Tom Cousineau's side of the story.

[tennesseeboy]

I always thought Tom Cousineau hated Buffalo and went to Canada just to get some autonomy in where in the NFL he would play. According to him its a little more complex and, again according to him, Buffalo's front office didn't handle negotiations very well.

 

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/04/21/tom-cou...en-one-in-1979/

 

On the positive side, in a complex set of transactions, this fiasco gave us the draft choice to get Jim Kelly.

[The Senator]

I always thought Tom Cousineau hated Buffalo and went to Canada just to get some autonomy in where in the NFL he would play. According to him its a little more complex and, again according to him, Buffalo's front office didn't handle negotiations very well.

 

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/04/21/tom-cou...en-one-in-1979/

 

On the positive side, in a complex set of transactions, this fiasco gave us the draft choice to get Jim Kelly.

...who promptly signed with the fledgling USFL's Houston Gamblers.

 

The whole story is old news, but a good reminder of how inept the Bills front office has been at various times in the past - not just over the past 10 years.

[cage]

...who promptly signed with the fledgling USFL's Houston Gamblers.

 

The whole story is old news, but a good reminder of how inept the Bills front office has been at various times in the past - not just over the past 10 years.

 

So I guess that points to the single common thread in everything.... Ralph Wilson

[Rico]

So I guess that points to the single common thread in everything.... Ralph Wilson

Yep.

 

Ralph.

[RevWarRifleman]

And how did we get the Cousineau pick in '79? Was that #1 draft pick position we got somehow OJ to San Fran. connected? I remember reading an article by Larry Felser long ago where he discussed this. But the details he mentioned in the article escapes me.

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

And how did we get the Cousineau pick in '79? Was that #1 draft pick position we got somehow OJ to San Fran. connected? I remember reading an article by Larry Felser long ago where he discussed this. But the details he mentioned in the article escapes me.

 

 

Yes, it was SF's #1 which had come in the OJ trade. SF had the worst record in the NFL in 1978.

 

The Cousineau story is a weird one all around. Right at that time the CFL had its own egomaniac owner, Nelson Skalbania, who threw around a lot of money luring NFL players to Montreal (including Vince Ferragamo), but ended up bankrupting himself, the team, and almost the league.

 

The Cousineau debacle, though, has Stew Barber's fingerprints all over it. He was a truly world-class awful GM.

[Bob in STL]

This is the first time I have seen this story although I heard parts of it over time. The Bills definitely were a cheap organization in the 70's and poorly run at that. They low-balled everyone.

 

My opinion on Cousineau has not really changed because he still fails to accept responsibility for anything that happened. After he got the money from Montreal he tried to buy out of it. He then tried to hand pick his team, only to end up with a coach that did not like him. For whatever reason he seemed to attract controversy.

 

 

If you walked in my house, you would never know I played football," he said.

 

Why?

 

"Some of it was I had a little bit of a chip about how things ended," he said. "I don't think I deserved it. I don't think I earned it at all. So I was ready to really move past all that.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Love to hear the Bills explanation/side of this story:

 

"Cousineau remembered spending draft day at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, then going to Buffalo where he went through some physical tests and answered questions at a news conference. Bills officials said they would take Cousineau back to his hotel, then pick him up for a casual, get-to-know-you dinner -- these were the days before the draft was an industry.

 

"I was waiting at the hotel (for dinner) and they never showed," Cousineau said. "They never called. I'm not kidding. Hearing no or being turned down or snubbed was not a new experience, but it seemed ... first of all very rude. And inhospitable."

[Bob in STL]

Yes, it was SF's #1 which had come in the OJ trade. SF had the worst record in the NFL in 1978.

 

The Cousineau story is a weird one all around. Right at that time the CFL had its own egomaniac owner, Nelson Skalbania, who threw around a lot of money luring NFL players to Montreal (including Vince Ferragamo), but ended up bankrupting himself, the team, and almost the league.

 

The Cousineau debacle, though, has Stew Barber's fingerprints all over it. He was a truly world-class awful GM.

