This entire cluster** is on Brandon and Whaley

[WagonCircler]

Polian says he won't come because there's no Head Coach and no Quarterback.

Polian said he had spoken with Bills owner Terry Pegula during the holidays about returning to the club in a "mentoring/advisory" role on the assumption that Doug Marrone would still be the head coach and quarterback Kyle Orton would still be on the roster.

"Then, the quarterback goes away and the coach disappears," Polian said, referring to Orton's decision to retire on Dec. 29 and Marrone's decision on Wednesday to exercise a clause that allowed him to vacate his contract with one year left.

Well, guess what. Brandon hired the piece of **** Doug Moron, and Whaley took ownership of the QB situation by neglecting to draft a QB last year, foolishly thinking he was on easy street with EJ Manuel and Jeff Tuel. So foolishly, in fact, that he doubled down by backing away THIS YEAR'S first round draft choice on a WR--further decreasing there Bills' chance to acquire a real QB.

Absolute malpractice.

Fire.

Them.

All.

It's time to gut this organization from the top down and start over.

[YardRat]

We're too close to gut anything.

Brandon is one of the better FO executives in the league, and for his remaining time here will be able to concentrate on the business side only (hopefully).
Whaley has, for the most part, stocked the roster with more talent than we've seen in a while. It isn't his fault Marrone, Hackett, and the rest of the offensive clown car fubared handling EJ, Urbik, MWilliams, etc.
Defense is set, as long as the staff stays and most of the players are retained.
Special teams is set.
Only the offense is a train wreck on the field.
Pegs has stated he is committed to building a winner. He needs to prove it.

When 5 aspects out of 6 within an organization are solid, you don't blow things up.

[Jry44]

Polian says he won't come because there's no Head Coach and no Quarterback.

Polian said he had spoken with Bills owner Terry Pegula during the holidays about returning to the club in a "mentoring/advisory" role on the assumption that Doug Marrone would still be the head coach and quarterback Kyle Orton would still be on the roster.

"Then, the quarterback goes away and the coach disappears," Polian said, referring to Orton's decision to retire on Dec. 29 and Marrone's decision on Wednesday to exercise a clause that allowed him to vacate his contract with one year left.

Well, guess what. Brandon hired the piece of **** Doug Moron, and Whaley took ownership of the QB situation by neglecting to draft a QB last year, foolishly thinking he was on easy street with EJ Manuel and Jeff Tuel. So foolishly, in fact, that he doubled down by backing away THIS YEAR'S first round draft choice on a WR--further decreasing there Bills' chance to acquire a real QB.

Absolute malpractice.

Fire.

Them.

All.

It's time to gut this organization from the top down and start over.

Jason Cole ‏@JasonPhilCole (https://twitter.com/JasonPhilCole)<small class="time" style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(136, 153, 166);"> 1h1 hour ago (https://twitter.com/JasonPhilCole/status/550745068358082560)</small>
For all fans of Doug Marrone, he picked EJ Manuel. He's trying to pawn that off, but he picked him & got rid of people who criticized Manuel

I 100% agree that who ever gave Marone his out clause should be gone immediately.... However, we now know who the dip **** is that wanted Ej.

[Uncle Jesse]

So Marrone left because of the uncertainty of the football cazr (multiple reports of that) which was likely Polian, yet Polian won't come here (which I'm fine with, hes past his prime) because now Marrone is gone and Orton retired (reports of this came out). This whole situation is a mess.

[Jry44]

So Marrone left because of the uncertainty of the football cazr (multiple reports of that) which was likely Polian, yet Polian won't come here (which I'm fine with, hes past his prime) because now Marrone is gone and Orton retired (reports of this came out). This whole situation is a mess.

Yet, Marone would have stayed with an extension, prior to telling Polian that the organization was a mess. None of this adds up.....

[Mr. Miyagi]

Polian says he won't come because there's no Head Coach and no Quarterback.

Polian said he had spoken with Bills owner Terry Pegula during the holidays about returning to the club in a "mentoring/advisory" role on the assumption that Doug Marrone would still be the head coach and quarterback Kyle Orton would still be on the roster.

"Then, the quarterback goes away and the coach disappears," Polian said, referring to Orton's decision to retire on Dec. 29 and Marrone's decision on Wednesday to exercise a clause that allowed him to vacate his contract with one year left.

