Mort Report: Coaches around NFL leary of too much owner interference.

[Dan]

On a day-to-day basis, Ralph interferes MUCH more than Snyder does. Remember after Meathead left, the reports of constant phone calls from him all day long.

So Mort and potential coaches throughout the league are basing their opinion about the Bills on something a guy that hasn't been in the organization for 4 years and left under strained circumstances said? Wow.

[BillsVet]

On a day-to-day basis, Ralph interferes MUCH more than Snyder does. Remember after Meathead left, the reports of constant phone calls from him all day long.

 

Someone could attempt to dispute those reports, but TD and John Butler said RW was frequently wanting information. I don't think we realize the degree to which he meddles. Snyder gets press because it's DC, but RW may be worse. This is the same guy who re-signed OJ before the season opener in 76 and didn't tell anyone until a night or two before the game.

 

One of the best owners in the league is Jim Irsay. He is actually not a very smart football guy. He is just a fan. Smart enough to know he doesnt know **** about putting a team together. Irsay stays the hell out of Bill Polian's way and does what Bill Polian says. I dont believe he was fully on board with the decision to not go for perfection but Bill Polian makes the decisions and Irsay listens no matter what. Irsays father was Ralph Wilson type who meddled. The Colts sucked and sucked big time. Yes you spent a billion dollars to buy the team and you can do whatever you want... But Enjoy losing because Owners that try and play fantasy football generally lose.

 

Well put. I don't think it's any coincidence that more hands-off owners are the successful ones. While they're all rich, their business acumen doesn't translate into professional football and the smart ones know it. They'll delegate day to day stuff to a football man who has the authority to hire, fire, and make the moves necessary to win. I think of guys like Irsay, Blank, Kraft, Spanos, Mara/Tisch, Lurie, and Biscotti.

[vizslafan]

It is sad to say but Ralph appears to not be mentally competent.

 

I saw the Hall of Fame Speech and was taken back during the "oxygen bottle" commentary. I kind of was in denial. Who knows what is really going on behind the scenes. But if Ralph is pulling strings on a day-day basis it is a bad deal all the way around. I can't think of anybody his age that can run a football team or any other business that is this competitive.

 

I have been following this team since 1965 or so. I will always love them, but this is probably as good as it is going to get until the team is sold. I hope not, but have lost any confidence in Ralph making a sound decision on a consistent basis.

 

Sure is tough to keep the faith.

[XTC]

Someone could attempt to dispute those reports, but TD and John Butler said RW was frequently wanting information. I don't think we realize the degree to which he meddles. Snyder gets press because it's DC, but RW may be worse. This is the same guy who re-signed OJ before the season opener in 76 and didn't tell anyone until a night or two before the game.

 

 

 

Well put. I don't think it's any coincidence that more hands-off owners are the successful ones. While they're all rich, their business acumen doesn't translate into professional football and the smart ones know it. They'll delegate day to day stuff to a football man who has the authority to hire, fire, and make the moves necessary to win. I think of guys like Irsay, Blank, Kraft, Spanos, Mara/Tisch, Lurie, and Biscotti.

 

 

How could any one of us possibly know just how involved some of these owners are? We can only speculate how much a Bob Kraft does or doesn't micro-manage operations. Like one other poster said, I bet you fellows would not invest your own millions then turn a blind eye.

[BillsWatch]

I can't think of anybody his age that can run a football team or any other business that is this competitive.

 

Just because YOU can not think of anyone does not mean there are not sharp older owners. I know an owner of a multiple million dollar real estate firm who is older than Ralph and still make multiple million dollar deals beating out younger and better financed rivals. He still plays chess and beats people rated Master competitively and knows legal laws related to his industry as well as any young buck. He tires more quickly and does not work as many long hours but does not need to since he made good hires; he still has final say when he chooses to exercise it.

 

Maybe it is your mental competence you should check?

