Hapless Bills Fan Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Interesting D&C article linked on TBD home page I was just reflecting on what a huge difference the ownership makes. We may or may not win - so many unknown factors. But no one can say that in bringing in Roman and his offense, we didn't bring in the personnel to execute his offense. (Whether all the personnel pan out is another question) Remember when we brought in Chan Gailey and George Edwards, Edwards wanted to switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4, and around the league and the press were scoffing because "they don't have the personnel for it". We were carrying DLmen like John McCargo, Kellen Heard, and Torell Troup, and LB Aaron Maybin and Akin Ayodele. In changing the D, we just announced the change - there really wasn't a coordinated, full-press effort to draft and sign FA suitable to execute it. What a difference this year in the approach, with a full-court press to upgrade through both FA signings and draft at TE, Fullback, OL, QB, and the speedbird WR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Interesting D&C article linked on TBD home page I was just reflecting on what a huge difference the ownership makes. We may or may not win - so many unknown factors. But no one can say that in bringing in Roman and his offense, we didn't bring in the personnel to execute his offense. (Whether all the personnel pan out is another question) Remember when we brought in Chan Gailey and George Edwards, Edwards wanted to switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4, and around the league and the press were scoffing because "they don't have the personnel for it". We were carrying DLmen like John McCargo, Kellen Heard, and Torell Troup, and LB Aaron Maybin and Akin Ayodele. In changing the D, we just announced the change - there really wasn't a coordinated, full-press effort to draft and sign FA suitable to execute it. What a difference this year in the approach, with a full-court press to upgrade through both FA signings and draft at TE, Fullback, OL, QB, and the speedbird WR. 3-2-1..cue up the ralph wilson defenders. the apologists will be all over you for this. but yeah. the difference is massive and was also immediate. 3rd tier coaches, build through he draft and cash to cap were shorthand for "were content losing". not sure it translates to playoffs this year, however. if not, I hope the new ownership sees the wisdom in riding a new regime horse for gm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 And with the way that Whaley & company are brining in centers E. Wood should be paying attention because once these guys get up to speed he could be the next change along the line. Not only to upgrade but to add some cap room to sign the others that are up for a new contract ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSOL Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Remember the home opener last year, right after Pegula purchased the team. The RV lots were full for three days before the game. Was quite an event! Spanked the crap out of Miami as well, good times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 3-2-1..cue up the ralph wilson defenders. the apologists will be all over you for this. but yeah. the difference is massive and was also immediate. 3rd tier coaches, build through he draft and cash to cap were shorthand for "were content losing". not sure it translates to playoffs this year, however. if not, I hope the new ownership sees the wisdom in riding a new regime horse for gm. Calm down, champ. No one defends how Ralph ran the team. We praise him for his loyalty to WNY and his generosity after his passing. That's not an endorsement of his football management skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Calm down, champ. No one defends how Ralph ran the team. We praise him for his loyalty to WNY and his generosity after his passing. That's not an endorsement of his football management skills. not how I remember the discussions sport, but reasonable minds can disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 not how I remember the discussions sport, but reasonable minds can disagree. Actually, that's exactly how I remember it. People defended Ralph from ad hominem attacks that were better aimed at his poor decisions, not at his unwillingness to spend or his (lack of) desire to win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Interesting D&C article linked on TBD home page I was just reflecting on what a huge difference the ownership makes. We may or may not win - so many unknown factors. But no one can say that in bringing in Roman and his offense, we didn't bring in the personnel to execute his offense. (Whether all the personnel pan out is another question) Remember when we brought in Chan Gailey and George Edwards, Edwards wanted to switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4, and around the league and the press were scoffing because "they don't have the personnel for it". We were carrying DLmen like John McCargo, Kellen Heard, and Torell Troup, and LB Aaron Maybin and Akin Ayodele. In changing the D, we just announced the change - there really wasn't a coordinated, full-press effort to draft and sign FA suitable to execute it. What a difference this year in the approach, with a full-court press to upgrade through both FA signings and draft at TE, Fullback, OL, QB, and the speedbird WR. Right or wrong Whaley has been huge in all of the moves so it goes beyond just the owner. Whaley has made some big bets but this roster outside of proving TT can play at a high level looks as strong as any in a long, long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Actually, that's exactly how I remember it. People defended Ralph from ad hominem attacks that were better aimed at his poor decisions, not at his unwillingness to spend or his (lack of) desire to win. right on cue. remarkable! isn't the op pointing out exactly this by citing high profile, expensive player signings and coaches versus coaches and players like those he named? do you disagree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Bills Fan Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Great post and I agree! CBF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 right on cue. remarkable! isn't the op pointing out exactly this by citing high profile, expensive player signings