Well, guess what. Brandon hired the piece of **** Doug Moron, and Whaley took ownership of the QB situation by neglecting to draft a QB last year, foolishly thinking he was on easy street with EJ Manuel and Jeff Tuel. So foolishly, in fact, that he doubled down by backing away THIS YEAR'S first round draft choice on a WR--further decreasing there Bills' chance to acquire a real QB.

Absolute malpractice.

Fire.

Them.

All.

It's time to gut this organization from the top down and start over.
Did Brandon have sex with your daughter or your wife or something? You seem to have an unreasonable hatred for him.

WC: "My cereal is soggy! **** Brandon! Fire his ass!"

[justasportsfan]

Who could've known that Marrone is a loser who quit on his team when he was interviewed? Saban quit on the fins. The list goes on.

[HHURRICANE]

How's is Brandon still here? Seriously?

I can live with Whaley but Brandon is a loser.

[Night Train]

The cluster perception is created.

Marrone leaving is a major plus in my book and if Polian thought Marrone and Orton were positives, then he's completely out of touch with reality.

So far, so good.

[DynaPaul]

Jason Cole ‏@JasonPhilCole (https://twitter.com/JasonPhilCole)<small class="time" style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(136, 153, 166);"> 1h1 hour ago (https://twitter.com/JasonPhilCole/status/550745068358082560)</small>
For all fans of Doug Marrone, he picked EJ Manuel. He's trying to pawn that off, but he picked him & got rid of people who criticized Manuel

I 100% agree that who ever gave Marone his out clause should be gone immediately.... However, we now know who the dip **** is that wanted Ej.




Sounds like the typical workplace atmosphere where are all the ills are blamed on the first guy who already left.

[Night Train]

Jason Cole ‏@JasonPhilCole (https://twitter.com/JasonPhilCole)<small class="time" style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(136, 153, 166);"> 1h1 hour ago (https://twitter.com/JasonPhilCole/status/550745068358082560)</small>
I 100% agree that who ever gave Marone his out clause should be gone immediately.... However, we now know who the dip **** is that wanted Ej.


He is gone. A guy named Ralph.

I'm glad Marrone had the out and is gone. We might see some Offense next season.

[kingJofNYC]

Marrone waxed poetic last season whenever EJ was brought up, you'd think EJ was his son with the way Marrone talked about Manuel.

Too much garbage floating around right now, best to ignore most of it, and just laugh at the inconsistencies.

[notacon]

Polian says he won't come because there's no Head Coach and no Quarterback.

Polian said he had spoken with Bills owner Terry Pegula during the holidays about returning to the club in a "mentoring/advisory" role on the assumption that Doug Marrone would still be the head coach and quarterback Kyle Orton would still be on the roster.

"Then, the quarterback goes away and the coach disappears," Polian said, referring to Orton's decision to retire on Dec. 29 and Marrone's decision on Wednesday to exercise a clause that allowed him to vacate his contract with one year left.

Well, guess what. Brandon hired the piece of **** Doug Moron, and Whaley took ownership of the QB situation by neglecting to draft a QB last year, foolishly thinking he was on easy street with EJ Manuel and Jeff Tuel. So foolishly, in fact, that he doubled down by backing away THIS YEAR'S first round draft choice on a WR--further decreasing there Bills' chance to acquire a real QB.

Absolute malpractice.

Fire.

Them.

All.

It's time to gut this organization from the top down and start over.

I have been saying this for weeks. I even started a thread about Pegula's failure to do so (http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php/227393-Pagula-Has-Failed-His-First-Test-as-New-Owner). Your only contribution to that thread was to thank a post that insulted me.

[Novacane]

I liked the idea of Polian. I was wrong! If he's not coming because Orton and Marrone are no longer here we dodged another bullet. I think this off season is going great so far!

[WagonCircler]

Did Brandon have sex with your daughter or your wife or something? You seem to have an unreasonable hatred for him.

WC: "My cereal is soggy! **** Brandon! Fire his ass!"

Let's examine the facts, shall we?

Fact #1: Throughout the playoff drought, there has been one constant in the Bills front office. Russ Brandon.

Fact #2: Russ Brandon never held a job in the NFL before coming to Buffalo. He is wholly unqualified to hold the position that he has held for the past few years, and the Bills have never won ANYTHING while he has had input into the operation of the franchise.

Fact #3: He sold our home games to Canadians. That, in and of it self makes him worthy of hatred. The fact that it was the biggest debacle in franchise history and made the Bills a laughingstock is just the cherry on top of there pile of **** that is Russ Brandon's career.

Fact #4: He claimed that he was going to do an "exhaustive search" for the next Bills head coach, just 5 days before hiring a ****ing jackass who happened to come from Russ' home town team.

Never in my life have I heard of a man who gets so much credit for accomplishing so little.

Oh, wait.

Scratch that.

We have a guy in the Oval Office just like that, and I hate him too.

[swiper]

Pegula came to the Sabres. Everybody thought great things were coming fast. It turned into a 5 year plan of terrible teams.

Pegula is now going through baptism in the NFL.

You all hate Brandon and Whaley. Me too. But Brandon may just leave for Oakland. Good?

There are other coaches and execs out there.

Pioli is an assistant where he's at. He could be had.

Polian wanted too much money. That's typical. He's done. I want nothing to do with that guy.

[YardRat]

Did I miss something? Polian wanted too much money?

[DraftBoy]

Did I miss something? Polian wanted too much money?

Part of the rumors flying about why Polian didn't come to Buffalo. I don't think it has much truth to it though.

[CommissarSpartacus]

Do the smart thing. Give Schwart2 the job, give Pepper Johnson the D, get a bright guy for the O and tell Whaley his job depends on him getting a qb.

The team played their asses off this year. Don't punish them because you're mad at the brain trust.

The main problem is gone, along with his acolyte I presume. If that's worth 2 more wins, that makes us 11 - 5 and playoffs bound.

Please, let's not screw up what's already good.

[Jry44]

Did I miss something? Polian wanted too much money?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/01/polians-return-to-bills-breaks-down-over-money/

Like I said above... there are so many people saying so many different things that it's difficult to make anything add up. So who knows what's really going on. The only thing that we do know for sure is that Pegula isn't being had, and that deep organizational changes are on the horizon.

[WagonCircler]

Total bull**** that Polian wanted too much money.

Polian wanted to do three years and out. Then the QB retired, then the HC quit, and the job became a bigger one than he wanted to commit to. Period.

The money part is horsecrap.

[kingJofNYC]

It's insane that Polian saw Orton as a net benefit. I mean not coming here because the coach was let go, aka rebuild, fine, but why even bring up Orton? The guy ****ing stunk, and unless we went 2-14 in 2015 or 2016 we probably wouldn't have a shot at a good QB prospect. On the other hand, Teddy Bridgewater fell and I think he's going to be a solid QB, so you never know. Bottom line, Orton shouldn't even be brought up. It's the coach and the rebuild that he wanted nothing to do with, so I ask, why even entertain the ****ing idea of coming here? To be Marrone's yes man and friend in the front office while collecting a fat check?

[Jry44]

Total bull**** that Polian wanted too much money.

Polian wanted to do three years and out. Then the QB retired, then the HC quit, and the job became a bigger one than he wanted to commit to. Period.

The money part is horsecrap.


Yup.... there are so many conflicting reports that none of it add's up. The only sure thing that we know is that changes are officially underway to the entire organization.

[BertSquirtgum]

Brandon needs to be fired. Whaley is good. The game has passed Polian so Marrone did the Bills a favor, imo. I mean, the ****ing guy said Doug Marrone should be the coach of the year. What more do you need to know?

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Wait WTF? Polian wouldn't come because we don't have a coach or a QB?

If we had a coach and a QB we wouldn't need you, Bill!

[Sammy Avalon]

The difference between successful and unsuccessful organisations is leadership. Any organisation.

We haven't had leadership since Polian. And he just recognised what a toxic hellhole the Bills organisation has become since. He doesn't want anything to do with neither does Marrone.

Pegula need to do the right thing-

[Historian]

Based on the fact that Pegula was talking to Polian behind Brandon's back, I would venture to guess that Brandon's days are numbered here.

I don't have a problem with the out clause, I really don't. My feeling towards Marrone though, is the same that I had for Butler:

'I liked your work, but if you're not 100% committed to this team, then don't even get on the airplane.'

The fact that Brandon gave this guy a paid out clause is what pisses me off. That's something Ralph would have never done. Hell he forced Wade to sue for the final year of his contract after firing him.

