Better Owner - Terry Pegula (Sabres) or Ralph Wilson (Bills)?

[Phil The Thrill]

it’s a quiet time on the Bills front, so I had an idea to have what should be an interesting poll.  
 

I don’t follow the Sabres too closely but I’ve been taken back at how hopeless the fanbase feels about the franchise...namely Terry Pegula.  Fans are heavily blaming Pegula for the Sabres failures in the same way that many of us blamed Ralph back in the day.   People are pissed at Pegula, and the fanbase seems pretty bleak 
 

Who in your opinion was the better owner - Ralph Wilson with the Bills  or Terry Pegula as Sabres Owner?

 

Or course, the sample size is limited but it’s an interesting question.  
 

If we are talking NFL, I think you could say that what Terry has done over the past 6 years has been better than what Ralph accomplished over his decade of ownership.  
 

But you have to factor in Terry the owner of the Bills and Sabres.  With the Bills he made a few mistakes for sure (hiring Rex Ryan/not firing Doug Whaley) but the organization appears to be in a very stable spot.  The Sabres are an entirely different story.  Much like the Bills, the Sabres have been held back by a lack of vision, poor decisions and turnover at GM/HC....just like the Drought teams.   Worse - they’ve lost A LOT and failed to make the playoffs for an unusually long time.  
 

You can also argue that Terry, like Ralph, empowered the wrong people, hired leaders without a vision or without knowledge or ability how to carry out that vision, and that he held onto to those leaders for too long.

This is a tough question for me... Because both of their tenures have been very unremarkable.  I might have to give a slight edge to Terry only because he at least tried to be proactive in hiring different GM’s and coaches when things weren’t working.  Terry also doesn’t seem to be happy with losing.  He’s also tried to reach outside the organization to hire.  

 

Ralph tended to keep bad people in power for a very long time until it was obvious they needed to go.  Ever since he fired Donahoe, he spend an nearly entire only hiring people he had previously known. 

 

[teef]

oh phil the thrill!

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Are you sure you’re not an intern at WGR?

[Mike in Horseheads]

Ralph was cheap, Terry has given the Sabres everything he can financially. They just suck 

[Gugny]

I wonder how @Rico will vote.

[LeviF]

24 minutes ago, Phil The Thrill said:

it’s a quiet time on the Bills front, so I had an idea to have what should be an interesting poll.  
 

I don’t follow the Sabres too closely but I’ve been taken back at how hopeless the fanbase feels about the franchise...namely Terry Pegula.  Fans are heavily blaming Pegula for the Sabres failures in the same way that many of us blamed Ralph back in the day.   People are pissed at Pegula, and the fanbase seems pretty bleak 
 

Who in your opinion was the better owner - Ralph Wilson with the Bills  or Terry Pegula as Sabres Owner?

 

Or course, the sample size is limited but it’s an interesting question.  
 

If we are talking NFL, I think you could say that what Terry has done over the past 6 years has been better than what Ralph accomplished over his decade of ownership.  
 

But you have to factor in Terry the owner of the Bills and Sabres.  With the Bills he made a few mistakes for sure (hiring Rex Ryan/not firing Doug Whaley) but the organization appears to be in a very stable spot.  The Sabres are an entirely different story.  Much like the Bills, the Sabres have been held back by a lack of vision, poor decisions and turnover at GM/HC....just like the Drought teams.   Worse - they’ve lost A LOT and failed to make the playoffs for an unusually long time.  
 

You can also argue that Terry, like Ralph, empowered the wrong people, hired leaders without a vision or without knowledge or ability how to carry out that vision, and that he held onto to those leaders for too long.

This is a tough question for me... Because both of their tenures have been very unremarkable.  I might have to give a slight edge to Terry only because he at least tried to be proactive in hiring different GM’s and coaches when things weren’t working.  Terry also doesn’t seem to be happy with losing.  He’s also tried to reach outside the organization to hire.  

 

Ralph tended to keep bad people in power for a very long time until it was obvious they needed to go.  Ever since he fired Donahoe, he spend an nearly entire only hiring people he had previously known. 

 

 

Good afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I read your post.

[Reed83HOF]

7 minutes ago, Mike in Horseheads said:

Ralph was cheap, Terry has given the Sabres everything he can financially. They just suck 

Where did the Oriel go? I understand they just suck also, but it is just about Baseball season

[Mike in Horseheads]

2 minutes ago, Reed83HOF said:

Where did the Oriel go? I understand they just suck also, but it is just about Baseball season

He's on his way to spring training as we speak. The goat is because a angry bbmb refugee told me to go play with my goat at the mall in horseheads

[Marv's Neighbor]

Nothing against Ralph but he was, for the long haul, never nearly as committed as Terry & Kim.  He "settled" for Buffalo as an AFL franchise location.  Ralph mostly lived in Detroit. 

[msw2112]

People may disagree, but I think that we are lucky to have Pegula as the Sabres owner.  It is taking him a LONG time to figure it out, but he will eventually get it right, just as he did with the Bills.  He is willing to commit whatever resources are necessary to be successful, but he just has not been able to get the right people in place - players, coaches and management.  I think they might finally have the right coach and management in place, and a few core players, but they need to strengthen the middle of the lineup.  They have good 1st line and 4th line players, but terrible 2nd and 3rd liners.  Years bad drafting and Murray trading away draft picks and assets to accelerate the rebuild is the cause.  Of course, Botterill can't be let off the hook for the O'Reilly trade, but if Ryan wanted out of town, perhaps Jason's hand was forced and he got the best the market would bear.  Maybe Tage develops into a 1st or 2nd line player (I'm not holding my breath, but we'll see) and the trade doesn't look so bad down the road.  I'm still on board with Terry & Kim.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

Without Ralph Wilson we wouldn't have a team for Terry Pegula to buy.

[Buffalo716]

21 minutes ago, Mike in Horseheads said:

Ralph was cheap, Terry has given the Sabres everything he can financially. They just suck 

Ralph was so cheap he made OJ Simpson the highest paid player in the 70s

 

Jimbo the highest paid in the 80s.

 

The early 90s Bills were called the million dollar bills because how much money Ralph threw around

 

In the 2000s he made Derrick Dockery the 3rd highest paid guard OF ALL TIME

 

He gave Mario 100 million 

 

He have Dareus 100 million

 

You have no clue about cheap and you should feel bad for bashing the SINGLE PERSON who kept us here for 50+ years

[Greg S]

I don't know if you can compare Ralph Wilson to Terry/Kim Pegula. Terry and Kim haven't been owners all that long.

If I were grading the Pegula's on their own I would give them a C-. They get a B for the Bills since they got it right with Beane/McDermott.

They get a F for the Sabres. No other way to say this but the Sabres continue to be a train wreck.

 

As for Ralph Wilson he did a lot of great things for the league starting back in the AFL days. He did bring football to Buffalo and made sure they

stayed after his passing. He wasn't a great owner as far as the wins and losses. Highlights for his teams were the back to back AFL championships.

The early 80's Knox teams, and of course the Super Bowl years. Aside from that there was a ton of losing. I would grade him a C/C+ overall. JMHO

[MJS]

Ralph took the Bills to two AFL championships and four superbowl appearances, and he's a hall of fame owner. Until Pegula accomplishes something with the Sabres (or the Bills) how can we make claims that he's a better owner?

 

I think Pegula has the Bills on the right track. I have no idea about the Sabres.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

I’m not sure how to even compare these two. 

 

 

Ralph made some mistakes particularly towards the end ... perhaps his biggest was trusting Brandon too much. Being fiscally conservative while oft derided might be the very reason the Bills were able to stay put and remain a viable business in Buffalo. 
 

Seems Pegula got it right with Sean and Beane, after a big, biiiig mistake with Rex.  
 

on the Sabres, I can’t help but think the entire scouting staff and front office are putting really crappy rosters together and they better fix this soon, they are badly squandering prime Eichel years they will never get back. Would love to know why these guys can look unbeatable in October then devolve to a flaming pile of dog poop for the rest of the year. 
 

