Kirby Jackson
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Posts posted by Kirby Jackson
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I already saw it, ha ha. He said something like, "I always knew being good friends with Littman's kids would pay off." I am about to unfollow him. I don't mind Massare's reporting; I can't stand his touchdown celebrations.Since I know you love Massare, lol, check out his Twitter TL. He is celebrating this news as he says he reported it first with his breaking story the other day. Says it is the first step.
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Modrak on the draft (obviously with input from his staff) and Guy on free agents (with the same input from his staff). The scouting people had a big say. I believe that is when Marc Ross and he always had substantial say. That was part of the reason that they wanted to bring on an actual GM in Buddy Nix.So, exactly who made the decisions on draft day, on free agent signings? The scouting people or the director of football operations?
Did i say Ray Guy, I did didn't I
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Great stuff and thanks for the clarification!!This is the best news possible. It means that Ralph did exactly what many of us in the estate planning world hoped he would do. He transferred ownership to his much younger and healthier spouse using the unlimited marital transfer provision of the tax code. Essentially, the estate tax issues that have been discussed ad nauseum have now been postponed in full until Mary passes, which is hopefully a long, long time. In addition, unlike executors or trustees, she has no obligation to sell to the highest bidder. The Bills asset can now be transferred as she sees fit. Hopefully she remains the owner or has it in mind to sell to local interests as long as a competitive bid is made. This is important and great news that contradicts directly many things we were told prior to Ralph's passing, namely that no one in the Wilson family had any interest in owning the team. I suspect Ralph and Mary felt it was no one's business that they had made this plan.
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John Guy, Ray Guy was a punter.While I agree with the "I think that they did a pretty miserable job of assembling talent in that period." statement. While Modrak was the VP of college scouting, chief scout, Ray Guy was the VP of pro personnel, also in charge of the free agent scouting. Those two didn't make the final decisions on things like who gets drafted.
However, I don't agree that Brandon is not accountable! Wasn't Brandon named director of football operations right next to Marv Levy in 2006? Then when Marv retired, Russ Brandon took over as de facto GM. Although his title didn't change, his share of the responsibility certainly did change in my view.
Since Marv Levy stepped down, the name of the game has been shifting the blame around so nobody outside the org knows who to blame. I think it falls right on Brandon because the very same things that have been happening for the last decade are still happening. Stupidity seems to reign with no accountability for three years.
I am telling you (whether you want to believe it or not is up to you) that Guy and Modrak were the ones with the say. Marv actually slept through their biggest scouting meeting of the year. They would go through the book and debate prospects as he napped -literally. Then he would wake up and start stretching. This probably doesn't guve off too much confidence but it's true. He had zero say. I always chuckle when people analyze Marv as a GM. He was put there to inspire confidence and connect the past to the present. He was not there to make personnel decisions.
RB had the title but did not make personnel decisions. It was those same two. He has involved with trying to "build the organization" but not to evaluate talent.
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I guess that my issue is that you can find quality RT throughout the draft. Pretty much every team does that. I subscribe to the Polian school of thought that the top half of the 1st round is for: pass rush, QB, LT and elite skill players. Those are the guys that are hardest to find throughout the draft and then they rarely hit the free agent market. If they do you have to pay a premium (Mario) or they have their share of issues (DJax).So, if the BPA is an offensive tackle you don't take him because you already have one of those? Assuming he starts at RT from day 1 what's the problem? You've solidified your line, now get the fast guys.
Look at how many quality OG and RT were available this year for a decent price. Strief, Howard, Asamoah, etc... You can always find solid starters at less impactful positions. The same goes for S and run stuffing LB.
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I don't necessarily disagree with your first line. I am not a fan of Chris Williams (at least at this point). I was hoping that they would sign at least 1 solid starter on the OL in free agency. I hope that he proves me wrong.I know I'm in the minority on this one, as I think the Bills really really need to solidify more then just RT on that O line. Think about the current O line going full bore against the Bills D line, and what the end result would be...exactly.
I see three positions that need upgrading, and some solid depth behind the starters. Rather then some random waiver wire pickups who may or may not be able to be an adequate backup.
I wouldn't be upset if the Bills drafted Taylor Lewan and had him play RT. To me it would be such a benefit to be able to replace the LT without much drop off should a serious injury occur to Glenn. Then the prospect of having a solid RT to protect that side should opposing teams choose to move their best pass rushers from left side to right side would be huge upgrade.
However, i would rather see the Bills trade back to around 15-17 and draft OT Zack Martin who can play any position on that line. Meanwhile picking up an extra second round pick with that trade. Then drafting TE A Seferian-Jenkins or TE Troy Niklas. Then with the second, second round pick draft OG Gabe Jackson, or David Yankey. Doing this would really help build a better line to protect all those second year QB's
I fully expect WR to be their first pick but I hope that RT is next. In addition, I would like to see them get a small school prospect in the mid rounds that can play multiple positions. Maybe that kid from NDSU?
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Yeah, it was a huge mistake to cut star QB Trent Edwards and your highest paid offensive player in Langston Walker. I do understand the way that it works. I have a masters degree in sports business and worked in pro sports for 8 years. With that being said, I can relate to the challenges that they face and have a solid understanding of the responsibilities of each position. I am not trying to be a "Kool-Aid" drinker and at the same time I am not trying to be a negative Nancy. I am trying to be a realist.Hi Kirby
If GM put out a bad product, then people would stop buying their cars, and then ultimately they would go out of business. The Buffalo Bills have put a bad product on the field for fourteen years and are still making a good profit for the one owner.
Russ Brandon & Buffalo Bills philosophy.... How to win big by losing cheaply http://espn.go.com/e...eap-paying-wins
Great article on how losing so much has kept the Bills in the green.
"For Buffalo, this is a recent pattern. Just before the 2009 season began, the Bills waived their starting left tackle, Langston Walker, and the team's highest-paid offensive player. Two games into the 2010 season, the Bills waived their starting quarterback, Trent Edwards, their second-highest-paid offensive player. Both actions increased profits while setting up an excuse for a losing season."
My favorite part, "money that is not spent on players goes into the pockets of the owner and his relatives."
There is real, hard reason as to why the team loses every year. Bring in 100 million dollar DE to sell tickets. We need a LT, but a star RB will sell tickets. Bring in TO to sell tickets.
Sok guys, keep defending the man who sucks you into buying season tickets every year... all the while knowing the team isn't going anywhere. Its all a charade, a blatant pretense, deception....something so full of pretense as to be a travesty.
It is a bit of a pet peeve of mine when someone is being held accountable for something that they are not responsible for. I brought it up earlier "do we hold Hackett responsible for poor ST play?" Of course not!! It is very much the same thing. Think of Russ as a former offensive coordinator who recently was promoted to Head Coach. He didn't use to have a say in the defense but now he does. You cannot blame him for the performances of past defenses. You can blame him for any business decision in the last decade (Toronto, seat heaters, etc...) as well as any football decision in the last year or so (Levitre, Byrd, EJ, Kiko, Marrone, Whaley, etc...). That is the point that I have been trying to make all along. If you want to point the finger, go for it but make sure that you are pointing it in the right direction.
As an aside, the 2 people that get the biggest passes on here are John Guy (pro) and Tom Modrak (college). Those are the two that were responsible for building the talent on the roster between Donahoe and Buddy. Others, may have had the title but those are the two that had the responsibility. I think that they did a pretty miserable job of assembling talent in that period.
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I don't agree w/ the holes you poked....
Bills business changes can be reflected as readily as can those instituted by a private sector CEO given the context of their respective environments. Frankly, much of the revenue the Bills receive isn't even dependent on on-field success, e.g., TV revenues that are portioned out just for existing. (Correct which is negotiated at the league level not the team. They only control the non shared portion which they have done EXTREMELY well considering the market and stadium.)
One can make the argument that injuries to key players have little or no impact on the bottom line, and certainly there is ample evidence that poor performance is almost a keystone of the Bills "success" in that failure appears to breed continuing season ticket sales, often at increased prices. (Not sure what you are saying? The record has little impact on the business side. Almost all revenues are generated before a game is played.)
GM certainly does face obstacles wherein their assets don't operate: See this week's newspapers.
i believe the Bills is a business all too much like any other private sector business in many ways; where they differ is that the Bills can "sell" (not offer, sell) an inferior product over long periods of time and not fear losing their customer base. Tragic, but true. (So we agree that they have done a masterful job of running their business?)
So, again, I believe it is totally fair to judge Mr. Brandon from both the business and the "sports" perspectives: Successful in the former; unsuccessful in the latter. (The whole point is that he is only 1 year into running the football and about 8-10 year into running the business. I actually think that we are in agreement. If given the proper time and resources his track record in business would lead you to believe that they will be successful).
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ThisThis is amazing.
He played 16 games, gave up 1.5 sacks, and committed 6 penalties.
This is a guy you have to pay a lot of money to.
