jms62 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 I think the marrone story deserves a revisit. There's more to it than most of us believe, I suspect. I think Marrone left cause he didnt have confidence in EJ. He may have thought hed be fired after a year with EJ so take the buyout and try and hook up. THe writer from NY Daily News killed his chances with the Jets if you ask m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadingpain Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Ya, come to think of it, you're right. That rascal Tim Graham tried to play all of us. All is well at OBD. Move along people. Nothing to see here. You misunderstood me, which would have been obvious if you read any of my posts in this thread. I am not saying he is "playing us" but he is doing what every poster does here...establishing a thesis and persuading the reader to agree with his point of view...which I happen to agree with! It was DC Tom who was picking apart the piece as if to suggest the main thrust of the article is false. I think Marrone left cause he didnt have confidence in EJ. He may have thought hed be fired after a year with EJ so take the buyout and try and hook up. THe writer from NY Daily News killed his chances with the Jets if you ask m. Well that is pretty much the basic, generally understood theory, at least as far as I understand it! Exactly what was going on behind closed doors, though, and who was saying what to influence the outcome is something we'll never know unless one of the few people directly involved talks candidly about it 20 years from now or whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jms62 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 You misunderstood me, which would have been obvious if you read any of my posts in this thread. I am not saying he is "playing us" but he is doing what every poster does here...establishing a thesis and persuading the reader to agree with his point of view...which I happen to agree with! It was DC Tom who was picking apart the piece as if to suggest the main thrust of the article is false. Well that is pretty much the basic, generally understood theory, at least as far as I understand it! Exactly what was going on behind closed doors, though, and who was saying what to influence the outcome is something we'll never know unless one of the few people directly involved talks candidly about it 20 years from now or whatever. If that was the theory I dont recall it ever being mentioned anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baskingridgebillsfan Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Brandon certainly has been here the entire time. I have to think his finger prints are on a lot of the dysfunction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockee96 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 This article is right on. Thank you for sharing this. I really wish that the Pegulas would read this article. Bottom line - they need to see through Russ Brandon and Doug Whaley's BS and stop being influenced by their words - they need to fire them. I hope that the Pegulas are discerning enough to do this. If not, it really isn't fair for us fans. Enough is enough. I've been a fan for 25 years, and I am getting tired of this. The fans know and discern more than they are given credit for. Please Kim and Terry, see through the clouds/deceit that Russ and Doug have put over you, and pull the trigger. Please read this Kim and Terry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
major Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Buffalo: we put the FUN in dysFUNction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 You misunderstood me, which would have been obvious if you read any of my posts in this thread. I am not saying he is "playing us" but he is doing what every poster does here...establishing a thesis and persuading the reader to agree with his point of view...which I happen to agree with! It was DC Tom who was picking apart the piece as if to suggest the main thrust of the article is false. Well that is pretty much the basic, generally understood theory, at least as far as I understand it! Exactly what was going on behind closed doors, though, and who was saying what to influence the outcome is something we'll never know unless one of the few people directly involved talks candidly about it 20 years from now or whatever. I was picking apart the piece to suggest it is not an excellent piece, but a ****ty piece, regardless of whether or not the ultimate conclusion is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 The more I think about it the more I'm on board with gutting the whole thing...Whaley and all...This team is broken in a real bad way...It reaches to the top and through the Scouting...It's the coaches, and the players...It's badly flawed... The deep rooted problems are sometimes hidden by the mediocrity of the final records each year...Even 6-10 does not seem that bad compared to 4-12...A couple close games away from .500... The key to me is how poorly they have played over the years against good NFL teams...They get to the 6-9 win seasons by generally beating up on average and poor teams...But when they are faced with a challenge they wilt...And this is nothing new... I did a little research...The Bills best seasons over the past 5 years vs. winning teams were 2014 and 2015 when they went 3-5...If you remove the Pats season closer in 2014 when they sat everyone in the 2nd half, and the win vs the Pats and their injured 3rd string QB this year...the Bills have won a grand total of 6...yes 6 games against teams with winning records in the past 5 seasons including 2016...Since the 2012 season the Bills are...sigh...a total of 8-27 (and that includes the 2 Pats wins) when playing teams that finished 9-7 or better, or have a winning record so far this year...Yes...8-27...That's 35 games...three games over 2 full 16 game seasons vs winning teams...And the seasonal average would be worse then 4-12... Something needs to change...You're not getting anywhere by only beating the Sisters Of The Poor and slightly less than poor...And this organization from the top down cannot compete as is... Buh bye... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fridge Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 This article is right on. Thank you for sharing this. I really wish that the Pegulas would read this article. Bottom line - they need to see through Russ Brandon and Doug Whaley's BS and stop being influenced by their words - they need to fire them. I hope that the Pegulas are discerning enough to do this. If not, it really isn't fair for us fans. Enough is enough. I've been a fan for 25 years, and I am getting tired of this. The fans know and discern more than they are given credit for. Please Kim and Terry, see through the clouds/deceit that Russ and Doug have put over you, and pull the trigger. Please read this Kim and Terry. Between the looming future of Tyrod, Rex, and Brandon, Russ is the only one that will for sure be here next year. He's way too involved. This article, your post, WGR rants...it all changes nothing. Brandon runs the ship now. He's the President or managing partner of the Bills, the Sabres, the Americans, the Bandits, and the whole Pegula Sports/Entertainment. His recent promotions probably makes it even harder to release him. If nothing else, he's taught me that when old salesmen tell you that networking is the most important skill in life, they weren't kidding around. Russ Brandon is talent-less when it comes to football operations. It would take a miracle and multiple owners to give him no accountability for him to get where he's gotten. Any other franchise would've locked him out of the draft war room years ago or simply fired him. If you remove the Pats season closer in 2014 when they sat everyone in the 2nd half, and the win vs the Pats and their injured 3rd string QB this year...the Bills have won a grand total of 6...yes 6 games against teams with winning records in the past 5 seasons including 2016...Since the 2012 season the Bills are...sigh...a total of 8-27... when playing teams [that] have a winning record WOW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QB Bills Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Between the looming future of Tyrod, Rex, and Brandon, Russ is the only one that will for sure be here next year. He's way too involved. This article, your post, WGR rants...it all changes nothing. Brandon runs the ship now. He's the President or managing partner of the Bills, the Sabres, the Americans, the Bandits, and the whole Pegula Sports/Entertainment. His recent promotions probably makes it even harder to release him. If nothing else, he's taught me that when old salesmen tell you that networking is the most important skill in life, they weren't kidding around. Russ Brandon is talent-less when it comes to football operations. It would take a miracle and multiple owners to give him no accountability for him to get where he's gotten. Any other franchise would've locked him out of the draft war room years ago or simply fired him. WOW Sadly, you're likely right. It's not impossible to win with Littlefinger roaming the halls at New Era, but it does significantly increase the degree of difficulty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Between the looming future of Tyrod, Rex, and Brandon, Russ is the only one that will for sure be here next year. He's way too involved. This article, your post, WGR rants...it all changes nothing. Brandon runs the ship now. He's the President or managing partner of the Bills, the Sabres, the Americans, the Bandits, and the whole Pegula Sports/Entertainment. His recent promotions probably makes it even harder to release him. If nothing else, he's taught me that when old salesmen tell you that networking is the most important skill in life, they weren't kidding around. Russ Brandon is talent-less when it comes to football operations. It would take a miracle and multiple owners to give him no accountability for him to get where he's gotten. Any other franchise would've locked him out of the draft war room years ago or simply fired him. While I certainly cannot be considered a big fan of Brandon's...I do feel his actual input is sometimes greatly over exaggerated around here, or maybe misunderstood...I think Brandon is more of a facilitator of poor decisions...Never the guy coming up with anything...just the guy who is easily persuaded to go along with it...If that makes any sense... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fridge Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 While I certainly cannot be considered a big fan of Brandon's...I do feel his actual input is sometimes greatly over exaggerated around here, or maybe misunderstood...I think Brandon is more of a facilitator of poor decisions...Never the guy coming up with anything...just the guy who is easily persuaded to go along with it...If that makes any sense... And here I thought you had turned a corner What part of calling Rex and telling him what bottle to bring to impress the Pegula's tells you that he's simply a facilitator...? I'm less... gullible I suppose is the word I'll use, and I'm sorry if it's offensive. I think Brandon is not simply a facilitator as you put it. I don't think he's master planning everything either, but he's definitely way too involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 And here I thought you had turned a corner What part of calling Rex and telling him what bottle to bring to impress the Pegula's tells you that he's simply a facilitator...? I'm less... gullible I suppose is the word I'll use, and I'm sorry if it's offensive. I think Brandon is not simply a facilitator as you put it. I don't think he's master planning everything either, but he's definitely way too involved. Oh I'm not gullible...And you're probably right... I don't know...It's just something I've always felt from listening to Brandon talk...He's super smart in way, but he always seems to me like the kid who just wants the cool kids to like him...I definitely think he's got an agenda...But I think mainly it's self preservation...Well that and advancement because he's certainly done a hell of a good job at that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fridge Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Oh