 

Edited February 6, 2020 by Over 29 years of fanhood

[Mike in Horseheads]

26 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

Ralph was so cheap he made OJ Simpson the highest paid player in the 70s

 

Jimbo the highest paid in the 80s.

 

The early 90s Bills were called the million dollar bills because how much money Ralph threw around

 

In the 2000s he made Derrick Dockery the 3rd highest paid guard OF ALL TIME

 

He gave Mario 100 million 

 

He have Dareus 100 million

 

You have no clue about cheap and you should feel bad for bashing the SINGLE PERSON who kept us here for 50+ years

Lighten up Francis! I feel great I got you to go crazy writing a double spaced rant. Have a nice day

[BuffaninATL]

I stopped at "what should be an interesting poll. "

[Rico]

57 minutes ago, Gugny said:

I wonder how @Rico will vote.

Unfortunately it is a private vote, or I would appropriately and accordingly label each and every poster who selected Ralph for future reference. 

Edited February 6, 2020 by Rico

[Don Otreply]

40 minutes ago, Formerly Allan in MD said:

Without Ralph Wilson we wouldn't have a team for Terry Pegula to buy.

Not relevant to the question asked. 
 

Ralph did some good things, but screwed the pooch the majority of the time. It was under his management that the team acquired the bad reputation that the current  team is still trying to shed. 

[BADOLBILZ]

50 minutes ago, Marv's Neighbor said:

Nothing against Ralph but he was, for the long haul, never nearly as committed as Terry & Kim.  He "settled" for Buffalo as an AFL franchise location.  Ralph mostly lived in Detroit. 

 

 

The Pegula's have been woeful on-ice and on-field stewards..........but they are absolutely committed to winning.

 

Ralph was NEVER committed to winning..........he wanted to win and if he thought he might he'd spend........and if he thought he might not he'd cut bait and try to beat his fellow owners in the net profit game.  More often than not it was the latter.   Either way was fine to him.

 

We are going thru a long, painful learning curve with The Pegs......(I know some of you are thrilled with the Bills being competitive but overall it's like 2 fringe playoff teams in 15 seasons of ownership Bills/Sabres)......hopefully in the end it turns out like the Rooney ownership went in Pittsburgh.

 

 

[BigBillsFan]

This is really a bad poll. First because neither owner would want this, and second it’s unfair to Ralph Wilson. For all of his faults he loved the area, the area I grew up and watched my team.

 

I’m sure he was offered money to relocate and make more but he did it for us as well. He died as the owner because he loved football. That’s something worth cheering and cherishing.

[Florida Bills Fanatic]

17 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

Not relevant to the question asked. 
 

Ralph did some good things, but screwed the pooch the majority of the time. It was under his management that the team acquired the bad reputation that the current  team is still trying to shed. 

I agree with you.  Ralph had three good years in the mid-sixties and the Kelly years.  There were a couple of other decent years sprinkled in but other than that he was a dumpster fire.  Current ownership is off to a good start but needs to put together a sustained level of performance to prove that recent improvements are not an aberration. 

 

When it comes to the Sabres, Pegula is very Ralph like.  It has been pathetic.

Edited February 6, 2020 by Florida Bills Fanatic

[PromoTheRobot]

Ralph was cheap. Terry spends money. He's just not hiring the right people. But it's not from a lack of trying.

[Buftex]

The Pegulas have their issues, but it isn't from lack of trying... Ralph was just unwilling to spend at various times in the teams history....his miserly ways pretty much ended the "talking proud" era of Bills football with a whimper.... all in all I appreciate them both.  I do believe, at some point the Pegulas will get things right.  They just need to hire the right people.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

24 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Ralph was cheap. Terry spends money. He's just not hiring the right people. But it's not from a lack of trying.

