So The AP Reports Ralph Wilson

[Lori]

FWIW, two weeks ago, on GR, when John Clayton was asked if he thought Jauron would be back, he said yes. The next week however, he wasn't as positive...he seemed to indicate that he had heard things in the last week, to lead him to believe that Ralph might have something else in the works...I kind of took Ralphs' comments in the Wawrow article as an indication that Jauron may not be as safe as I thought he was. Even if he 90 years old, and set in his ways, Ralph is well aware of the negative impact that bringing Jauron back may have on his bottom line. If he was set on bringing Jauron back, despite all the negativity, this week, coming off a nice road win, against a decent opponenet would likely be as good a time as there will be, to spring this on the faithful. How will it sound, if the Bills get drilled again by the Pats next week?

Funny you should mention that line of thinking ...

 

POLLOCK: Time is right to announce Dick’s future

Well Bills’ fans, are you confused?

 

Me too.

 

But I do have some advice for the team owner.

 

Ralph, word is you got yourself in a pickle with the head coach.

 

The way the story goes, you signed Dick Jauron to a three-year contract extension right after he got your team off to 5-1 start.

 

Unfortunately, before you could announce it, his crew blew a 9-point, third-quarter lead at Miami that started a freefall the stock market would envy.

 

Your Bills lost five straight and with each successive defeat, the idea of announcing this guy would be here through 2011 became less and less pleasant.

 

Even that win at Kansas City seemed to be an aberration.

 

Then came the home loss to San Francisco, the embarrassment against the Dolphins in Toronto and the “win” against the Jets fumbled into a last-minute loss at the Meadowlands that made Buffalo a national punchline.

 

Fact is, there just hasn’t been a good time to reveal that the captain of the Titanic has been given a new command.

 

Until now.

 

(more at link)

[Lori]

FWIW, two weeks ago, on GR, when John Clayton was asked if he thought Jauron would be back, he said yes. The next week however, he wasn't as positive...he seemed to indicate that he had heard things in the last week, to lead him to believe that Ralph might have something else in the works...I kind of took Ralphs' comments in the Wawrow article as an indication that Jauron may not be as safe as I thought he was. Even if he 90 years old, and set in his ways, Ralph is well aware of the negative impact that bringing Jauron back may have on his bottom line. If he was set on bringing Jauron back, despite all the negativity, this week, coming off a nice road win, against a decent opponenet would likely be as good a time as there will be, to spring this on the faithful. How will it sound, if the Bills get drilled again by the Pats next week?

Funny you should mention that line of thinking ...

 

POLLOCK: Time is right to announce Dick’s future

Well Bills’ fans, are you confused?

 

Me too.

 

But I do have some advice for the team owner.

 

Ralph, word is you got yourself in a pickle with the head coach.

 

The way the story goes, you signed Dick Jauron to a three-year contract extension right after he got your team off to a 5-1 start.

 

Unfortunately, before you could announce it, his crew blew a 9-point, third-quarter lead at Miami that started a freefall the stock market would envy.

 

Your Bills lost five straight and with each successive defeat, the idea of announcing this guy would be here through 2011 became less and less pleasant.

 

Even that win at Kansas City seemed to be an aberration.

 

Then came the home loss to San Francisco, the embarrassment against the Dolphins in Toronto and the “win” against the Jets fumbled into a last-minute loss at the Meadowlands that made Buffalo a national punchline.

 

Fact is, there just hasn’t been a good time to reveal that the captain of the Titanic has been given a new command.

 

Until now.

 

(more at link)

[reddogblitz]

I'm all for dumping Dick if we get someone with a proven track record of winning. You know, Marty or Brian Billick or Andy Reid or somebody. BUT, if the choice is Dick or Raheem Morris or Josh McDaniel or Gregg Williams or some other unknown position coach or Co ordintor, then I say no. Keep Dick. We're close. Maybe with a little more talent on offense and defense we can win a few more and get in the playoffs. Maybe get a proven OC. I'd feel better going into another season with Dick at the helm than getting a new unproven coach come in and try to put in his system and totally screw everything up to where we finish at 5-11 or something.

 

Go BILLS !!

[MRW]

I'm all for dumping Dick if we get someone with a proven track record of winning. You know, Marty or Brian Billick or Andy Reid or somebody. BUT, if the choice is Dick or Raheem Morris or Josh McDaniel or Gregg Williams or some other unknown position coach or Co ordintor, then I say no. Keep Dick. We're close. Maybe with a little more talent on offense and defense we can win a few more and get in the playoffs. Maybe get a proven OC. I'd feel better going into another season with Dick at the helm than getting a new unproven coach come in and try to put in his system and totally screw everything up to where we finish at 5-11 or something.

 

Go BILLS !!

This team is headed for 5-11 next season if Jauron is still around. Look at what they did against an incredibly easy schedule.

[BuffaloWings]

When RW refers to more power for Modrak, I have to believe it's because he's taking personnel control away from another person. I don't know who that could be at this point. If DJ remains, I think his opinion will carry weight, but not as much as these past three years. Regardless, trusting RB to make de facto personnel choices is tantamout to having your lawyer pick stocks for you.

My guess is that he'd be taking it away from Jauron. We know DJ has an awful lot of power over the personnel, so I wouldn't be surprised if this the guy you're referring to.

 

I've never been a fan of a guy who is both coach and GM. Mike Holmgren didn't fare too well doing that in Seattle (they started winning when he focused just on coaching) and Andy Reid hasn't exactly done a great job of it, either. There are exceptions, of course, but more often than not, a team whose coach is also the GM usually underachieves. Maybe this could be Jauron's excuse, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to go into next year with him as just the coach.

 

I've never been a big fan of consensus. Sometimes, a leader has to do what they feel is right. And a good personnel man like Modrak who has been involved in scouting knows a good player from a bad one. I still think someone with football experience versed in building a winner should oversee Modrak and Guy.

Couldn't agree more with this statement. Is this not the job of a GM?

 

Consensus is not good in this environment. It just tells me there is no true leader of the football side of the house...and isn't that the business we're in??

[Sisyphean Bills]

My guess is that he'd be taking it away from Jauron. We know DJ has an awful lot of power over the personnel, so I wouldn't be surprised if this the guy you're referring to.

That would be my guess as well. Jauron was not successful as the Bears personnel guy and after a couple years, Bears management changed the power structure and hired Jerry Angelo. And, no most coaches do not make the best personnel scouts.

Consensus is not good in this environment. It just tells me there is no true leader of the football side of the house...and isn't that the business we're in??

Consensus is a good shield though. Nobody can be held accountable for idiotic decisions because no one actually made the decision per se. It allows people that are unqualified for their job to formulate strategic decisions by gauging others reactions to their random plans. It allows people to coast unnoticed on the job and let other dogs pull the sled.

[TheBlackMamba]

AP reporter john warrow wrote in his column this mouring that during his interview with ralph that tom modrak was going to promoted to ralphs "inner circle". Since the guy has been here he is 49-62!!!! where the F*ck else on this planet can you be promoted by having a winning percentage of sub .500??? We have had a below average to average team at best for 9 years and until ralph sells this team it is not going to get any better any time soon.

[tomc702]

this is a critical time in buffalo......ralph wilson is in the process of selling the team; he's too smart about money (and too cheap) to die while still owning the team because it would ruin the profit margin for his heirs......there is a larger game going on here and we all don't know what that is.......if cowher comes to the jets that's a game changer for sure........

[BuffaloWings]

Being a meteorologist is about the only other profession where you can fail half the time and still have a job.

[BillnutinHouston]

AP reporter john warrow wrote in his column this mouring that during his interview with ralph that tom modrak was going to promoted to ralphs "inner circle". Since the guy has been here he is 49-62!!!! where the F*ck else on this planet can you be promoted by having a winning percentage of sub .500??? We have had a below average to average team at best for 9 years and until ralph sells this team it is not going to get any better any time soon.

