YoloinOhio Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 (edited) He's in charge of the new GM hire for the Sabres.i thought they said he's "running the search." I "run the search" for certain hires at my company meaning I find and present qualified candidates to the actual decision makers. In this case he's probably the main POC with the Sabres for the search. It's not going to be the owners... Edited May 8, 2017 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverboat Richie Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 If I knew exactly what he does and what he has been involved with, maybe I could answer that. I know what people think he does but he doesn't report to me or them so I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boater Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 I think the people who imagine RB playing football ops don't understand what the President of a complex organization does. It's an enormous job. So many people underestimate RB's daily workload. People who underestimate team President workload, project themselves into the President's shoes and imagine "Not enough work.. I'm bored, what shall I do.... hmmm... meddle in the football side. Yeah. That's what I'll do!.." There are 150+ full time employees and 50 to 100 players. And countless game day employees and contractors... on the Bills side alone. The Sabres is probably similar. The President has 11 direct reports: Chief Administrative Officer EVP & General Counsel Sr. VP of Football Administration VP of Communications VP of Ticket Sales and Service VP of Information Technology VP of Community Relations VP Operations and Guest Experience VP of Government Relations and External Affairs Special Assistant Executive Assistant (President) the Sabres side would be similar Organizational theory says that any more than 7 direct reports may be suboptimal. RB has a busy day without playing football stratego. RB has done a good job. One of the major strategic success he accomplished: regionalizing the team--bringing in even more fans from Ontario and Central NY. That is why the team is here... Peg's would not have purchased a half filled game day stadium. Someone said "..he weaseled his way to the top of two teams.." LOL, I detect envy, not valid criticism An out of town fan said Bocce: I'm blessed to be a few minutes from (listed in preference order): Bocce, Leonardi's, Franco's, Bruno's and Gino's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsBoner21 Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Keep him... All day (not on a Football level) The guy is a Marketing genius. Since he's been here, he has some how managed to keep the stadium full of fans even after a 17 year playoff drought. He does not need to included in the day to day football operations, but from a business/marketing standpoint, he is the guy. He has a great mind when it comes to the business/marketing side of the team and I believe he should stay, as long as it's not on a Football Operations Level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figster Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 (edited) And that's the crux of the matter. It's why he needs to go. Except that's not true. He has continued to attempt to influence things on the football side and has succeeded to some degree until very recently. Only with the sacking of Whaley did he lose his last avenue to exert his influence. There's no way that's acceptable to me - and his current impotence in influencing football operations is not a defense. There are a lot of people that can do his job and stay out of things they shouldn't be involved in. Hire one of them. This is the problem, and as long as Brandon has the Pegula's ear it will never stop. Sending our OC packing two weeks into the season had Brandons name all over it IMO... Even sends the message of appeasement to the fans... ...not Brandons idea?... ...right... Edited May 8, 2017 by Figster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmur66 Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Can anyone explain to me what Brandon's job actually entails, and how it impacts winning? Serious questions, I'd like to know. I hear a lot about him, good and bad, but I'm not sure what he actually does. Terry doesn't get mad. He gets upset. When he gets upset, Russ gets mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanfan Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 This is the problem, and as long as Brandon has the Pegula's ear it will never stop. Sending our OC packing two weeks into the season had Brandons name all over it IMO... Even sends the message of appeasement to the fans... ...not Brandons idea?... ...right... You have a very vivid imagination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teef Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 This is the problem, and as long as Brandon has the Pegula's ear it will never stop. Sending our OC packing two weeks into the season had Brandons name all over it IMO... Even sends the message of appeasement to the fans... ...not Brandons idea?... ...right... fig, there's no basis in reality here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figster Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 fig, there's no basis in reality here. pure speculation teef, but its the kind of knee jerk reaction that has plagued OBD over the years and its almost to the point now Brandon is the only constant remaining. You have a very vivid imagination. haha, its true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8-8 Forever? Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 I wish they'd fire him simply for the fact I'm so sick of always hearing about the guy well, stadium's pretty full most Sundays, so he seems to be doing his part of the job..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFunPolice Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 I think he has done a good job and takes too much criticism from fans. The Pegulas run their teams and pretty much do whatever they want. That should be clear by now. I think they are in the process of figuring it out and getting everyone in the right spots. Russ certainly has a lot to offer and deserves to be a part of PSE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indiragandhi'sthong Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Fire him, fire him, fire him ... 1000X over! I will admit he has had successes and he was important in keeping team here while Ralph was alive, but in what industry does a management leadership figure lead an organization to 17 years of futility and, not only keep his job, but get promoted. Sorry, we fired the GM and most of the "old guard" scouts, now it is time for the Pegulas to say sayonara to Brandon AND Overdorf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanfan Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Fire him, fire him, fire him ... 