Simon Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Where does it say he will wait until the end of the season? It doesn't at all. It says they are focused on the next 7 games which they should be. That doesn't mean you can't evaluate your organization during that time. "I tell you, we have a lot of work to do," Wilson said from his home in suburban Detroit. "We've got to revamp and take a look at the whole operation and that's what we're going to do." A thorough evaluation of the entire organization will begin at the end of the season, he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el Tigre Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 He's back. HOLY CRAP! Is it really him??????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Rus Brandon is currently the COO /GM and from everything I've read... Ralph Wilson didn't even know the Bills were in contact with Shanahan. My take is between Brandon and Guy they both got Jauron Fired because the fan base was thinking of jumping ship big time. I'm thinking that long time season ticket holders were sincerely talking about simply quitting the Bills and not coming back. Brandon and Guy both want to see next season sell out again and created the hype for Shanahan and Cowher and other big names that have been talked about on these boards. Think of the spin that signing TO did for season ticket sales this off season. They want to get more spin going to get the fans excited about next season. To me this is all BS hype spun out by two guys who want to keep their jobs. Just think for a moment, If the Bills did hire Shanahan and he wants total control like he had in Denver ,where does that leave Brandon as GM? Shanahan or Cowher would probably fire Brandon first thing! As far as Mike Shanahan or Bill Cowher as head coach in Buffalo...I'll believe it when I see it!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 I guess everyone here is taking every quote at face value. Nobody ever tries to keep what they are doing secret. Naw. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macaroni Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 ICE ????? .... The real ICE????? If you are, welcome back old buddy. Now don't get a case of "red a$$" over any of the PR speak ..... IMHO the Bills are currently looking far and wide and will NOT give any valid info out to the media hacks until the new GM/HC is either signed or very VERY close to signing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Even if Mr. Wilson offered them a wheelbarrow of money and control of the whole thing....which of these guys in their right minds, KNOWING there will be HUGE competition for their services in the offseason, would sign with a team NOW? Youre getting mad at Ralph for not doing something thats virtually impossible to do. Coaches dont get hired mid season. Ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Even if Mr. Wilson offered them a wheelbarrow of money and control of the whole thing....which of these guys in their right minds, KNOWING there will be HUGE competition for their services in the offseason, would sign with a team NOW? Youre getting mad at Ralph for not doing something thats virtually impossible to do. Coaches dont get hired mid season. Ever. You mean like Marv Levy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrags Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Rus Brandon is currently the COO /GM and from everything I've read... Ralph Wilson didn't even know the Bills were in contact with Shanahan. My take is between Brandon and Guy they both got Jauron Fired because the fan base was thinking of jumping ship big time. I'm thinking that long time season ticket holders were sincerely talking about simply quitting the Bills and not coming back. Brandon and Guy both want to see next season sell out again and created the hype for Shanahan and Cowher and other big names that have been talked about on these boards. Think of the spin that signing TO did for season ticket sales this off season. They want to get more spin going to get the fans excited about next season. To me this is all BS hype spun out by two guys who want to keep their jobs. Just think for a moment, If the Bills did hire Shanahan and he wants total control like he had in Denver ,where does that leave Brandon as GM? Shanahan or Cowher would probably fire Brandon first thing! As far as Mike Shanahan or Bill Cowher as head coach in Buffalo...I'll believe it when I see it!!!! I generally would agree but there are a few flaws in your argument: 1) The "spin" of the ticket sales at this point means nothing without action. As much as they know the about the hype of potentially bringing in a big name coach, it means nothing if they dont sign one. We will know who our coach in 2010 is before season tickets go on sale, and if we dont it most likely would mean we wont be bringing in anyone to get very excited about. 2) Even if they brought in a GM and Brandon was removed from the position he would still be part of the organization for marketing purposes (which he has done very well). Its not very likely he would be removed from OBD in any way. I think many people feel he would actually be promoted to President, still with his hand dipping into the football operations from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zazie Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Rus Brandon is currently the COO /GM and from everything I've read... Ralph Wilson didn't even know the Bills were in contact with Shanahan. My take is between Brandon and Guy they both got Jauron Fired because the fan base was thinking of jumping ship big time. I'm thinking that long time season ticket holders were sincerely talking about simply quitting the Bills and not coming back. Brandon and Guy both want to see next season sell out again and created the hype for Shanahan and Cowher and other big names that have been talked about on these boards. Think of the spin that signing TO did for season ticket sales this off season. They want to get more spin going to get the fans excited about next season. To me this is all BS hype spun out by two guys who want to keep their jobs. Just think for a moment, If the Bills did hire Shanahan and he wants total control like he had in Denver ,where does that leave Brandon as GM? Shanahan or Cowher would probably fire Brandon first thing! As far as Mike Shanahan or Bill Cowher as head coach in Buffalo...I'll believe it when I see it!!!! Russ Brandon will be employed by an NFL team for the next 30 years IMO. He is a great great marketing guy that knows how to mint money for an owner. Owners do not overlook performers in marketing, it would not surprise me if the reason Russ got the GM gig was so RW could be sure of retaining him. John Guy, may be driving a yellow cab next year though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Which "him" are you reffering to? Shanahan? The Bills can do anything they want with Shanny since he's unemployed. What I'm saying is if they want to interview someone who is working now, such as a coordinator or front office guy, they can't because that would be tampering. Oh, then there is the Rooney rule to deal with. They can't just hire Shanny without interviewing minority candidates. So despite ICE's charges of incompetence, there are good reasons why the Bills can't have all this done yesterday. PTR Well, they can... but it'll cost 'em. Teams that don't are fined. And no one will grant an interview when they know full well that someone else has all but already been hired. Also, the denial may be a thin veneer for Fewell's authority over the next several weeks. Any person looking to coach here would probably be a little offput by an owner/FO who would at least say 'We're looking for a new coach now' publicly even as a coach has been named, interim or not. Everyone and their brother knows that the Bills are looking... it's just a little crass to talk about it openly during the season. The timeline is that you do this openly after the season. In this respect, RW is saying the right thing. But, I'm with ICE on this. I'll believe Ralph is committed to winning/isn't cheap/will stop his detrimental meddling when I see it. (The lame "But... but... but... We signed TO!" be damned). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 I generally would agree but there are a few flaws in your argument:1) The "spin" of the ticket sales at this point means nothing without action. As much as they know the about the hype of potentially bringing in a big name coach, it means nothing if they dont sign one. We will know who our coach in 2010 is before season tickets go on sale, and if we dont it most likely would mean we wont be bringing in anyone to get very excited about. 2) Even if they brought in a GM and Brandon was removed from the position he would still be part of the organization for marketing purposes (which he has done very well). Its not very likely he would be removed from OBD in any way. I think many people feel he would actually be promoted to President, still with his hand dipping into the football operations from time to time. Most Bills fans were starting to think about doing something besides watching their team on Sundays,(I know I was) that's how bad things were looking with Jauron at the helm. Even the mere mention that the Bills have setup an interview with someone like Mike Shanahan has already turned around most fans feelings and already generated a positive spin this year, about next year. While Shanahan might keep Brandon if he is indeed hired, it just looks to me that he will want total power like he had in Denver. If that is the case then Brandon will lose the GM title and possibly even the COO. Still, I tend to agree with the OP here, and until I see Shanahan or Cowher actually hired, then I will believe it. My take, you can count on the Bills FO pulling the wool over fans eyes in some way or another and hiring another scrub head coach...again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griswold Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Coaches dont get hired mid season. Ever. I've got to agree. There should be a new thread with this subject line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macaroni Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 While Shanahan might keep Brandon if he is indeed hired, it just looks to me that he will want total power like he had in Denver. If that is the case then Brandon will lose the GM title and possibly even the COO. Still, I tend to agree with the OP here, and until I see Shanahan or Cowher actually hired, then I will believe it. If I were king of the world (which I'm not by the way) I wouldn't give the new GM/HC the authority to fire Brandon. I would seperate the "football" side of the one bills drive team from the "marketing" side of the team. Everyone must agree that filling the stadium for the last decade has been a feat of marketing genius and therefore Brandon (as the marketing guy) may very well have been the ONLY one at One Bills Drive doing his job at a championship level. I'll give him a "pass" for being a pi$$ poor "football guy" GM. Ralph should have one organization responsible for putting dollars in his wallet and a seperate organization responsible for putting Ws on the scoreboard. Once the Ws start piling up, the marketing job will become so simple even a caveman could do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewHampshireBillsFan Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Now is the time for quiet negotiations behind the scenes. The good thing for the Bills is that they have a jump on some other teams who have yet to fire coaches. But it would be stupid to have a big public fanfare about bringing in big names to coach and it would be awkward for Perry and the whole current coaching staff. The point is take a few weeks quietly to have interviews and make decisions about who will get the job for coach/GM and then make the announcement either at the end of the season or near the end of the season. If the decision is that Perry will not be back in any capacity next year then the announcement needs to wait until after the final game. Otherwise how can anyone reasonably prepare for the last couple of games when they all know they are gone for certain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 If I were king of the world (which I'm not by the way) I wouldn't give the new GM/HC the authority to fire Brandon. I would seperate the "football" side of the one bills drive team from the "marketing" side of the team. Everyone must agree that filling the stadium for the last decade has been a feat of marketing genius and therefore Brandon (as the marketing guy) may very well have been the ONLY one at One Bills Drive doing his job at a championship level. I'll give him a "pass" for being a pi$ poor "football guy" GM. Ralph should have one organization responsible for putting dollars in his wallet and a seperate organization responsible for putting Ws on the scoreboard. Once the Ws start piling up, the marketing job will become so simple even a caveman could do it. I agree. If I had any say in the matter, If Shanahan is hired I would hope he would only be the head coach and completely overhaul the Bills offense and run it, while hiring away Mike Nolan from the Bronco's to be his DC / assistant HC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsfaninFl Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 If I were king of the world (which I'm not by the way) I wouldn't give the new GM/HC the authority to fire Brandon. I would seperate the "football" side of the one bills drive team from the "marketing" side of the team. Everyone must agree that filling the stadium for the last decade has been a feat of marketing genius and therefore Brandon (as the marketing guy) may very well have been the ONLY one at One Bills Drive doing his job at a championship level. I'll give him a "pass" for being a pi$$ poor "football guy" GM. Ralph should have one organization responsible for putting dollars in his wallet and a seperate organization responsible for putting Ws on the scoreboard. Once the Ws start piling up, the marketing job will become so simple even a caveman could do it. I think Russ has done a good marketing job, but let's not get carried away. His accomplishments are mainly expanding the Bills' geographic territory and income from outside of Erie County. (i.e. Changing the location of the practice venue, more assertive advertising, shuttle trains from central NY, snuggling up with the Toronto contingent, etc.) He has had some influence on filling the stands, but other factors came into play also: 1. Some show up because they are the cheapest NFL tickets to be had. 2. Some keep following the Bills because they live in a depressed, dwindling population area where there is not a lot of top sports entertainment. (See Buffalo Braves, etc.) 3. Others keep buying their tickets because they are hoping it will keep the team in Buffalo. 4. But the most important factor IMO is that Buffalo has the finest group of fans in the league. This is a blue collar town where people are loyal to a flaw and love the game of football. If the Bills were community owned, like Green Bay, there would not be any talk of them leaving town and there wouldn't be any decade-long playoff droughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I've got to agree. There should be a new thread with this subject line. You mean like Marty Schottenheimer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 As opposed to trying to hire people right now, when you are not allowed to contact anyone while the season in progress. So you can only choose from other leagues like the CFL or the unemployment line. Good job, ICE. Always taking the long view. PTR What about Shanhan? He's unemployed, we cant talk to him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthICE Posted November 21, 2009 Author Share Posted November 21, 2009 ICE ????? .... The real ICE????? If you are, welcome back old buddy. Now don't get a case of "red a$$" over any of the PR speak ..... IMHO the Bills are currently looking far and wide and will NOT give any valid info out to the media hacks until the new GM/HC is either signed or very VERY close to signing. LOL yep it's me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el Tigre Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 LOL yep it's me. Ha ha. Welcome back you crazy bast***. Don't be such a stranger. It gets kinda boring without you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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