and coaches versus coaches and players like those he named? do you disagree? I think the OP is pointing more toward the front office showing a willingness to work with the coaches; it has nothing to do with spending. If it did, we wouldn't have seen total contract debacles with guys like Docker, Walker, Kelsay, etc. It was poor choices in spending, not unwillingness. People like to point to spending on coaching, but Ralph offered a boatload to Shanahan, who turned it down. He also spent big to bring in Donahoe. It wasn't a lack of willingness; it was poor decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 It's amazing what happens when business/marketing/PR and their people aren't as dominant in the decision making process. Now with football people making personnel decisions, the product is improved and the increase in business follows that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 It wasn't a lack of willingness; it was poor decisions. Whatever gets you through the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 (edited) Whatever gets you through the night. That's a very odd response that neither contradicts my point nor provides any type of context whatsoever. EDIT: You know what? Forget it. Respond via PM if you want to argue about Ralph, because Hopeful has a nice thread here about the quality of the current regime, and I don't want to threadjack it. Edited September 8, 2015 by thebandit27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 That's a very odd response that neither contradicts my point nor provides any type of context whatsoever. EDIT: You know what? Forget it. Respond via PM if you want to argue about Ralph, because Hopeful has a nice thread here about the quality of the current regime, and I don't want to threadjack it. the title is "difference in ownership" and the subtitle is "pegulas, cap and coaching". a discussion on wilson and spending is germane. but you're right in that it's been done many times before. the difference is that now we have a real time, real life comparison to reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALLEN1QB Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 I agree 100% with Ralph is was same crap every year. Been a fan for a long time so nice to have something to cheer for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 It's amazing what happens when business/marketing/PR and their people aren't as dominant in the decision making process. Now with football people making personnel decisions, the product is improved and the increase in business follows that. The PR/Marketing people never made personnel decisions. What we have now is simply the removal of a mandated operational budget. Pegula simply doesn't impose one. I won't apologize for Mr. Wilson as he was the first to admit that his decisions were often bad ones. I will say that the idea of him not being willing to spend money is not accurate. He had no problem spending at or near the top for players and coaches alike during his tenure. From Rauch to Saban II to Knox to Levy along with the dollars he was willing to throw at Shanahan, there are examples of his willingness to spend on coaches. The biggest factor in not landing coaches was our lack of talent, especially at the QB position, over the years. There are numerous players as well over the years. We have had several top-paid players at their positions. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machine gun kelly Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Ralph did a lot right (bringing the team here, keeping the team here, building a strong team in the 80's and 90's), and did a lot wrong (lack of spending on coaching, front office, and making too many quick decisions on changing the guard too fast). At the end of the day, I'm so happy for our new organization, the Pegulas, and the hope with an experienced staff, and a 5 year deal for Rex, we will build for long term success. It's kind of cool when we lock up Dareus (we will with the Fred and Cassel deals), we should have a Bills defense that is top 5 3 or less for the next three years. If we can make TT into even a 12-16 QB and a great running game, we will finally be back to the playoffs year after year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 (edited) The PR/Marketing people never made personnel decisions. What we have now is simply the removal of a mandated operational budget. Pegula simply doesn't impose one. I won't apologize for Mr. Wilson as he was the first to admit that his decisions were often bad ones. I will say that the idea of him not being willing to spend money is not accurate. He had no problem spending at or near the top for players and coaches alike during his tenure. From Rauch to Saban II to Knox to Levy along with the dollars he was willing to throw at Shanahan, there are examples of his willingness to spend on coaches. The biggest factor in not landing coaches was our lack of talent, especially at the QB position, over the years. There are numerous players as well over the years. We have had several top-paid players at their positions. GO BILLS!!! how do you reconcile these two things? if the mandated operational budget wasn't a hindrance to winning, then why even mention it? Edited September 8, 2015 by birdog1960 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegas55 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Oh do you mean that Pegula is exceeding the "standard" that Ralph set. In truth and in fact Wilson has to go down as one of the worst owners in NFL history. For the vast majority of his time as owner his team was a loser and a laughingstock. Read Jim Kelly's book and his decision to sign with USFL, based on the fact that after 20+ years of Ralph's ownership, the franchise was a mess. The only owner in NFL history to lose the number one overall draft pick to THE Canadian Football league. Would not pay for coaches. Threatened to move to Seattle if the taxpayers would not build a stadium for him. At 80+ years old, after having made one billion dollars on this franchise, gives up competitive advantage and moves games to Toronto so he can squeeze out an extra 10 million in revenue, as if he needed it. Mr Pegula, the bar has not been set very far. Wilson is beloved by many on this board and in this city, despite a clear record of incompetence and failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts