Is Ralph cheap or just an incompetent Executive?

[Mad Max]

Some people seem to think that one of the main reasons the team sucks is due to Ralph's lack of spending on talent. I disagree with that notion, and the signing of guys like Evans, Dockery, and Stroud to big money deals bears that out.

Check out this link, it's very eye opening. Notice that the Bills are in the middle of the pack, not near the bottom in 2010 spending. Also take not of how many winning organizations have lower (sometimes significantly) lower payrolls than do the Bills. Now obviously these payrolls are going to fluctuate year over year, but the one thing that remains consistent even if you search back a few years is that the Bills spending remains in the middle of the pack (and within only 6-7 million of the next several higher spending teams).

2010- http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Sports/nfl-salaries.php

2009 and prior- http://content.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/default.aspx?Loc=Vanity

So when winning organizations can continually spend less than the Bills, it's not cheapness, just very poor team building.

[Billz_fan]

I think you answered your own question "B"

[GreedoII]

Ralph doesn't know his head from his ass anymore. He doesn't make these decisions but he has someone make them for him since he has no clue anymore. I'm sure it's that POS Littmin or Brandon. Who knows. Ralph will be riding the pine very soon. I'll take my chances on this team then. Now though...who gives a crap. Thank goodness for fantasy and gambling.

[Night Train]

Let's see.

Ralph puts down 10 grand for a team in 1959.

51 years later it's worth over 900 Million, according to Forbes.

Incompetent, he is not.

With the TV revenue, he completely understands that you can make a boatload of $$ in the NFL, whether you win or not.

[Zero]

Let's see.

Ralph puts down 10 grand for a team in 1959.

51 years later it's worth over 900 Million, according to Forbes.

Incompetent, he is not.

With the TV revenue, he completely understands that you can make a boatload of $$ in the NFL, whether you win or not.


Agreed on him being a competant BUSINESS MAN. He's made money hand over fist. As an NFL owner, however, he is grossly incompetant and was lucky to have had success in 90's.

[YardRat]

I'm pretty sure his buy-in was 25k, not that 15k means anything compared to the current value of the franchise.

Contrary to popular opinion, I believe Ralph trusts the people he surrounds himself with too much, and can be a bit gullible with his loyalty.

[Mr. Pink]

Both.

And a third in to the mix...lucky.

[don137]

While Ralph has a history of being cheap I do not think that has been the case and the main problem the last 10 years.

I think it is a combination of things. Ralph meddles too much as an owner and good football executives do not like it unless you way over pay for them (ie. Parcells in Dallas). Its not like Ralph is telling people who to draft but he has a history of meddling and saying who should start. Great coaches do not want that. This hurts Buffalo from landing great coaches.

He does not hire the right people to run the organization. To be succesful you need a great GM, scouts and coaching staff. Ralph has never had success hiring the right front office people. While he did spend money on Donohoe it was soon realized Donohoe had the supporting cast around him in Pittsburgh that helped him overcome his deficiencies. His deficiecies were exposed in Buffalo. Ever since the front office and coaching staff has been a laughing stock putting marketing people in football positions, hiring Levy who had the right concept of needed to be done but just brought in the wrong players and coaching staff. Jauron who seemed to have the final say in drafting players kept making lousy picks.
It all starts at the top and I cannot think of an owner that has made more bad decisions in the last 10 years than Ralph Wilson.

[Historian]

Ralph's old school, not just football, but in business.

He does things with a handshake.

It's admirable. Unfortunately, that doesn't translate to wins in the modern cut-throat NFL.

And while he's pretty much almost always ponied up for the players, he simply does not like to pay for coaching talent. Assistants as well as HCs.

[Cleve]

Western NY loves the Bills in spite of Ralph Wilson, not because of him. And the great love and loyalty for the Bills makes the team a huge money maker. Yes, Wilson has made a lot of money with the Bills. But how much would that have changed had someone other than Ralph Wilson owned them?

And Wilson's football decisions have been mostly poor ones, particularly in front office and coaching hiring - as Historian pointed out, he just won't pay for quality coaching. I have no idea how many back to back losing seasons the team needs to suffer before Wilson finally realizes there's a REASON that winning teams spend big bucks on the coaches.

[Night Train]

Western NY loves the Bills in spite of Ralph Wilson, not because of him. And the great love and loyalty for the Bills makes the team a huge money maker. Yes, Wilson has made a lot of money with the Bills. But how much would that have changed had someone other than Ralph Wilson owned them?

And Wilson's football decisions have been mostly poor ones, particularly in front office and coaching hiring - as Historian pointed out, he just won't pay for quality coaching. I have no idea how many back to back losing seasons the team needs to suffer before Wilson finally realizes there's a REASON that winning teams spend big bucks on the coaches.

He doesn't like strong willed, football savy individuals who will tell him to bud out of football decisions. This is why Dick Gallagher, Saban, Chuck Knox & Polian bolted.

They didn't like his constant meddling and he's one of the worst owners,in that respect.

[Night Train]

In addition, he finally did take some advice 10 years back and turn things over to a supposed football man, Donahoe.

TD screwed it up and now the horrified Wilson will never give away control until the day he dies. He reverted back to cronie/yes man hires and is just making it worse.

[SabreEleven]

Why Bill Polian wind up leaving? Did he not get along with Ralph?

[OpIv37]

He's incompetent when it comes to picking players.

The reason he's incompetent when it comes to picking players is because he's cheap when it comes to coaches and FO personnel, so his cheapness creates a lack of competent football personnel within the organization.

[BuffaloBlitz83]

Ralph is a POS

[trapezeus]

Ralph is your classic American CEO. It's not about providing a great product. It's about doing it just competently enough to turn a profit and making sure there are no alternatives or competition.

So many companies in america are like this. until the consumer is at his or her breaking point will they actually revisit the whole process.

Ralph is incompetent at football, and partially cheap. He'll put down money for a quick fix in the wrong areas, and when its wrong, he'll feel so snakebitten that he'll refuse to do it again.

[Turf]

The truth of the matter aside from Ralphs shortcomings and mistakes, is that the city of Buffalo has been riding Ralphs coat tails like a rich uncle sends a nephew through college, and never stepped up to stand on its own two feet and take over. Blame NYS and Albany but thats for another day.

[Cleve]

The truth of the matter aside from Ralphs shortcomings and mistakes, is that the city of Buffalo has been riding Ralphs coat tails like a rich uncle sends a nephew through college, and never stepped up to stand on its own two feet and take over. Blame NYS and Albany but thats for another day.

I'd say less riding coat-tails than sucking up to Wilson like he's some sort of great 'benefactor' for the region. I have always been against the renaming of Rich Stadium after this guy - has he even spent any of HIS money on the facility? What did Buffalonians think they'd get from that grand gesture anyways? Whatever they might have thought, what they in fact received was 11 years of substandard football and front office ineptness.

[Historian]

Why Bill Polian wind up leaving? Did he not get along with Ralph?

He got into it with Linda Bogdan, Ralph's daughter.

[SabreEleven]

He got into it with Linda Bogdan, Ralph's daughter.

So a women ruined the Buffalo Bills?

[billz83]

i think as long as ralph wilson is the owner of the buffalo bills they WILL NOT be successful and u can take that to the bank..wilson could care less about winning or spending money on the RIGHT PEOPLE..he doesnt give a **** if we dont make the playoffs for as long as hes alived because he is ROBBING the **** outta bills fans...what wilson has done should piss off every single bills fan in the world..and yet summa the kool aid drinkin clowns still think we could be contenders hahahaha...hold old man wilson responsible for the GARBAGE he has put on the field and MAYBE we can have a respectable team again..until then we ARE the JOKE of the NFL..and will remain this till wilson passes on.

[doomsdayvirus]

a lot of people like to hate on ralph wilson, and it's understandable, but the guy did a lot of great things for buffalo, the AFL, and subsequently the NFL back in the day. without owners like him, the league would not be the success it is today.

that said, ralph is what he is, and that's an old man, stuck in his old ways. dude's 91, it's a miracle he's alive, let alone able to serve as a functioning owner of a pro NFL team in today's hi-tempo, cut-throat world. they say people don't change and can't change once they hit their 50's... that was 40 years ago for ralph. he's not going to change now, and even if he wanted to, he's probably barely got the energy to get out of bed, let alone rule the team with an iron fist and usher in some powerful new era.

and that's the sad and tragic end to his legendary life story. we're in a waiting game here. nothing will change while he's still around, but who wants to be the one to pull the plug? because this team dies with ralph, i don't think anyone in buffalo can save it from the world of modern sports. it's too big business now, and buffalo can't compete.