Ralph silenced some posters yesterday

[Albany,n.y.]

Anyone who listened to Ralph last night no longer can post the moronic Ralph is senile BS. It's about time for the Ralph is senile posters to admit that Ralph has more on the ball than they do.

[PromoTheRobot]

Or that Ralph doesn't care about the fans, his team or winning.

 

PTR

[SouthernMan]

Anyone who listened to Ralph last night no longer can post the moronic Ralph is senile BS. It's about time for the Ralph is senile posters to admit that Ralph has more on the ball than they do.

 

Ok then, how about that he's a "mouth breather"? Hard to argue that one.

Did anyone mention that there were a few moments when Marv looked like it was past nap time?

[BRH]

Did anyone mention that there were a few moments when Marv looked like it was past nap time?

Who can blame him after Carl Peterson talked for two hours?

[Beerball]

Ok then, how about that he's a "mouth breather"? Hard to argue that one.

Did anyone mention that there were a few moments when Marv looked like it was past nap time?

Even his bust has its mouth open, thought that was funny.

 

In truth Ralph did much better than I expected he would. For 90 he is amazing.

 

 

One question...what was the point of telling us about games in Chicago where linemen were posted in the EZs to retreive footballs? I must have been drifting in and out, but I couldn't figure that out.

[copernicus137]

One question...what was the point of telling us about games in Chicago where linemen were posted in the EZs to retreive footballs? I must have been drifting in and out, but I couldn't figure that out.

 

I think it was supposed to tie into the "you were brilliant if you could break even" bit. Perhaps an example of just how tight money was.

[Sen. John Blutarsky]

One question...what was the point of telling us about games in Chicago where linemen were posted in the EZs to retreive footballs? I must have been drifting in and out, but I couldn't figure that out.

He was talking about how the owners used to cut corners to save money. I wasn't sure whether he was implying that what Halas did was a good idea or not.

 

There was an awful lot of revisionist history in that piece. The AFL owners knew that once Ralph gave his word that was good enough? I can run through a list of names who would argue that statement. Bill Polian was the best Gm the team ever had? Then why isn't he still GM? Cuz the honoree fired him. "They" named the stadium after him? How about he named the stadium after himself.

 

I still contend that Ralph has been instrumental in hiring a litany of poor GMs, poor coaches and has either run off or fired 2 of the best coaches we ever DID manage to get in Saban (twice) and Knox. He lucked into hiring Polian because Terry Bledsoe was good enough to die on the job (he should have been fired for gross incompetance) and Polian was the cheap, in-house, candidate. Good thing he was good. Levy got hired because he was the cheap in-house candidate after RW fired his last brilliant HC in Hank Bullough who the cheap in-house replacement for Kay Stephenson who was the cheap in-house replacement for Knox who left because Ralph would not build him an indoor practice facility. Stephenson was quoted in Relentless as saying the RW "never explained his reasons for selecting me." Kelly didn't come to Buffalo until he had to. The Bills were a Roosevelt Leaks fumble away from the playoffs the previous year. Why wouldn't he sign with Buffalo? Houston paid him more...oh and RW had just had a big flap with Knox who left basically over money. Let us not forget that prior to Knox's arrival the Bills were 5-23 the previous two seasons. Under him the Bills made the playoffs twice and were markedly improved. RW let him walk and they were turning in back to back 2-14s within a year.

 

The Levy/Polian years were an unusual period of stability within the organization and it showed. Nonetheless RW canned Polian over something stupid and the cycle slowly began again. This recent period of Bills football with constant rotating coaches, coordinators and leadership is much more normal than the previous 10/15 years were.

 

So bottom line, thanks for keeping the Bills in Buffalo Ralph but let's not pretend that you were magnanimous about it and didn't put a gun to taxpayers heads on multiple occasions. If we didn't foot the bill for you you would have moved to Seattle 40 years ago. If we didn't foot the bill some more in the 90's it would have been LA, or Jacksonville, or Baltimore. Now it's Toronto. You care so much about the Bills staying in Buffalo you won't even sell the team while you're still alive and have control over who buys it and where they move the team to. Why? because it makes your family more money to let the team's future play out after your death. Thanks Ralph.

