Russ Brandon on WGR

[ThurmasThoman]

its crazy to me that you guys follow the NFL and honestly think the bills are going to move.

 

you need to read stories about other teams, i think, for your own sanity.

 

i mean, i dont want to be an ass, but honestly, do you imagine the rest of the league as a vaccuum, with owners that will live forever, never to sell their teams, all in a better financial position than the buffalo bills?

 

roger goodell only cares about the image of the league, and the buffalo bills, as much as you want to deny it, are part of the fabric of the game.

 

the league moved a team from cleveland, and it. went. horribly.

 

lesson learned.

 

thats why cleveland got a team back shortly thereafter.

 

its not the NBA, and thats why goodell has said there is a plan in place.

 

its like, how can this thread go 4 pages with people saying "it would be nice if they said something," but then when the millions of articles talking about teams that are going to move to LA that never mention the bills are brought up, those articles dont count?

 

there is a list of teams being mentioned to move to LA, and the bills are never on it.

 

worst worst worst worst case scenario, is someday we are "the niagra bills." but if there is a brand new stadium built, and new ownership, and its a half hour drive, would that REALLY kill you? hell, 10-1 odds they wouldnt even brand it as niagra. i think the "buffalo bills" has such a strong identity as a brand, and is able to generate so much profit while putting out such a terrible product, the smarter business move would be to sell that brand to canada, and regionalize the brand itself, maybe try to draw in some of that toronto marke to.... hey, wait a second...

[ThurmasThoman]

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1970/

 

here are the standings from the year the leagues merged and became the nfl, 42 years ago.

 

whats one thing you notice when you look at it?

 

every city that had a team when the league merged, has one today, with the exclusion of LA, who has had teams since then, and will have TWO again shortly (via expansion.)

 

so lets write that differently:

 

"buffalo bills fans are such f*cking losers, they are 100% confident they will be the first fanbase in the history of the national football league to permanently lose a team, despite being a historic franchise, playing in the 4th largest media market in the hemisphere, and having the ability to sell out a game at a moments notice despite the fact that the product on the field has been garbage for 15 years."

 

i mean, can we just end the talk about this team moving already?

 

maybe russ doesnt answer questions about whats going to happen about the team when his boss dies, because he doesnt think its in good taste to answer questions about whats going to happen to the TEAM WHEN HIS BOSS DIES?

 

bills fans are like the 18 year old girlfriend that asks you every 20 minutes "whats wrong, you seem quiet?"

 

i mean, have you ACTIVELY walked through the potential scenarios that will happen when ralph dies? anyone?

 

ralph dies, team gets auctioned.

 

ok, well, either he dies during the season, or not, but either way there will still be football to be played, and the bills will be the buffalo bills under a new owner.

 

so what does this new owner do? Moneybags Mcowner just bought a new toy, and so he brings on his people, really make a splash.

 

new gm, new coach (maybe cowher?) whole new outlook.

 

clearly, with this new direction for the bills, enthusiasm in the area is sky high. russ brandons job becmoes redundant. tickets sell themselves. ticket prices get raised, but it doesnt matter, because fans finally have what they want: a new owner committed to winning. a new organizational philosophy.

 

brady is retired, the jets and phins are in shambles, and suddenly, this new bills team is in first in the east. the stadium keeps selling out. the bills are playing in prime time?! the ball's really rolling now.

 

that toronto game suddenly becomes a blessing - hey, instead of it being a throwaway game, it becomes a premier game. its no longer an automatic loss for the bills, its a game they know will be on sunday/monday/thursday night, against a good opponent.

 

national attention comes back to the lovable bills, just like it does every time we manage to put together a 3 game winning streak. because, like the cubs, or the red sox, we are lovable losers - a national brand.

 

and then, in the midst of this, according to most posters on this board, our new owner decides that he's going to leave this money printing machine he just bought to move the team to greener pastures?

 

really though, someone, break down why this is going to happen in a more logical way than my last 3 posts.

 

id love to read it.

 

tell me why the bills are going to move in a detailed response, that doesnt include

 

1) ralph is old

and/or

2) were the bills

 

if you cant, can we just once and for all consider this topic closed?

[kasper13]

Comeback Game was blacked out. They played at Houston on 12/27 and lost 27-3 to finish at 11-5. That gave us the home wild card game against Houston the following week. What happened was the Bills didn't include a potential wild card game ticket for season ticket holders when they sent out playoff tickets in early December. Yes, they did that back then. They had to sell 80,000+ tickets in 4-5 days for the blackout to be lifted. I do believe they even got a one day extension on that. Even if you had season tickets, you had to go down to Rich Stadium and pay for and pick up your tickets for that game if you wanted them. Pre-internet days you know. If I remember correctly they opened the ticket office that night after they lost to Houston. Anyway, they still sold over 75,000 tickets in less than a week. Attendance was 75,141. I have been to games both in 1977 and 1985 when attendance was announced at 20,000-23,000 but there were less than that in the stadium. One game in 1985 against the Oilers started out at 45 degrees and rain and by the 3rd quarter it was in the 30's and freezing rain. Easily more than half the announced 20,000 left at halftime.

Edited October 11, 2012 by kasper13

[purple haze]

Sorry dude, your just looking through rose-coloured glasses. Wilson has absolutely no allegiance to WNY. The taxpayers of NYS have every right to know what his succussion plans are, he's asking for $ 200 million of their money and doesn't want to put up a dime of his own money. Don't misinterpret those HOF donations, that was vanity disguised as charity.

 

Is Wilson cheap, not sure. Is he incompetant like his underlings, absolutely.

 

The WGRZ report was also backed up by other news sources. Fact.

 

Jim Kelly has said for years he has access to money

people who want to keep the team in Buffalo. Fact.

 

Jim Kelly shows up at the 2011 Pats game w/George Gillette, a man whois beyond wealthy and has owned a couple professional sports teams and the two of them meet w/Roger Goodell that day, before the game. Fact.

 

Ralph Wilson has kept a football team in WNY when he had opportunities to move them DECADES ago. Fact.

 

 

Edited October 11, 2012 by purple haze

[purple haze]

I'm posting from my phone so I have to break up my post, butto finish...

 

There is no substantiation that I have seen that the Bills do not want to kick any money for the renovation. In fact, it's been reported that they might actually be looking to kick in money and ask for a matching amount through an NFL program.

 

Mr. Wilson does have an ego. He donated money to HOF anda bldg. is named after him. He named the stadium after himself. Which brings me back to the idea that Mr. Wilson is well aware of his legacy and what it is tied to.

 

The new lease is probably tied questions about new ownership and the plan. The County and State officials know the info fans want to be made public .

 

None of things I mentioned are rose colored glasses. My sentiments are based in part on facts, in part on grapevine things we all have heard and reading tea leaves. NO businessman as successful as Mr. Wilson has no plan for his business. Just doesn't happen at the level of business he operates on.

[KOKBILLS]

The WGRZ report was also backed up by other news sources. Fact.

 

Jim Kelly has said for years he has access to money

people who want to keep the team in Buffalo. Fact.

 

Jim Kelly shows up at the 2011 Pats game w/George Gillette, a man whois beyond wealthy and has owned a couple professional sports teams and the two of them meet w/Roger Goodell that day, before the game. Fact.

 

Ralph Wilson has kept a football team in WNY when he had opportunities to move them DECADES ago. Fact.

 

Well...I'm not sure how much actual facts matter on this board...But the effort is definitely appreciated by some of us...

[Joe W]

 

 

The WGRZ report was also backed up by other news sources. Fact.

 

Jim Kelly has said for years he has access to money

people who want to keep the team in Buffalo. Fact.

 

Jim Kelly shows up at the 2011 Pats game w/George Gillette, a man whois beyond wealthy and has owned a couple professional sports teams and the two of them meet w/Roger Goodell that day, before the game. Fact.

 

Ralph Wilson has kept a football team in WNY when he had opportunities to move them DECADES ago. Fact.

 

Can't believe you quote those as facts George Gillette was a failure as an owner look it up. Kelly has NO money group backing him

[vincec]

that is that is what frys my behind.. no info whatsoever from the F O on the teams future.. unacceptable!

