Will Brandon & company take advantage of Pegula being soft?

[Rico]

You just cannot win with the dregs of Ralph Wilson still at OBD. Brandon is the living memory of what Ralph was all about

and badly needs to be turfed, or slimed! Whaley I could live with, but the rest must be fired. C'mon Kim, do it.

Amen. Go Kim Go!

[Beerball]

You just cannot win with the dregs of Ralph Wilson still at OBD. Brandon is the living memory of what Ralph was all about

and badly needs to be turfed, or slimed! Whaley I could live with, but the rest must be fired. C'mon Kim, do it.

What exactly is that? Right mindedness? Loyalty over profit?

[jimmy10]

I'm more concerned about whether he can own two teams at the same time.

[starrymessenger]

To answer the question...Brandon seemingly has already begun ingratiating himself with the new ownership. That's what he does and who he his...he is a salesman. The fact that Kim Pegula sat in the audience during the press conference can be interpreted in two ways: (1) Tactical, in that the Pegulas already have a plan for how the chain of command will look and they want Brandon to know that they (the Pegulas) will control that...there is no ownership "team" that includes Brandon or (2) just a good mom/wife wanting to be near her children and share the moment as a family.

 

Editorial side note...I believe Brandon gets WAY too much credit for saving the Bills and regionalizing the team. The Marketing "department" prior to Brandon being brought in was essentially two people and some interns. The entire league was transforming at that time (1997 and 1998) realizing the power and strength of the brand. It was a great time for a marketing/sales guy because the entire league was riding the wave. Pure football guys were annoyed because the focus really moved to marketing. The WNY business leaders and politicians at the time were really driving the regionalization - putting pressure on business owners to buy suites, etc. A thirty year old kid (Russ's approx. age when he joined the Bills) with no football background did not "save" the Bills. Well, he did play DB at St. John Fisher. Brandon did take advantage of a perfect storm created by leveraging his association with a World Series winning organization and the start of the boom in the NFL. That's not his fault...it was just great timing and a great opportunity. Keep in mind, the NFL owners at that time were stressed out over bars showing games on DirecTv and charging a cover and worried about Jerry Jones wanting to cut a side deal with Pepsi when the league deal was with Coke. Seemingly small potatoes in hindsight.

 

From day one Russ has surrounded himself with people he knew and it goes very deep...Marc Honan, David Wheat, his brother, etc.... Look at the titles in the Front Office. Everyone with a "C" level title (Chief) is a Russ Brandon crony. His Admin is the only Admin in the building with "Executive" in her title. Guys like Overdorf (who gets WAY too much credit/blame on this board, BTW) and Berchtold who were there for a decade (or more) before Brandon are not the Chief of anything...in title. Which tells me they resisted being sucked into the Brandon orbit even though they play key roles in the organization. That is a somewhat unseen aspect of the "old guard/new guard" discussion. The old guard is older than the Brandon era. There are at least three silos to the organization - pure Football which Whaley should run (to include coaching, trainers, scouting), a Football Admin (salary cap, travel, etc.) group which Overdorf runs, and the Business/Sales side which Brandon runs now. A case could be made for a fourth silo for Media Relations (Berchtold).

 

Any "consultant" would be focused on the main product - football. Brandon should not be in a leadership position in football discussions. He should not be allowed to derail the evaluation because there may be a tendency to say "it's not like we didn't want to do that but we would get blocked by Detroit (Littman) when we presented it." From a financial perspective Jeff Littman controlled Ralph Wilson Enterprises of which the Buffalo Bills were just another asset. Therefore, he was responsible for all things money at One Bills Drive. He made the decision long ago that the Bills would be self sufficient and they would not take money from other RWE entities to support the Bills. Overdorf manages the cap and negotiates contracts (among other things) but he does not choose players and decide what they will get paid. He makes recommendations based on what the cap will allow. He is in the draft room and he is the point of contact for agents but his role is administrative and he is good at it.

 

I am sure the Pegulas, and their representatives, have had a very good look at the business side of the organization and have the same if not more key contacts in the greater WNY area and beyond. Out of necessity, Brandon did elevate to a role of key decision maker for the Bills. In terms of his value moving forward, it would be limited especially at his current salary. He has appointed a Chief Marketing Officer and a Chief Administration Officer, etc. I don't see him remaining "President" or COO...

