Two HUGE Coaching Names Who Almost Came to Buffalo

[Nihilarian]

4 hours ago, ProcessTruster said:

very true.   Bobby Ross' wife nixed  his coming there as well.   $$ being equal, no one is choosing B lo most of the time, coaching or player.  Just the way it is.  Mention buffalo, and people immediately say 'north pole'.  I gave up defending the place 25 years ago.  It is useless.   Jimmy Griffin and the national media  buried it 40 + years ago with the handling of the blizzard of 77.   Rock Star NFL personalities are very image conscious these days and they would take a hit is they voluntarily went "to buffalo" when the same $$ was available elsewhere. 

3

Buffalo gets a bad rap nowadays because of the "cold weather" and I gotta say it can't be nearly as bad as in Green Bay or Minnesota. I imagine even Cleveland shares this same attitude by many. I think all the losing gives them a worse rap then the weather.

 

It used to be so much worse in Buffalo in the 1970s because of the "love canal" being front page news across the country, the smell from the steel mills and even the air surrounding the city looked yellow because of the mills. Buffalo was the butt of many a late night talk show hosts jokes. 

 

All that was before the four straight super bowl runs and needless to say winning really does cures everything. Now free agents wanted to come to Buffalo and NFL players noticed how rabid the Buffalo Bills fan base was and loved the idea of playing in that 80k plus stadium with crazed fans cheering them on. 

 

 

Now, hold on here! It wasn't just about the weather in Buffalo as the NFL coaches, players knew what it was like to play for an owner like Ralph Wilson. Quite a lot of coaches, GMs, players didn't want anything to do with the Buffalo Bills because they saw that the team wasn't that committed to winning over everything else. The owner was a notoriously frugal, hands-on owner and as team president, he was involved in nearly every aspect of the team from the ball boys to what GM was being paid. Wilson was also involved in free agency and the draft as he would at times make the selections. 

 

Winning Buffalo Bills head coach Chuck Knox left for Seattle when Wilson refused to give him a raise in pay even after turning around a franchise that didn't win a game against the Dolphins the entire decade of the 70s.

Ralph Wilson didn't get along with Bill Polian as both had a fiery temperament and Wilson was even more cantankerous. Polian went on to help take the Panthers to the NFC championship game in only its second year of existence. After that, the Colts hired and promoted Polian to team president and he got them to a few SBs. 

Wilson didn't want to pay GM John Butler either because when Butler wouldn't immediately sign a new contract, Wilson stated if I can't hire you, then I'll fire you! Butler went on to build a powerhouse in San Diego. Ralph Wilson wasn't the very worst NFL owner, but he was awful close at times.

 

 

My take is Buffalo is now looked at as a family type town where it doesn't have that nightlife, party town 24/7 of some big cities. A lot of the star players from the 90s chose to stay and live in Buffalo and the weather isn't that big a deal anymore. As I said, I think it's more all the losing. 

 

I still relish the scenes from the Bills locker room in 2017 when the Bengals beat the Ravens to catapult the Bills into the playoffs. I can only imagine things will change so much back into that 90s culture should this start winning year after year like they used to do. These new owners aren't anything like the previous owner and look to be 100% committed to winning over everything else. Bills fans are lucky to have them as owners.

[cba fan]

On 2/22/2019 at 1:31 PM, stuvian said:

Rumour had it Shanahan asked for cut of the team. To be fair, Jauron did a pretty good job in Chicago getting some mediocre teams  to the playoffs.

Jauron did not do a good job in Chicago. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/JaurDi0.htm

 

He was all but fired going into 3rd year as Bears hired a new GM Jerry Angelo and he wanted to clean house. Always a problem when GM and coach are not on same contract schedule. Tight wad Bears ownership would not let Angelo fire Jauron when Angelo was hired as he was on a 4 yr contract and was just about to start the 3rd year. Wanted to see what he could do with one more year.

 

Then miracle of all miracles happens and Bears start scoring unbelievable amount of defensive TD's and get many critical turnovers when needed and finish 13-3. QB Jim Miller has a career year never to be duplicated. They then lose first game in playoffs partly due to QB was injured. Jauron was then named coach of the year and new GM was stuck. He then had to sign him to an extension and Jauron went on to suck just as bad after the 2001 season as he did before the 2001 season. Angelo was a puppet.

 

Lesson to be learned: Hire a GM and give him power or you end up in hell like Bears did and Bills have also.

Edited February 24, 2019 by cba fan

[BillyWhiteShows]

6 hours ago, Nihilarian said:

Buffalo gets a bad rap nowadays because of the "cold weather" and I gotta say it can't be nearly as bad as in Green Bay or Minnesota. I imagine even Cleveland shares this same attitude by many. I think all the losing gives them a worse rap then the weather.

 

It used to be so much worse in Buffalo in the 1970s because of the "love canal" being front page news across the country, the smell from the steel mills and even the air surrounding the city looked yellow because of the mills. Buffalo was the butt of many a late night talk show hosts jokes. 

 

All that was before the four straight super bowl runs and needless to say winning really does cures everything. Now free agents wanted to come to Buffalo and NFL players noticed how rabid the Buffalo Bills fan base was and loved the idea of playing in that 80k plus stadium with crazed fans cheering them on. 

 

 

Now, hold on here! It wasn't just about the weather in Buffalo as the NFL coaches, players knew what it was like to play for an owner like Ralph Wilson. Quite a lot of coaches, GMs, players didn't want anything to do with the Buffalo Bills because they saw that the team wasn't that committed to winning over everything else. The owner was a notoriously frugal, hands-on owner and as team president, he was involved in nearly every aspect of the team from the ball boys to what GM was being paid. Wilson was also involved in free agency and the draft as he would at times make the selections. 

 

Winning Buffalo Bills head coach Chuck Knox left for Seattle when Wilson refused to give him a raise in pay even after turning around a franchise that didn't win a game against the Dolphins the entire decade of the 70s.

Ralph Wilson didn't get along with Bill Polian as both had a fiery temperament and Wilson was even more cantankerous. Polian went on to help take the Panthers to the NFC championship game in only its second year of existence. After that, the Colts hired and promoted Polian to team president and he got them to a few SBs. 

Wilson didn't want to pay GM John Butler either because when Butler wouldn't immediately sign a new contract, Wilson stated if I can't hire you, then I'll fire you! Butler went on to build a powerhouse in San Diego. Ralph Wilson wasn't the very worst NFL owner, but he was awful close at times.

 

 

My take is Buffalo is now looked at as a family type town where it doesn't have that nightlife, party town 24/7 of some big cities. A lot of the star players from the 90s chose to stay and live in Buffalo and the weather isn't that big a deal anymore. As I said, I think it's more all the losing. 

 

I still relish the scenes from the Bills locker room in 2017 when the Bengals beat the Ravens to catapult the Bills into the playoffs. I can only imagine things will change so much back into that 90s culture should this start winning year after year like they used to do. These new owners aren't anything like the previous owner and look to be 100% committed to winning over everything else. Bills fans are lucky to have them as owners.

 

These reasons where stereotypes of the the Bills for many years.

 

Now people know that the Bills are owned by a billionaire, have a solid front office, well-respected coach, and a QB who is trending upward is helping to change perceptions.  If they can put together some wins, it will only help that much more.  

 

What hurts Buffalo worse than other small market teams are the incredibly high state taxes in NY.  I believe out of all NFL franchises, New York (Buffalo) is the 5the highest for state tax. A far contrast to another small market like Jacksonville where there is NO state income tax!  When guys are making millions of dollars, the high tax rate ends up costing you.  So in theory, you could end up taking a “pay cut” signing with Buffalo when you factor in taxes.  Of course there’s a lower cost of living in Buffalo which should be factored in as well.  

 

So when people talk about Buffalo being in a tough spot for FA’s it’s not just the tired narrative that “players won’t come to Buffalo.”  There’s a lot of factors to consider.  Graham also has written about this in a column at The Athletic 

[Steptide]

Never heard that we could've landed Sean Peyton. I remember the Shanahan thing, but I remember fans wanting bill cowher more than anyone. If I recall correctly, it was pretty well known that cowher turned down the bills, but advised them to interview/hire Gailey because he was a great offensive mind 

[Just Jack]

On 2/22/2019 at 4:23 PM, WhyteDwarf said:

 

That's why it's best to not have wives.  Just have GF's, if they won't move, leave them behind.

 

Or Asian masseuse, pay them and walk away.  

[buffalobillswin]

To be fair Chan lived up to his hype as offensive genius. Some of his plays to get CJ in space were incredible and far better than what Marrone and Hacket did with the offense a year after.

 

Chan's downfall was a pretty below average defense and Fitzpatrick not being very good but being masked by a great offensive system.

[iinii]

On 2/22/2019 at 8:34 AM, prissythecat said:

 

I take it you are not married or are just newly married?  Of course, wives play an important role in job relocations.  Its not all about the money.

Especially when it isn’t the only gig. Both of those guys found good paying jobs. 

    Coaches’ wives have little loyalty to teams. They know they could be wearing new merch next month. Quite often their investment is in the location. 

[Ol Dirty B]

On 2/22/2019 at 9:37 AM, White Linen said:

We dodged a bullet with Mike Shanahan not coming. 

 

Not really... 

6 hours ago, BillyWhiteShows said:

 

These reasons where stereotypes of the the Bills for many years.

 

Now people know that the Bills are owned by a billionaire, have a solid front office, well-respected coach, and a QB who is trending upward is helping to change perceptions.  If they can put together some wins, it will only help that much more.  

 

What hurts Buffalo worse than other small market teams are the incredibly high state taxes in NY.  I believe out of all NFL franchises, New York (Buffalo) is the 5the highest for state tax. A far contrast to another small market like Jacksonville where there is NO state income tax!  When guys are making millions of dollars, the high tax rate ends up costing you.  So in theory, you could end up taking a “pay cut” signing with Buffalo when you factor in taxes.  Of course there’s a lower cost of living in Buffalo which should be factored in as well.  

 

So when people talk about Buffalo being in a tough spot for FA’s it’s not just the tired narrative that “players won’t come to Buffalo.”  There’s a lot of factors to consider.  Graham also has written about this in a column at The Athletic 

 

Lol this post could have been made about the Sabres 8 years ago

[Ol Dirty B]

On 2/23/2019 at 9:02 PM, Nihilarian said:

What texts? This was in Jan 2010!

 

The highest paid head coach was Mike Shanahan in Washington at 7 mill per as HC and executive vice president who signed on Jan 6th, 2010. Pete Carroll was next at 6.6 mill per as he signed a 33 million 5 year deal. Jeff Fisher was making 5.5 at Tenn, Andy Reid was making 5.5 in Philly. As I said, Shanny was already committed to the Redskins but he would listen to a deal that offered him 3 mill per year more.

 

  Ralph Wilson was a notoriously frugal owner and there was no way he was going to pay a head coach that much money. Not three million a year over the highest paid head coach at that time. 

 

This whole 10 mill per was a ploy by Russ Brandon to get some big names interested and interviewed to see how they would set their staffs. That amount of money was never offered to anyone, ever, period! As it was, Gailey would have been lucky if he got 3 mill per from Wilson.  

 

They did give out the Mario Williams contract during this period of time...

 

The cheap Ralph stuff is a joke. After that gets proven wrong, it goes to Russ. Pegulas buy the team but will never take the blame and it's shifted to Whaley and Rex.

 

I'm not excusing any of the former. It doesn't look like a money issue, a scheme to get you to buy tickets, both owners have been idiots for most of their tenures. They get involved... and they are mostly wrong. 

 

The pegulas are awful at owning sports teams. It's as clear as day to me.

Edited February 25, 2019 by Ol Dirty B

[ProcessTruster]

6 hours ago, Nihilarian said:

Buffalo gets a bad rap nowadays because of the "cold weather" and I gotta say it can't be nearly as bad as in Green Bay or Minnesota. I imagine even Cleveland shares this same attitude by many. I think all the losing gives them a worse rap then the weather.

 

It used to be so much worse in Buffalo in the 1970s because of the "love canal" being front page news across the country, the smell from the steel mills and even the air surrounding the city looked yellow because of the mills. Buffalo was the butt of many a late night talk show hosts jokes. 

 

All that was before the four straight super bowl runs and needless to say winning really does cures everything. Now free agents wanted to come to Buffalo and NFL players noticed how rabid the Buffalo Bills fan base was and loved the idea of playing in that 80k plus stadium with crazed fans cheering them on. 

 

 

Now, hold on here! It wasn't just about the weather in Buffalo as the NFL coaches, players knew what it was like to play for an owner like Ralph Wilson. Quite a lot of coaches, GMs, players didn't want anything to do with the Buffalo Bills because they saw that the team wasn't that committed to winning over everything else. The owner was a notoriously frugal, hands-on owner and as team president, he was involved in nearly every aspect of the team from the ball boys to what GM was being paid. Wilson was also involved in free agency and the draft as he would at times make the selections. 

 

Winning Buffalo Bills head coach Chuck Knox left for Seattle when Wilson refused to give him a raise in pay even after turning around a franchise that didn't win a game against the Dolphins the entire decade of the 70s.

Ralph Wilson didn't get along with Bill Polian as both had a fiery temperament and Wilson was even more cantankerous. Polian went on to help take the Panthers to the NFC championship game in only its second year of existence. After that, the Colts hired and promoted Polian to team president and he got them to a few SBs. 

Wilson didn't want to pay GM John Butler either because when Butler wouldn't immediately sign a new contract, Wilson stated if I can't hire you, then I'll fire you! Butler went on to build a powerhouse in San Diego. Ralph Wilson wasn't the very worst NFL owner, but he was awful close at times.

 

 

My take is Buffalo is now looked at as a family type town where it doesn't have that nightlife, party town 24/7 of some big cities. A lot of the star players from the 90s chose to stay and live in Buffalo and the weather isn't that big a deal anymore. As I said, I think it's more all the losing. 

 

I still relish the scenes from the Bills locker room in 2017 when the Bengals beat the Ravens to catapult the Bills into the playoffs. I can only imagine things will change so much back into that 90s culture should this start winning year after year like they used to do. These new owners aren't anything like the previous owner and look to be 100% committed to winning over everything else. Bills fans are lucky to have them as owners.

ok then, FA starts in a couple months and we'll see who comes and who goes elsewhere... lets hope for the best, but don't hold your breath too too long.  the draft is the answer for this franchise as you can trap those guys for at least 4 years and there's nothing they can do about it..

[Livinginthepast]

On 2/22/2019 at 9:50 AM, RyanC883 said:

Seems like we finally have a capable GM and HC.  Here is a question: given the terrible GM's we had, would having Payton have made a difference?  Clearly we win more games than with Jauron, but in terms of the overall picture, would our GM have let him go after Brees, etc.?  

 

Picking Jauron over Payton is just terrible.  Reminds me of hiring decisions that are made because someone has "put in their time," over merit.  

Jauron was probably the worst coach of a very bad bunch in the drought, however I have to give Marv a break on that hire. Jauron had gone 13-3 with Chicago and was coach of the year in 2001. There's no doubt that Marv back in retirement in Chicago was familiar with Jauron's job at least in that season and probably thought he was getting a great coach on the rebound. Unfortunately it could not have gone worse. I think Payton would have been great here but he wouldn't have meshed with Marv and especially the completely senile Ralph at that stage.

[Nihilarian]

15 hours ago, buffalobillswin said:

To be fair Chan lived up to his hype as offensive genius. Some of his plays to get CJ in space were incredible and far better than what Marrone and Hacket did with the offense a year after.

 

Chan's downfall was a pretty below average defense and Fitzpatrick not being very good but being masked by a great offensive system.

Chan Gaily is and was an offensive moron IMO. He was fired as OC after 2008 by the Chiefs for running a pistol offense. That team went 2-14 and his offense was 26th in points, 24th in yards. The only reason the Buffalo Bills hired and promoted him to head coach was that they had nobody else who would take the job. At that time assistant coaches from other teams were turning down requests by the Bills for head coaching interviews. 

 

Gailey was the head coach for Buffalo 2010-2011-2012 and he went 4-12, 6-10, 6-10.

 

Gailey then got a job with the NY Jets in 2015 mostly because Fitz was also there and that year's Jets offense was in the top 10 while going 10-6 mostly because of Fitz throwing to Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. The very next season Fitz crashed as he threw 12 TDs, 17 INTs, Gailey also crashed with the offense going 30th in points, 26th in yards and he was promptly fired after the season. Gailey has been out of the NFL since that 2016 season. If his offensive system was so good why has been out of work for the last few years?

 

 

In Buffalo Gailey chose Trent Edwards over Fitz in the preseason and gave him all the reps in training camp only to outright cut him after two games. Gailey had stated that Fitz, Edwards, and Brian Brohm were all about the same talent wise and that wasn't true at all.  Brohm got his shot and stunk, Edwards was shell shocked and stunk. Meanwhile, Fitz had enough experience to read a defense and set presnap protections, then he had a quick enough release that he could find the open receiver and get him the ball before the rush got to him. That open receiver was usually Stevie Johnson who wasn't a precise route runner but that kid could get open against anybody.  

 

Gailey ran a shotgun-based spread formation offense with five WR sets in Buffalo that was mostly smoke and mirrors as he only had one decent receiver in Stevie Johnson. Once opposing teams figured out that all they need do was bump Stevie on the line this kept Fitz from finding him quickly. That 2012 offense was 21st in points, 19th in yards. The Bills went 6-10 for the second year and Gailey was fired. 

 

After the 2012 season, the Buffalo News was talking with Ryan Fitzpatrick and what effect his new QB coach David Lee had on him. Fitz stated that previously in Buffalo nobody had worked with him on his setup,  mechanics. Which meant that Gailey was supremely lucky that Fitz was even on the roster after he cut Edwards and Gailey had very little to do with mentoring him as all he really did was call plays.   

 

While Spiller did have one good season running out of the shotgun spread mostly because opposing teams weren't sure if it was going to be a run or pass. Still, one good season out of a player taken in the first round at #9 overall stinks in my view.  I think it's safe to look back at those years and say that Buddy Nix sucked as GM, Chan Gailey sucked as HC. 

 

 

Lastly, while I didn't like Nate Hackett as OC in Buffalo under Marrone, in that 2013 season the Bills were #1 in rushing attempts, #2 in rushing yards with Spiller and Jackson. Which was better then Chan had done in 2012. 

[Spiderweb]

On 2/22/2019 at 9:50 AM, RyanC883 said:

Seems like we finally have a capable GM and HC.  Here is a question: given the terrible GM's we had, would having Payton have made a difference?  Clearly we win more games than with Jauron, but in terms of the overall picture, would our GM have let him go after Brees, etc.?  

 

Picking Jauron over Payton is just terrible.  Reminds me of hiring decisions that are made because someone has "put in their time," over merit.  

Loved Marv Levy but he wasn't a great coach anywhere near as much as he was the beneficiary of a great roster built for him by Polian and others. His skills as a GM we're beyond pitiful. 

[Golden*Wheels]

On 2/22/2019 at 10:09 AM, apuszczalowski said:

Or you already have money and know that you can get another job in the league if you really want one. I dont think they are hurting for money and he was a well established coach/coordinator who has no trouble finding work of he wants it. Not all life choices are based off of money, especially when you arent hurting for it

Was it Cowher who recommended him, and Jerry Jones who said previously that he wanted him as a HC before too?

Believe so. I still remember what Troy Aikman said at the same time...he said the offense Chan ran for Dallas was prehistoric then, what would it be now (meaning 2010)?

 

Troy, you ain't all wrong buddy.

Edited February 25, 2019 by Golden*Wheels

[Nihilarian]

12 hours ago, Ol Dirty B said:

 

They did give out the Mario Williams contract during this period of time...

 

The cheap Ralph stuff is a joke. After that gets proven wrong, it goes to Russ. Pegulas buy the team but will never take the blame and it's shifted to Whaley and Rex.

 

I'm not excusing any of the former. It doesn't look like a money issue, a scheme to get you to buy tickets, both owners have been idiots for most of their tenures. They get involved... and they are mostly wrong. 

 

The pegulas are awful at owning sports teams. It's as clear as day to me.

Yes, late owner, in 1978 Ralph Wilson did hire ex-Rams HC Chuck Knox and make him one of the highest paid head coaches in the league.

Mostly because the Bills couldn't have a home preseason game because Bills fans wouldn't attend the games. Attendance was nearing an all-time low and the Buffalo Bills hadn't beaten the Miami Dolphins the entire decade of the 1970s. Chuck Knox turned around a franchise that was a perennial loser into a winner. Now, five years later with the team winning, has been in the playoffs, fans butts have been filling the stadium so... the winningest head coach the Bills have had since the 60s, Chuck Knox left Buffalo for Seattle because the owner refused to give him a rise.

 

 

Yes, late owner, Ralph Wilson did make QB Jim Kelly the highest paid QB at that time.

Mostly because after the back to back 2-14 1984, 1985 season stadium attendance was at an all-time low and the fans that did show up had bags on their heads. Ralph Wilson was getting desperate because he if didn't act quickly he might be forced to sell part of or all of his team or move it. His GM for the 85 seasons Terry Bledsoe had health problems and Wilson fired him and promoted a young, up and coming Bill Polian. Norm Pollom was the scouting director that came with Knox to Buffalo from the Rams is the one who recommended the hiring of Polian. The rest is history

 

What Ralph Wilson found out from those four super bowls is that winning is expensive. Winning costs money as the more the team wins, the more expensive the coaches, players, staff can get. The way the NFL works it's actually less expensive to lose over winning 10 games a season. One of the reasons Barry Sanders quit playing football was he realized the Lions weren't interested in winning. 

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2013/01/04/nfl-playoffs-are-not-a-road-to-riches-for-teams/#4b1557685124

 

"The overall NFL financial model is a socialist one. The NFL splits revenues evenly among teams from national media and licensing deals like other sports. But the NFL is the only sport that also doles out an equal portion of gate receipts to each team ($17 million last season).

The NFL's socialist model continues in the playoffs. Playoff home teams in baseball, basketball and hockey keep anywhere from 50% to 100% of ticket revenues, depending on the sport and the number of games in the series. In football, all gate receipts flow to the league. The New England Patriots generate more than $10 million in gate receipts for each home game, but don't see a dime of that."

 

With the NFL revenue sharing and low cost of players, coaches this owner made a profit of 15 to 20 million per and is the reason he was able to have expensive hobbies like horse racing, collecting fine art. Other team owners spending more on their teams ended up selling part of or all of their teams, Al Davis, Stephen Ross. 

 

The Ralph is cheap stuff is not a joke. Ralph Wilson was a notoriously frugal owner and there is a real reason over the decades as to why this franchise has almost ignored drafting QBs and have been more intent on drafting RBs, DBs. Hiring the less expensive head coaches, GMs, coaching staffs.

 

In 1979 the Buffalo Bills had the #1 overall pick from the 49ers from the OJ trade and drafted LBer Tom Cousineau. Ole Tom ended up playing in Canada because Montreal Alouettes offered him twice the amount Buffalo offered him, Canada twice as much, really? 

[BillyWhiteShows]

2 hours ago, Nihilarian said:

Yes, late owner, in 1978 Ralph Wilson did hire ex-Rams HC Chuck Knox and make him one of the highest paid head coaches in the league.

Mostly because the Bills couldn't have a home preseason game because Bills fans wouldn't attend the games. Attendance was nearing an all-time low and the Buffalo Bills hadn't beaten the Miami Dolphins the entire decade of the 1970s. Chuck Knox turned around a franchise that was a perennial loser into a winner. Now, five years later with the team winning, has been in the playoffs, fans butts have been filling the stadium so... the winningest head coach the Bills have had since the 60s, Chuck Knox left Buffalo for Seattle because the owner refused to give him a rise.

 

 

Yes, late owner, Ralph Wilson did make QB Jim Kelly the highest paid QB at that time.

