DERRICK O Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Mort was on the Howard and Jeremy morning show this mourning talking about the bills. he didnt miss the oppurtunity to drop his pal tom donahue's name. he was asked if the bills need a "true football guy" in the front office and his response was "they had one in tom donahue". AFTER THE 04 SEASON HE SHOULD HAVE NEVER OF GOTTEN RID OF BLEDSOE.THEY WERE COMING TOGETHER AND MAYBE THEY COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING BETTER THAN 5-11 IN 05. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyDingo Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 You know how good The Lord Of Darkness, Tom Effing Donahoe is? He is unemployed. I'm sure its only so he and Mort can spend Sundays on their hair, but still, the freaking LIONS haven't even hired him. TD=RJ=DB=JP=TE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 You know how good The Lord Of Darkness, Tom Effing Donahoe is? He is unemployed. I'm sure its only so he and Mort can spend Sundays on their hair, but still, the freaking LIONS haven't even hired him. TD=RJ=DB=JP=TE They want someone better than Millen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flbillsfan#1 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Any chance we can give Russ s full offseason before we run him out of town too? Better yet, to make the list shorter, lets think of who we don't want to run out of town It's a SHORT list: Bobby April Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Donohoe sucked Mort......you are wrong there We have other bigger problems......Mort you are right there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE GASH STATION Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 The sad thing is, that's true of almost every single "journalist" working for ESPN. It's all about speculation and sensationalism. Just yesterday, they reported on the front page of espn.com that Rafael Furcal had signed for 4 years and 40 millions dollars with the Braves. Oops, they were wrong. He signed for 3 years and 30 million with the Dodgers. But it doesn't matter if they're wrong, because they pretty much represent a monopoly in the sports journalism world. Very true. I stopped looking at their website years ago..just about everything became paid content..plus they have so much pop up and other garbage....ruined their site. I dont watch the TV show anymore but I still love Berman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2003Contenders Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Mort is an excellent reporter, but I think he has allowed his friendship with Donahoe to place him in a somewhat biased position as it relates to the Bills. Unlike many on this board, though, I am not a TD hater. I think he did a number of good things for the organization, and his track record in the personnel department was probably average-to above average. Yes, he made some blunders as has been fairly noted. But he also struck paydirt regularly -- and did a very good job of attracting free agents. I would categorize his biggest failures in this order: poor coaching hires, letting signable free agents get away (most notably Pat Williams) and failing to properly address the OL (although he tried with the drafting of Mike Williams). I think he also had a tendency to allow the salvageable parts of the team to evaporate, while trying to fix the obviously broken parts. I think he often underestimated just how much improvement this team needed, when he (for example) took the unnecessary risk of drafting Willis McGahee at a position that did not require immediate attention. The bottom line is that the team failed to make it into the playoffs a single time during his tenure as GM, so his being fired was not out of bounds as Mort seems to believe. Of course, since Mort and TD were such good friends, you would have to believe that Mort may have been privy to some of the behind-the-scenes dealings that went on between Ralph and TD. In other words, perhaps some of the decisions that we now blame TD for (especially the head coaching decisions) may have been forced upon him by Ralph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Don-a-hoe = JP Losman. I'll throw in Mike Williams for flavor. Nuff said. And a 1st for Bledsoe too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Mort was on the Howard and Jeremy morning show this mourning talking about the bills. he didnt miss the oppurtunity to drop his pal tom donahue's name. he was asked if the bills need a "true football guy" in the front office and his response was "they had one in tom donahue". His results in Buffalo speak for themselves TD was a disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Perhaps there's more to be said than you think... Donahoe actually drafted quite a few good players during his time here: Nate Clements - Pro Bowl CB Aaron Schobel - Pro Bowl DE and 2nd in AFC in sacks since 2003 Travis Henry - Had 2 1300+ yard seasons in Buffalo and 1 in Tennessee Jonas Jennings - Started at LT for 4 seasons in Buffalo and 3 in San Francisco Josh Reed - Bills' only effective 3rd down target Coy Wire - Looks fine starting at SS in Atlanta Justin Bannan - Gets plenty of playing time on league's No. 2 overall defense in Baltimore Willis McGahee - Had 2 solid seasons in Buffalo, currently being phased out in Baltimore. Angelo Crowell - Looked like he was becoming a very solid 4-3 OLB before being marooned on IR this year Terrence McGee - Pro Bowl kick returner, certainly not a No. 1 CB but serviceable as a No. 2 Sam Aiken - One of the league's top special teamers Lee Evans - Since 2001, no player has more TD catches of over 40 yards Roscoe Parrish - Outstanding kick returner, could be utilized as a weapon if the Bills had a decent QB and offensive coordinator He also signed Jason Peters and Jabari Greer as UDFAs. Drafting wasn't Donahoe's problem (except maybe at QB). His downfall was that he couldn't pick a coach. I Agree Everyone is blasting him for the Bledsoe pick up but he really brought some excitement in to Buffalo for awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lets_go_bills Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Mort was on the Howard and Jeremy morning show this mourning talking about the bills. he didnt miss the oppurtunity to drop his pal tom donahue's name. he was asked if the bills need a "true football guy" in the front office and his response was "they had one in tom donahue". Oh for god's sake. When is he gonna get over TD's firing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Jabber Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 His results in Buffalo speak for themselves TD was a disaster. He had 5 years and our overall record was 31-49, that falls on his shoulders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloWings Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Mort is an excellent reporter, but I think he has allowed his friendship with Donahoe to place him in a somewhat biased position as it relates to the Bills. Unlike many on this board, though, I am not a TD hater. I think he did a number of good things for the organization, and his track record in the personnel department was probably average-to above average. Yes, he made some blunders as has been fairly noted. But he also struck paydirt regularly -- and did a very good job of attracting free agents. I would categorize his biggest failures in this order: poor coaching hires, letting signable free agents get away (most notably Pat Williams) and failing to properly address the OL (although he tried with the drafting of Mike Williams). I think he also had a tendency to allow the salvageable parts of the team to evaporate, while trying to fix the obviously broken parts. I think he often underestimated just how much improvement this team needed, when he (for example) took the unnecessary risk of drafting Willis McGahee at a position that did not require immediate attention. The bottom line is that the team failed to make it into the playoffs a single time during his tenure as GM, so his being fired was not out of bounds as Mort seems to believe. Of course, since Mort and TD were such good friends, you would have to believe that Mort may have been privy to some of the behind-the-scenes dealings that went on between Ralph and TD. In other words, perhaps some of the decisions that we now blame TD for (especially the head coaching decisions) may have been forced upon him by Ralph. Good post....I think this pretty much nails it. I think a lot of us have heard of the rumors of what is being said behind closed doors regarding Ralph, which leads us to not want as much of a meddling owner as he now seems to be. That said, I wish Mort would just let it go. Maybe his motivations are simply to try and get his buddy some consideration from other teams, but it's reflecting bad on his professionalism. The more he gives Donahoe some on-air credit, the more us Buffalo fans will lose respect for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloWings Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 AFTER THE 04 SEASON HE SHOULD HAVE NEVER OF GOTTEN RID OF BLEDSOE.THEY WERE COMING TOGETHER AND MAYBE THEY COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING BETTER THAN 5-11 IN 05. Agreed...but Bledsoe is the type of QB that needed a solid - almost dominant - offensive line. We didn't have that and it exposed his lack of mobility, leading to the offense going downhill fast. At the same time, it was wrong to just hand the starting job to JP, who had less than a year of even being on the sidelines watching Bledsoe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVUFootball29 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Sure, there is a chance...we don't really have a choice do we? Not trying to run anyone out of town, Russ is likely doing the best job he can, with what he has to work with. But, I think one of the problems with this franchise, post TD, is that they are not in touch, or connected, with the rest of the leauge. TD was. You think Russ Brandon could lure someone of the caliber of Dick LeBeau to Buffalo? Who's to say he can't? Everyone has to be a beginner at some point and build a reputation. Lets see how this offseason FA and draft goes before we decide to pitch Brandon for the next sacrificial lamb...I mean GM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cale Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 You see, that is the problem that TD, Marv Levy and now, Russ Brandon will always have. Because of the financial constraints put on the franchise (whether necessary or not is another debate, the constraints exist), the Bills will always be trying to shore up their deficencies with second-rate talent. At least when TD signed the second-rate talent, he didn't pay them like first rate talent. TD's successors have plunked down some pretty heavy cash for guys who likely don't deserve the salary they are making, and likely never did. Nobody was knocking down the doors to Langston Walkers' house, begging him to sign...TD paid little for "projects". Most of them didn't pan out. But, you can't expect much better results. As for not signing