Pegula press conference today

[Rodrigo Borgia]

The biggest tidbit was that he was not involved in hiring Murray or Bylsma.

Murray was actually hired by Pat Lafontaine in early 2014, while Bylsma was Murray's choice after Babcock decided to sign with the Leafs after already entering into negotiations with the Sabres.

[jeffismagic]

Sounds like he wants a McDermott type running the Sabres.

Well, he already had Bylsma. Bland, boring play not to lose.

[klos63]

 

Russ doesn't handle criticism well. He'd be a disaster.

 

Because everyone said - you want a hockey guy to do all this yadda yadda. His gut says, i should meet and hire the people who are replacing the GM/Coach of the last 15 years. He didn't follow his gut and now looking back regrets it. Whether thats right? Not sure.

Pegula did hire Rex, so it's easy to be a bit concerned here.

[RalphWilson'sNewWar]

McD is pretty good imo

 

I actually wonder why they don't put Russ out there. Seems like it would be in his wheelhouse.

McD will be good based on saying nothing (which might not be bad)

 

Russ Brandon lacks any credibility. He has preached false promises for years.

[4merper4mer]

 

Russ Brandon lacks any credibility. He has preached false promises for years.

 

 

The biggest promise he made turned out to be true, didn't it?

[Rico]

Will Russ be able to drink a glass of water while Pegula talks?

[26CornerBlitz]

Pegula's Presser In Case You Missed It: https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/terry-pegula-press-conference/t-277437090/c-51616103

[Jerry Jabber]

With the Sabres, at least there was a vision/plan, tank for a few years, get high draft picks to get elite players and rebuild. With the Bills, it seems the only plan has just been to get to the playoffs, but with no actual vision/plan to get there. It doesnt matter what business youre in, you have to have a vision/plan on what youre business should be about and how to be successful. The Pegulas are smart people and Im sure they had a vision/plan about their gas/oil business. They listened to Russ Brandon in their first coaching search and he told the Pegulas to go into the interviews with no expectations and theyll know when theyve got the right person. That was and is a terrible strategy as it showed they had no vision and plan on what they were trying to do. You cant run a business blindly and thats what happened when they hired Rex Ryan. IMO, the Bills should have done a SWOT analysis on themselves and their direct competition (the AFC East). For those that are unfamiliar with the term, SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Technologies. Businesses use SWOT analysis usually on a yearly basis. The Bills top competition is the Patriots and they should use a SWOT analysis on the Patriots and themselves to build their organization/team into a team that cannot only compete with the Patriots, but beat them. It has to be done from top to bottom.

 

I appreciate the Pegulas buying both teams, saving the Bills from future relocation and putting a lot of money into both teams and the city of Buffalo, Id just wish they would run their sports teams more wisely as theyve done with their oil/gas ventures.

[Rodrigo Borgia]

With the Sabres, at least there was a vision/plan, tank for a few years, get high draft picks to get elite players and rebuild. With the Bills, it seems the only plan has just been to get to the playoffs, but with no actual vision/plan to get there. It doesnt matter what business youre in, you have to have a vision/plan on what youre business should be about and how to be successful. The Pegulas are smart people and Im sure they had a vision/plan about their gas/oil business. They listened to Russ Brandon in their first coaching search and he told the Pegulas to go into the interviews with no expectations and theyll know when theyve got the right person. That was and is a terrible strategy as it showed they had no vision and plan on what they were trying to do. You cant run a business blindly and thats what happened when they hired Rex Ryan. IMO, the Bills should have done a SWOT analysis on themselves and their direct competition (the AFC East). For those that are unfamiliar with the term, SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Technologies. Businesses use SWOT analysis usually on a yearly basis. The Bills top competition is the Patriots and they should use a SWOT analysis on the Patriots and themselves to build their organization/team into a team that cannot only compete with the Patriots, but beat them. It has to be done from top to bottom.

 

I appreciate the Pegulas buying both teams, saving the Bills from future relocation and putting a lot of money into both teams and the city of Buffalo, Id just wish they would run their sports teams more wisely as theyve done with their oil/gas ventures.

They need to run the Bills and Sabres in the same way that a Cheektowagan runs their small business: efficiently with money spent wisely and with tangible, measurable success.

[Mike in Horseheads]

McD is pretty good imo

 

I actually wonder why they don't put Russ out there. Seems like it would be in his wheelhouse.

If Russ is seen in the same room the fans B word Yolo and TBN goes nuts, no win there.

Absolutely agree. They drool all over Cleveland's "rebuild", but Buffalo tanked... Can't have it both ways, like Pegula said.

 

If Buffalo tanked, Cleveland absolutely tanked. They released a ton of good players last year.

 

Funny thing is there were some Buffalo News writer(s) calling for the Sabres to rebuild/tank before it happened, and then when it does happen they change their tune and criticize it.

 

 

You know, I still blame the Buffalo News to this day about a lot of the terrible, negative publicity the Sabres rebuild/tank got. So many things became a national headline/punchline because of stories written by TBN that would get picked up by the national media.

IMO that was one of the main differences between the Sabres "tank" and Toronto's "rebuild". Both teams tanked, but Toronto's media was on board and did nothing but praise it and Buffalo's media did nothing but slam it. I think the Buffalo News was definitely a factor in turning the Sabres rebuild into such a big story at times.

AKA as Bucky Gleason and he got caught.

[JM2009]

If Russ is seen in the same room the fans B word Yolo and TBN goes nuts, no win there.

AKA as Bucky Gleason and he got caught.

Blaming media, fans for losing teams is a copout.

[mannc]

Well, he already had Bylsma. Bland, boring play not to lose.

Do you think that will be McDermott's style? It's certainly possible, but I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

[thebandit27]

Blaming media, fans for losing teams is a copout.

 

Who did that?

[Mike in Horseheads]

Blaming media, fans for losing teams is a copout.

Huh?

[jeffismagic]

Do you think that will be McDermott's style? It's certainly possible, but I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

McDermott himself said he is not flashy, he drives a pickup truck yesterday. That's fine. He started as a disciple of Jim Johnson in Philadelphia who loved to blitz QBs up the middle and that was exciting.

 

McDermott's scheme has evolved into a zone, non-blitz setup. He hired Leslie Frazier to run our D and that makes sense. Frazier was Dick Jauron 2.0 whose defenses were so simple opposing QBs would call out the plays called by Frazier. I assume we will run a bend but don't break defense that takes away the big play. So if you enjoy that you're going to love McDermott.

[kota]

I love it when Terry speaks. He always seems surprised and appalled at the questions he gets.

McDermott himself said he is not flashy, he drives a pickup truck yesterday. That's fine. He started as a disciple of Jim Johnson in Philadelphia who loved to blitz QBs up the middle and that was exciting.

McDermott's scheme has evolved into a zone, non-blitz setup. He hired Leslie Frazier to run our D and that makes sense. Frazier was Dick Jauron 2.0 whose defenses were so simple opposing QBs would call out the plays called by Frazier. I assume we will run a bend but don't break defense that takes away the big play. So if you enjoy that you're going to love McDermott.

No blitz necessary with our front 4.

[jeffismagic]

I love it when Terry speaks. He always seems surprised and appalled at the questions he gets.

 

No blitz necessary with our front 4.

No Mario. Kyle near the end. Hughes not good last year. Shaq showed nothing special last year.

 

We shall see.

[BillsFan4]

Well, he already had Bylsma. Bland, boring play not to lose.

You repeat this all the time, but I just don't see it. He wasn't like that in Philly or Carolina IMO. His defense in Philly was aggressive. His defense in Carolina was aggressive in attacking the ball and creating turn overs (his defense was top 5 in interceptions 3 of the last 4 years). He's a Jim Johnson disciple, who was as aggressive as they come. McDermott himself said he will be aggressive.

 

So can we wait until he coaches a few games and see if he actually shows a "bland, boring, play not to lose" style before labeling him with it? Because as of now I haven't seen it in his career. And FYI Keeping Tyrod does not prove it. It proves that he wants to try and win right away, that's all.

 

Also, playing a more simple defensive scheme that allows players to play fast and not have to overthink doesn't mean "boring, play not to lose" either.

Edited April 21, 2017 by BillsFan4

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

Pegula did hire Rex, so it's easy to be a bit concerned here.

 

...that disastrous hire had Brandon's fingerprints all over it....."don't let him out of the building" was solely based on marketing and selling tickets, which did work with 60,000 in 2015.....Brandon was pretty proud of the hire, commenting to people I know, "so what do you think"?.....Pegula took the bait but has learned his lesson IMO.....a one hit "blowhard wonder" filled seats for a year with a diehard and desperate fan base (to a fault) looking to break the schneid....the "on field" product was secondary......me thinks the "product" is TP's top priority....as it is with the Sabres and the house cleaning.........