This whole Brandon-Marrone situation stinks of cronyism, (right from the hiring) and as much as I crave stability for the organization, I' happy that one is gone, and the other is halfway out the door.

[YardRat]

Screw it, if they are going to fubar the HC search they might as well blow everything up right now. Ralph is no longer around to point the finger at, might as well just clean house so we can race through the Brandon/Whaley hatred and bypass all the vitriol toward anybody that's ever had anything to do with the past of the organization. Let's get in an entire crew of newbies that can **** up the defense and special teams that we have now and initiate a never-ending search for the golden ticket that *******s continue to think is a cure-all, their version of a 'franchise QB'. Shouldn't only take a couple of years of worse suckage than we've had in the past 15 years to jump right into the 'Pegula is cheap' mode.

That includes Bud Carpenter and the midget trainer also...leave no stone unturned jettisoning anybody that ever had anything to do with the team so nobody has any excuses. The Sabres are wallowing in the depths of the NHL, might as well drag the Bills right along with them. But, hey, the bright side is we'll always have the opportunity to draft the Jamarcus Russels and Ryan Leafs of the world. That'll be real fun.

[Historian]

Are you being sarcastic Rat?

[Novacane]

I'll be pissed if they fire the midget trainer!

[coastal]

I'll be pissed if they fire the midget trainer!
Uppy works for the Bills?

[better days]

Pegula came to the Sabres. Everybody thought great things were coming fast. It turned into a 5 year plan of terrible teams.

Pegula is now going through baptism in the NFL.

You all hate Brandon and Whaley. Me too. But Brandon may just leave for Oakland. Good?

There are other coaches and execs out there.

Pioli is an assistant where he's at. He could be had.

Polian wanted too much money. That's typical. He's done. I want nothing to do with that guy.

Well, the Sabres did make the playoffs soon after the Pegula's bought them.

And Pegula has made Buffalo an NHL destination & is the main reason Buffalo is being rebuilt & is now an up & coming City.

Things could not have played out any better for the Bills IMO.

I wanted Orton gone - BOOM, he retires.

I wanted Marrone gone - BOOM, he opts out of his contract.

I did not really want Polian to come back & put his kid in charge - BOOM, he decides not to come because Marrone left.

I tell you, Ralph must be pulling strings up in Heaven the way this has played out.

[better days]

Wait WTF? Polian wouldn't come because we don't have a coach or a QB?

If we had a coach and a QB we wouldn't need you, Bill!

Great post. Well said.

[Bill Cody]

Whoever gave Marrone the "if you quit after 2 years we will give you $4m" clause MUST be fired, that's insanity

[better days]

Whoever gave Marrone the "if you quit after 2 years we will give you $4m" clause MUST be fired, that's insanity

Well, that was Brandon. We will see if Pegula agrees with you.

[coastal]

Whoever gave Marrone the "if you quit after 2 years we will give you $4m" clause MUST be fired, that's insanity
Ok so the HC had a $4 mil out.

What do u think Brandon has in his contract. The way things look is that a pegs strategy will be to neuter Russ in the hopes he quits... which my guess would eliminate his buyout.

[Historian]

OPINION ALERT!

My feeling is that Brandon probably owns a (very) small piece of the team, so either way, the guy is going to leave the Bills a real wealthy man.

On top of the fact that he owns his own restaurant, etc.

I would be willing to bet that was Ralph's parting gift to him....his own golden parachute that he can sell back to the Pegulas.

[WagonCircler]

OPINION ALERT!

My feeling is that Brandon probably owns a (very) small piece of the team, so either way, the guy is going to leave the Bills a real wealthy man.

On top of the fact that he owns his own restaurant, etc.

I would be willing to bet that was Ralph's parting gift to him....his own golden parachute that he can sell back to the Pegulas.

I don't care how he leaves, as long as he leaves.

[Mace]

Total bull**** that Polian wanted too much money.

Polian wanted to do three years and out. Then the QB retired, then the HC quit, and the job became a bigger one than he wanted to commit to. Period.

The money part is horsecrap.

Have to disagree with you on this one, old son. The money is not about the money to Polian it's about the power, and Polian has the obvious control thing. Knowing what we all know about Polian you can entirely see him raising his price when he sees them desperate, then taking his toys and going home if he doesn't get it.

