Rico Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 As far as who's concerned? Russ? Per Team Ralph. Seeing as he is their superior, Russ would be the one to keep them in line, following the chain-of-command. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 All based on the word of Tim Graham, huh? How did you get to this point? Unless you think that Graham made up the stories (training staff & unholy trio) the ball is in Brandon's court. He either does something or he does nothing. Let's not blame the Bills mess on Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 How did you get to this point? Unless you think that Graham made up the stories (training staff & unholy trio) the ball is in Brandon's court. He either does something or he does nothing. Let's not blame the Bills mess on Graham. though we may find the extent of the mess is overstated by Graham, who does like to stir the pot (or a source with something to gain). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 The two Doug's work for him, so he has to support them as much as a superior can. Ultimately though, this is still Ralph's team, he still gets his marching orders from Ralph, and the bottom-line constraints that have been put into place by Ralph still have to be met. There is absolutely no way that Ralph gave him carte blanche to do as he pleases. My point was just that he can work to create a different environment in which the two sides can work together, even having the old vs. new mentality. He may not have the authority to fire them, but as the CEO, does he not have the authority to structure their working relationships so that expectations are clear wtr the outcome everyone wants? To win? And if there are perceived roadblocks in place that Whaley and Marrone feel are going to impact that, as far it pertains to Overdorf/Littman, how can it be adjusted. Or is it a situation where Russ can't even talk to these guys about anything, he has to be completely hands off on what they do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 All based on the word of Tim Graham, huh? No one's refuted the report yet. Who is silent is seen to consent. At least the 49ers lied when it was reported there was discussion of Harbaugh going to Cleveland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 All based on the word of Tim Graham, huh? You guys are embarrassing yourselves with the Graham bashing at this point. He's doing his job. The entire premise of the Graham bashing is this idea that he is too critical........veiled under the guise of him being "unprofessional". The bottom line is that the Bills aren't committed to winning.......and that is ultimately the basis of a healthy relationship between a team and it's fanbase. But by all means, keep shooting the messenger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 My point was just that he can work to create a different environment in which the two sides can work together, even having the old vs. new mentality. He may not have the authority to fire them, but as the CEO, does he not have the authority to structure their working relationships so that expectations are clear wtr the outcome everyone wants? To win? And if there are perceived roadblocks in place that Whaley and Marrone feel are going to impact that, as far it pertains to Overdorf/Littman, how can it be adjusted. Or is it a situation where Russ can't even talk to these guys about anything, he has to be completely hands off on what they do? I'm sure that Brandon and the other 2 are in constant communication. Just as in any other organization, sometimes you have to go to bat for something you believe in, and if Russ can convince the other members of Team Ralph that what he wants to do ultimately falls in line with the established best interests of Ralph, then Russ will get his way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodbuster Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 As you might expect: http://www.walshcollege.edu/jeffreylittmann#.Uw0A-ONdU24 I was expecting a peter pan link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 You guys are embarrassing yourselves with the Graham bashing at this point. He's doing his job. The entire premise of the Graham bashing is this idea that he is too critical........veiled under the guise of him being "unprofessional". The bottom line is that the Bills aren't committed to winning.......and that is ultimately the basis of a healthy relationship between a team and it's fanbase. But by all means, keep shooting the messenger. Yes, Graham has a job to do... so do the Bills Shills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 No one's refuted the report yet. Who is silent is seen to consent. At least the 49ers lied when it was reported there was discussion of Harbaugh going to Cleveland. just as quickly you would see people saying they wouldnt even acknowledge it if it wasnt atleast partially true. You guys are embarrassing yourselves with the Graham bashing at this point. He's doing his job. The entire premise of the Graham bashing is this idea that he is too critical........veiled under the guise of him being "unprofessional". The bottom line is that the Bills aren't committed to winning.......and that is ultimately the basis of a healthy relationship between a team and it's fanbase. But by all means, keep shooting the messenger. the problem is that even if graham gets some right, he legitimately is unprofessional on a regular basis which opens the door to questions over what is legit journalism, and what is graham being a fool. unfortunately for all of us, he opened that debate with his behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 just as quickly you would see people saying they wouldnt even acknowledge it if it wasnt atleast partially true. the problem is that even if graham gets some right, he legitimately is unprofessional on a regular basis which opens the door to questions over what is legit journalism, and what is graham being a fool. unfortunately for all of us, he opened that debate with his behavior. plus he seems to live to press the buttons of Bills fans. for all we know, this could be mostly true, but wildly overstated. could be the worst kept secret in and among those close to the team (reporters included), Timmah may have just pumped it up to stimulate the fan base. either way, he's winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 You guys are embarrassing yourselves with the Graham bashing at this point. He's doing his job. The entire premise of the Graham bashing is this idea that he is too critical........veiled under the guise of him being "unprofessional". The bottom line is that the Bills aren't committed to winning.......and that is ultimately the basis of a healthy relationship between a team and it's fanbase. But by all means, keep shooting the messenger. Credibility is important for a reporter so I don't understand why Graham pisses it away with his stupid Twitter flame wars. That people don't trust Graham on this is hardly a surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Credibility is important for a reporter so I don't understand why