Edited April 21, 2017 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[JohnC]

With the Sabres, at least there was a vision/plan, tank for a few years, get high draft picks to get elite players and rebuild. With the Bills, it seems the only plan has just been to get to the playoffs, but with no actual vision/plan to get there. It doesnt matter what business youre in, you have to have a vision/plan on what youre business should be about and how to be successful. The Pegulas are smart people and Im sure they had a vision/plan about their gas/oil business. They listened to Russ Brandon in their first coaching search and he told the Pegulas to go into the interviews with no expectations and theyll know when theyve got the right person. That was and is a terrible strategy as it showed they had no vision and plan on what they were trying to do. You cant run a business blindly and thats what happened when they hired Rex Ryan. IMO, the Bills should have done a SWOT analysis on themselves and their direct competition (the AFC East). For those that are unfamiliar with the term, SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Technologies. Businesses use SWOT analysis usually on a yearly basis. The Bills top competition is the Patriots and they should use a SWOT analysis on the Patriots and themselves to build their organization/team into a team that cannot only compete with the Patriots, but beat them. It has to be done from top to bottom.

 

I appreciate the Pegulas buying both teams, saving the Bills from future relocation and putting a lot of money into both teams and the city of Buffalo, Id just wish they would run their sports teams more wisely as theyve done with their oil/gas ventures.

Terrific post. You are astute and perspicacious.

 

When you are a new owner and it is new endeavor for you it is wise before being actively engaged with your new purchase to get input from as many people as possible outside of the lagging business that you are acquiring. There are plenty of successful people in the business whose thoughts and insights you can draw from.

 

Ralph Wilson had an insular approach to running his business. It was very parochial and outdated and those flaws became more accentuated as the NFL changed. To a much lesser extent it seems that the Pegulas are being too insular with how they are running their businesses especially when critical hiring decisions are to be made. An egregious example of that was the hiring of Rex. This was a huckster who was run out of town of his last job and was well known for his lack of substance and depth. Relying on a person such as Brandon for advice was a stupendous mistake. That made no sense.

 

As you stated I'm thankful to have the Pegulas involved as owners and appreciate their grand investment in the community. I just wish they would accelerate going through the learning curve and learn from their glaring mistakes.

[Jerry Jabber]

Terrific post. You are astute and perspicacious.

 

When you are a new owner and it is new endeavor for you it is wise before being actively engaged with your new purchase to get input from as many people as possible outside of the lagging business that you are acquiring. There are plenty of successful people in the business whose thoughts and insights you can draw from.

 

Ralph Wilson had an insular approach to running his business. It was very parochial and outdated and those flaws became more accentuated as the NFL changed. To a much lesser extent it seems that the Pegulas are being too insular with how they are running their businesses especially when critical hiring decisions are to be made. An egregious example of that was the hiring of Rex. This was a huckster who was run out of town of his last job and was well known for his lack of substance and depth. Relying on a person such as Brandon for advice was a stupendous mistake. That made no sense.

 

As you stated I'm thankful to have the Pegulas involved as owners and appreciate their grand investment in the community. I just wish they would accelerate going through the learning curve and learn from their glaring mistakes.

You are 100% correct. Hopefully the Pegula's learning curve is about an end and we start seeing real results in both teams.

[Benjamin Franklin]

Tanking in football doesn't work. There are a lot more misses in the draft than NBA/NHL and more guys to dilute the impact of any one.

Edited April 22, 2017 by Benjamin Franklin

[JM2009]

You are 100% correct. Hopefully the Pegula's learning curve is about an end and we start seeing real results in both teams.

If this is true, then Whaley shouldn't be there. Maybe even Brandon.

[Bill_with_it]

If this is true, then Whaley shouldn't be there. Maybe even Brandon.

One can hope!!!

[Straight Hucklebuck]

So far the Pegula's are almost as bad as Jimmy Haslam at building a football team.

 

One Bills coach quit, Rex was a snake oil salesman, now we have dry McDermott.

 

The Sabres have blown through Reiger, Lindy, Nolan, LaFontaine in the FO for 2 months, now Murray and Bylsma.

 

Pegula just saying over and over discipline, communication, structure, character doesn't really do anything. Like he knows the formula now for winning?

 

YOU NEED TALENT TERRY AND KIM! TALENT!

[jeffismagic]

So far the Pegula's are almost as bad as Jimmy Haslam at building a football team.

 

One Bills coach quit, Rex was a snake oil salesman, now we have dry McDermott.

 

The Sabres have blown through Reiger, Lindy, Nolan, LaFontaine in the FO for 2 months, now Murray and Bylsma.

 

Pegula just saying over and over discipline, communication, structure, character doesn't really do anything. Like he knows the formula now for winning?