Antoine Winfield...remember, that is how the Bills operate. They don't normally re-sign their own, particularly if they are considered amongst the best FA's at their position on the given year. Pat Williams was let go becuase the perception was that he was "done", and he ddin't fit the mold of players that the coach at that time wanted for his defense. The "done" perception was pretty common. If you can, go back to the archive from TBD, Williams had become the poster child for everything "wrong" with the Bills defense at that time. He was considered by most of the stalwarts here to be a "fat ass" who took plays off. I remember personally getting into it with a few people, stiill here, when I posted that letting Williams go was a big mistake. Most saw it as a good move at the time. As for the draft picks you mentioned, I think only JP Losman is a true bust, or mistake, amongst the moves you mentioned. McGahee wasn't likely worth a #1 pick, but he is hardly the most un-productive first round pick in franchise, or leauge, history. He has been a moderately successful NFL player. I dont think there was really anything wrong with the Bledsoe trade at the time. The move invigorated the franchise, which needed it, and Bledsoe had his moments, particualrly early on. What I will concede was TD's biggest failure, was selecting head coaches. I would like to be able to blame that entirely on Ralphs unwillingness to pay competitive wages for established coaches, but, I think this falls more on TD. His ego is what got him in trouble in Pittsburgh. He and Cowher clashed often. TD, I believe, was looking for coaches that could operate under his thumb. What seems to be lost in all the criticism of TD, is that he was inheriting a franchise that had been doing things one way, pretty successfully, for about 15 years, under Polian/Butler. Once that era was over, the owner wanted to do things differntly. I think that money became a much bigger concern with Ralph, once the TD era began. Ralph spent in the 1990's trying to get that elusive ring...in the new century, it seems Ralph reeled things in a bit. TD was the guy hired to lay the groundwork for that. It takes some time to make such drastic changes. Donahoe's biggest problem was that he was paranoid. The ghost of Cowher followed him around. When you get into a pissing match with the press/media, you're not gonna win. He couldn't choose a good coach because he constantly feared his power being usurped. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Agreed...but Bledsoe is the type of QB that needed a solid - almost dominant - offensive line. We didn't have that and it exposed his lack of mobility, leading to the offense going downhill fast. At the same time, it was wrong to just hand the starting job to JP, who had less than a year of even being on the sidelines watching Bledsoe. Bledsoe had a pretty good year behind a patchwork line and then they traded Peerless Price, got rid of Larry Centers, and Jay Riemersma. With a patchwork line (standard for Buffalo) and a severe shortage of legit weapons, Bledsoe didn't look nearly so good; yet, the team improved to 9-7 the following year. Even with that, he was a veteran QB and could've been a decent caretaker while the offense was rebuilt around him. Instead they cut him and rolled the dice with Losman and Holcomb. That train wreck led to a 5 win season and blowing up the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like A Mofo Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I'm siding with Mort more and more everyday. Is it far fetched to think that Ralph was pulling more strings then we want to believe which hurt TD? Based on Ralph's history, I side now MORE then TD then Ralph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Oh for god's sake. When is he gonna get over TD's firing? Longer than three years, obviously ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Hindsight Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Perhaps there's more to be said than you think... Donahoe actually drafted quite a few good players during his time here: Nate Clements - Pro Bowl CB Aaron Schobel - Pro Bowl DE and 2nd in AFC in sacks since 2003 Travis Henry - Had 2 1300+ yard seasons in Buffalo and 1 in Tennessee Jonas Jennings - Started at LT for 4 seasons in Buffalo and 3 in San Francisco Josh Reed - Bills' only effective 3rd down target Coy Wire - Looks fine starting at SS in Atlanta Justin Bannan - Gets plenty of playing time on league's No. 2 overall defense in Baltimore Willis McGahee - Had 2 solid seasons in Buffalo, currently being phased out in Baltimore. Angelo Crowell - Looked like he was becoming a very solid 4-3 OLB before being marooned on IR this year Terrence McGee - Pro Bowl kick returner, certainly not a No. 1 CB but serviceable as a No. 2 Sam Aiken - One of the league's top special teamers Lee Evans - Since 2001, no player has more TD catches of over 40 yards Roscoe Parrish - Outstanding kick returner, could be utilized as a weapon if the Bills had a decent QB and offensive coordinator He also signed Jason Peters and Jabari Greer as UDFAs. Drafting wasn't Donahoe's problem (except maybe at QB). His downfall was that he couldn't pick a coach. The problem with that list is there are two offensive lineman and only one defensive lineman on the list. He ignored the lines and let a defense get old while he picked the sexy pick of mcgahee and roscoe and kevin everett when those picks should have been used in multiple other places Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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