Edwards revisited

[Sisyphean Bills]

Coach raises a fair question as to who is really behind the on-going series of daft football decisions at 1 Bills Dr. Of course, one shouldn't really expect that a reporter will be able to get properly placed sources to speak on the record as to the exact nature of the dysfunction within the upper levels of the team.

 

Take the Raiders: the public just assumes and accepts that the problem is Al Davis, because he runs the team his own way and has surrounded himself with sycophants and suck-ups. Few are concerned with whether Beach, Caracciolo, Delaney, Jones, Bailey, or Herrera were partly responsible for whatever dumb decision is being discussed. The buck stops with Al and Al runs the show. Besides, Al has made his own bed, isn't exactly a sympathetic figure, and has tasted success.

 

It's difficult to be harshly vitriolic towards a 91-year old gentleman who prefers a lower profile and has been loyal to this city and is the primary reason there is an NFL team in this town. He's not a bad person; but, as an owner, he has often made curious decisions that have for the most part led to a legacy of failure on the football field.

 

In the end, does it really matter if it was Overdorf, Brandon, Guy, Jauron, Modrak, Levy, etc. that "made" a decision? Do we really think Wilson had no say and was not involved? He is the acting President of the team. He is the one that hired these people, promoted these people, and set up the internal structure. The buck stops at Ralph Wilson. Maybe we are losing the forest for the trees. Maybe it isn't so much a situation where we have to identify and villify the worst culprits in a den of theives but a situation, a gestalt, that is dysfunctional on its own merits.

[Dan]

Does Snyder talk to the Washington media? Absolutely not, yet somehow they seem to provide some in-depth analysis as to how the organization is run.

 

To say that Ralph Wilson runs the show and leave it at that is somewhat of a copout. Yes, we all know Ralph Wilson runs the show and that he's a lot more meddlesome than anyone in the Bills organization will ever admit. But it wasn't just him who made the decision to sign Dockery, to move Walker to left tackle, to reach on Donte Whitner, the list goes on and on. Some additional insight would be useful. Compared to other NFL markets, the coverage in WNY is sorely lacking in this respect.

I think one of the differences, and of course this is pure speculation on my part, is that Ralph literally puts a gag order on staff at OBD. That's why we rarely even hear full contract terms. I get the feeling Ralph likes his privacy and demands it from his staff. Look at Fewell's answer regarding his conversation with Ralph; something along that lines of, "that's was something said between me and him". Period. No elaboration in any way whatsoever.

 

Perhaps I'm wrong. But, if so, then it becomes extremely difficult for anyone to uncover the truth about the man behind the curtain.

[TheChimp]

Prove that Ralph never had the chance to move the team. You can't. I OTOH can point to 5 cities that lost franchises, 3 cities that regained franchises, and 2 cities that regained their lost franchises, within the past 25 years. Those represented chances for Ralph to move the team. And in each case of a team moving, Ralph voted against the move.

OMFG. Nice argument. Fail.

[JohnC]

¶ i am spartacus. i am chimp. i am the media. i am to blame for all that's gone wrong at 1 Bills Drive since the beginning of time. in fact, i was the one blowing wind to insure Scott Norwood's infamous kick sailed wide right. and how can we prove this, well, of course, i am Canadian, and obviously standing on The Left of the field.

¶ and how late it was for Magox to pile on. what, your dial-up slow today?

¶

¶ a pound of flesh has been called for, and all you'll get is pure baloney from me, because your butcher's knives are so dull, they couldn't cut a fart. you come at the media for all that's happened because your desires are as misplaced as a pocket-pool party.

¶ in the wake of Dick Jauron's dismissal, there seems to be this sense of surprise that the Bills are dysfunctional, as if the curtain has been pulled and Oz exposed, and he proves to be Ralph Wilson. has anyone intimated anything different this decade? is the media required to hold your hand and lead you through this, as if it were some kind of a mirror maze at some county fair?