Mostly because after the back to back 2-14 1984, 1985 season stadium attendance was at an all-time low and the fans that did show up had bags on their heads. Ralph Wilson was getting desperate because he if didn't act quickly he might be forced to sell part of or all of his team or move it. His GM for the 85 seasons Terry Bledsoe had health problems and Wilson fired him and promoted a young, up and coming Bill Polian. Norm Pollom was the scouting director that came with Knox to Buffalo from the Rams is the one who recommended the hiring of Polian. The rest is history

 

What Ralph Wilson found out from those four super bowls is that winning is expensive. Winning costs money as the more the team wins, the more expensive the coaches, players, staff can get. The way the NFL works it's actually less expensive to lose over winning 10 games a season. One of the reasons Barry Sanders quit playing football was he realized the Lions weren't interested in winning. 

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2013/01/04/nfl-playoffs-are-not-a-road-to-riches-for-teams/#4b1557685124

 

"The overall NFL financial model is a socialist one. The NFL splits revenues evenly among teams from national media and licensing deals like other sports. But the NFL is the only sport that also doles out an equal portion of gate receipts to each team ($17 million last season).

The NFL's socialist model continues in the playoffs. Playoff home teams in baseball, basketball and hockey keep anywhere from 50% to 100% of ticket revenues, depending on the sport and the number of games in the series. In football, all gate receipts flow to the league. The New England Patriots generate more than $10 million in gate receipts for each home game, but don't see a dime of that."

 

With the NFL revenue sharing and low cost of players, coaches this owner made a profit of 15 to 20 million per and is the reason he was able to have expensive hobbies like horse racing, collecting fine art. Other team owners spending more on their teams ended up selling part of or all of their teams, Al Davis, Stephen Ross. 

 

The Ralph is cheap stuff is not a joke. Ralph Wilson was a notoriously frugal owner and there is a real reason over the decades as to why this franchise has almost ignored drafting QBs and have been more intent on drafting RBs, DBs. Hiring the less expensive head coaches, GMs, coaching staffs.

 

In 1979 the Buffalo Bills had the #1 overall pick from the 49ers from the OJ trade and drafted LBer Tom Cousineau. Ole Tom ended up playing in Canada because Montreal Alouettes offered him twice the amount Buffalo offered him, Canada twice as much, really? 

 

The Ralph is Cheap stuff was legit.  He spent money on players, only because he had to (salary cap).  He was notoriously cheap with hiring both coaches, GM, and front office personnel.  He was reluctant to give up the money and the control in the modern NFL.

 

Thats why we ended up with the likes of Duck Jauron as Head Coach and unqualified people like Marv Levy, Russ Brandon, and 70 year old Buddddd Nix as GM.  Russ literally didn’t want to hire anyone he didn’t know.  Major damage was done to Buffalo’s reputation to the point that Russ Brandon basically admitted it “the brand has been tarnished.”

 

Wilson’s one exception was the time when he was desperate to make a splashy hire after John Butler and Wade Phillips told him to stick it.  He hired the NFL’s top candidate as GM in 2001 in Tom Donahue.  He paid him more money and gave him the most control that he ever had with a President title.  Things didn’t really go great as the Bills never were better than mediocre despite some big personnel moves.  Worse, Donahue reportedly was a tyrant and created a toxic environment.  Everyone at OBD was reported to be miserable.

 

In my mind, Ralph said “never again!  From now on I’m only hiring people I personally know and have worked with before.”  

 

Say what you will, but during this time period Ralph was a terrible owner and did an incredible amount of damage to this franchise

[Punching Bag]

On 2/22/2019 at 10:02 AM, matter2003 said:

 

If you turn down multi-million dollar jobs because your wife tells you to, you probably need to go directly to teh Testosterone Clinic and get several injections of Testosterone.

 

or know you are likely to get a better offer in future and taking job is career suicide.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

***** off!!

[Big Turk]

11 hours ago, Limeaid said:

 

or know you are likely to get a better offer in future and taking job is career suicide.

He actually did that in Washigton...but hey, at least he got to pay 20X the price for a house...and drive in the worst traffic in America

Edited February 26, 2019 by matter2003

[T master]

On 2/22/2019 at 8:37 AM, White Linen said:

We dodged a bullet with Mike Shanahan not coming. 

 

Could he have done any worse than Chan did with what he had to work with we'll never know but i liked Chan !! 

 

I think Shanny probably used the wife excuse like we all do when you really don't want to do something just blame on her & it's all good !! ?