The State of the Bills

[BillsNYC]

Every week, NYCBBB Staff Member Phil Mann writes a column about the Bills for our members. I found this one to be especially interesting and a great read. Wanted to share it:

 

http://nycbbb.com/columns/122808.shtml

[dave mcbride]

Every week, NYCBBB Staff Member Phil Mann writes a column about the Bills for our members. I found this one to be especially interesting and a great read. Wanted to share it:

 

http://nycbbb.com/columns/122808.shtml

Good piece - thanks.

[lets_go_bills]

That's a GREAT read. You can't argue with any of the points he makes. Bang on!

[WellDressed]

pffftt.

[Dan]

Decent read, but I disagree with much of it and, perhaps, most fans.

 

Big Picture Priority #1: General Manage…DON’T Manage Generally

I don't really buy into all this talk of we need a true General Manager. Several teams don't have a true General Manager any do quite well. What we do need, as the article points out, is a direction. If we don't have a strong GM/Parcells type, then we need a strong Head Coach. And that's where the problem is, we don't have either one. Bring in a solid HC that provides accountability and direction and have a true GM means quite a bit less.

 

The primary responsibility of a GM is to assemble the players and coaching staff that can win. Isn't that what Brandon and company are doing or at least attempting to do? Perhaps you dislike Brandon et als. efforts. Fine. But, then advocate is dismissal. But, to continually complain about not having a true GM ignores the reality that is today's NFL and indicates you're just unwilling to accept a changing world. How many guys are out there that are qualified to oversee the spending of $100's of millions each year, evaluate players at all positions and levels, and manage every other aspect of a mega million dollare franchise? I'd suggest not many.

 

Big Picture Priority #2: Out Coached? Coaches Out!

I can't and won't argue this point. The Bills are out coached. It's painfully obvious week after week. Add in the FO's management structure and it's all the more reason to have a strong HC that provides the direction and identity of the team. Jauron simply isn't that person. We need a strong personality as our HC that knows what he's doing.

 

Big Picture Priority #3: Tear the Roof off the Sucker

As bad as the Toronto game was, we did not lose that game because it was in Toronto or because it was in a dome. We lost that game because the Bills flat out sucked. If playing outside was such a great advantage to this team, then why isn't our home record any better? Why do we lose the vast, vast majority of our games below 32 degrees? No, playing in a dome had little to do with our ineptitude that day.

 

Could they, should they improve the fan experience of the game? Absolutely. Watching the game on TV it looked like a slightly over-hyped preseason game. However, lets be realistic. Has anyone watched the game in London? That game looks just about as bad. The fact is... most people outside the US are not as passionate about football as we are . So, unless they can somehow get more Buffalonians to attend, its going to be a lousy experience.

 

If fans are so worried about losing a cold weather game, they could simply make next year's Toronto game a Sept. game. I would make it a non-divisiona game. But I suspect, Ralph chose Miami because he was hoping that would create the most interest and most likely guarantee a sellout. It appears he was wrong.

 

Big Picture Priority #4: Stadium Arcane-ium

Give this idea a rest. Do people really want their taxes raised so they can build a new stadium? Jerry Jones is finding it hard to fund his new stadium. But Ralph could easily do it here? The idea with the balloons and falling goalposts making the stadium look bad is ludicrous. When you have near hurricane force winds, structures get damaged and blown over. I don't care how new they are.

 

Yes, it would be nice to have a new stadium. But, given the economy and reality of the current tax base, it's just wishful thinking.

 

Big Picture Priority #5: Take our Ownership…Please

This is perhaps one of my biggest pet peeves. Is the entire Bills fanbase becoming a group of 16 year old girls screaming they want everything for them at their sweet 16 party? Ralph has defied all business sense and kept this franchise in Buffalo for nearly 50 years. He's guaranteed as long as he's alive the Bills will remain in Buffalo. Yet, like spoiled little girls, we throw a tantrum and scream we want more, more, moooore.

 

If anyone wants to guarantee the Bills stay here for 50 more years, I suggest they go into business, make a billion dollars and go buy the team. And then keep the team here despite the more lucrative deals you could get elsewhere. Because that's the only way this team is guaranteed to stay in Buffalo.

 

All I can say is be careful what you wish for. One day the Bills will have a new owner, and there's absolutely no guarantee that owner remains as loyal to Buffalo as Ralph. Whether Ralph cherry picks the owner or the team is sold on Ebay, there's no guarantee.

 

Not to mention all this talk of a new owner suddenly spending millions on coaches, players, a new stadium, etc. If someone has that kind of money , they're going to want a return on their investment - ala Jerry Jones. Can Buffalo sell the kind of luxury boxes and seat licenses that Dallas or Washington does? I doubt it. So, what would be the new owner's logical choice - yep, move the team. So, just keep wishing for a new owner.

 

 

 

IMO, the big picture is simple: put a winning product on the field. If the Bills became a perennial winning team, playoff bound each year most of these problems go away. Driving to Toronto is less a hassle. The stadium doesn't look nearly as beat down. The management structure or titles given to people become irrelevant. All becomes right in the world.

 

So how do you get a winning product on the field? That's the biggest question and the one most teams struggle with every year. I would suggest the Bills have enough talent, but what they really need is that strong leader to give them direction, an identity. In other words, a real HC.

[FLFan]

Decent read, but I disagree with much of it and, perhaps, most fans.

 

Big Picture Priority #1: General Manage…DON’T Manage Generally

I don't really buy into all this talk of we need a true General Manager. Several teams don't have a true General Manager any do quite well. What we do need, as the article points out, is a direction. If we don't have a strong GM/Parcells type, then we need a strong Head Coach. And that's where the problem is, we don't have either one. Bring in a solid HC that provides accountability and direction and have a true GM means quite a bit less.

 

The primary responsibility of a GM is to assemble the players and coaching staff that can win. Isn't that what Brandon and company are doing or at least attempting to do? Perhaps you dislike Brandon et als. efforts. Fine. But, then advocate is dismissal. But, to continually complain about not having a true GM ignores the reality that is today's NFL and indicates you're just unwilling to accept a changing world. How many guys are out there that are qualified to oversee the spending of $100's of millions each year, evaluate players at all positions and levels, and manage every other aspect of a mega million dollare franchise? I'd suggest not many.

 

Big Picture Priority #2: Out Coached? Coaches Out!

I can't and won't argue this point. The Bills are out coached. It's painfully obvious week after week. Add in the FO's management structure and it's all the more reason to have a strong HC that provides the direction and identity of the team. Jauron simply isn't that person. We need a strong personality as our HC that knows what he's doing.

 

Big Picture Priority #3: Tear the Roof off the Sucker

As bad as the Toronto game was, we did not lose that game because it was in Toronto or because it was in a dome. We lost that game because the Bills flat out sucked. If playing outside was such a great advantage to this team, then why isn't our home record any better? Why do we lose the vast, vast majority of our games below 32 degrees? No, playing in a dome had little to do with our ineptitude that day.

 

Could they, should they improve the fan experience of the game? Absolutely. Watching the game on TV it looked like a slightly over-hyped preseason game. However, lets be realistic. Has anyone watched the game in London? That game looks just about as bad. The fact is... most people outside the US are not as passionate about football as we are . So, unless they can somehow get more Buffalonians to attend, its going to be a lousy experience.

 

If fans are so worried about losing a cold weather game, they could simply make next year's Toronto game a Sept. game. I would make it a non-divisiona game. But I suspect, Ralph chose Miami because he was hoping that would create the most interest and most likely guarantee a sellout. It appears he was wrong.

 

Big Picture Priority #4: Stadium Arcane-ium

Give this idea a rest. Do people really want their taxes raised so they can build a new stadium? Jerry Jones is finding it hard to fund his new stadium. But Ralph could easily do it here? The idea with the balloons and falling goalposts making the stadium look bad is ludicrous. When you have near hurricane force winds, structures get damaged and blown over. I don't care how new they are.

 

Yes, it would be nice to have a new stadium. But, given the economy and reality of the current tax base, it's just wishful thinking.

 

Big Picture Priority #5: Take our Ownership…Please

This is perhaps one of my biggest pet peeves. Is the entire Bills fanbase becoming a group of 16 year old girls screaming they want everything for them at their sweet 16 party? Ralph has defied all business sense and kept this franchise in Buffalo for nearly 50 years. He's guaranteed as long as he's alive the Bills will remain in Buffalo. Yet, like spoiled little girls, we throw a tantrum and scream we want more, more, moooore.

 

If anyone wants to guarantee the Bills stay here for 50 more years, I suggest they go into business, make a billion dollars and go buy the team. And then keep the team here despite the more lucrative deals you could get elsewhere. Because that's the only way this team is guaranteed to stay in Buffalo.

 

All I can say is be careful what you wish for. One day the Bills will have a new owner, and there's absolutely no guarantee that owner remains as loyal to Buffalo as Ralph. Whether Ralph cherry picks the owner or the team is sold on Ebay, there's no guarantee.

 

Not to mention all this talk of a new owner suddenly spending millions on coaches, players, a new stadium, etc. If someone has that kind of money , they're going to want a return on their investment - ala Jerry Jones. Can Buffalo sell the kind of luxury boxes and seat licenses that Dallas or Washington does? I doubt it. So, what would be the new owner's logical choice - yep, move the team. So, just keep wishing for a new owner.

 

 

 

IMO, the big picture is simple: put a winning product on the field. If the Bills became a perennial winning team, playoff bound each year most of these problems go away. Driving to Toronto is less a hassle. The stadium doesn't look nearly as beat down. The management structure or titles given to people become irrelevant. All becomes right in the world.

 

So how do you get a winning product on the field? That's the biggest question and the one most teams struggle with every year. I would suggest the Bills have enough talent, but what they really need is that strong leader to give them direction, an identity. In other words, a real HC.

 

Great Post! Your reply on item #5 is particualrly right on. There is only one reason the Bills still exist in Buffalo and that is Ralph Wilson's committment to keeping the team there, despite the fact he could have made much more money elsewhere, or sold the team for hundreds of milllions at any point. Buffalo can simply not play the same game as other communities who have supported $300 to $500 million investments in new stadiums and that contain corporate sponsors and wealthy individuals in suffcient quantity to support high prices. That is the future of the NFL and Buffalo does not belong. When the old man dies, its all over, in all probability. I am intent on enjoying the team while I can, despite the failings. These anti-Ralph Wison whines I see on this board constantly annoy me to no end.

[Yoho]

Great Post! Your reply on item #5 is particualrly right on. There is only one reason the Bills still exist in Buffalo and that is Ralph Wilson's committment to keeping the team there, despite the fact he could have made much more money elsewhere, or sold the team for hundreds of milllions at any point. Buffalo can simply not play the same game as other communities who have supported $300 to $500 million investments in new stadiums and that contain corporate sponsors and wealthy individuals in suffcient quantity to support high prices. That is the future of the NFL and Buffalo does not belong. When the old man dies, its all over, in all probability. I am intent on enjoying the team while I can, despite the failings. These anti-Ralph Wison whines I see on this board constantly annoy me to no end.

 

 

You and Dan have nailed it perfectly. You can make a case for Ralph Wilson not being a great owner from a managment perspective but I said it on another thread Thank God for Ralph Wilson. The Bills would have been gone long ago with an owner that was truly money hungry.

[cody]

There is only one reason the Bills still exist in Buffalo and that is Ralph Wilson's committment to keeping the team there, despite the fact he could have made much more money elsewhere, or sold the team for hundreds of milllions at any point.

 

I am so sick of reading this crock of sh--.

 

If Ralph was really commited to keeping a team in Buffalo, he'd find someone equally as commited and sell the team for whatever the new owner could afford. (pending NLF approval)

 

Once Ralph dies, his estate must sell the team to the group that offers the most $.

[BuffaloBill]

Every week, NYCBBB Staff Member Phil Mann writes a column about the Bills for our members. I found this one to be especially interesting and a great read. Wanted to share it:

 

http://nycbbb.com/columns/122808.shtml

 

 

Excellent read

[Guest three3]

how could someone be so interested in football to be a head scout but be so willing to give up her career when her father dies? what does that tell you about this organization? it is rotting

[GG]

Good one Phil.