 

Keeping Brandon on long term extends a dysfunctional political problem that this organization has endured for decades. Too many people in the organization will remain loyal to Brandon and could possibly usurp the authority of the new supreme decision maker. Brandon has already started laying the groundwork for stepping back and keeping a job by stating that the GM has always had control of the roster and the coach was always responsible for the on the field product. However, for example, when the deal surfaced to trade up to get Watkins, Whaley looked at Brandon for approval and Brandon stated "do it"...no reason for a citation here there is plenty of proof out there. That was not a financial approval...that was a football decision.

 

Brandon (and his Chiefs) is certainly in a tough spot. As much as he benefitted from his long tenure with the Bills it may ultimately hurt his career. From what I have heard, he has three years left on his contract and I am sure the Pegulas would honor any remaining obligation...whether they are legally bound or not. Littman is gone and will not be back and DO NOT make the mistake of linking Overdorf to Brandon.

 

The Pegulas are not soft. Kim Pegula will emerge as the leader of the business ops side of the organization once they figure out how to manage the Sabres/Bills relationship legally. It's pretty obvious she was the driving force behind the purchase. There will be a purge, it will be interesting to see how deep it goes.

 

Thanks for posting this.

[Bills Fan in MD]

Number of SB wins before Pegula: 0

Number of SB wins since Pegula took over: 0

 

Terry is cheap!

[Kirby Jackson]

To answer the question...Brandon seemingly has already begun ingratiating himself with the new ownership. That's what he does and who he his...he is a salesman. The fact that Kim Pegula sat in the audience during the press conference can be interpreted in two ways: (1) Tactical, in that the Pegulas already have a plan for how the chain of command will look and they want Brandon to know that they (the Pegulas) will control that...there is no ownership "team" that includes Brandon or (2) just a good mom/wife wanting to be near her children and share the moment as a family.

 

Editorial side note...I believe Brandon gets WAY too much credit for saving the Bills and regionalizing the team. The Marketing "department" prior to Brandon being brought in was essentially two people and some interns. The entire league was transforming at that time (1997 and 1998) realizing the power and strength of the brand. It was a great time for a marketing/sales guy because the entire league was riding the wave. Pure football guys were annoyed because the focus really moved to marketing. The WNY business leaders and politicians at the time were really driving the regionalization - putting pressure on business owners to buy suites, etc. A thirty year old kid (Russ's approx. age when he joined the Bills) with no football background did not "save" the Bills. Well, he did play DB at St. John Fisher. Brandon did take advantage of a perfect storm created by leveraging his association with a World Series winning organization and the start of the boom in the NFL. That's not his fault...it was just great timing and a great opportunity. Keep in mind, the NFL owners at that time were stressed out over bars showing games on DirecTv and charging a cover and worried about Jerry Jones wanting to cut a side deal with Pepsi when the league deal was with Coke. Seemingly small potatoes in hindsight.

 

From day one Russ has surrounded himself with people he knew and it goes very deep...Marc Honan, David Wheat, his brother, etc.... Look at the titles in the Front Office. Everyone with a "C" level title (Chief) is a Russ Brandon crony. His Admin is the only Admin in the building with "Executive" in her title. Guys like Overdorf (who gets WAY too much credit/blame on this board, BTW) and Berchtold who were there for a decade (or more) before Brandon are not the Chief of anything...in title. Which tells me they resisted being sucked into the Brandon orbit even though they play key roles in the organization. That is a somewhat unseen aspect of the "old guard/new guard" discussion. The old guard is older than the Brandon era. There are at least three silos to the organization - pure Football which Whaley should run (to include coaching, trainers, scouting), a Football Admin (salary cap, travel, etc.) group which Overdorf runs, and the Business/Sales side which Brandon runs now. A case could be made for a fourth silo for Media Relations (Berchtold).