I'm not gullible...And you're probably right... I don't know...It's just something I've always felt from listening to Brandon talk...He's super smart in way, but he always seems to me like the kid who just wants the cool kids to like him...I definitely think he's got an agenda...But I think mainly it's self preservation...Well that and advancement because he's certainly done a hell of a good job at that... Well he definitely has to be a me-first kind of guy in order to have gotten where he is, especially with the new regime and him maintaining his position. Someone posted in another thread how he has so easily thrown other people under the bus. As for the "cool kids" theory and the idea that he's more of a yes-man...I'm not so sure. I think he hires people that he doesn't feel threatened by (Whaley, Nix, Marrone, Rex, etc.). He likes to position himself near people that are not strong enough to undermine his role with the team. I think he's done a great job distancing himself from the crap on the field in press conferences, but he always comes off very snarky to me in those season-ending interviews. He uses too many buzz words like, "no stone left unturned" and other crap that's just begging for the question, "when will you finally be held accountable?" I will say, for the millionth time on these boards, I don't think Brandon is solely to blame for our futility, but he's been involved with way too many horrendous decisions that are to blame. At a certain point you need to self evaluate, and I hope Terry has the balls to do that sooner rather than later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Well he definitely has to be a me-first kind of guy in order to have gotten where he is, especially with the new regime and him maintaining his position. Someone posted in another thread how he has so easily thrown other people under the bus. As for the "cool kids" theory and the idea that he's more of a yes-man...I'm not so sure. I think he hires people that he doesn't feel threatened by (Whaley, Nix, Marrone, Rex, etc.). He likes to position himself near people that are not strong enough to undermine his role with the team. I think he's done a great job distancing himself from the crap on the field in press conferences, but he always comes off very snarky to me in those season-ending interviews. He uses too many buzz words like, "no stone left unturned" and other crap that's just begging for the question, "when will you finally be held accountable?" I will say, for the millionth time on these boards, I don't think Brandon is solely to blame for our futility, but he's been involved with way too many horrendous decisions that are to blame. At a certain point you need to self evaluate, and I hope Terry has the balls to do that sooner rather than later. Who knows...Maybe Pegs was playing the long game by making Brandon the Sabres Pres...Maybe that was step #1 to get him away from the Bills? Otherwise it's hard to imagine much will be done about him...He's pretty entrenched... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billznut Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Raze it. Terry and Kim only 2 in the building on Jan 3rd and start from scratch..Been wanting and calling for this since they bought the team. We may very well see the head coach gone, maybe even the gm, but I would be absolutely astonished if Russ Brandon is shown the door. He just has the looks and smell of someone that will be in Buffalo forever. He has the owners ear. He is an expert at keeping himself out of the line of fire. Love to see him go but it'll never happen. It's called persuasive writing. He is persuading the reader to buy into his thesis, which is that the Bills organization is dysfunctional and needs to be re-structured in total. Have a read through the posts in this thread. The persuasion is working. I damn well hope it's working. If 17 years of losing and dysfunction isn't enough to convince you something is seriously and inheritantly wrong with this franchise, I don't know what the hell team you've been watching since 2000. How anyone can deny the major problems with the Bills is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepsicat17 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Not gonna read all 7 pages but I started a topic on this before the game and people were coming out of the woodwork calling me a loony for even daring to consider Russ having anything to do with the football side of the front office and Rex's hire. I also called for a complete purge of the front office leaving only the owners and they newly appointed president of football operations or GM who is qualified for both positions. Again, ripped to shreds, I mean the team say he's not involved so how could he be? They wouldn't lie to us no way! Anyways burn it down and fumigation sounds like an excellent idea. GO BILLS!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fridge Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Not gonna read all 7 pages but I started a topic on this before the game and people were coming out of the woodwork calling me a loony for even daring to consider Russ having anything to do with the football side of the front office and Rex's hire. I also called for a complete purge of the front office leaving only the owners and they newly appointed president of football operations or GM who is qualified for both positions. Again, ripped to shreds, I mean the team say he's not involved so how could he be? They wouldn't lie to us no way! Anyways burn it down and fumigation sounds like an excellent idea. GO BILLS!! To be fair it's the same two posters that always come to Russ' defense. Most people had your back. It's easy enough as a fan to make sure our pitchforks are sharp and ready to go. I reapect the overall opinion of the guys that disagreed with you, I just think they're off base with regards to Ol' Rusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Put him in the basement with Milton? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Why not just fire him? Because he is good with business matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts