pepsicat17

The best owners let the people they pay do the work for them and don't meddle in what they don't for the most part. The owners look at the big picture, the next decade of what the team is to become. The hiring of Rex was actually one of those let's listen to all about this decisions. The Pegulas, again for the tenth time in this threat alone, have admitted they know little about football and need/needed help to get up to speed. My point is that Russ is not the guy to even. E in the room while the conversation is occurring. Everything he has ever done on this football team, operations wise, at best has been average. He dosen't know squat about football operations (successful ones I mean) but can't you imagine him drooling at the marketing $$$ of having Rex Ryan as the head coach? Do you think he even had a though about what would happen on the field if that hire is made. Also the hiring of the head coach should never have been the Pegulas to make, it should have been the GM or president of FOOTBALL operations decision (that is where the plaque should be). Let's agree to disagree, all this typing with caps is a pain in the ass lol and neither of us is gonna change each others mind. You're have some good points I just disagree in a fundamental way about how a team should be structured and run, especially with completely green owners. Good discussion though and no personal attacks, very refreshing!

GO COAST GUARD!!!

Wow you guys are brutal on a player who's injured and playing out of position.

So if you knew nothing about mechanical engineering and suddenly found yourself the owner of one of the biggest companies in the world you wouldn't want a veteran successful proven owner of this type of company at your hip to help you determine what's best for the company? Or would just just listen to the CEO and listen to the head of the engineers and maybe someone in the "marketing" department and make your best guess? You're plan about the GM being the guy might work but our current GM doesn't seem to have that pull with the owners to be THE GUY who makes football decisions. And it's is fact that Russ was involed in the Rex hiring, so to say he has no juice anymore football wise is kinda foolish when it's a documented fact that he still has the owners ear, and was promoted in their entire organization for god's sake. You're right that many decisions are made by a convergence of many voices, but in sports that doesn't seem to work to well. Sure as **** hasn't worked for the Buffalo Bills for decades. There needs to be someone with "The Buck Stops Here" plaque literally at his desk. How anyone could look at the productivity of this organization for the past 20 years or so and say that it's working and the remnants of the old guard were doing fine, no reason to boot them out, truly is something I can't understand. A - How's that been working out so far for the Bills. Couldn't care about the other teams cause I'm a fan of the Billls. B - The teams PR also said Russ has no say in football decisions anymore yet was involved in hiring the first head coach of the new ownership. Generally speaking he n any business what the businesses PR team (and governments too haha) say is probably not the truth and maybe, at best, has a sliver of truth mixed in there somewhere. Rex THANKED Russ at his hiring press conference.

Problem with this is that our GM and head coach both report to and have equal value in their opinions to the owners. That's why there needs to be a buffer to tell the owners the way forward from both opinions and which is best in a football sense for the future and not a marketing sense. Who do you think that buffer is right now at this moment? Maybe the president of the team?

As far as this fan is concerned being average became unacceptable about 8-10 years ago. Literally thinking about another 7-9/8-8 season makes me sick. But like that addict that I am I keep coming back for my yearly beating. So I guess in some way that means that we all accept it to some degree because the true hardcore guys/gals like us aren't going anywhere. I'm actually in the middle of planing the logistics for the Dolphins game so...

I would be thrilled that we beat a good team but my QB opinion wouldn't really be changed all that much. This offense would collapse without Shady, it might get better without TT.

Thank you for the unsolicited advice on message board posting. Without putting the original post with your selective quote you used you would not be able to tell that it was basically a tl;dr brief recap for those who didn't want to read the whole 1000 word post. I have posted and said exactly what I meant in the longer version and in subsequent posts. Hell, I started the topic at hand, but really, thanks for your advice, I will take it to heart. Ok - after taking it to heart and a long meditation session on your advice I've decided to continue posting exactly how I want to and not take your suggestions. Some people need quick clarification on what I am trying to say and some dont want to read a longer sized post and I would still like them to get a small tasty morsel of my point. (No tounge in cheek in that one but maybe you should add a little to the conversation at hand instead of giving unsolicited advice on how to, of all things lol, post on a message board for a football team. If this was a neurosurgery forum maybe that would be more acceptable but honestly, I'm not even sure about that. All that said I would welcome your thoughts on the topic at hand in more then just one sentence. Have a nice day.)

When the Pegulas bought this team they were very forthcoming about having littte knowledge about the NFL way and football in general. They need people around them to give advice on the actual football operations, not the business side, but the football side. Who exactly to you think has their ear in these matters. If Rex and Whaley go in the next couple of years do you as a diehard Bills fan want Russ Brandon anywhere near making those decisions? In any context? I know I sure as hell don't cause every football decision he has made or had I put on in the forum of public knowledge has had a direct result of us being a middle of the pack team with no clear direction forward at best. Call the Pepe's on or title whatever you want but the Pegulas need a football expert to make these important football decisions, not the marketing guy who feels like he's covered in teflon. How can anyone disagree with that is beyond me. Let Russ, if he must stay, do his marketing thing and his only input should be in those matter. Personally I'd rather he just get fired cause a monkey could sell out the stadium and come up with massive campaigns like lead the charge and others. Did anyone here buy a ticket or merchandise cause Russ wanted us to lead the charge? Didn't think so. The opportunity for real actually change is at hand and I hope the Pegulas have the guts to do the right thing and not be happy with this middling product we've been seeing for, let's be honest, over 20 years now. Thank you to them forever for keeping the Bills in Buffalo but we would like a chance at a championship at some point as well.

Depends on how good our backup QB because he is gonna see time in important games with Romo as your starter. Personally would rather find a different stop gap QB but he would never, ever come to Buffalo. At this point in his career he needs a monster pass rush offensive line and we don't have that.

Geez I thought this was the board for actual discussion but guess not. Great jokes though

Yea buy doing things like giving up a home game to the organization in Toronto that wanted to buy and take the team out of Buffalo. If that idea was more successful do you think the Bills would still be here? Thank God for the Pegulas who saved our asses and kept the team here where it belongs. Also the majority of revenue for most NFL teams comes from the TV rights packages and Schumer and Cuomo were not gonna let the Bills move on account of $70 million or whatever it was for renovations. Did Russ do some good things for the team? Sure. But the bad far outway the good and you have no idea, just like the rest of us, if he is still involved in football decisions but he had a say in the Rex hiring, that's documented, so it would be a decent assumption that he has the ear of the owners. Hell he is the Vice President of their entire sports organization. We need a football guy/girl who has current NFL knowledge to come in here and build this team and organization for the 21st century, not hiring guys who's schemes last worked 15 years ago. Unless you like this crap year after year and never being a real player in the new NFL. But I want to win, I want a shot at the playoffs each year and I want a shot at a championship, not more of the same 17 years of futility. I can't imagine a fan of this team being happy with how things have been run, it boggles the mind.

They half-heartily blitzed, nothing special, nothing hidden. Odd how we still have the personnel that suits a 4-3 and not a 3-4 even after he picks his guys for defense. Marcel is NOT a nose tackle and his talents are being wasted, same with Hughes, he was much better with his hand on the ground as an end and not the olb. We tore apart the 4-3 to get to his 3-4/5-2 defense yet still would put out a great 4-3... how'd that happen?

Wouldn't it be better to get a live game or two under his belt so he can see and feel a real NFL game? Then evaluate in training camp with that additional knowledge for the team and for Jones. It makes way too much sense so I guess there is no chance of that happening. Remember, I'm not saying start him for the Pittsburgh game but if we lose one of the next two then I would play him at least a half in each of the last two games at a minimum. Maybe he has great chemistry with Sammy, Who knows? Maybe he can throw over the middle? Time to find out where he stands at this point in his career.

I live near Utica about 45 mins east of Syracuse and am in the Cuse a lot. There is no Bills marketing. You're talking about the city (Cuse and Utica sometimes) that willingly puts on Giants games over the Bills when they have the choice. Good luck finding my Bills merchandise in the Utica area. The major stores have told me this is considered Giants and Jets territory, not BIlls so they don't stock much Bills stuff. We're talking a major city and an entire area that is completely neglected by the Bills that are 2 hours and less then 3 hours away. One with a collage basketball team that gets 30k to their games and an expensive college at that. He has done a horrible job outside the mainstay Bills area. Anyone with half a brain could sell out that stadium because we are gluttons for punishment because we love our team and will go no matter what. That is who we are so he's selling stuff to people climbing over each other theo g those money at him. Great job

Ok for people who don't like the word "czar" how about this instead: someone whit a proven track record recently in the NFL who can be a buffer between the coaches wants and desires and what's best for the organization as a whole to the owners. Can that person be a GM as well? Sure but what we have at at a basic foundational level is not and has not been working for a long time. The new owners are not to blame, they admittedly know very little about football and are looking for help. Then get someone who can help you in all aspects of running a football organization. And for those who don't think that Russ gets to whisper his thoughts about football moves into the owners ears that would just be silly seeing how he is the Vice President or whatever of their entire sports empire. You are not in that kind of position without some kind of say and throughout the majority of this ****-show he has been the one here. You think he didn't salivate at the chance of getting Rex in here? You don't care about him fine, let him spin his marketing magic but there needs to be someone just under the owners on the football side with no other horse in the game telling the owners the truth about things and how things should be done. A marketing Vice President should not be that person cause then you get what we have. A marketing dream and a football fans worst nightmare.

Odd thing about the roster for our defense is that even after Rex brought in "his" kind of guys we still have a better 4-3 roster.

He hasn't been an entry level employee for quite some time now, maybe 20 years is too much blame but I thought my "tounge in cheek" disclaimer at the bottom would let people realize that. My point is if you don't think he had a say in the Rex hiring and previous coaching staffs you're fooling yourself and that he has been the constant for, ok, let's say the past 10-12 of futility. If I'm wrong, and I may well be, please tell me who is responsible for this merry go round of horror because it's not our new owners who have only been here a couple of years. So instead of just saying I'm foolish please discuss your thoughts as to what the problem is and how to fix it/them. How about the football czar position that you didn't even reference too? Do you like that idea? I'm trying to get a discussion going on the true problems and possible solutions and know the other board is not the place for that. Thought maybe here...

Seriously, more then any coach or player I feel he is responsible for the almost two decades of futility more then anyone else. We are not a team or organization that is only a player away and we are wasting our best players prime years. What's it gonna take to get him away from the football team and hire the "football czar" that we so desperately need. Coaches, players and schemes come and go and we still lose in the big spots, under the brightest lights and in the moments we need the most. The Pegulas are obviously smart people, if they really looked at our teams in the past decades they would see one constant... Russ. Why is he untouchable? Time to completely rebuild the organization from the ground up. Continuity for continuitys sake is not the answer. The time has come, we proved that today. We need a complete overhaul of the team, coaches and front office. Hell, were not making the playoffs anytime soon with what we have so why prolong the agony. The time is now - time to Make the Bills Great Again! (Obviously this is a bit tounge in cheek but really we're just spinning our wheels and I think to make the long lasting, team/organizational defining changes we need, we need to get new blood in the organization at all levels. We just got new owners so what better time then now? We all deserve it as long time BILLS fans and more importantly to the Pegulas, paying customers.)

There is no excuse not to bring in Jones to see how he is looking against real NFL talent. EJ will be gone and hopefully TT will be gone as well. Let's see where we stand with the only QB on the team right now who is guaranteed to be on the roster next year.

Anyone who is not tied to TT as QB and has the ability to fire Russ Brandon, the only constant during our run of mediocrity.

So I guess this is why everyone "in the know" kept saying hes not doing any tours or shows when "The Next Day" came out. Sad start to the year. RIP Starman But as far as 1970 through 1980 I present to you Pink Floyd's output for your consideration: Meddle, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall.

The question is if they were called plays of TT going rouge. If they were called plays, that often, that's an issue cause that would mean that not only do our D coaches not know how to adjust their schemes to our talent but the OC can't call a complete game and make adjustments during it. How are we in this sad state again???

Tyrod still gets nervous in crunch time - which is not a slight on him, he is a rookie after all. Rest of this year really is to evaluate him and to see if he improves. If not were back to the same old ****.

Maybe Roman doesn't have confidence to make throwing the ball a higher percentage of the plays. That would probably be due to our "rookie" QB or our below-average OLine. If he doesn't think that someone in the play can do the job required of them then he's not gonna dial it up. That really doesn't bode well, imo, on how he feels about Taylor. It seems like at times we just forget that throwing the ball is part of the game. I get it, you got Shady so you run but where the hell is Felton to blast open some holes? Why all shotgun when no-one seems particularly scared of Tyrod throwing? My gut tells me that Tyrod better start playing lights out these last few games we have cause he seems to have lost the faith of the OC. Somehow we just need a freaking solid QB and decent O Line... is that too much to ask for???