 

 

And a Wilson yes man all the way.

[Bob in STL]

Anyone know who the other draft choices are that never played a down for the team that drafted them. The article said there are 6?

 

John Elway would be a one.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

For anyone who hasn't clicked on the article link, they should.

 

Fascinating slice of Bills and NFL history.

 

It shows the developing chasm between Chuck Knox and Ralph's guys (then Stew Barber…now Russ Brandon, Jim Overdorf, Jeff Littman), a dynamic that arguably exists to this day and the frustration that Knox, and others have felt working for the Buffalo Bills.

 

The Marty Schottenheimer passage is an amazing anecdote, one I'd not heard before.

 

Great read and thanks for posting, Tennesseeboy. You are a Bills fan.

[Rico]

Anyone know who the other draft choices are that never played a down for the team that drafted them. The article said there are 6?

 

John Elway would be a one.

Bo Jackson was the 1st pick of the draft by Tampa Bay in the 80s, never played a down for them. I don't think the Raiders gave up anything for his rights either.

[cage]

Bo Jackson was the 1st pick of the draft by Tampa Bay in the 80s, never played a down for them. I don't think the Raiders gave up anything for his rights either.

 

I think he chose to play baseball instead. He then re-entered the draft the following year and the Raiders to a chance on picking him in the 7th round (or something like that)

[The_Philster]

Anyone know who the other draft choices are that never played a down for the team that drafted them. The article said there are 6?

 

John Elway would be a one.

not sure of all the names but the article is wrong because if there were 4 counting him at the time, there are at least 8 now...in addition to Elway, you have Eli Manning (drafted by Chargers) and Phillip Rivers (drafted by Giants)

and there's also a LB drafted by the Colts in 87 who never played for them..went by the nickname of Biscuit

[Greybeard]

...who promptly signed with the fledgling USFL's Houston Gamblers.

And that was one of the main reasons for the Bills success in the 90's. If Kelly would have immediately signed with the Bills, they would have been mediocre instead of dam awful. They then would have never been able to accumulate the draft choices they did. Being mediocre probably meant a slim chance of escaping mediocrity.

 

This is a proven formula for success. If your going to suck, make sure you are the worst, if your fans can handle it. This works especially well in Hockey.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

And that was one of the main reasons for the Bills success in the 90's. If Kelly would have immediately signed with the Bills, they would have been mediocre instead of dam awful. They then would have never been able to accumulate the draft choices they did. Being mediocre probably meant a slim chance of escaping mediocrity.

 

This is a proven formula for success. If your going to suck, make sure you are the worst, if your fans can handle it. This works especially well in Hockey.

You have to draft well.

 

Lots of perenially sucky teams stay sucky because they suck at drafting.

 

And some teams are perenially good, even though their draft position is not good.

 

You have to draft well. That is the main thing.

[vincec]

not sure of all the names but the article is wrong because if there were 4 counting him at the time, there are at least 8 now...in addition to Elway, you have Eli Manning (drafted by Chargers) and Phillip Rivers (drafted by Giants)

and there's also a LB drafted by the Colts in 87 who never played for them..went by the nickname of Biscuit

It's #1 overall picks that they are talking about. Phillip Rivers was a #4 and Biscuit was a #2.

[Dr. Trooth]

Cousineau sucked. Good thing the Bills didn't ink him. Drafting him was bad enough.

[Nanker]

Yes, it was SF's #1 which had come in the OJ trade. SF had the worst record in the NFL in 1978.

 

The Cousineau story is a weird one all around. Right at that time the CFL had its own egomaniac owner, Nelson Skalbania, who threw around a lot of money luring NFL players to Montreal (including Vince Ferragamo), but ended up bankrupting himself, the team, and almost the league.

 

The Cousineau debacle, though, has Stew Barber's fingerprints all over it. He was a truly world-class awful GM.

Word! RJ. Word!

[Rico]

It's #1 overall picks that they are talking about. Phillip Rivers was a #4 and Biscuit was a #2.

Ernie Davis is another one.