Further to this, and Buffalo716’s remarks above, it sometimes seemed Ralph Wilson would overspend on a player, and then it often seemed the team would go on an austerity program in light of the previous extravagance.  It might not be factual, but based upon the media and disgruntled players, it certainly seemed what the area was hearing.

[4_kidd_4]

Ralph never cried at a presser. Just sayin.

[ngbills]

People voting must be young folks. 

[MAJBobby]

Not sure how we can compare Ralph a football owner to Terry a Hockey owner. 
 

better poll would have been 

 

Terry Pegula Sabres Owner or Terry Pegula Bills owner (yep two different styles from same person) 

[ngbills]

How many times have the Pegula owned Sabres made the playoffs?

 

Prior to their ownership the Sabres had made the playoffs 29 out of 40 years. Only missed 11 times in 40 years. This year would be 9 straight for the Pegulas...that is almost equal to the prior 40 years combined. How can they be doing a better job than any owner of any team, any sport. 

 

 

[4_kidd_4]

Here’s a poll, what was worse?

 

a. Terry’s tears at his Sabres intro presser.

 

b. Terry’s booger at his Bills intro presser.

 

 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

2 hours ago, Gugny said:

I wonder how @Rico will vote.

 

 

...same way he would about Whaley, right?.........

[TH3]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Ralph was cheap. Terry spends money. He's just not hiring the right people. But it's not from a lack of trying.

Ralph was so cheap he gave up....likely a billion plus dollars.... by choosing to keep the Bills in Buff....and grandfathering them staying in his Estate.

 

He could have moved the Bills at any time and nobody could have questioned it....

[ALLEN1QB]

Jerry Jones

[Phil The Thrill]

3 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Ralph was so cheap he made OJ Simpson the highest paid player in the 70s

 

Jimbo the highest paid in the 80s.

 

The early 90s Bills were called the million dollar bills because how much money Ralph threw around

 

In the 2000s he made Derrick Dockery the 3rd highest paid guard OF ALL TIME

 

He gave Mario 100 million 

 

He have Dareus 100 million

 

You have no clue about cheap and you should feel bad for bashing the SINGLE PERSON who kept us here for 50+ years

This is super deceiving - the three men you mentioned were paid through the salary cap.  Ralph HAD to spend that money and it was fully guaranteed and subsidized by the NFL TV’s contract.

 

Ralph WAS cheap when it came to coaches, GM’s and other front office hired.  His track record speaks for itself 

[Buffalo716]

12 minutes ago, Phil The Thrill said:

This is super deceiving - the three men you mentioned were paid through the salary cap.  Ralph HAD to spend that money and it was fully guaranteed and subsidized by the NFL TV’s contract.

 

Ralph WAS cheap when it came to coaches, GM’s and other front office hired.  His track record speaks for itself 

The Bengals had 4-6 regional scouts in there front office for years. Still do

 

That's cheap 

 

He's a HoF owner yea his track record speaks for itself

 

2 AFL titles 4 AFC championships, HoF players and a legacy of the Bills

 

Not every team can win the SB yearly.. we struggled for 17 years because we didn't have a QB

Edited February 7, 2020 by Buffalo716

[Rocky Landing]

Why isn't Terry Pegula (Bills) on this poll?

 

[vincec]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Ralph was cheap. Terry spends money. He's just not hiring the right people. But it's not from a lack of trying.

Yeah, but if spending money = being a good owner then how do you rate Daniel Snyder? You've got to make the right moves too.

[Reed83HOF]

4 hours ago, Gugny said:

I wonder how @Rico will vote.

the correct way

[nucci]

5 hours ago, Mike in Horseheads said:

Ralph was cheap, Terry has given the Sabres everything he can financially. They just suck 

except hiring good people

[RiotAct]

5 hours ago, MJS said:

Ralph took the Bills to two AFL championships and four superbowl appearances, and he's a hall of fame owner. Until Pegula accomplishes something with the Sabres (or the Bills) how can we make claims that he's a better owner?

 

I think Pegula has the Bills on the right track. I have no idea about the Sabres.

This.  I can’t believe TPegs is winning this poll by a 2:1 ratio.