Russ Brandon - Is he the problem with our HC search?

[Captain Caveman]

Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...

The dead rising from the grave!

Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

 

he is Vigo...

[ColdBlueNorth]

The problem I have with the selection of Buddy Nix as the GM is not that he was selected but the third rate process in which he was selected by. One Buffalo newsman (Jerry Sullivan) claimed that Russ Brandon had a full list of GM candidates for the critical position to interview. The owner didn't personally know the candidates on the list so he went with the in house selection of Buddy Nix.

 

The very reclusive oener of the Bills doesn't have much knowledge of what is going on in TODAY'S NFL. So he is incapable of selecting a quality candidate outside of his small organizational realm because he is not comfortable with "outsiders". The cycle of stupidity is predicatably reoccurring because the owner is out of touch.

 

I do believe that Buddy Nix is much more knowledgeable about evaluating talent than any of the other bozos that the very fatigued owner has hired over the past decade. But it is still a major challenge to overcome the destructive presence of a very clueless owner.

I think you are spot on in this assessment. I can only base my own opinion on the various articles and quotes I have heard, but Ralph has certainly circled the wagons to the point of being downright xenophobic. I think that happens with age as well, often folks get less and less trusting of those they do not know and at the same time their circle of known commodities dwindles and ages beyond effectiveness.

 

PTR's protests aside, it is apparent that Russ Brandon has some sway over Ralph or he would not have enjoyed a rise from marketing, to GM, and then to not only survive the latest organizational enema, but rise to CEO.

 

If anyone can convince Ralphy to do the right thing he is in a position to do so. If he cannot, or is complicate in the last few years of terrible draft and personnel decisions then he should have been flushed with the rest of the crew to usher in needed change.

 

If he is merely a guy trying to keep the wheels from falling off the wagon then I wish him better success than he has had to date, and better luck bringing in folks that Ralph does not "know".

[ColdBlueNorth]

I'm probably more culpable than Russ Brandon. For heaven's sake the guy is trying to do what you screaming babies want. But he's not a miracle worker. He has to deal with Ralph on one end and Ralph's reputation in the NFL on the other. But hey, 'eff him anyway, right?

 

PTR

Don't take it personal bud - you have been around waay to long for that. Perhaps you know a thing or two more about Russ Brandon's role in the organization that most do. I readily admit that I do not, but our coaching search has turned into quite a laughing stock on most sports stations and websites - it is a bit embarrassing.

 

I said it before, I will say it again. I knew what Dick Jauron could accomplish and had zero hope of any success for the team. I am still excited that there will be a new start at OBD. At least it is change, and change means at the bare minimum an opportunity for things to get better.

 

Chaos breeds opportunity.

[papazoid]

ALL YOU COWHER SUPPORTERS...it ain't over til it's over......

 

 

BILLIEVER'S - TIME TO TAKE IT UP A NOTCH

 

By JOE LOGAN (1/13/2010 11:27:46 PM)

 

Let the nay-sayers and haters wallow in the mud with their Long Island pal Schefter and let the Billiever's rock and roll. Time to take it up a notch.

 

I spoke tonight with my source (who by the way owes me a genny cream when this is over) and apparently there is some heated discussions going on at one bills drive. The message to me was that R&R are getting internal pressure to make Cowher the offer he can't refuse. Final decision on player moves and a commitment to pay for players.

 

The concern within is that Ralph and Russ are not pursuing Cowher with the amount of urgency that the situation deserves. Privately they are also concerned that Brandon and new GM Buddy Nix may not have the experience needed to be able to recognize the potential of a coordinator or college coach with no head coaching experience. Hence the reason they are suggesting a more aggressive pitch for Cowher who has the proven track record.

 

None of that is good news, however I was also told that Buffalo Fan Factor is having an effect on the happenings on both sides of the table and the suggestion to me was to see if we could really take it up a notch, and fast!

 

What have we got to lose folks? Let's do our part. Let's go all in for the Chin.

 

Here is the plan. I'm asking that everyone interested in doing their part to try to land Cowher write two HANDWRITTEN letters. One to Ralph Wilson and one to Bill Cowher. Tell Ralph why it is important to you that we get Coach Cowher. Draft a second letter to Cowher telling him why you think he should come to Buffalo. Put them both in a single envelope addressed to EastAurora.Org PO Box 125 East Aurora, New York 14052. I know I can get the message directly to Ralph and I will do everything in my power to deliver them to Coach Cowher, even if I have to drive down to Raleigh to do it.

 

Please try to get all of your letters out by this weekend.

 

I don't know what Schefter knows and why he says what he says about Cowher. But I believe if we can get hundreds or maybe thousands of handwritten letters hand delivered to him it might just be enough to sway him and tip the scales in our favors.

 

I'm all in on this until I hear Coach C say he is out. If that happens, we move on. Better to do what we can to help the cause than to just sit back and expect the worst and then complain after the fact. Isn't it?