 

Last night would have been a perfect venue to announce that because of his dedication to the fans and the city that he reached an agreement to sell majority control to an ownership group led by Kelly, Thomas, other Bills and whichever big money guy will back them (Jacobs?). All the players were present and RW could have brought them up to the deus. Imagine the reaction that would have gotten. What better way to go out than that. HOF induction, all your best players there, surrounded by your fans, announcing to the world that not only have you kept the Bills in Buffalo for 50 years but you have taken the steps necessary to keep there there indefinetly. Hell, keep a minority stake if you want to just in case they win so you get a ring or defray taxes in that way. Sell 50.1% now and 49.9 percent after you die. The tax hit is halved and we all get what we want.

 

Couldn't do that because as always, it's all about the Benjamins, baby.

[Thurman#1]

Man, have you got 18 chips on your shoulder.

 

Of course money is important, it's a business. You're an idiot if you think Ralph is running a charity for the fans, or something like that.

 

And of course he got bucks from the local governments to stay here. How many of the other teams do that? Oh, yeah, all of them. Did you want him to stay in Buffalo or not?

 

Nobody has suggested that Ralph was perfect. Far from it. But two periods of true excellence puts the franchise fairly high on the list. Some are higher. Many are not.

[Stenbar]

I could care less about the Hall of Fame anymore..The induction of Ralph Wilson into the NFL HAll of Fame has to be one of the biggest mistakes in its history..If they inducted people for being good at making money he is in hands down but if the HOF is to reward the greatest NFL personnel for their accomplishments 0-42 is all I need to see to realize this man has NO BUSINESS in the HOF..He has ridden the backs of our fans to the HOF..If anything they shoulda voted the Bills fans into the HOF for continuing to sell out his stadium for 42 years with save a span of 8 years has been downright torterous at best...His GM hirings have been a disaster save one and that was by mistake..His product is putrid...His enshrinement is worse...

[K-9]

He was talking about how the owners used to cut corners to save money. I wasn't sure whether he was implying that what Halas did was a good idea or not.

 

There was an awful lot of revisionist history in that piece. The AFL owners knew that once Ralph gave his word that was good enough? I can run through a list of names who would argue that statement. Bill Polian was the best Gm the team ever had? Then why isn't he still GM? Cuz the honoree fired him. "They" named the stadium after him? How about he named the stadium after himself.

 

I still contend that Ralph has been instrumental in hiring a litany of poor GMs, poor coaches and has either run off or fired 2 of the best coaches we ever DID manage to get in Saban (twice) and Knox. He lucked into hiring Polian because Terry Bledsoe was good enough to die on the job (he should have been fired for gross incompetance) and Polian was the cheap, in-house, candidate. Good thing he was good. Levy got hired because he was the cheap in-house candidate after RW fired his last brilliant HC in Hank Bullough who the cheap in-house replacement for Kay Stephenson who was the cheap in-house replacement for Knox who left because Ralph would not build him an indoor practice facility. Stephenson was quoted in Relentless as saying the RW "never explained his reasons for selecting me." Kelly didn't come to Buffalo until he had to. The Bills were a Roosevelt Leaks fumble away from the playoffs the previous year. Why wouldn't he sign with Buffalo? Houston paid him more...oh and RW had just had a big flap with Knox who left basically over money. Let us not forget that prior to Knox's arrival the Bills were 5-23 the previous two seasons. Under him the Bills made the playoffs twice and were markedly improved. RW let him walk and they were turning in back to back 2-14s within a year.

 

The Levy/Polian years were an unusual period of stability within the organization and it showed. Nonetheless RW canned Polian over something stupid and the cycle slowly began again. This recent period of Bills football with constant rotating coaches, coordinators and leadership is much more normal than the previous 10/15 years were.

 

So bottom line, thanks for keeping the Bills in Buffalo Ralph but let's not pretend that you were magnanimous about it and didn't put a gun to taxpayers heads on multiple occasions. If we didn't foot the bill for you you would have moved to Seattle 40 years ago. If we didn't foot the bill some more in the 90's it would have been LA, or Jacksonville, or Baltimore. Now it's Toronto. You care so much about the Bills staying in Buffalo you won't even sell the team while you're still alive and have control over who buys it and where they move the team to. Why? because it makes your family more money to let the team's future play out after your death. Thanks Ralph.

 

Last night would have been a perfect venue to announce that because of his dedication to the fans and the city that he reached an agreement to sell majority control to an ownership group led by Kelly, Thomas, other Bills and whichever big money guy will back them (Jacobs?). All the players were present and RW could have brought them up to the deus. Imagine the reaction that would have gotten. What better way to go out than that. HOF induction, all your best players there, surrounded by your fans, announcing to the world that not only have you kept the Bills in Buffalo for 50 years but you have taken the steps necessary to keep there there indefinetly. Hell, keep a minority stake if you want to just in case they win so you get a ring or defray taxes in that way. Sell 50.1% now and 49.9 percent after you die. The tax hit is halved and we all get what we want.

 

Couldn't do that because as always, it's all about the Benjamins, baby.

 

Talk about revisionist history. Let's start with why Marv was hired. He and Polian had a strong relationship from their time together with the Chicago Blitz where Marv was HC and Polian was player personnel director. As an aside, Butler was a scout for the Blitz as well. Marv was also the Bills' pre-season TV analyst so he was familiar with the personnel.

 

Secondly, RW did not name the stadium after himself. The county, with strong urging from Pataki, did that.

 

And the fact that Polian was his best GM is just that, a fact. But that has nothing to do with why he still isn't. They had a disagreement and Polian was let go. BFD. Happens all the time. It certainly doesn't diminish the mutual respect that RW and Polian still have for each other.

 

You sound like you begrudge RW his moment in the sun. I'm surprised you didn't sit outside the stadium last night to protest his induction.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[Dan]

This thread is starting to suck.

[KOKBILLS]

Ok then, how about that he's a "mouth breather"? Hard to argue that one.

Did anyone mention that there were a few moments when Marv looked like it was past nap time?

 

 

Sorry I just had to...

[K-9]

I could care less about the Hall of Fame anymore..The induction of Ralph Wilson into the NFL HAll of Fame has to be one of the biggest mistakes in its history..If they inducted people for being good at making money he is in hands down but if the HOF is to reward the greatest NFL personnel for their accomplishments 0-42 is all I need to see to realize this man has NO BUSINESS in the HOF..He has ridden the backs of our fans to the HOF..If anything they shoulda voted the Bills fans into the HOF for continuing to sell out his stadium for 42 years with save a span of 8 years has been downright torterous at best...His GM hirings have been a disaster save one and that was by mistake..His product is putrid...His enshrinement is worse...

 

Absolutely pathetic. Way to miss the point entirely. RW WAS NOT inducted because he owns the Buffalo Bills. He was inducted for his contributions to the game. If you deny he hasn't made any, you refuse to embrace the obvious or you are COMPLETELY bereft of any historical knowledge.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[Sen. John Blutarsky]

You sound like you begrudge RW his moment in the sun. I'm surprised you didn't sit outside the stadium last night to protest his induction.

I thought about it but decided that he's not worth my time. The reason that the Bills have stunk more often than not is the same reason he won't sell them now. They are his favorite toy and he'll play with them how he wants to. That's his perogative but I don't have to honor him for it.

[The Dean]

He was talking about how the owners used to cut corners to save money. I wasn't sure whether he was implying that what Halas did was a good idea or not.

 

There was an awful lot of revisionist history in that piece. The AFL owners knew that once Ralph gave his word that was good enough? I can run through a list of names who would argue that statement. Bill Polian was the best Gm the team ever had? Then why isn't he still GM? Cuz the honoree fired him.

 

 

How does this example suggest his word isn't good? Do you think Ralph told Polian, "You have a job for life and I will never fire you for ANY reason?" If he did, then he broke his word. But as Ralph isn't fuc#ing stupid, I doubt he said those words.

 

Nobody has said that Ralph is perfect, or has never made a mistake, just that he has been a good and honorable man, and owner. Newsflah: Bill Polian, while a terrific GM, isn't perfect either. He has made mistakes in his life too. One, or more, of them got him fired from the Bills.