Well if he said that there is no plan in place and that RW will sell the team to the highest bidder and that the odds are better than not that the team will leave Buffalo, how would that be for ticket sales?

[Just Jack]

He named the stadium after himself.

 

The County named it after him, he'd rather there would be no name on it.

[Joe W]

 

 

The County named it after him, he'd rather there would be no name on it.

 

 

 

The County named it after him, he'd rather there would be no name on it.

 

 

 

The county did not name it after him they gave him the rights in the last lease In an act of vanity Wilson named it after himself rather than sell it for $4 M like the other teams do

[gomper]

I may be dreaming but I can't help but think that a businessman as savvy as Ralph might have something solidly already in place. Time will tell. If he doesn't, well, God have mercy.

[purple haze]

Can't believe you quote those as facts George Gillette was a failure as an owner look it up. Kelly has NO money group backing him

 

Why can't you believe I quote that as a fact. It was reported Gillette showed up with Kelly and they, or at least, Gillette met with Roger Goodell that day before the game. If you re-read my post nowhere did I mention Gillette's skills as an owner because that is irrelevant to the point. I would think if Gillette showed up with Kelly they know each other. Gillette has been said to be interested in the NFL. You put two and two together or not if you want to.

[Joe W]

I may be dreaming but I can't help but think that a businessman as savvy as Ralph might have something solidly already in place. Time will tell. If he doesn't, well, God have mercy.

 

Ralph is no savvy businessman what he is extremely lucky to have bought a franchise early in a phenomenal entity that is the NFL. He's mainly benefitedd by his long life span, its not like he was any type of inspired owner. No he has no plan in place, he basically cares less about WNY and the team will be sold in trust to the highest bidder. Sorry but that's the fact Jack !

 

 

 

Why can't you believe I quote that as a fact. It was reported Gillette showed up with Kelly and they, or at least, Gillette met with Roger Goodell that day before the game. If you re-read my post nowhere did I mention Gillette's skills as an owner because that is irrelevant to the point. I would

think if Gillette showed up with Kelly they know each other. Gillette has been said to be interested in the NFL. You put two and two together or not if you want to.

 

 

Google George Gillette and figure for yourself if he could buy a NFL team nuff said Also Kelly is not the sharpest knife in the drawer his only current business is doing dental commercials Nuff said about him

[BillsVet]

Russ Brandon as acting GM did more damage to the organization in my opinion then any other person in the history of the Buffalo Bills.

 

The Bills are still trying to recover from it...

 

6 RW decisions for which Brandon cannot get around that have destroyed the reputation of this franchise since 2000:

 

1. Ordering Wade Phillips to start Rob Johnson in the 1999 WC game against Tennessee

2. Firing John Butler after a low-ball offer.

3. Suing Phillips by claiming the former HC had quit

4. Hiring Marv Levy

5. Promoting Russ Brandon

6. Hiring Buddy Nix

 

Brandon, no matter how much he talks, cannot deny the franchise could not find veritable candidates for the GM and HC jobs. And the reason remains his boss who runs this team like it was 1970. I just wonder if Brandon has the guts to tell RW that no one wants to work for the organization and that picking Nix and Gailey were emergency hires that predictably have not worked either. Brandon does a solid job of marketing a perennial loser, but it's not getting easier. 44k ST sold even with the biggest signing of team history suggest people aren't buying tickets until this team begins winning again. At the rate they're going it's anyone's guess when that'll happen.

 

Imagine what league personnel types were thinking at the 2008 combine when Smithers was sitting in the stands watching prospects. Little wonder that draft became one of the worst, if not the worst in team history.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

 

I write big checks all the time and it does not sting nearly as bad if it is not your money.

No matter how disappointing the team is, he gets paid stupid money to run essentially an entertainment company. His decisions affect a football team. He is not making life or death decisions, not making decisions that ruin peoples lives (except maybe a few sad fans). I would take that job in a heartbeat and always enjoy it, no matter how poorly the team is playing at any given time.

 

I dunno. Despite the aptly cited irrelevance of the impact of his decisions in any meaningful way, he still does endure a lot more ridicule and ire than comparable positions not on a football team. Add the fact he has little ability to impact the product put on the field week to week.

[bbb]

Comeback Game was blacked out. They played at Houston on 12/27 and lost 27-3 to finish at 11-5. That gave us the home wild card game against Houston the following week. What happened was the Bills didn't include a potential wild card game ticket for season ticket holders when they sent out playoff tickets in early December. Yes, they did that back then. They had to sell 80,000+ tickets in 4-5 days for the blackout to be lifted. I do believe they even got a one day extension on that. Even if you had season tickets, you had to go down to Rich Stadium and pay for and pick up your tickets for that game if you wanted them. Pre-internet days you know. If I remember correctly they opened the ticket office that night after they lost to Houston. Anyway, they still sold over 75,000 tickets in less than a week. Attendance was 75,141. I have been to games both in 1977 and 1985 when attendance was announced at 20,000-23,000 but there were less than that in the stadium. One game in 1985 against the Oilers started out at 45 degrees and rain and by the 3rd quarter it was in the 30's and freezing rain. Easily more than half the announced 20,000 left at halftime.

 

Really?!? I don't remember any of that with the wild card game. If true, and it seems like you know what you're talking about, that should be mentioned every time somebody brings up that that game wasn't sold out............I do know that we sat in our usual season ticket seats.

 

And, you are definitely right about those games in '77 and '85. I think it was a Cleveland game I was at in '85 that had to have 5-10K people at the very most for most of the 2nd half.

[Beerball]

Simon tried to get an answer about the future of ownership and why Ralph will not put something in place now to ensure the team won't re-locate after he is gone (similar or like Art Modell did).... but he dodged the question.

That'a not his question to answer; he's an employee.

 

I write big checks all the time.

Beerball

1 Memory Lane

Greener Pastures

 

Thank you for your support.

[Joe W]

That'a not his question to answer; he's an employee.

 

He's the CEO of an organization thats asking for $220 M of taxpayer money for stadium improvements, he absolutely has to answer that question. If he can't answer it, tell him to call the owner, get the answer and report back ASAP.

 

BTW, Brandon is a tool.

[Gordio]

So please for the last time spear me the crap, you & Promo & whoever else that says they had trouble filling up the place even in their super bowl years. Most other owners would of killed to have attendance like the bills had back in the late eighties & early nineties.

 

I've always thought of the attendance some of you kids form those days was bs. many of those games I was at, back when I would have paid anything. I f they rised the ticket prices 20 bucks each and put a contender out there, the stadium would still be filled. It hurts me to say that my trust in one bills drive is so shaken, I watch the games in tape delay, because they just aren't worth my time. My two boys would probably get on board if they were competitive, but they took these last two games as a "that's why we follow the Steelers" punctuation to me.

 

I laughed when I heard all the talk about MAtt Cassell being cheered when he got hurt. Nobody wishes him bad personally, the just want him out of their lives. I feel that way about Mr. Wilson. Not dead, just dead to me and my fellow suffering Bills fans. Whatever happens has to be better than this.

 

I feel the same way. I dropped my season tickets 2 years ago because I just can't bear the thought anymore of sitting in that cold stadium for another meaning less December game. We used to have 12 guys in on season tickets in the 90's. When I dropped them 2 years ago there was only 3 of us left. A few moved away from the area but the others dropped them out of disgust of the franchise years ago. I take my son to the 2nd game of the year(the last 2 years). He likes the Bills but he also likes the falcons & I got the NFL ticket so he would rather watch them play & quite frankly I can't blame him. I feel guilty enough shoving the Mets down his throat at a young age & making him be a Mets fan when all his other friends are Yankee fans.

[Beerball]

He's the CEO of an organization thats asking for $220 M of taxpayer money for stadium improvements, he absolutely has to answer that question. If he can't answer it, tell him to call the owner, get the answer and report back ASAP.

 

BTW, Brandon is a tool.

I think that they already know that the answer can only be gotten from Ralph.