Graham pisses it away with his stupid Twitter flame wars. That people don't trust Graham on this is hardly a surprise. and i'm not completely sold on the story being false...but he's the only one reporting it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXBILLSFAN Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 My point was just that he can work to create a different environment in which the two sides can work together, even having the old vs. new mentality. He may not have the authority to fire them, but as the CEO, does he not have the authority to structure their working relationships so that expectations are clear wtr the outcome everyone wants? To win? And if there are perceived roadblocks in place that Whaley and Marrone feel are going to impact that, as far it pertains to Overdorf/Littman, how can it be adjusted. Or is it a situation where Russ can't even talk to these guys about anything, he has to be completely hands off on what they do? You are describing a functional corporate structure which is what successful teams have. At this point I'm not sure Brandon has the authority he claimed to have at his press conference. I always suspected he was unqualified for the position, but maybe he also oversold his promotion as more than it really was. As some have said, the proof will be in the actions, not the words, including those of Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like A Mofo Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 You guys are embarrassing yourselves with the Graham bashing at this point. He's doing his job. The entire premise of the Graham bashing is this idea that he is too critical........veiled under the guise of him being "unprofessional". The bottom line is that the Bills aren't committed to winning.......and that is ultimately the basis of a healthy relationship between a team and it's fanbase. But by all means, keep shooting the messenger. It's just some Bills fans living in denial, for whatever reason. Graham is probably more on the right side of this then not, the Graham hate stems from a thread awhile back and that has not gone away. The results are there over the years with these two. Littman and Overdorf are toxic and NOTHING will change until they are gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawgg Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 That makes no sense...if Brandon wanted things done the way the old guard always did them, he could very easily have made that clear in order to avoid any issues down the road. If he wanted a "fall in line" candidate, he could've had one. He knew Marrone and knew his personality--he's not a "fall in line" kind of guy. Instead, he promoted Whaley and (with Nix's help) let him choose the coach and run the team his way. Makes plenty of sense. Nobody said Russ wants the team to be run the "old guard way." I simply stated that Russ has a delicate balance -- he has to select a coach and GM but is not powerful enough to get rid (or control) the old guard, which has been employed by the franchise for decades. Not to mention, Russ has a pretty sweet gig. He's probably making between $5M and $10M a year as the caretaker of the franchise. Is he going to rock the boat by demanding the ouster of Ralph's most trusted lieutenants? Doubtful. Therein lies the dysfunction that is the Buffalo Bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 You guys are embarrassing yourselves with the Graham bashing at this point. He's doing his job. The entire premise of the Graham bashing is this idea that he is too critical........veiled under the guise of him being "unprofessional". The bottom line is that the Bills aren't committed to winning.......and that is ultimately the basis of a healthy relationship between a team and it's fanbase. But by all means, keep shooting the messenger. I am glad somebody else said this. Over the years here, I see posters constantly bashing the "lightweight WNY media", but then, when there is some story like this, that isn't so flattering about our team, we attack the messenger... I am not as down on the Bills current FO as some here appear to be, but I have little doubt that friction exists there. I would be shocked if there isn't friction that exists, like what Graham is reporting, with every pro sports team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 How did you get to this point? Unless you think that Graham made up the stories (training staff & unholy trio) the ball is in Brandon's court. He either does something or he does nothing. Let's not blame the Bills mess on Graham. Again I say that it's hard to take his stories at face value when many of his reports are extrapolated from direct quotes that speak nothing to the crux of the story (see his Byrd articles). I'm not bashing anyone--I'm simply saying that this mass reaction is all based on an anonymous Tim Graham report that could be anywhere from wholly true to grossly over exaggerated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 (edited) I am glad somebody else said this. Over the years here, I see posters constantly bashing the "lightweight WNY media", but then, when there is some story like this, that isn't so flattering about our team, we attack the messenger... I am not as down on the Bills current FO as some here appear to be, but I have little doubt that friction exists there. I would be shocked if there isn't friction that exists, like what Graham is reporting, with every pro sports team. To be fair the "attacking" isn't that he wrote this story- it's that he's wrote so much nonsense in the past that it makes a good story like this could be, somewhat hazier. If he was always the height of professionalism, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, this story would come with a lot more weight but because he isn't professional so often.... Well... It comes across as a legit story, but from a damaged writer. Edited February 26, 2014 by NoSaint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 You guys are embarrassing yourselves with the Graham bashing at this point. He's doing his job. The entire premise of the Graham bashing is this idea that he is too critical........veiled under the guise of him being "unprofessional". The bottom line is that the Bills aren't committed to winning.......and that is ultimately the basis of a healthy relationship between a team and it's fanbase. But by all means, keep shooting the messenger. By all means feel free to show me where I "shot the messenger" by asking if this was all wrought from Tim's report To be fair the "attacking" isn't that he wrote this story- it's that he's wrote so much nonsense in the past that it makes a good story like this could be, somewhat hazier. If he was always the height of professionalism, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, this story would come with a lot more weight but because he isn't professional so often.... Well... It comes across as a legit story, but from a damaged writer. Thank you for stating the point more concisely than I did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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