 

 

What does it mean to be "promoted to Ralph's inner circle"?

[LynchMob23]

FWIW, apparently Modrak has just set the board and everything that goes on in the draft, while consensus had been under the choice of Donahoe, Levy and then Jauron.

 

Modrak I guess voiced his opinion of taking Cutler in the draft, but Levy and Jauron went with Whitner.

 

http://www.wgr550.com/Jauron-is--safe-/3545456

 

http://audio.wgr550.com/m/audio/21707187/t...-simon-show.htm

 

So, put the pitch forks and such away until the draft. Then continue the mob....

[Mopreme]

The blind leading the blind. The whole organization is garbage. What do you expect from an old and pathetic fool? At this stage I prefer to have tom donahue than the crap that is making decisions. The bills will be at the bottom of the barrel until either wilson chocks on a chicken bone or the team gets sold. Let's face it, sub 500 performance for the next few years.

[IDBillzFan]

AP reporter john warrow wrote in his column this mouring that during his interview with ralph that tom modrak was going to promoted to ralphs "inner circle". Since the guy has been here he is 49-62!!!! where the F*ck else on this planet can you be promoted by having a winning percentage of sub .500??? We have had a below average to average team at best for 9 years and until ralph sells this team it is not going to get any better any time soon.

I think you and Ralph have two ideas of what constitutes "winning." You look at the teams W/L record, and he looks at the books. The books probably show a tremendous profit in spite of the W/L record, and that will easily trump what you think.

[RShirley]

AP reporter john warrow wrote in his column this mouring that during his interview with ralph that tom modrak was going to promoted to ralphs "inner circle". Since the guy has been here he is 49-62!!!! where the F*ck else on this planet can you be promoted by having a winning percentage of sub .500??? We have had a below average to average team at best for 9 years and until ralph sells this team it is not going to get any better any time soon.

 

Isn't Modrak already part of the "inner circle"............I would define making draft recommendations as part of the "inner circle". This is purely a PR move by Ralph to make it look like he is changing some things up.........but we all know they are staying the same.

[LynchMob23]

What does it mean to be "promoted to Ralph's inner circle"?

 

Per the audio interview, Overdorf was mentioned as the guy that ran the football side.

 

Also, Modrak came up to Ralph and mentioned that he saw a great QB in the draft (Cutler) and the reason they didn't take him is because "they had Losman already". That goes into the end of the quote, in which he says,

 

'In the report, Wilson is said to be giving a bigger role to Tom Modrak, adding the chief scout to his "inner circle."

 

“You have to read some tea leaves when you talk to Ralph some times. He references Tom several times as someone he’d have to ‘lean on,’” Wawrow said.

 

Wilson told Wawrow that Modrak loved Jay Cutler, but that the Bills already had J.P. Losman.

 

“Ralph said that he believes that Tom Modrak has identified some of their best players,” Wawrow said.'

 

 

One more thing from the interview - Ralph is still mad about losing Pat Williams. He said that he never wants to see that happen again (a good Bill leaving the team because of haggling). So that should be hope for a Peters extension...

[Stevie Ray]

What does it mean to be "promoted to Ralph's inner circle"?

 

Means being a "yes man."

[scribo]

What does it mean to be "promoted to Ralph's inner circle"?

Maybe select the next head coach?

[2003Contenders]

Not sure what to make of this. Personally I think that Modrak is a pretty good personnel man. I happen to believe that some of the missed opportunities in various drafts came more as a result of his having been over-ruled by one person or another.

[todd]

Let me get this straight. The Bills are losing, and it is Jauron's fault. But no wait, it is Modrak's fault! But no wait, it is Ralph's fault!

 

By all accounts, he's got a good eye for talent. I'm sick and tired of idiots bitching about EVERYTHING without having a clue that Modrak is the actual problem.

[scribo]

Well, todd, maybe the team just needs to start over.