Edited January 16, 2010 by BillsWatch

[vizslafan]

Just because YOU can not think of anyone does not mean there are not sharp older owners. I know an owner of a multiple million dollar real estate firm who is older than Ralph and still make multiple million dollar deals beating out younger and better financed rivals. He still plays chess and beats people rated Master competitively and knows legal laws related to his industry as well as any young buck. He tires more quickly and does not work as many long hours but does not need to since he made good hires; he still has final say when he chooses to exercise it.

 

Maybe it your mental competence you should check?

 

Well Billswatch then go and get your Millionaire buddy and have him buy the Bills and run them.. also you forgot the "is" when asking me to check my mental competence.

[BillsVet]

How could any one of us possibly know just how involved some of these owners are? We can only speculate how much a Bob Kraft does or doesn't micro-manage operations. Like one other poster said, I bet you fellows would not invest your own millions then turn a blind eye.

 

You've resorted to suggesting there are two owner options:

 

1. Owner closely oversees everything and makes all decisions or..

2. Owner abdicates responsibility to someone in his stead.

 

Reasonable fans should expect an owner to fall somewhere in the middle and delegate day to day responsibility to football people to make key football decisions. I should think the owner will be part of the decision to hire a GM, not signing a big name future HOF WR for one year. Nor should the owner be the absolute authority to who becomes the HC.

 

The reason Buffalo consistently fails is because the owner will not admit he's incapable of making good football decisions. Take that as a "bash Ralph" opinion, but history demonstrates RW rarely gets it right. And when he does, he ends up firing that guy who is the best GM in the past 25 years of the NFL.

[BillsWatch]

Well Billswatch then go and get your Millionaire buddy and have him buy the Bills and run them.. also you forgot the "is" when asking me to check my mental competence.

 

He is not my "buddy" and isn't interested in NFL or any sports. He sticks to the market he knows. And thanks for correcting my grammar.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Nowwwwwwwwwwww we're getting down to real point of this exercise. Why doesn't the media just have out with it and stop dancing around the issue. It is far more patronizing the way they do it than just telling the truth. If Buffalo is the Walrus-faced date, Then F-them all...I hope this @#^&&&^* franchise stays around another hundred years just to be the sand in the shoe of the pie-faced maggots that chuckle over the misfortunes of the lowly Buffalo Bills, on national TV no less....MFers!!

Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel.

[XTC]

You've resorted to suggesting there are two owner options:

 

1. Owner closely oversees everything and makes all decisions or..

2. Owner abdicates responsibility to someone in his stead.

 

Reasonable fans should expect an owner to fall somewhere in the middle and delegate day to day responsibility to football people to make key football decisions. I should think the owner will be part of the decision to hire a GM, not signing a big name future HOF WR for one year. Nor should the owner be the absolute authority to who becomes the HC.

 

The reason Buffalo consistently fails is because the owner will not admit he's incapable of making good football decisions. Take that as a "bash Ralph" opinion, but history demonstrates RW rarely gets it right. And when he does, he ends up firing that guy who is the best GM in the past 25 years of the NFL.

 

I'm not taking any side nor making an argument one way or the other. I would merely suggest to you that none of us really knows what goes on behind closed doors.

[BillsVet]

I'm not taking any side nor making an argument one way or the other. I would merely suggest to you that none of us really knows what goes on behind closed doors.

 

Given that all NFL franchises require a great deal of personnel, there is ample opportunity for information to get out even though teams hate this.

 

And universally declaring that no one knows the degree of an owner's meddling in order to deflect any opinion critical of said owner is a short sighted argument.

[2003Contenders]

Mort also said that Polian came VERY close to naming Frazier HC over Caldwell last year, even though Caldwell had been hand-picked by Dungy as his successor.

[Big Turk]

I think at this point it is becoming a necessity to hire Marty. We need someone with some stature to get what he needs from RW and the front office. I also think Marty could probably put a decent group of assistant coaches together, which will become an issue soon under the current circumstances.

 

Also being reported that Ralph Wilson is the reason why Marty is not being brought into the mix...apparently Ralph has some misgivings about Marty for some reason and doesn't want to entertain thoughts of hiring him...apparently winning is not high on his list of priorities?