¶ really, are there enough daft people out there to somehow be surprised by what's gone on? we, in the media, are supposed to hold these people accountable because, of course, we pay their salaries. actually it might come as a surprise, that we are have no say over who's ultimately fired?

¶

¶ and again, i bring up the fact that no one here on this side of the media trench has ever observed anything more than what's gone on: and by this, i contend, that many in the media have been as objective and subjective as professionally possible.

¶ and yet you demand the spanish inquisition to poke sticks and pins into this dead horse of a topic. this just in, the bills haven't made the playoffs for nine years, going on 10, which is tied with the lions. i know this, because i've written this about 10 times this fall already.

¶

¶ oh, but you want pure, acidic criticism. well, the stuff that's been planted on this board, i think, is enough to fulfill those needs. is it not enough that some kids defaced Leodis McKelvin's front lawn to open the season. perhaps, we should all hold similar vigils at 52 other homes, or more depending on what front-office person belongs in the crosshairs.

¶

¶ good god, you vigilantes are beyond reason and logic, some of whom base their obtuse points by proudly announcing they've live in many towns. well, good for you. so have i. the point escapes me, except to express that there is a transient nature among some of us.

¶ and yet, i am not the one who buys the tickets, picks up the latest starting qb's jersey, and supports this franchise with his/her wallet. my point is that there are some bigger suckers out there than i.

¶ but, of course, some questioned whether the people who paid for the billboard might have crossed some line. really? at least they put their money where there points were. and the media reported on it.

¶

¶ the masses are dazed and crazed and confused, because some have gone back to reliving the good old days of Flutie-Johnson. wow.

¶

¶ but, no, it's obviously, the media's fault, because we have been the ones throwing interceptions, giving up 300 yards rushing and essentially spending this entire decade pulling the rug out from under the team's playoff hopes.

¶ buffalo fans or buf-foons, i don't know. i can look in the mirror and know that i've done my job no matter what anyone says. i've reported what i know, and it hasn't been pretty, but it's been accurate and consistent.

¶

¶ prove me wrong, Chimp. and don't suggest that i'm wasting my time on this board, when there are plenty of posters out there who have written differently and have my back. and i ain't going anywhere.

¶

¶ jw

¶

 

John W. Did the owner fire Turk Shoenert just prior to the season or did Dick Jauron fire the OC? Ross Tucker on another radio show, 106.7 FM in the DC Metro area, implied that it was the owner who forced the HC to fire Turk. He commented how absurd it was for the aged owner to call the HC to his residence in Michigan to talk to him about the status of the team just prior to the start of the season.

 

Tucker also made the point that owners who interfere with the football operation of their respective franchises usually don't succeed. He cited Dan Snyder of the Skins and Ralph Wilson of the Bills.

[TheChimp]

¶ i am spartacus. i am chimp. i am the media. i am to blame for all that's gone wrong at 1 Bills Drive since the beginning of time. in fact, i was the one blowing wind to insure Scott Norwood's infamous kick sailed wide right. and how can we prove this, well, of course, i am Canadian, and obviously standing on The Left of the field.

¶ and how late it was for Magox to pile on. what, your dial-up slow today?

¶

¶ a pound of flesh has been called for, and all you'll get is pure baloney from me, because your butcher's knives are so dull, they couldn't cut a fart. you come at the media for all that's happened because your desires are as misplaced as a pocket-pool party.

¶ in the wake of Dick Jauron's dismissal, there seems to be this sense of surprise that the Bills are dysfunctional, as if the curtain has been pulled and Oz exposed, and he proves to be Ralph Wilson. has anyone intimated anything different this decade? is the media required to hold your hand and lead you through this, as if it were some kind of a mirror maze at some county fair?

¶ really, are there enough daft people out there to somehow be surprised by what's gone on? we, in the media, are supposed to hold these people accountable because, of course, we pay their salaries. actually it might come as a surprise, that we are have no say over who's ultimately fired?

¶

¶ and again, i bring up the fact that no one here on this side of the media trench has ever observed anything more than what's gone on: and by this, i contend, that many in the media have been as objective and subjective as professionally possible.

¶ and yet you demand the spanish inquisition to poke sticks and pins into this dead horse of a topic. this just in, the bills haven't made the playoffs for nine years, going on 10, which is tied with the lions. i know this, because i've written this about 10 times this fall already.

¶

¶ oh, but you want pure, acidic criticism. well, the stuff that's been planted on this board, i think, is enough to fulfill those needs. is it not enough that some kids defaced Leodis McKelvin's front lawn to open the season. perhaps, we should all hold similar vigils at 52 other homes, or more depending on what front-office person belongs in the crosshairs.

¶

¶ good god, you vigilantes are beyond reason and logic, some of whom base their obtuse points by proudly announcing they've live in many towns. well, good for you. so have i. the point escapes me, except to express that there is a transient nature among some of us.

¶ and yet, i am not the one who buys the tickets, picks up the latest starting qb's jersey, and supports this franchise with his/her wallet. my point is that there are some bigger suckers out there than i.

¶ but, of course, some questioned whether the people who paid for the billboard might have crossed some line. really? at least they put their money where there points were. and the media reported on it.

¶

¶ the masses are dazed and crazed and confused, because some have gone back to reliving the good old days of Flutie-Johnson. wow.

¶

¶ but, no, it's obviously, the media's fault, because we have been the ones throwing interceptions, giving up 300 yards rushing and essentially spending this entire decade pulling the rug out from under the team's playoff hopes.

¶ buffalo fans or buf-foons, i don't know. i can look in the mirror and know that i've done my job no matter what anyone says. i've reported what i know, and it hasn't been pretty, but it's been accurate and consistent.

¶

¶ prove me wrong, Chimp. and don't suggest that i'm wasting my time on this board, when there are plenty of posters out there who have written differently and have my back. and i ain't going anywhere.

¶

¶ jw

¶

My, that was a real good look into your bloated egotistical head, wasn't it? And your attacks on "the masses" sorta make you look like a BUNCH of "nameless" trolls I've seen around here. Very informative. What a piece of work you are LMAO. Seriously. Go write an informative article that tells me things I need to know, and I won't criticize you. Simple.

 

 

fu

[JohnC]

Coach raises a fair question as to who is really behind the on-going series of daft football decisions at 1 Bills Dr. Of course, one shouldn't really expect that a reporter will be able to get properly placed sources to speak on the record as to the exact nature of the dysfunction within the upper levels of the team.

 

Take the Raiders: the public just assumes and accepts that the problem is Al Davis, because he runs the team his own way and has surrounded himself with sycophants and suck-ups. Few are concerned with whether Beach, Caracciolo, Delaney, Jones, Bailey, or Herrera were partly responsible for whatever dumb decision is being discussed. The buck stops with Al and Al runs the show. Besides, Al has made his own bed, isn't exactly a sympathetic figure, and has tasted success.

 

It's difficult to be harshly vitriolic towards a 91-year old gentleman who prefers a lower profile and has been loyal to this city and is the primary reason there is an NFL team in this town. He's not a bad person; but, as an owner, he has often made curious decisions that have for the most part led to a legacy of failure on the football field.

 

In the end, does it really matter if it was Overdorf, Brandon, Guy, Jauron, Modrak, Levy, etc. that "made" a decision? Do we really think Wilson had no say and was not involved? He is the acting President of the team. He is the one that hired these people, promoted these people, and set up the internal structure. The buck stops at Ralph Wilson. Maybe we are losing the forest for the trees. Maybe it isn't so much a situation where we have to identify and villify the worst culprits in a den of theives but a situation, a gestalt, that is dysfunctional on its own merits.

 

To buttress your point how the operation of the Bills mysteriously works when Dick Jauron was given an extension last year the organization refused to acknowledge the extension until much later. When the Bills continued to lose after their successful start they must have found it embarrassing to admit the contract extension. Dysfucntion built on top of dysfunction.

[TheChimp]

Ralph was given a choice between Buffalo and one other city, after his FIRST choice, Miami, balked at his desire to build a stadium there. He flipped a !@#$ing coin, and since then, the only thing he has been loyal to is his business investment and pocketbook. Some people would thank a man for not burning down his own business. Others would give him a HOF ring.

[Sisyphean Bills]

John W. Did the owner fire Turk Shoenert just prior to the season or did Dick Jauron fire the OC? Ross Tucker on another radio show, 106.7 FM in the DC Metro area, implied that it was the owner who forced the HC to fire Turk. He commented how absurd it was for the aged owner to call the HC to his residence in Michigan to talk to him about the status of the team just prior to the start of the season.

 

Tucker also made the point that owners who interfere with the football operation of their respective franchises usually don't succeed. He cited Dan Snyder of the Skins and Ralph Wilson of the Bills.

If Dick had listened to Ralph at the end of 08 and fired Schonert at that time, and then gone out and hired an experienced group of offensive assistants (assuming he could -- which is unlikely IMO), he might still have a job now. If he had done that, he might have been advised that dumping the entire OL in the "make or break" year was sheer insanity. He might have gotten a better evaluation of his QB position and the team might have emphasized getting a credible backup. He might not have been advised that going to a gimmick no-huddle with young players and an offense that had never played together was ridiculous. Instead, he held Ralph to the letter of his contract, told him he had ultimate authority over his staff, and that he wasn't going to dismiss anyone; basically, that the staff wasn't the problem.

[Guest dog14787]

My, that was a real good look into your bloated egotistical head, wasn't it? And your attacks on "the masses" sorta make you look like a BUNCH of "nameless" trolls I've seen around here. Very informative. What a piece of work you are LMAO. Seriously. Go write an informative article that tells me things I need to know, and I won't criticize you. Simple.

 

 

fu

 

 

Come on buddy, having folks like jw post here on TSW is what makes this site extra special. You don't have to agree with him, but how about showing jw a little respect or find another place to post.

[Guest dog14787]

Thurman Thomas answered a couple of questions for me on twitter a couple of minutes ago.

 

 

dog tweet : Fitz is not the answer Thurman, why did TE get pulled, is AVP just looking for excuses, interested to hear your opinion.

 

Thurman Thomas tweet: different coach, different feeling

 

Thurman Thomas 2nd tweet: do u realize AVP is not running his offense, it's still Turks

 

dog tweet: Yup, well or actually faichilds madness, the slippery beast we call an offense needs to be put to death come seasons end.

[JohnC]

If Dick had listened to Ralph at the end of 08 and fired Schonert at that time, and then gone out and hired an experienced group of offensive assistants (assuming he could -- which is unlikely IMO), he might still have a job now. If he had done that, he might have been advised that dumping the entire OL in the "make or break" year was sheer insanity. He might have gotten a better evaluation of his QB position and the team might have emphasized getting a credible backup. He might not have been advised that going to a gimmick no-huddle with young players and an offense that had never played together was ridiculous. Instead, he held Ralph to the letter of his contract, told him he had ultimate authority over his staff, and that he wasn't going to dismiss anyone; basically, that the staff wasn't the problem.

 

What never made sense to me is why go to a no huddle system when the line was completely scrambled and the qb was struggling as it was. The truth of the matter is that the Bills don't have a franchise qb. If they did the OL performance would improve somewhat and the defense would be helped out by not being on the field for so long.

 

The Bills have not been able to come up with a credible franchise qb since the Kelly days. That is at least fifteen years ago. That is ridiculous. The OL has been bad since the same period. That is also ridiculous. When Peters was traded and the front office didn't have a credible backup plan to replace Peters at the critical LT spot the season was doomed. The organization could have brought in a stop gap veteran such as Levi Jones as a short term fix. Expecting Langston Walker or Demtrius Bell to be able to assume the LT was very stupid and damaging.

 

The major problem with the Bills is not the team. The real problem is the organization, starting at the top.

[Doc]

OMFG. Nice argument. Fail.

I accept your defeat. Chimp.

[TheChimp]

Come on buddy, having folks like jw post here on TSW is what makes this site extra special. You don't have to agree with him, but how about showing jw a little respect or find another place to post.

Go back and read what transpired. The dude might be Mr Popular around here, but he's a total to other posters. I barely criticized him, and he goes and tosses my name around in a post meant to demean and humilate not only me, but alot of us.

 

fjw

[TheChimp]

I accept your defeat. Chimp.

Yeah...do that zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Guest dog14787]

Go back and read what transpired. The dude might be Mr Popular around here, but he's a total to other posters. I barely criticized him, and he goes and tosses my name around in a post meant to demean and humilate not only me, but alot of us.

 

fjw

 

 

This is your post yesterday that I'm speculating got a response out of jw

 

 

I'll be impressed when this Warwow or someone else in Buffalo "media" breaks the story that Ralph Wilson never gave a rat's ass about Buffalo and this entire "cleaning house" is just his latest clever smokescreen to keep his sheep coming to the trough (ticket booth).

 

Will it be when Holmgren makes his NEXT glaring comment about how he "likes rebuilding projects" and then heads off to Cleveland without even a PEEP out of 1BD that we tried to talk to him?

 

No, seriously, all criticism about our limp-dicked media is 100% earned. No guts, no story.

 

 

So you basically called out jw and the rest of the media for not doing your bidding and wonder why jw gives you an honorable mention in his post.

[BRH]

I'm not really interested in this fight but I AM interested in knowing WTF happened last week. No one has raised the point of what TO was yelling on the sideline with JR and Tyke Tolbert. I am a good lipreader and TO is easy to lipread. I distinctly saw the phrases, "I'm !@#$ing wide open, he knows that" and "Tell the quarterback," this last with a finger pointed down the sideline in TO's direction.

 

To me it was clear he was done with Trent. And JR was backing him up. Nothing that happened afterward came as a surprise.

[zow2]

Just reading these TO quotes this morning....he makes it pretty clear who he backed at QB. I'm sure some of this is exactly why Edwards was benched. He does not read and identify the coverages. Clearly, Fitz trusts his WR's alot more to make plays. He threw some passes yesterday that were borderline careless, but the receivers made plays.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"Obviously, with Fitzpatrick back there he gave us some opportunities," Owens said. "Ryan's a smart quarterback. He knows how to assess the defense and put us in the right situations."

 

 

“We showed what we could have been doing all year long,”Owens said. “But you can’t move backwards. You have to move forward. I made more plays than I have been making but I needed to make one more.”

[Delete This Account]

John W. Did the owner fire Turk Shoenert just prior to the season or did Dick Jauron fire the OC? Ross Tucker on another radio show, 106.7 FM in the DC Metro area, implied that it was the owner who forced the HC to fire Turk. He commented how absurd it was for the aged owner to call the HC to his residence in Michigan to talk to him about the status of the team just prior to the start of the season.

 

Tucker also made the point that owners who interfere with the football operation of their respective franchises usually don't succeed. He cited Dan Snyder of the Skins and Ralph Wilson of the Bills.

 

JC:

My strong belief is that Turk's firing was Jauron's doing.

AVP and Jauron traveled to Mr. Wilson's home after Turk was fired. And if you need any more proof that Dick fired Turk, it was in Turk's candid response, referring to the coach (not the owner) for wanting some Pop Warner attack.

I can't go into further detail into what I know.

 

jw

[Peter]

I'm not really interested in this fight but I AM interested in knowing WTF happened last week. No one has raised the point of what TO was yelling on the sideline with JR and Tyke Tolbert. I am a good lipreader and TO is easy to lipread. I distinctly saw the phrases, "I'm !@#$ing wide open, he knows that" and "Tell the quarterback," this last with a finger pointed down the sideline in TO's direction.

 

To me it was clear he was done with Trent. And JR was backing him up. Nothing that happened afterward came as a surprise.

 

Sounds like TO.

[Coach Tuesday]

Sounds like TO.

 

It does, except this time the other WRs seemed to agree, and the QB at issue was promptly benched.