Is Wilson the Right Owner for the Bills?

[El Guapo]

I ask this for a couple of reasons. No trolling here. Just a legit question from someone who gets no BB news except from the national media and the Buffalo News and Democrat Chronicle.

First, is he more worried about the value of the team, and therefore the tax implications to his heirs, than about winning games? I've read his family cannot keep the Bills for tax reasons. Is that true?

Second, if the first question is answered as a negative, why the cash to cap crap? OK, I can see the long term viability of this stance, from a fiscally responsible view, but teams need to make runs. When the time is right, spend the cash (even future cash) and make your run. Teams have done it and rebounded in a few years.

When I was in Buffalo last year, I heard on the radio Jim Kelly was working with a group to buy the Bills when RW passes. Does anyone have anything further on that?

Just a few questions from someone who can't get the around the town news.

Thanks.

[casdhf]

Yes.

[HHURRICANE]

One more time. Jim Kelly isn't buying the Bills. I have about the same shot that he does. He and I combined only need to come up with another 833 million dollars.

[El Guapo]

One more time. Jim Kelly isn't buying the Bills. I have about the same shot that he does. He and I combined only need to come up with another 833 million dollars.

Didn't know this had been gone over, ad infinitum. Maybe I should have searched.

[dolphan117]

No. At his age he needs to pass the team on to a younger guy that can actively market the team and make money while keeping the team in Buffalo.


I guarantee you if the Bills were sold tomorrow to such guy there would hardly be a poster here who wouldn't say "Thanks for all you did....... And boy am I glad." Not because you hate the guy but because at some point a person just needs to know when its his time to move on and give someone younger a chance to continue what he started. We will all get there eventually, its not that bad of a thing.

[patmoran2006]

Ralph Wilson deserves a debt of gratitude for being loyal to the city all of these years when he it would've been more lucrative to him to move the team outside of Buffalo.

But he's no longer the "right" owner for the Buffalo Bills, not in today's NFL.

I will refrain from my feelings about Wilson as our owner; at least on THIS post- so that discussion can remain cordial since you posed a nice, legitimate question.

[OpIv37]

Ralph has done great things for the city but the league has changed and he hasn't changed with it.

I'd love to see someone else buy the team- maybe Golisano or a group fronted by him. Ralph is old and isn't the healthiest guy in the world- he could kick off any time, and when he does his kids are gonna sell the team to the highest bidder to pay the tax bill, and they won't care if the team stays in Buffalo or not.

If Ralph can find an ownership arrangement that's committed to keeping the team where it is, it would be one last great gift to the city.

[Philagape]

Second, if the first question is answered as a negative, why the cash to cap crap? OK, I can see the long term viability of this stance, from a fiscally responsible view, but teams need to make runs. When the time is right, spend the cash (even future cash) and make your run. Teams have done it and rebounded in a few years.

What I don't get about cash to cap is, we still pay the same bonus money, whether we pay it now or pay it later. So either it hurts us now or hurts us later. If we're going to be hurt either way, I'd rather roll the dice and take a run. I'll take a cycle of good years/bad years over perpetual mediocrity. A good GM can find ways to lessen the future hit.

[gil]

I wonder how long the love for Golisano would last if he did buy the Bills - if we had the same folks here in a Sabres forum, a lot of people would be freaking out over his recent pronouncement that the Sabres won't be spending to the cap because he's going to run it as a business and unless they make the 2nd round, the team loses money.

You would have to think that with the lower revenues this team generates, any owner will be crying to some extent like Ralph does - Golisano wouldn't be looking to just barely break even - I like the guy, but he's a businessman first and foremost.

[OpIv37]

What I don't get about cash to cap is, we still pay the same bonus money, whether we pay it now or pay it later. So either it hurts us now or hurts us later. If we're going to be hurt either way, I'd rather roll the dice and take a run. I'll take a cycle of good years/bad years over perpetual mediocrity. A good GM can find ways to lessen the future hit.

at some point, it has to end though. A team with a "cash to cap" strategy will NEVER be able to equal the bonus money of a team that's willing to amortize bonuses. Bonus money is important to players because it is GUARANTEED, even in the event of injury or getting cut. Eventually, it will hurt the team as far as the ability to attract FA's.

The only way it will work is if we do cash to cap for a year or two and draft well, then once we're good and bordering on great, they use FA to bring in the missing pieces and throw cash to cap out the window. It may burn us a few years down the road, but I think we're going to see more and more that it's the way to win in the modern era.

[G. Host]

First, is he more worried about the value of the team, and therefore the tax implications to his heirs, than about winning games? I've read his family cannot keep the Bills for tax reasons. Is that true?

Second, if the first question is answered as a negative, why the cash to cap crap? OK, I can see the long term viability of this stance, from a fiscally responsible view, but teams need to make runs. When the time is right, spend the cash (even future cash) and make your run. Teams have done it and rebounded in a few years.

Ralph is old, old school and he runs a business not a hobby. He built the team and had plenty of opportunities to sell out but didn't. He spent far more of his own money than many here would have. Ralph appears to think his money was wasted and was looking for a different way to run the team especially after Donahoe basically told the fans your opinion does not matter, you may not express it and we do not need you.

During the same period the Gang of Three persuades/threatens the other owners to go along with a radically different scheme from which the AFL and 70's-90's NFL was based on. The new stadiums with thousands of seat licenses has become a model he can not compete with at an equal level with; the new agreement made included revenue sharing but the same leaders blocked attempts to fix a formula and basically said 'trust us"; the new rule where the NFL basically funds the stadiums really hurts him in the pocket for it increases the cap with most of the revenue going to players and very, very little goes back to him - he is funding those trying to break him.

Ralph made waves and decided as the "spend to cap" was the only model he can use which when used effectively can make him fairly competitive if not totally but he can not afford with current revenue to just pay out the outrageous money some players like Nate got. And the inflation has just begun meaning overspending now means it will be even harder to break even. Sane fiscal management is what he needs as well as shrewd management by front office and a lot of luck.

The alternates he had?

* Sell the team - I do not think he will sell the team until he dies or becomes completely incapacitated - he does not need the money and there are tax reasons to leave it not cash to family.
* Try to raise revenue - can do some but not tremendously without breaking the back of the piggy bank. The one thing he has not done is selling the naming rights and I think he is leaving as an asset hard to tax for next owner.
* Move the team - he has not moved when he could enjoy so why now in his last years?
* Get a partner - a partner may be willing to infuse additional cash but not in the Daddy Moneybags way that $nyder and his cohorts can and he never can get the money back thru sales / stadium / advertising
* Blackmail the state - not likely the way NY is run and NJ Giants / Jets tried.

I am sure the Ralph is cheap / ticket cost for last few years due to poor performance mob will have a different opinion.