He really doesn't have the same fire at 72, which is why he was easing himself into retirement at Indy already a few years ago. So while the whole thing probably piqued his interest a while, he wasn't really psyched about it. If he was, he'd charge like he always did.

You can't really believe his denial on top of his denial he was thinking of leaving ESPN for the Bills while he was talking to the Bills about leaving ESPN.

Biggest issue with the Pegula's in this is that they waited too long to hire a consultant, imho.

[WagonCircler]

Have to disagree with you on this one, old son. The money is not about the money to Polian it's about the power, and Polian has the obvious control thing. Knowing what we all know about Polian you can entirely see him raising his price when he sees them desperate, then taking his toys and going home if he doesn't get it..

This isn't speculative at all. Really.

Light up another one.

[Bill Cody]

Ok so the HC had a $4 mil out.

What do u think Brandon has in his contract.

I don't think he has anything similar. Why? Because I don't think ANYONE has anything similar. Buyouts occur routinely if you FIRE someone. Marrone quit. Nobody pays a coach to quit. if anyone has any proof this has ever happened in the history of pro sports I'd like to see it.

Russ: "Mr. Pegula Doug Marrone is exercising his opt out clause"

Peg: "Opt out? Ok yeah whatever we'll hire someone else"

Russ: "But sir you need to know that in the contract I gave him you owe him 4m now and it's not offset by salary from a new job"

Peg: "ok what you're saying can't be true but if it is you are so totally and completely fired the word fired doesn't even cover it. In fact if I can help it you'll never work again in ANY CAPACITY inside the league or not. Your wife is fired from whatever she does. Expect an IRS audit for no good reason. Now get out".

[Mace]

This isn't speculative at all. Really.

Light up another one.

Nah. Even if you love him, you know enough about Polian unless you're wearing sunshine shades and oblivious with love.

Polian is Polian. More than enough history out there to see what he's always been all about. Take off the shades and step forward with us a couple decades into 2015, hombre.

Been a long time since we argued, always a pleasure though.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Based on the fact that Pegula was talking to Polian behind Brandon's back, I would venture to guess that Brandon's days are numbered here.

I don't have a problem with the out clause, I really don't. My feeling towards Marrone though, is the same that I had for Butler:

'I liked your work, but if you're not 100% committed to this team, then don't even get on the airplane.'

The fact that Brandon gave this guy a paid out clause is what pisses me off. That's something Ralph would have never done. Hell he forced Wade to sue for the final year of his contract after firing him.

This whole Brandon-Marrone situation stinks of cronyism, (right from the hiring) and as much as I crave stability for the organization, I' happy that one is gone, and the other is halfway out the door.

Brandon/Whaley/Whoever was basically spending the next owner's money before the guy was here to veto it. It's a massive screw up.

[notacon]

Well, the Sabres did make the playoffs soon after the Pegula's bought them.

Pegula bought the Sabres on Feb 22, 2011. Yes, the Sabres made the playoffs that year...so what? The following three seasons have them out of the playoffs. THAT means something.



And Pegula has made Buffalo an NHL destination & is the main reason Buffalo is being rebuilt & is now an up & coming City.

I have no idea what you are talking about. Buffalo an "up & coming city" :rofl: No. More of the dreaded 'Buffalo Rationalization Syndrome' where people that have not had the good sense to leave that awful city have to rationalize that it's really just misunderstood. It's not. Buffalo is as bad as it seems and one realizes it with crystal clarity the more other cities they visit.



Things could not have played out any better for the Bills IMO.

That is yet to be seen. I am not encouraged by Pegula's "leadership" so far.



I wanted Orton gone - BOOM, he retires.

That had nothing to do with Pegula. Orton sucks and I think he knew he sucked. Pegula would have put up with Orton returning because Marrone would have preferred to have that sad sack his QB and Pegula wanted Marrone to stay.



I wanted Marrone gone - BOOM, he opts out of his contract.

All reports said that Pegula wanted Marrone to return.



I did not really want Polian to come back & put his kid in charge - BOOM, he decides not to come because Marrone left.

Polian wanted the easy gig, and is NOT what this team needed. Just the fact that he did not come to the Bills because Orton and Marrone left is plenty of evidence that he would have been a disaster in Buffalo. Again, Pegula's "leadership" had nothing to do with these events.



I tell you, Ralph must be pulling strings up in Heaven the way this has played out.

