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larry felser has been pretty damn sharp when it comes to the bills over the years so his comments here made me suddenly concerned about the shape of the bills talent evaluation process
make me feel better please
For the Buffalo Bills, this draft is step three in the drive to return to the playoffs, something in which they have not competed in since the turn of this century. The first two steps were the college drafts of 2006 and 2007, in which they did very well, with 14 draftees or college free agents contributing markedly to a pair of 7-9 seasons.
The Bills need another draft comparable to its previous two in order to become competitive in the Eastern Division of the American Conference, which appears to have grown stronger. Despite its loss in the Super Bowl, which stained its perfect season, New England remains a titan of a team. Scott Pioli, its young general manager who may leave for a job that pays much more, will remain with the Patriots long enough to join with coach Bill Belichick in doing the selecting.
Miami, which suffered through its worst season, began to make repairs by signing Bill Parcells to run the team. He in turn hired Ron Wolf as a consultant. Wolf is semi-retired but he is the man who traded for quarterback Brett Favre and returned the Green Bay Packers to their former glory.
The Bills, in turn, appear to be an organization in turmoil when it comes to further assembling helpful talent. When Marv Levy resigned as general manager after the 2007 season, owner Ralph Wilson, rather than hire a replacement, decided the Bills should have a GM by committee.
The committee plan is that Tom Modrak, the Bills’ most experienced evaluator and a member of the organization for seven years, will have a say on the Bills’ selection in each round but so will the rest of the scouts as well as coach Dick Jauron. If there is not a consensus, the decision would be made by Russ Brandon, the organization’s top business executive.
Brandon has done an outstanding job in marketing and merchandising and assorted other aspects of the business side. When the late John Butler left the Bills for the San Diego Chargers, he wanted to take Brandon with him. Brandon elected to stay with the Bills. As a collegian at St. John Fisher he played baseball and football. When they were together here, Butler gave him some tutoring as a scout.
As the final decider in the draft, Brandon would be matching wits and experience with Paoli, Belichick, Parcells and maybe Wolf. It sounds like a formula for disaster. It also sounds like some of the other formulas involving the identification and acquisition of talent during the Wilson era. I’m not sure Ralph fully appreciates the full importance of a first-rate talent man, even though he’s employed some very good ones.
make me feel better please
For the Buffalo Bills, this draft is step three in the drive to return to the playoffs, something in which they have not competed in since the turn of this century. The first two steps were the college drafts of 2006 and 2007, in which they did very well, with 14 draftees or college free agents contributing markedly to a pair of 7-9 seasons.
The Bills need another draft comparable to its previous two in order to become competitive in the Eastern Division of the American Conference, which appears to have grown stronger. Despite its loss in the Super Bowl, which stained its perfect season, New England remains a titan of a team. Scott Pioli, its young general manager who may leave for a job that pays much more, will remain with the Patriots long enough to join with coach Bill Belichick in doing the selecting.
Miami, which suffered through its worst season, began to make repairs by signing Bill Parcells to run the team. He in turn hired Ron Wolf as a consultant. Wolf is semi-retired but he is the man who traded for quarterback Brett Favre and returned the Green Bay Packers to their former glory.
The Bills, in turn, appear to be an organization in turmoil when it comes to further assembling helpful talent. When Marv Levy resigned as general manager after the 2007 season, owner Ralph Wilson, rather than hire a replacement, decided the Bills should have a GM by committee.
The committee plan is that Tom Modrak, the Bills’ most experienced evaluator and a member of the organization for seven years, will have a say on the Bills’ selection in each round but so will the rest of the scouts as well as coach Dick Jauron. If there is not a consensus, the decision would be made by Russ Brandon, the organization’s top business executive.
Brandon has done an outstanding job in marketing and merchandising and assorted other aspects of the business side. When the late John Butler left the Bills for the San Diego Chargers, he wanted to take Brandon with him. Brandon elected to stay with the Bills. As a collegian at St. John Fisher he played baseball and football. When they were together here, Butler gave him some tutoring as a scout.
As the final decider in the draft, Brandon would be matching wits and experience with Paoli, Belichick, Parcells and maybe Wolf. It sounds like a formula for disaster. It also sounds like some of the other formulas involving the identification and acquisition of talent during the Wilson era. I’m not sure Ralph fully appreciates the full importance of a first-rate talent man, even though he’s employed some very good ones.
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