[JohnC]

I know people don't like facts getting in the way of a good rant, but....

 

 

Yes you are correct RW did fire him five days before the end of the seaosn when his contract ran out

and from RW's view JB didn't want to re-sign. My oopinion; JB knew the Bills were in salary cap trouble, players like Smith, etc were nearing the end, so he bailed. Was the marraige between him and RW growing stale, probably, but JB was a players GM, loved all the players and over paid for them. Now the Bills are in salary cap trouble, so he figures at year he takes off, likely already knowing SD was ready to sign him. Smith was JB's flunky, so he followed him out the door. Plus he tended to be a bit more hot headed and it seemed RW bothered him more.

 

Everyone around was praising the signing of TD, so don't try to blame RW on that one, at the time it appeared ot be a great move. Did he screw up with Levy, absolutely. Could he and BP have better worked things out, in hindsight sure, but even from somethings I've read BP has taken some of the blame there too.

 

Not saying RW has been great by any means but can't blame him for Butler or TD leaving.

 

The salary cap issue with respect to John Butler is patently unfair. The Bills were coming off of their four SB run and the veterans on the team were at their last stages. There is no surprise that the Bills were at the high end of the cap cycle because they had a lot of premier players who were at the tail end of their careers. John Butler was trying to make another playoff run. But he certainly was smart enough to realize that in the near future the older and more expensive players would be fazed out and replaced with younger and cheaper players who were still in their more inexpensive first contracts. All playoff teams go through this type of cap cycle.

 

The owner low balled the contract offer to John Butler at a ridiculous level. That was one of the MANY reasons why Butler decided to leave the organization. When John Butler left he commented that no one realizes what it is like to work for Ralph. Just compare how Butler/A.J. Smith have done in San Diego compared to what the Bills have done since this tandem departed!

 

With respect to Tom Donahoe he was a Ralph Wilson hire. The tight fisted owner kept him on for the full five years of his contract because he was not willing to pay off the contract prior to its expiration. As much as the owner lamented how Tom Donahoe ran the operation, the owner had the prerogative to intervene and assert himself with Tom Donahoe. Hiring Marv Levy to replace Tom Donahoe was stupendously stupid. Marv was away from the NFL for nearly five years and he had little desire to be a GM. Hiring someone who is ill equipped to do a very difficult job merely because the owner was comfortable with him is a clear demonstration of the owner's ineptitude.

 

Ralph Wilson has owned the team for half a century. The Bills have lost more games than they won in four out of five decades. In the one decade that the team had sustained success the owner fired the GM because of some personal conflict. Whatever happened to the concept of accountability? The owner defines this organization. That is why the Bills are so dysfunctional. If you don't believe me then just look at the record.

[BillnutinHouston]

ALL YOU COWHER SUPPORTERS...it ain't over til it's over......

 

 

BILLIEVER'S - TIME TO TAKE IT UP A NOTCH

 

By JOE LOGAN (1/13/2010 11:27:46 PM)

 

Let the nay-sayers and haters wallow in the mud with their Long Island pal Schefter and let the Billiever's rock and roll. Time to take it up a notch.

 

I spoke tonight with my source (who by the way owes me a genny cream when this is over) and apparently there is some heated discussions going on at one bills drive. The message to me was that R&R are getting internal pressure to make Cowher the offer he can't refuse. Final decision on player moves and a commitment to pay for players.

 

The concern within is that Ralph and Russ are not pursuing Cowher with the amount of urgency that the situation deserves. Privately they are also concerned that Brandon and new GM Buddy Nix may not have the experience needed to be able to recognize the potential of a coordinator or college coach with no head coaching experience. Hence the reason they are suggesting a more aggressive pitch for Cowher who has the proven track record.

 

None of that is good news, however I was also told that Buffalo Fan Factor is having an effect on the happenings on both sides of the table and the suggestion to me was to see if we could really take it up a notch, and fast!

 

What have we got to lose folks? Let's do our part. Let's go all in for the Chin.

 

Here is the plan. I'm asking that everyone interested in doing their part to try to land Cowher write two HANDWRITTEN letters. One to Ralph Wilson and one to Bill Cowher. Tell Ralph why it is important to you that we get Coach Cowher. Draft a second letter to Cowher telling him why you think he should come to Buffalo. Put them both in a single envelope addressed to EastAurora.Org PO Box 125 East Aurora, New York 14052. I know I can get the message directly to Ralph and I will do everything in my power to deliver them to Coach Cowher, even if I have to drive down to Raleigh to do it.

 

Please try to get all of your letters out by this weekend.

 

I don't know what Schefter knows and why he says what he says about Cowher. But I believe if we can get hundreds or maybe thousands of handwritten letters hand delivered to him it might just be enough to sway him and tip the scales in our favors.

 

I'm all in on this until I hear Coach C say he is out. If that happens, we move on. Better to do what we can to help the cause than to just sit back and expect the worst and then complain after the fact. Isn't it?

 

Is this from a twitter? Link?