That's not a good thing. Pegula seems to have the same "leadership" qualities as Mr. Wilson. Cheap, passive and resistant to change. Those are not good traits to have when this team needs a full top to bottom overhaul.

I have said it many, many times that Pegula should have come out ASAP after the last game and FIRED the whole coaching staff AND Whaley. THAT would have sent a clear message to the whole football world that THIS GUY was serious. THAT would have encouraged me that this team was prepared to go into a different direction...away from the worst run organization in the NFL to one that is hungry to win.

Certainly Pegula still has a chance to do the right thing. As every day goes by, it's looking less, and less likely.

[CommissarSpartacus]

I have said it many, many times that Pegula should have come out ASAP after the last game and FIRED the whole coaching staff AND Whaley. THAT would have sent a clear message to the whole football world that THIS GUY was serious.

Uh, not so sure.

Anybody can fire people, but if you just fire everyone without an idea of where you go from there, your assets - the players- are gonna get spooked.

Its easy for fans to say blow the whole thing up, the consequences dont affect them financially.

But bad decisions affect players in the pocketbook and they have no reason to trust that just because Pegula can fire people, the replacements are gonna be an improvement.

A players window in the NFL is tiny. Hearing that a team has made a conscious decision to throw all their hard work out the window and start over with someone new makes them afraid for their wallets.

[Historian]

Especially when the team is making some strides in the right direction.

[better days]

Pegula bought the Sabres on Feb 22, 2011. Yes, the Sabres made the playoffs that year...so what? The following three seasons have them out of the playoffs. THAT means something.

What does it mean? The Sabres are the envy of most of the NFL today with all the talent they have in the pipeline as well as the draft picks in this draft.



I have no idea what you are talking about. Buffalo an "up & coming city" :rofl: No. More of the dreaded 'Buffalo Rationalization Syndrome' where people that have not had the good sense to leave that awful city have to rationalize that it's really just misunderstood. It's not. Buffalo is as bad as it seems and one realizes it with crystal clarity the more other cities they visit.

The radio voice of the Leafs said he could not believe the changes in the Buffalo landscape since Pegula bought the Sabres.

McDavid & Eicholtz the top two prospects in the draft both played in Buffalo this past year & both said they would love to be drafted by the Sabres & play in Buffalo.



That is yet to be seen. I am not encouraged by Pegula's "leadership" so far.

Who cares if you are encouraged or not? I don't.



That had nothing to do with Pegula. Orton sucks and I think he knew he sucked. Pegula would have put up with Orton returning because Marrone would have preferred to have that sad sack his QB and Pegula wanted Marrone to stay.

Well, it is obvious Pegula did not want Marrone to stay all that bad or Marrone would still be the Bills HC.



All reports said that Pegula wanted Marrone to return.

And those reports are no doubt coming from Marrone's agent.



Polian wanted the easy gig, and is NOT what this team needed. Just the fact that he did not come to the Bills because Orton and Marrone left is plenty of evidence that he would have been a disaster in Buffalo. Again, Pegula's "leadership" had nothing to do with these events.



That's not a good thing. Pegula seems to have the same "leadership" qualities as Mr. Wilson. Cheap, passive and resistant to change. Those are not good traits to have when this team needs a full top to bottom overhaul.

I have said it many, many times that Pegula should have come out ASAP after the last game and FIRED the whole coaching staff AND Whaley. THAT would have sent a clear message to the whole football world that THIS GUY was serious. THAT would have encouraged me that this team was prepared to go into a different direction...away from the worst run organization in the NFL to one that is hungry to win.

Certainly Pegula still has a chance to do the right thing. As every day goes by, it's looking less, and less likely.

And I said it was Ralph pulling the strings, not Pegula's doing for much of what happened these last few days.

Divine intervention is a beautiful thing. Some would call it Luck.

[notacon]

Let's examine the facts, shall we?

Fact #1: Throughout the playoff drought, there has been one constant in the Bills front office. Russ Brandon.

Fact #2: Russ Brandon never held a job in the NFL before coming to Buffalo. He is wholly unqualified to hold the position that he has held for the past few years, and the Bills have never won ANYTHING while he has had input into the operation of the franchise.

Fact #3: He sold our home games to Canadians. That, in and of it self makes him worthy of hatred. The fact that it was the biggest debacle in franchise history and made the Bills a laughingstock is just the cherry on top of there pile of **** that is Russ Brandon's career.