 

YOU NEED TALENT TERRY AND KIM! TALENT!

 

Pegula got his buzz words from Sean The Wrestler.

[JM2009]

So far the Pegula's are almost as bad as Jimmy Haslam at building a football team.

 

One Bills coach quit, Rex was a snake oil salesman, now we have dry McDermott.

 

The Sabres have blown through Reiger, Lindy, Nolan, LaFontaine in the FO for 2 months, now Murray and Bylsma.

 

Pegula just saying over and over discipline, communication, structure, character doesn't really do anything. Like he knows the formula now for winning?

 

YOU NEED TALENT TERRY AND KIM! TALENT!

Get rid of Brandon.

[Jerry Jabber]

If this is true, then Whaley shouldn't be there. Maybe even Brandon.

I agree with both guys. Whaley is good at finding free agents, but no so good on draft picks. Brandon is great at marketing and the business side of the Bills, but terrible when it comes to the personnel/football side of things.

[JM2009]

I agree with both guys. Whaley is good at finding free agents, but no so good on draft picks. Brandon is great at marketing and the business side of the Bills, but terrible when it comes to the personnel/football side of things.

I agree. And it seems Brandon can't keep away from the football side of things.

[Jerry Jabber]

So far the Pegula's are almost as bad as Jimmy Haslam at building a football team.

 

One Bills coach quit, Rex was a snake oil salesman, now we have dry McDermott.

 

The Sabres have blown through Reiger, Lindy, Nolan, LaFontaine in the FO for 2 months, now Murray and Bylsma.

 

Pegula just saying over and over discipline, communication, structure, character doesn't really do anything. Like he knows the formula now for winning?

 

YOU NEED TALENT TERRY AND KIM! TALENT!

The Pegula's definitely made mistakes. They should have fired Regier first as the Sabres had no Center's and a bunch of wingers that would be on other teams third and fourth lines. Murray gave Nolan a raw deal. Murray didn't want Nolan as he was LaFontaine's guy. Murray did a good job at drafting/acquiring Centers, but didn't properly address the defense and traded away too many draft picks/prospects that the team built up during "the tank." Trading a first round pick for Lehner was horrible.

[Buddo]

While I know next to nothing about the Sabres, people saying 'I wish the Pegulas would learn from their mistakes', appear to me to be repeating a tired mantra.

 

With the Bills, and now the Sabres, it looks to me like the Pegulas are trying not to make the same mistakes, in moving on from HCs etc., who just weren't up to the job.

 

You can't have it both ways - either they are doing something about failures, or they aren't. The evidence is that they are, or there would be a lot of guys who still had jobs in either the NHL or the NFL.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

I think the Pegula's will always be seen somewhat positively because they saved Buffalo sports.

 

But I have to say they are becoming increasingly unlikeable. Both franchises are becoming harder and harder to root for behind these owners. Another Coach fired, scouts fired, GM fired. Pegula is paying Rex not to work, now Murray and Blysma, LaFontaine quit, as did Marrone. Yet Pegula stands up there today and lectures about what it takes to win?

 

No decision was made before Wednesday, even though there were reports. No comment about Rex, then he was fired mid-sentence, no Whaley/communication involved.

 

They are 1/2 step ahead of Jimmy Haslam in my book when it comes to running the team.

Edited April 22, 2017 by Straight Hucklebuck

[GunnerBill]

McDermott's scheme has evolved into a zone, non-blitz setup. He hired Leslie Frazier to run our D and that makes sense. Frazier was Dick Jauron 2.0 whose defenses were so simple opposing QBs would call out the plays called by Frazier. I assume we will run a bend but don't break defense that takes away the big play. So if you enjoy that you're going to love McDermott.

But the link between McDermott and Frazier is Jimmy Johnson. I think it is a much safer assumption to assume they run a variety of that defense rather than some variety of a Tampa 2.

[oldmanfan]

So far the Pegula's are almost as bad as Jimmy Haslam at building a football team.

 

One Bills coach quit, Rex was a snake oil salesman, now we have dry McDermott.

 

The Sabres have blown through Reiger, Lindy, Nolan, LaFontaine in the FO for 2 months, now Murray and Bylsma.

 

Pegula just saying over and over discipline, communication, structure, character doesn't really do anything. Like he knows the formula now for winning?

 

YOU NEED TALENT TERRY AND KIM! TALENT!

Talent. And structure . And character. And discipline. And communication. And accountability. And commitment to processes that are effective. All of these are tantamount to any successful organization.