 

Any "consultant" would be focused on the main product - football. Brandon should not be in a leadership position in football discussions. He should not be allowed to derail the evaluation because there may be a tendency to say "it's not like we didn't want to do that but we would get blocked by Detroit (Littman) when we presented it." From a financial perspective Jeff Littman controlled Ralph Wilson Enterprises of which the Buffalo Bills were just another asset. Therefore, he was responsible for all things money at One Bills Drive. He made the decision long ago that the Bills would be self sufficient and they would not take money from other RWE entities to support the Bills. Overdorf manages the cap and negotiates contracts (among other things) but he does not choose players and decide what they will get paid. He makes recommendations based on what the cap will allow. He is in the draft room and he is the point of contact for agents but his role is administrative and he is good at it.

 

I am sure the Pegulas, and their representatives, have had a very good look at the business side of the organization and have the same if not more key contacts in the greater WNY area and beyond. Out of necessity, Brandon did elevate to a role of key decision maker for the Bills. In terms of his value moving forward, it would be limited especially at his current salary. He has appointed a Chief Marketing Officer and a Chief Administration Officer, etc. I don't see him remaining "President" or COO...

 

Keeping Brandon on long term extends a dysfunctional political problem that this organization has endured for decades. Too many people in the organization will remain loyal to Brandon and could possibly usurp the authority of the new supreme decision maker. Brandon has already started laying the groundwork for stepping back and keeping a job by stating that the GM has always had control of the roster and the coach was always responsible for the on the field product. However, for example, when the deal surfaced to trade up to get Watkins, Whaley looked at Brandon for approval and Brandon stated "do it"...no reason for a citation here there is plenty of proof out there. That was not a financial approval...that was a football decision.

 

Brandon (and his Chiefs) is certainly in a tough spot. As much as he benefitted from his long tenure with the Bills it may ultimately hurt his career. From what I have heard, he has three years left on his contract and I am sure the Pegulas would honor any remaining obligation...whether they are legally bound or not. Littman is gone and will not be back and DO NOT make the mistake of linking Overdorf to Brandon.

 

The Pegulas are not soft. Kim Pegula will emerge as the leader of the business ops side of the organization once they figure out how to manage the Sabres/Bills relationship legally. It's pretty obvious she was the driving force behind the purchase. There will be a purge, it will be interesting to see how deep it goes.

While this post is informed it is missing a few key elements. Sports business has evolved SO much in the last decade and a half. Russ didn't surround himself with a bunch of yes men he surrounded himself with a bunch of sharp young minds that have not only succeeded with the Bills but even as they have moved on, people like Pete Guelli who is now the CMO of the Hornets. He minimized the power of the good ole boys like Bill Munson. Sports business is FULL of people just like Russ, young, talented and with a sales background. Those are the movers and shakers, people like Scott O'Neill.

 

You reference the football decision and Whaley seeking approval. Brandon was the acting owner. There is not a team in the world that would pull the trigger on a deal like that without ownership approval. Ralph entrusted Russ to act in his best interest. At the end of the day he defers the football decisions but does have to ask "what would Ralph want?"

 

If Russ doesn't remain as president or COO he can write his own ticket anywhere. He will at worst be a president. The Pegula's know that and know his value. The Bills sponsorship revenue is phenomenal considering the market. That is the main reason that he is so respected around the league and across leagues. The Bills have been able to generate revenue that larger, wealthier markets have not. You can downplay that all you want and say that it is a function of the league. It is when you compare football to hockey or whatever but not when you compare NFL team to NFL team.

 

We are VERY fortunate to have the leadership that we have in Russ and Whaley. The people that I know and have worked with in the business have the utmost respect for them. I worked for the current Saints group and their is not one executive on that staff that is anywhere near as talented as the Bills group. They aren't as smart, creative, or aggressive as the people at OBD. I am not sure on Marrone. The point being that we are in much, much better hands than many teams.

 

Your post is good and well informed. It is accurate. The main issue that I take is that people weren't elevated because they were Russ' boys they were elevated because they are extremely talented people.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Kirby Jackson

[Buffaloed in Pa]

He didn`t become a billionaire being soft. He`s a very smart man. Just because he shows his emotions on one of the biggest deals in his life,doesn`t mean he runs a business without a clear head. Pa. people are just more family oriented. He grew up in a Pa. small town and still has those roots in him.