1000X over! I will admit he has had successes and he was important in keeping team here while Ralph was alive, but in what industry does a management leadership figure lead an organization to 17 years of futility and, not only keep his job, but get promoted. Sorry, we fired the GM and most of the "old guard" scouts, now it is time for the Pegulas to say sayonara to Brandon AND Overdorf. Congress comes to mind as such an organization..... Seriously, Brandon's duties have changed precisely because the Pegulas wanted him to focus on what he's good at and not on football per se. If you had said 5-10 years ago he should be fired because of what he tried to do as interim GM I'd see your point. But you need to either keep a guy or not based on performance in his actual job, not what you perceive his job is or was. Overdorf is another story. He may be on thin ice with a new GM and HC wanting to structure things their way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 This is the problem, and as long as Brandon has the Pegula's ear it will never stop. Sending our OC packing two weeks into the season had Brandons name all over it IMO... Even sends the message of appeasement to the fans... ...not Brandons idea?... ...right... The owner of the company does this thing at my job where someone makes a suggestion and he asks, "Is this data driven or feelings driven? Because if you have data for it and it works out expect a big bonus, but if it's feelings driven and it doesn't expect to be paid on feelings." You'd be getting paid on feelings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 (edited) I will admit he has had successes and he was important in keeping team here while Ralph was alive I dont believe that... What kept the team here is Ralph's unwillingness to sell the team while he was alive for both ego and tax reasons. At his advanced age, he also did not want to go through with a major financial commitment in relocation fees and partially funding a new facility to move the team. This team would sell these tickets with or without Russ Brandon. They are cheap as can be, and there is a party element of going to games. People go more for the tailgating and periphery fun. The game and this awful team is secondary for way too many people. Overall... as Russ Brandon said himself: the brand is tarnished. Go poll 1,000 random football fans... or even random people around Buffalo about the Bills and overall perception of the franchise and brand would most likely be very negative. It is not just the losing. They have put forth an ugly face through much of it, such as the strange drama we witnessed through the Rex firing process into Lynn's PC being thrown on a grenade, into Whaley's bizarre PC... Also previous to that, the whole Marrone vs Whaley thing that led to the second 9-7 HC quitting. How is he a 'marketing genius'. I always see him labeled here as that. I don't see much marketing. I am a STH, along with 9 friends, and nothing has had to do with Russ Brandon or 'marketing'. His main claim to fame was the call to move camp to St John Fisher and make an event out of it, which earned him Mr Wilson's admiration. It became a fad, but now, NFL teams are moving away from that. The team's marketing materials and presence are kind of a joke and lazy to be honest. The team is at the bottom of the NFL in revenue and value. Just the fact that a large majority of the fan-base hates him (as well as the Sabres' fan base) should be concerning, and shouldn't be ignored. There are hundreds and thousands of business people and sports business people capable of running the business side of a sports organization and bring in ideas. And then you have every major football decision and action, spanning back almost a decade now. His fingerprints are all over most of them. Edited May 8, 2017 by May Day 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figster Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 The owner of the company does this thing at my job where someone makes a suggestion and he asks, "Is this data driven or feelings driven? Because if you have data for it and it works out expect a big bonus, but if it's feelings driven and it doesn't expect to be paid on feelings." You'd be getting paid on feelings. hate it when that happens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frostbitmic Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 (edited) At this point you might as well keep him, law of averages would indicate that eventually he'll make a decision or suggestion that will benefit this team. As GM he drafted Mayhem Maybin ... Solid move He pimped one of our eight home games a year to Toronto for five years .... Did we win any of those games ?... almost turned out Toronto was the Bills final destination Hired Buddy Nix as GM because neither he nor Ralph knew anyone else on the list ... that led to Chan Gailey as HC He left no stone unturned while hiring Doug Marrone as HC. Told Pegula not to let Rex leave the building without signing a contract Eventually he has to do or say something beneficial, right ? Edited May 8, 2017 by frostbitmic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonbus23 Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 (edited) What does he do anyway? For years now, I've read so many different assertions about what this guy does, that it's impossible to sift through all of the claims to find a definitive answer. Edited May 8, 2017 by leonbus23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldTimeAFLGuy Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 I think the people who imagine RB playing football ops don't understand what the President of a complex organization does. It's an enormous job. So many people underestimate RB's daily workload. People who underestimate team President workload, project themselves into the President's shoes and imagine "Not enough work.. I'm bored, what shall I do.... hmmm... meddle in the football side. Yeah. That's what I'll do!.." There are 150+ full time employees and 50 to 100 players. And countless game day employees and contractors... on the Bills side alone. The Sabres is probably similar. The President has 11 direct reports: Chief Administrative Officer EVP & General Counsel Sr. VP of Football Administration VP of Communications VP of Ticket Sales and Service VP of Information Technology VP of Community Relations VP Operations and Guest Experience VP of Government Relations and External Affairs Special Assistant Executive Assistant (President) the Sabres side would be similar Organizational theory says that any more than 7 direct reports may be suboptimal. RB has a busy day without playing football stratego. RB has done a good job. One of the major strategic success he accomplished: regionalizing the team--bringing in even more fans from Ontario and Central NY. That is why the team is here... Peg's would not have purchased a half filled game day stadium. Someone said "..he weaseled his way to the top of two teams.." LOL, I detect envy, not valid criticism An out of town fan said Bocce: I'm blessed to be a few minutes from (listed in preference order): Bocce, Leonardi's, Franco's, Bruno's and Gino's. ...great job on your homework bud......I've known him for 10+ years and he has NEVER been happier being in the exact role you defined...NEVER.....the late RW treated him like a son and he could never tell Mr. Wilson (NEVER did and always refused to call him Ralph) no when RW moved him into positions not qualified for.....of course the naysaywers will say it was all about grabbing the "promotion money"...for what is is worth (here come the driveling doubters), Littmann was THE power broker as a 1% owner (gratis from Ralph) behind the scenes cowardly hiding under his desk while Brandon took all of the public heat...he hated it...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanfan Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 What does he do anyway? For years now, I've read so many different assertions about what this guy does, that it's impossible to sift through all of the claims to find a definitive answer. President/Managing Partner Pegula Sports and Entertainment, President of the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, and Rochester Amerks. What does he do on a daily basis? Don't know for sure. I assume based on knowing other top line executives strategic planning, closing big deals, setting overall goals and agenda, and holding direct reports accountable are big parts of it. But it's a lot more than just marketing the Bills, and someone in a position like that is not easily replaced. Despite what some would have you believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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