One need only look at Mr. Ralph's relationships with last few HCs

[jack_spikes]

91, not a billionaire unless you include the estimated value of the Bills (and even then maybe not, but close), and anyone who feels a sporting team is more important than a persons life is a douchebag.

Hey, mister moral high ground! The poster merely pointed out that the Bills won't improve while Wilson owns the team. Most probably true. I didn't read anyone wishing for a hastened passing of Mr. Ralph, although when that does happen he will no longer be calling the shots, which, by the way, is purely circumstantial.

[K-9]

In the past 10 years:

 

1. Mr. Ralph had an incredibly toxic relationship with Wade Phillips such that not only did RW fire him but then foolishly tried to dodge paying him the contract they agreed to.

 

2. Mr. Ralph had such a toxic relationship with his GM Butler that Butler much to Mr. Ralph's surprise simply ran off to SD which provided context for the stupid Wad situation. The whole thing happened with a bizarre situation where Mr. Ralph seemed to exercising his capitalist right to determine who started at QB and like it or not the result was not good,...

 

1.) RW NEVER had a problem paying off fired coaches before or after the Wade fiasco. What was different? Know that answer and RW had a legitimate point. Sometimes when an employee doesn't do what he's asked by his boss, the boss fires that employee for cause.

 

2.) Butler (after conducting drafts that make Marv's look like genius, BTW) strung RW along for several months. If Butler knew he wasn't going to come back he shouldn't have acted so unprofessionally. "Run off" to San Diego is a good way to put it. RW would have let him go if Butler were man enough to admit it. But Butler couldn't do that until he had the SD job secured so, like I said, he strung RW along. All RW wanted was a number from Butler. He never received one. Sure, JB may have been insulted by RW's initial offer but that's what negotiation is. Butler should have said no from the get go. He deliberately put the organization in a bad position. I won't mention the cap hell he created.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[jack_spikes]

1.) RW NEVER had a problem paying off fired coaches before or after the Wade fiasco. What was different? Know that answer and RW had a legitimate point. Sometimes when an employee doesn't do what he's asked by his boss, the boss fires that employee for cause.

 

2.) Butler (after conducting drafts that make Marv's look like genius, BTW) strung RW along for several months. If Butler knew he wasn't going to come back he shouldn't have acted so unprofessionally. "Run off" to San Diego is a good way to put it. RW would have let him go if Butler were man enough to admit it. But Butler couldn't do that until he had the SD job secured so, like I said, he strung RW along. All RW wanted was a number from Butler. He never received one. Sure, JB may have been insulted by RW's initial offer but that's what negotiation is. Butler should have said no from the get go. He deliberately put the organization in a bad position. I won't mention the cap hell he created.

 

GO BILLS!!!

One could argue that Ralph did have a problem paying off fired coaches as the real reason he kept Jauron around an additional(painful) year. With regards to Wade, and I may be wrong about this, but didn't Ralph exert pressure on Wade to fire Ronnie Jones, his ST coach, in the hopes that Wade, having some class, would quit before being made to fire one of his assisants?

[K-9]

One could argue that Ralph did have a problem paying off fired coaches as the real reason he kept Jauron around an additional(painful) year. With regards to Wade, and I may be wrong about this, but didn't Ralph exert pressure on Wade to fire Ronnie Jones, his ST coach, in the hopes that Wade, having some class, would quit before being made to fire one of his assisants?

 

Sure, one could argue it. But the fact Jauron was kept an additional season doesn't support the argument because DJ was still paid regardless. There were more reasons to keep DJ at the time than there were to fire him. Perhaps not to us fans but certainly within the organization. Again, there is no difference in paying DJ for the one season he was kept and for the next two for which he's still owed.

 

As for Wade, yeah. Maybe it WAS Ralph's grand scheme to make Wade do something he (RW) knew he wouldn't do just so RW would be justified in firing him. Or, maybe it was just as simple as the facts support: we lost a playoff game as a result of a special teams gaff and, like many owners and coaches before had done, RW wanted someone's head on a platter. That someone would obviously be the ST coach, Ronnie Jones. Happens all the time. I'll give Wade credit for his loyalty but I can't fault RW that much either. Again, the fact is that Wade didn't listen to his boss and that boss felt he had cause to fire him as a result. If there were ANY additional times RW did this to a fired coach, I'd give more credence to RW deliberately screwing Wade.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[dave mcbride]

Actually, what's lost in the Ronnie Jones story is that Wade did actually agree to remove him as special teams coach. His solution was to move him to LB coach, but Wilson used the refusal to fire him as a pretext to get his money back from Wade. Jones had been the defensive coordinator for Buddy Ryan in AZ, and in one season they finished #3 overall. So he was presumably qualified.

 

What would be interesting to know is who ordered the firing of Bruce DeHaven. I wonder if it was Wilson. It wouldn't be out of character.

 

As for Butler, Wilson offered him a below-market salary. Butler wasn't going to take it, but he was under contract. Not offering Butler market value was probably the second stupidest thing Wilson ever did (after firing Polian). The Chargers quickly exploited that mistake.

[K-9]

Actually, what's lost in the Ronnie Jones story is that Wade did actually agree to remove him as special teams coach. His solution was to move him to LB coach, but Wilson used it as a pretext to get his money back from Wade. Jones had been the defensive coordinator for Buddy Ryan in AZ, and in one season they finished #3 overall.

 

As for Butler, Wilson offered him a below-market salary. Butler wasn't going to take it, but he was under contract. Not offering Butler market value was probably the second stupidest thing Wilson ever did (after firing Polian). The Chargers quickly exploited that mistake.

 

RW didn't need any additional pretext. The only pretext he needed in contesting paying Wade what was left on his contract was the fact that Wade didn't fire Jones, period. Wade moving him to LB coach was tantamount to giving RW the finger and everyone knows it. Unless Wade really didn't know the meaning behind the directive to fire Ronnie Jones. Wade's a pretty smart man. I admire Wade's loyalty and creativity here but when your boss tells you to fire another employee you do it. You don't find him another position within company.

 

As for Butler, you're right. RW DID lowball him. And I'm sure JB was justifiably insulted. RW also wanted JB to give him a counter number which JB didn't see fit to provide either way. Again, with good reason. But he deliberately strung the organization along for a few months. That wasn't necessary. And I seriously doubt the Chargers "quickly" exploited anything. JMO, but I suspect Butler and the Chargers had at least an inkling of an agreement once JB's contract with the Bills expired. Otherwise, given how great he supposedly was as a GM, why would Butler not see what the market would bring? Why limit it to just the Chargers? Weren't other teams interested in such genius? Did he turn down other offers? Especially after having been so insulted by RW.

 

I'm sorry but I think Butler's legacy is embellished too much. Great scout. Terrible GM.

 

GO BILLS!!!