaths.  People today, both rich and poor, frequently do the same.

 

53 minutes ago, HiddenInLight said:

 

What major buffalo media outlet has even a respectable lineup of contributors?  The Buffalo News is awful.  WGR still employs guys like Mike Schopp.  ESPN has a Patriots guy covering the bills who shows open dislike for the team.  Tell me how Buffalo has good sports media.  Sully was the first in a huge wave of click baiting morons with no substance to their contributions other then titles made to convince people to click on your article.  There are very few guys that work for the larger media outlets in the area that even do a halfway decent job.  The only people that do halfway decent sports writing are for much smaller media outlets, that are just holding a foothold because places like TBN, andWGR would rather get their clicks then actually get good content, while ESPN treats buffalo like an afterthought and the butt end of a joke that isn't worth bothering to cover.

 

Y'know, even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut.  Mostly Sullivan's full of BS but he's right on this one.  The Bills win-loss record over Wilson's tenure as owner speaks for itself: 21 winning seasons in 54 years, and virtually all of them under only 3 HCs: Lou Saban, Chuck Knox, and Marv Levy.  In the last 14 years of Wilson's ownership, the Bills had exactly 1 winning season and 0 playoff appearances when teams with owners who invested in top quality FO and coaching staffs were perennial playoff and Super Bowl contenders despite being operating under the same salary cap rules as the Bills.  How many players that the Bills drafted and then chose to trade or not re-sign as FAs went on to become Pro Bowlers, All Pros, or potential HOFers with other teams?  How about Antoine Winfield, Nate Clements, Pat Williams, Jason Peters, and Marshawn Lynch?  The number of ex-Bills who went on to become key performers for playoff and Super Bowls teams is embarrassing large for a team that never even made the playoffs in the 21st century under Wilson's ownership.  Look at how many ex-Bills played in the 2018 Super Bowl.

 

You can dismiss the accusation that Wilson refused to spend on his FO and coaching staffs because you don't like Jerry Sullivan or because you wish to put Wilson up on a pedestal as if he were George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, but it's not going to change the reality that under his ownership, the Bills sucked almost annually except for the Polian-Butler era.

[Gugny]

RWC was a horrible owner dedicated to lining his own pockets.

 

He kept the team in Buffalo ... but why the hell wouldn't he???  Fans kept filling the stadium without him having to invest in a winning product.

 

What's done is done.  Onto better things now.

[IDBillzFan]

1 hour ago, SoTier said:

 

Since when did wealth become a synonym for altruism?  As a point of fact, historically numerous wealthy individuals were notoriously tight-fisted and ruthless when it came to their business dealings.   For numerous reasons, sometimes because they felt compelled to share their good fortune or sometimes just to avoid taxes, they or their heirs made generous gifts to all kinds of charities both before and after their deaths.  People today, both rich and poor, frequently do the same.

 

I'm genuinely not certain what you comment above has to do with my comment about Sullivan.

 

My point was simply how I find it ridiculous that Sullivan would find it necessary or important to publicly stand in judgement of how a billionaire spent his money. 

[TheFunPolice]

One guy is beloved and will be remembered by the masses forever in a positive light both for the NFL team here and everything he did for the community, and continues to do through his foundation.

 

One guy is a barely relevant sports writer who seems genuinely miserable and is disliked by many who actually know who he is.

 

Advantage: Mr. Wilson.

Edited April 2, 2018 by TheFunPolice

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

3 hours ago, Gugny said:

RWC was a horrible owner dedicated to lining his own pockets.

 

He kept the team in Buffalo ... but why the hell wouldn't he???  Fans kept filling the stadium without him having to invest in a winning product.

 

What's done is done.  Onto better things now.

 

...and that's why his Will stipulates that his ENTIRE $1.2 BILLION dollar estate must go exclusively to charities within 20 years.......got it......nice.....

[baskingridgebillsfan]

Sullivan and Graham are still employed ? how is that possible 

[Saxum]

7 hours ago, BuffaloRush said:

I get that you might not line Sully.  He’s an opinionated columnist designed to write articles that get people talking.  Every city has writers like this.

 

How on earth though is Sully the major reason why Buffalo sports media is in terrible shape? And how can you justify that the Buffalo media is in terrible shape?

 

I get that you might line Sully. That is a terrible habit.

5 hours ago, Murdox said:

 

I think I agree with much of what you are saying, but I think it overemphasizes a "treading water" aspect to the Wilson mentality.  Wilson was an old man.  I've worked with many old men in my life, and I can tell you one thing - I am CERTAIN Wilson felt that he could adopt the business plan you describe while STILL being competitive.   In many ways, the modern game - and CBA issues - passed him by, and certainly age influenced that. 

 

The CBA issues did not all pass by him, he was one of the ones who spotted a problem and it was changed next contract.

1 hour ago, baskingridgebillsfan said:

Sullivan and Graham are still employed ? how is that possible 

 

I am guessing blackmail material but it may be union at Buffalo News.

[Gugny]

5 hours ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...and that's why his Will stipulates that his ENTIRE $1.2 BILLION dollar estate must go exclusively to charities within 20 years.......got it......nice.....

 

Didn't say he was a bad guy.  Didn't say he wasn't a philanthropist.  I said he was a ****ty owner.

Edited April 3, 2018 by Gugny

[Augie]

I don’t live there or read his stuff. My first reaction is: can Jerry please just learn a new trick? Maybe I’m off, but this seems old and tired. We get it, move on already. 

[Saxum]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

I don’t live there or read his stuff. My first reaction is: can Jerry please just learn a new trick? Maybe I’m off, but this seems old and tired. We get it, move on already. 

Better the crusty old fart we know. If he retires who are they going to replace him with and still keep the same rhetoric, Gungy?

[Augie]

1 minute ago, Limeaid said:

Better the crusty old fart we know. If he retires who are they going to replace him with and still keep the same rhetoric, Gungy?

 

I don’t know, is @Gugny available?    

 

I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.   

[BuffaloRush]

2 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

Didn't say he wasn't a bad guy.  Didn't say he wasn't a philanthropist.  I said he was a ****ty owner.

 

This is a perfectly logical take and while it’s phrased a little strong, I’d also agree that as a football owner Ralph was not very effective.  This is especially true during the past 17 years.  I put the blame for the drought largely on his shoulders.  That’s exactly what makes Ralph such a polarizing figure.  You can have issues with him as an owner but can’t deny his loyalty and philanthropy to the WNY region. 

5 hours ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...and that's why his Will stipulates that his ENTIRE $1.2 BILLION dollar estate must go exclusively to charities within 20 years.......got it......nice.....

 

The fact that Ralph was extremely generous to the area doesn’t change the fact that didn’t make great decisions as owner of the Bills over the 2 decades or so

[Gugny]

1 hour ago, Limeaid said:

Better the crusty old fart we know. If he retires who are they going to replace him with and still keep the same rhetoric, Gungy?

 

I'm sorry, but if you can look at the history of the Buffalo Bills and say they've been a successful NFL team, they I'd say you're nuts.  Outside of the four lucky years they had, where Ralph didn't have to open his checkbook, this team has - generally speaking - been the crappiest NFL organization going.  MAYBE the Browns or the Lions will give them some competition.  I don't like Sullivan, either, but what he said in this piece was spot on.  RWC was cheap. And the Bills have sucked for decades because of it.  Period.