 

You should ask Bill is Ralph is a man of his word, before spouting off on "his behalf".

[K-9]

I thought about it but decided that he's not worth my time. The reason that the Bills have stunk more often than not is the same reason he won't sell them now. They are his favorite toy and he'll play with them how he wants to. That's his perogative but I don't have to honor him for it.

 

If he's not worth your time, why complain so much? If he's not worth your time, why invest the emotional energy? I'm sure it took a few minutes to post your thoughts. Maybe you can go find him and kick the cane out from under him because he's done you wrong.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[cowtippur]

Wow, the love didn't last long around here, did it? It seems that a lot of people don't realize that Ralph Wilson has made some very important contributions to football. Without him, the sport may not be what we all spend so much time here talking about.

 

If you remember, this man that everyone loves to call senile, the same one the other owners were calling senile, is the same man that saw the problems with the CBA the last time it was made. They all agreed with him before long.

 

To insinuate that Ralph doesn't want to win is just ridiculous. He has to stay afloat, while trying to win. Hell, maybe if he had moved the team by now, the Bills would have a title. Would that make everyone happier?

 

RW has been instrumental in making the NFL what it is today. Period.

[BadDad]

Wow, the love didn't last long around here, did it? It seems that a lot of people don't realize that Ralph Wilson has made some very important contributions to football. Without him, the sport may not be what we all spend so much time here talking about.

 

If you remember, this man that everyone loves to call senile, the same one the other owners were calling senile, is the same man that saw the problems with the CBA the last time it was made. They all agreed with him before long.

 

To insinuate that Ralph doesn't want to win is just ridiculous. He has to stay afloat, while trying to win. Hell, maybe if he had moved the team by now, the Bills would have a title. Would that make everyone happier?

 

RW has been instrumental in making the NFL what it is today. Period.

 

Good points and on top of them Ralph financially helped the struggling AFL stay afloat in the early years, including loaning Al Davis money to keep the Raiders from going under. Has he made made mistakes in personnel? Yes but so have all the owners. Has he not spent like a drunken sailor, (see D. Snyder and J. Jones), no he has not. However, that doesn't mean he's cheap, it simply means he has done what he had to do to keep the club in Buffalo even though he could have made a sweet deal for himself by moving the team out of town numerous times. i.e. the Colts, Browns, Oilers, Cardinals, Raiders, and Rams.

 

These ingrates that are denigrating him in this thread have no sense of the Bills and the AFL/AFC history. They've probably heard of the "0 for the 70's" vs. the fish. They've read about the fans sitting in Rich stadium, in the sleet and rain and snow week after week hoping for a win and ending the season with 2 wins. During those seasons, often their were more fans of the other team in the stands than Buffalo fans, but Ralph didn't move the club out, he worked to put a better product on the field and he finally did in the late 80's early 90's. That's when I would bet that most of these "nattering nabobs" became fans and since they were spoiled in their infant fandom, they lash out now at the only constant in the Bills during and since that time.

 

On such a happy and triumphant day for Ralph, the Bills, and us the fans it's sad that we have to read these posts. On the bright side there are more true fans that appreciate the team and what Ralph has done by keeping it in Buffalo, against his own self interest, than there are who attack him on a day that he wins accolades that he richly deserves and that all of us Bills fans share in with him.

[The Dean]

 

 

It is ALIVE!

 

How's it going, Crappy Pappy?

[generaLee83]

I could care less about the Hall of Fame anymore..The induction of Ralph Wilson into the NFL HAll of Fame has to be one of the biggest mistakes in its history..If they inducted people for being good at making money he is in hands down but if the HOF is to reward the greatest NFL personnel for their accomplishments 0-42 is all I need to see to realize this man has NO BUSINESS in the HOF..He has ridden the backs of our fans to the HOF..If anything they shoulda voted the Bills fans into the HOF for continuing to sell out his stadium for 42 years with save a span of 8 years has been downright torterous at best...His GM hirings have been a disaster save one and that was by mistake..His product is putrid...His enshrinement is worse...

 

Imagine if they voted all of the Bills fans into the HOF, what would the bust look like?

 

Probably a 6 pack of Genny pounders and some woodchuck hitting on his sister at halftime.