 

If Pegula, McD ET had not said such things you'd be on here asking why not.

[May Day 10]

I thought he did a good job. How embarrassing was the taking semantics argument? What a waste of time. Thet cry pegula isnt always available, then waste time with that garbage... for what end?

 

Anyways, his identification of an experienced gm who will build an organization from the top down hits the spot, and frankly, is what both franchises sorely need

Edited April 22, 2017 by May Day 10

[Straight Hucklebuck]

Talent. And structure . And character. And discipline. And communication. And accountability. And commitment to processes that are effective. All of these are tantamount to any successful organization.

 

If Pegula, McD ET had not said such things you'd be on here asking why not.

Pegula has bought both Buffalo sports teams in a time where if you don't have state of the art stadiums, or you are deemed too small, you get moved. And he has invested money into the city of Buffalo. For this, he will always have the support of the fans, as he should.

 

I guess the better way to state my opinion is - I have been surprised 6 years in the Sabres and 2+ with the Bills, how disorganized Pegula Sports has been. Reiger gets extended, then fired, LaFontaine picks Murray then resigns, Murray just got an extension, now fired, how quickly they have bought Russ Brandon and made him President of the entire operation, the Rex Ryan show, hiring his brother, firing him 2 years into his 5 year deal.

 

Constant stories of dysfunction and infighting. I am surprised at how disorganized all of this has seemed. Our reputation in both cities has been 2 years and you get fired. Whaley is hanging on by a thread now.

Edited April 22, 2017 by Straight Hucklebuck

[Buddo]

From purely the Bills side of things, I think they have made mistakes, and are making positive strides to rectify them, generally. However, in their defense, I think you can argue that the intentions and rationale were largely right, but that they picked the wrong guy, due to listening to the wrong person.

 

Marrone thought he had all the cards, and so tried to bolster his position by laying down conditions. You can't do that to billionaires, as a few million either way doesn't even scratch an itch. So they had to find a new HC.

 

The problem then becomes, who to look at, or what to look for. It was decided they then wanted a guy with previous HC experience, as they didn't have much experience of running an NFL team themselves. Not exactly a terrible approach. Unfortunately, they fell for the charms of Ryan, after listening to Brandon tell them they would know the guy when they met him. That was the really big mistake, as anyone with a clue, should have realized that Ryan wasn't ever going to be a detail orientated guy when it came to running the team.

 

Realistically, they needed a Parcells/Coughlin/Belicheck type of personality, who would look at all aspects, and not be afraid to ask for stuff they didn't like, to be changed. Now, I'm not sure who might have fit that bill, but there were certainly other viable candidates around.

 

This time around, I think they have got exactly the type of guy they need in McDermott, who is so detail obsessed, that if they spend much time with him, they will find out about just how everything is supposed to work.

 

As to how well the team does under McDermott, that is yet to be discovered, but it won't be for the lack of ensuring that all the I's and T's aren't crossed.

 

My view on Whaley, is that he's good enough at his job, to be worthy of being retained, and, imho, for the foreseeable future. His 'style', generally, as a GM, is that of a facilitator, in that he seems to me to genuinely try to get players of the type that the HC wants/needs, and I think that he and McDermott can work well together. I'd also say that his approach, suits the way in which the Pegulas have things set up, with both GM and HC reporting to them.

 

I think in respect of the Bills, that the Pegulas have really only made one truly bad decision, but as that was hiring Ryan, it becomes a howler.

 

This sort of conversation might not even be taking place now, if, as rumored, an alternative 'ticket' of Hue Jackson and Schwartz had been the way they had jumped.

[CardinalScotts]

If this is true, then Whaley shouldn't be there. Maybe even Brandon.

81% of Whaley's picks are in the NFL...player selection hasnt been the problem.

[CodeMonkey]

With the Sabres, at least there was a vision/plan, tank for a few years, get high draft picks to get elite players and rebuild

FWIW, Pegula vehemently denied, and got mad when pressed on it, tanking with the Sabres during the presser.

[YoloinOhio]

I thought he did a good job. How embarrassing was the taking semantics argument? What a waste of time. Thet cry pegula isnt always available, then waste time with that garbage... for what end?

 

Anyways, his identification of an experienced gm who will build an organization from the top down hits the spot, and frankly, is what both franchises sorely need

yep he really needs to bring in an experienced GM for the Sabres. When you are newish owners running two teams and no czar (for lack of better term) on either side, you need someone who has been there. I do think this was a factor in hiring Rex, too bad he was just not good enough as a coach. With McD, they surrounded him with experienced assistants.