That is why I have been against OT at 9 from the beginning. You do not take a RT in the top 10. You may take a guy to play LT and it turns out that he doesn't have the feet so he remains on the right side. Anthony Davis is the only guy that I can think of drafted in the top 10 with the intention of not blocking the blindside. Lane Johnson was drafted to play with a left handed QB. You certainly would not do it in a draft this deep. Maybe you would have considered it last year.
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I forgot Barr on my list. He was the other guy. It will be interesting for sure.^ This
You have an excellent bead on the top of this draft IMO Kirby.
I only differ slightly, in that I believe there's a top 6 that I think will go, and you've got in nailed: Clowney, Robinson, Mack, Manziel, Watkins, & Matthews. Tampa Bay is the wildcard, as the possibilities for that pick include any of Barr, Bortles, Evans, Donald, or Lewan. I think Minnesota probably comes down to QB or DB, and usually new coach = new QB.
In any event, the draft really starts at TB IMO
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I can't see any scenario where Clowney, Robinson and Watkins are not 3 of the 1st 5 players picked. The QBs are wild cards and I would guess that 2 (Bortles & Manziel) are off the board before the Bills pick. Matthews and Mack will most likely be gone. That's 7 players that I don't think that the Bills have a shot at picking 9th. The 8th player will be interesting. Will it be Bridgewater, Donald, Clinton-Dix (Minny), Gilbert, Evans, Barr (forgot him initially) or Lewan? My guess is that the 8th player comes from that group.
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Not to poke holes in your analogy but it's different. The CEO of GM can come in an institute new protocols that start tomorrow. The Bills changes can only be reflected as success or failure during the season.If it's fair to judge the new (three months) CEO of General Motors, it's certainly fair to judge Mr. Brandon! The Bills are a business, Mr. Brandon runs that business, the business makes lots of money; therefore, I judge him to be successful. If one sees the Bills as only a sports team that doesn't win, he's a failure and should be replaced.
In addition, GM does not face obstacles where their assets do not operate (injuries). Sports are a totally unique business model in that your assets (players) are your liabilities. How would GM operate if their most important machine did not function for 3/8 of the year? Would that ultimately impact their success or failure? That is the equivalent of a QB starting only 10 of 16 games.
Another thing is that the Bills are constricted by a salary cap. GM can throw an unlimited amount of cash at their problems. Regardless of what the budget is they can elect to spend past it. It may not work but it is still an option. The Bills do not have that option.
There are many, many more differences but I will leave it there. While I definitely agree that it is a business first it is not just like any other business. Baseball probably most closely resembles any other business in that they are not restricted by a hard cap, most of their revenues are generated as a team (not a league), and injuries are less frequent. The gap in revenues between the top team and the bottom team is enormous.
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Totally agree and really well said. They are going to finish addressing holes before future needs.The Bills are hoping to build a team that can at least contend for a Wild Card spot in 2014...I just don't think security (depth) at ILB is going to be much of Draft priority...Not to say they won't Draft an ILB...Just doubt it will be in the first 4 rounds or so...
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No we drafted 2 kickers. We certainly need a punter. I would use a late round pick.We have drafted a kicker and punter the last two years.....let's just take a year off from it.
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No problem, I had been waiting for some hints from this person but they kind of took the suspense away. They 100% know. Crazy things can happen as we are still a month away but after hearing that I have no doubt.thanks Kirby
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I should have went to Vegas.My thought for the Bills offer would be something like 4 years $32M with $24M guaranteed with a strong morality clause that allows the Bills to recuperate some/all of the guaranteed money if he violates it.
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I think that it is actually 30 pre draft visitswell so far going by this, I hope everyone wants a DB from Ohio State at #9 again...lol...I think I just heard everyone throw up...so far these are the guys Buffalo have brought in for pre-draft looks :
TE, Troy Niklas, Notre dame - projected 2nd round
CB, Bradley Roby, Ohio State - projected 1st or 2nd round
OLB, Ryan Shazier, Ohio State - projected 1st or 2nd round...although most mocks have him going in the 1st
RB, Lache Seastrunk, Baylor - projected 3rd - 5th round
WR, Cody Latimer, Indiana - projected 5th - 6th round
so far CB or OLB would be the first round pick..although they still have 5 more they can bring in to look at i believe...I don't see any of these guys as the pick at #9 tho
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PFF, he graded out terribly. If he was a negative 5 or something you could make the case that maybe he is around average. At a -21.3 or whatever it was it is tough to make an argument that he had a decent year. That is worse than Legursky I believe. It is tough to argue with a great score or an awful score. I am not saying that there is a huge difference between a +3 and a -3 but there is a huge difference in a +3 and a -21. He was the lowest graded player on Rams (at least the lowest graded that played).You base this, right, on the PFF rating? r because he was cut by the Bears?
Obviously, the Bills FO did not agree. So, my question for you would be, "Have you looked through film/watched the guy play?" If not, how can you be SO sure the guy is a "bad football player"? Just as an example of my point, last year the Colts gave up on Jerry Hughes, a former 1st round pick. He wasn't released per se but the trade was for a player the Bills were planning on cutting (White). He turned out all right wouldn't you say? I am not saying you are wrong - Williams may end up being bad but not only do the Bills disagree they paid him millions to come here. I am only questioning how certain you seem by not calling him mediocre but "bad".
Hughes was traded for Sheppard. Thad Lewis was traded for Chris White.
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That's how I feel. They signed Chris Williams and I didn't know much about him other than he was a 1st rd. pick. He graded out pretty poorly. Even if it is a little off he has to be a below average - bad football player.i know you are joking, but c'mon, like pff or not and you can agree that a -21.8 should be atleast a little cause for worry.
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That's really good stuff and would be a great draft IMO.
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I am saying the same thing as bandit. We do not yet know if it will be a success or failure. For the 1st time in my lifetime I have confidence in the people calling the shots from Russ to Whaley to Marrone. Those guys have a lot of respect around the league. Does that mean that they are going to be great? Who knows the outcome. I can tell you this no one thought that Gailey or Jauron were good hires but they were about 10th on the list. No one wanted the Bills job because they had no talent. There was a lot of interest in Marrone last year and the Bills snatched him up. Is he a good coach? Who knows but the jury is out.
Each of those guys is smart and progressive. OBD finally has centralized, unquestioned leadership which has never been the case. Despite whatever came out there had been a power struggle in OP & in Grosse Pointe for a long, long time. A lot of people had a say but not a lot of people could decide. That has now changed in the last year. Ultimately the record will dictate if it has worked but trust me this is not "the same ole' Bills."
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I guess that the point is that because Gailey didn't work it doesn't mean that Marrone won't? I am on record however that keeping Crossman was a terrible decision by Marrone. We will see how it plays out I guess but he showed me nothing to warrant keeping his job as ST coordinator.And as others have pointed out, the board was saying the same thing 4 years ago about "real change" when they brought ol Buddy Nix and Chan "he makes his system fit his players" Gailey.
I think that Buddy Nix did a good job in his time here. The level of talent on the roster from when he came to when he left grew substantially.
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Peterson is even better but I don't think that you'd be advocating to follow the Vikings model? Seattle's OL was ranked in the 20's I believe. They won because they took care of the football and often had a short field. Their defense didn't give up many yards and was at or near the top of the league in turnovers.MARSHAWN LYNCH?
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I can speak to this. Very few are still there. The training staff would probably be the last group that would have fallen there. They even (famously) fired the equipment guy. Russ has been over football ops for a year now.when you start from zero, it's not difficult to improve. so, who then do we hold responsible for starting from such a low place. are any of the likely suspects still around?
Two of the guys that I hold most accountable for where we are today are Guy and Modrak who are both gone. Guy was responsible for free agency and Modrak the draft. Each of them were in positions of power for a number of years with poor results. Those were the two making the decisions from the end of Donahoe until Buddy Nix (not Levy, not Brandon). That period was not a great time for talent on this roster. How many guys were brought in and developed between '05-'10 (or whatever it was)?
Russ Brandon
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted · Edited by Kirby Jackson
I don't disagree that this is the perfect opportunity to turn things around. I think that we just have different levels of confidence. When Brandon took over the business side completely he made some decisions that would not have been popular by clearing out high paid employees that were on the gravy train. The business side of things in 2014 is light years ahead of where it was in 2004.
That is why he was given the opportunity to do the same thing on the football side. He was tasked with building a winning organization and winning culture. We are entering year 2 of that. His success or failure will largely depend on Marrone, Whaley and EJ. For the most part I like Marrone and his staff (Crossman excluded), really like Whaley and his staff but have serious reservations about EJ. We will know a lot more a year from now and should know everything in 2 years. That is 3 seasons to build the plan, organization, people and to see results.
I really have no idea how it will end but I do have a lot of confidence in those in charge. Those guys have tons of respect within OBD and around the league. That has not always been the case.