[Big Turk]

So Mort and potential coaches throughout the league are basing their opinion about the Bills on something a guy that hasn't been in the organization for 4 years and left under strained circumstances said? Wow.

 

No, apparently they are basing it on what is being said around the league currently...as in the "rumor mill" around the league. Let's not be so naive that we think coaches don't talk to each other and that news of what is happening with other teams doesn't get spread across the league...apparently a lot of news has been spread about the same thing over a lot of years to have it be this prevalent...

[Arkady Renko]

Someone could attempt to dispute those reports, but TD and John Butler said RW was frequently wanting information. I don't think we realize the degree to which he meddles. Snyder gets press because it's DC, but RW may be worse. This is the same guy who re-signed OJ before the season opener in 76 and didn't tell anyone until a night or two before the game.

 

 

 

Well put. I don't think it's any coincidence that more hands-off owners are the successful ones. While they're all rich, their business acumen doesn't translate into professional football and the smart ones know it. They'll delegate day to day stuff to a football man who has the authority to hire, fire, and make the moves necessary to win. I think of guys like Irsay, Blank, Kraft, Spanos, Mara/Tisch, Lurie, and Biscotti.

 

What business acumen does Irsay have again? He inherited a team from an alcoholic POS.

[Big Turk]

How could any one of us possibly know just how involved some of these owners are? We can only speculate how much a Bob Kraft does or doesn't micro-manage operations. Like one other poster said, I bet you fellows would not invest your own millions then turn a blind eye.

 

Its not about turning a blind eye. Its about delegating certain jobs to people and then letting them do the job you ask them to do without interference, and holding them accountable for the results. That is how businesses are run. What is the purpose of hiring a person if all you want them to do is to follow your every command? You give the person a task and set guidelines for them and then let them figure out how to best go about achieving those goals. At least the majority of people who are successful in business do. If you give them the task, set guidelines, and then constantly are telling them, "no do it this way" or "no, don't do that", then you are not allowing the person to really do the job. In effect, you are creating a puppet who is an extension of you. By all means the owner has the right and should be in contact with their people on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis to find out how things are going or to ask any questions he may have, but to call him several times a day? That is just ridiculous. Might as well just have the GM call the owner and ask what would you like him to do today.

 

There is a big difference between telling someone what you want done and telling someone how to do it. Effective owners tell someone what they want done. Ineffective owners tell them how to do it.

[Big Turk]

What business acumen does Irsay have again? He inherited a team from an alcoholic POS.

 

sometimes knowing that you don't know and surrounding yourself with excellent employees who do know is the best business acumen there is.

[Big Turk]

Just because YOU can not think of anyone does not mean there are not sharp older owners. I know an owner of a multiple million dollar real estate firm who is older than Ralph and still make multiple million dollar deals beating out younger and better financed rivals. He still plays chess and beats people rated Master competitively and knows legal laws related to his industry as well as any young buck. He tires more quickly and does not work as many long hours but does not need to since he made good hires; he still has final say when he chooses to exercise it.

 

Maybe it is your mental competence you should check?

 

You just stated the key of this whole point. I am pretty sure the guy you are talking about doesn't call them incessantly trying to find out what they are doing and basically tell them how to do things. More than likely tell them what he wants done and then he lets them figure out how to reach those goals.

[Dan]

No, apparently they are basing it on what is being said around the league currently...as in the "rumor mill" around the league. Let's not be so naive that we think coaches don't talk to each other and that news of what is happening with other teams doesn't get spread across the league...apparently a lot of news has been spread about the same thing over a lot of years to have it be this prevalent...

You don't by any chance have a link to Mort's report or any of these great rumors?

[Big Turk]

You don't by any chance have a link to Mort's report or any of these great rumors?

 

I heard it on WGR 550 driving home around 9 or 9:30PM tonite on ESPN radio...right after that he started talking with the Jets GM and basically licking his sack about how "aggressive" he was in the draft, free agency and in firing Mangini and hiring Ryan even tho Mangini had a winning record 2 out of 3 years... enough to make you wonder if he was wearing a Jets T-shirt under his work outfit...