Fact #4: He claimed that he was going to do an "exhaustive search" for the next Bills head coach, just 5 days before hiring a ****ing jackass who happened to come from Russ' home town team.

Never in my life have I heard of a man who gets so much credit for accomplishing so little.

Oh, wait.

Scratch that.

We have a guy in the Oval Office just like that, and I hate him too.

You were doing pretty good until you tried your ignorant hand at political analogy.

President Obama has accomplished more than any president since FDR. Why you "hate" him just goes to your wing nut roots and cluelessness.

The better analogy is Brandon = Bush. Both ****ed everything up pretty bad and are both terrible leaders. Brandon not as bad as Bush, though...one of the worst presidents in this great nation's history.

The best hope is to have someone like President Obama take over the Bills and clean up the mess he was left with, which Obama did quite well considering the total cluster**** he had to start to correct.

[coastal]

:popcorn:

[notacon]

Uh, not so sure.

Anybody can fire people, but if you just fire everyone without an idea of where you go from there, your assets - the players- are gonna get spooked.

Its easy for fans to say blow the whole thing up, the consequences dont affect them financially.

But bad decisions affect players in the pocketbook and they have no reason to trust that just because Pegula can fire people, the replacements are gonna be an improvement.

A players window in the NFL is tiny. Hearing that a team has made a conscious decision to throw all their hard work out the window and start over with someone new makes them afraid for their wallets.

He should have been planning where to go as soon as he bought the team. Players getting "spooked" is irrelevant. They are professionals and get paid to play. I'm pretty sick and tired about hearing how fragile player's psyches are where even some of the worst players are coddled millionaires.

I don't buy your premise for a second. The players know how terrible the franchise is run. I bet a dime to a dollar that the majority of them cheered when Mr. Wilson died.

In any event....there is a full off season to repair the fragile player ego. Good hires will do that in a heartbeat.

[Mr. Cynical]

Polian says he won't come because there's no Head Coach and no Quarterback.

Polian said he had spoken with Bills owner Terry Pegula during the holidays about returning to the club in a "mentoring/advisory" role on the assumption that Doug Marrone would still be the head coach and quarterback Kyle Orton would still be on the roster.

"Then, the quarterback goes away and the coach disappears," Polian said, referring to Orton's decision to retire on Dec. 29 and Marrone's decision on Wednesday to exercise a clause that allowed him to vacate his contract with one year left.

Well, guess what. Brandon hired the piece of **** Doug Moron, and Whaley took ownership of the QB situation by neglecting to draft a QB last year, foolishly thinking he was on easy street with EJ Manuel and Jeff Tuel. So foolishly, in fact, that he doubled down by backing away THIS YEAR'S first round draft choice on a WR--further decreasing there Bills' chance to acquire a real QB.

Absolute malpractice.

Fire.

Them.

All.

It's time to gut this organization from the top down and start over.


1,000% agree. I don't like Doug "You can put the blame wherever you want" Whaley. He needed to step up and take responsibility for the cluster f*** that was the QB situation. While there are no sure fire QB picks, his gaff with EJ was 100% worsened when he didn't make sure he had a Plan B and Plan C in place. And, to have a year leading into this season with Tuel and Lewis as those plans, only to then let them go, scramble for Palmer and then Orton. IMO, he's not the GM the Bills need, but it looks like we're stuck for at least one more year. At least he can't eff up another 1st round pick.

[BertSquirtgum]

1,000% agree. I don't like Doug "You can put the blame wherever you want" Whaley. He needed to step up and take responsibility for the cluster f*** that was the QB situation. While there are no sure fire QB picks, his gaff with EJ was 100% worsened when he didn't make sure he had a Plan B and Plan C in place. And, to have a year leading into this season with Tuel and Lewis as those plans, only to then let them go, scramble for Palmer and then Orton. IMO, he's not the GM the Bills need, but it looks like we're stuck for at least one more year. At least he can't eff up another 1st round pick.

Why? Because he was forced to pick a QB because Nix and previous GM's ignored the quarterback position? Horse****. Here's some news for you. Not every draft pick turns out good. Just in case you didn't know.

[CommissarSpartacus]

Players getting "spooked" is irrelevant. They are professionals and get paid to play. I'm pretty sick and tired about hearing how fragile player's psyches are where even some of the worst players are coddled millionaires.


Whether you're sick and tired of it or not, what the players think is entirely relevant.

[Mace]

Whether you're sick and tired of it or not, what the players think is entirely relevant.

BTW, I still disagree with your QB comparisons, and even OC comments, but had Marrone remained, I was finding a lot of uncanny similarities lately to 2004, which I think you first brought up.

[HHURRICANE]

Wait WTF? Polian wouldn't come because we don't have a coach or a QB?

If we had a coach and a QB we wouldn't need you, Bill!


This is awesome!! Best quote on this board in a long time!!

[notacon]

Whether you're sick and tired of it or not, what the players think is entirely relevant.

Maybe. What do they think about the terrible EJ pick? What do they think about the awful way they handled the QB situation last off season after Kolb went dizzy? How did they react after Orton, on of the worst QB's in the league, was tapped so late in the pre-season? What do they think about Marrone holding the team hostage and running away like the chicken shot he is?

Sorry, I don't think firing the whole coaching staff would have been any worse than the Keystone Kop way this franchise has been run for decades, and the fragile ego's of millionaire coddled football players is of little concern. It's obvious that hardly any player has any idea how to run a football team.
They should concentrate on playing.

All Pegula has to do is get a competent staff in place and the player's ego's will be mollified.

[coastal]

I don't think he has anything similar. Why? Because I don't think ANYONE has anything similar. Buyouts occur routinely if you FIRE someone. Marrone quit. Nobody pays a coach to quit. if anyone has any proof this has ever happened in the history of pro sports I'd like to see it.

Russ: "Mr. Pegula Doug Marrone is exercising his opt out clause"

Peg: "Opt out? Ok yeah whatever we'll hire someone else"

Russ: "But sir you need to know that in the contract I gave him you owe him 4m now and it's not offset by salary from a new job"

Peg: "ok what you're saying can't be true but if it is you are so totally and completely fired the word fired doesn't even cover it. In fact if I can help it you'll never work again in ANY CAPACITY inside the league or not. Your wife is fired from whatever she does. Expect an IRS audit for no good reason. Now get out".i don't agree with you at all.

looks at all the tidbits of info coming out.

it all points to Russ Brandon as being the main culprit and the biggest reason why there has been and still is organizational dysfunction.

So so why is he here? Why isn't he gone?

Because se he's such a brilliant business ops guy that he's irreplaceable?

there is only ONE logical explanation.... it's going to hurt in someway to get rid of him.

[cookie G]

I don't think he has anything similar. Why? Because I don't think ANYONE has anything similar. Buyouts occur routinely if you FIRE someone. Marrone quit. Nobody pays a coach to quit. if anyone has any proof this has ever happened in the history of pro sports I'd like to see it.

Russ: "Mr. Pegula Doug Marrone is exercising his opt out clause"

Peg: "Opt out? Ok yeah whatever we'll hire someone else"

Russ: "But sir you need to know that in the contract I gave him you owe him 4m now and it's not offset by salary from a new job"

Peg: "ok what you're saying can't be true but if it is you are so totally and completely fired the word fired doesn't even cover it. In fact if I can help it you'll never work again in ANY CAPACITY inside the league or not. Your wife is fired from whatever she does. Expect an IRS audit for no good reason. Now get out".

Peg: BTW Russ, Kim and I just bought the land next to your home. We begin fracking in the morning.

[YardRat]

It says a lot about Polian, backing out after Orton and Marrone bailed on the team. Obviously his only goals would have been to do nothing, collect a paycheck, and set up some of the ol' buddies with the same. No thanks.

Funny how you don't see Casserly or Wolf bailing on NY because they need a new coach and quarterback.

I haven't seen it yet, but a friend of mine texted me this morning that it was reported that the claim Marrone went to Polian and informed him of bad-mouthing within the organization was false. The more things that come to light, the less respect I have for Polian. Screw him, and any other 'consultant'...this isn't ****ing rocket surgery, anybody with a half-brain and just a little bit above average fan knowledge can hang around the building for a month and tell the Pegula's what's right and wrong with the organization.

[YardRat]

"WAAH! I didn't want to do any 'heavy lifting'"

Pussy.

[CommissarSpartacus]

We all know what needs to be done with the Bills.

Like yardie says, it's not rocket science. We need to keep the D and STs intact, get a HC with brains and charisma, an OC with imagination, some linemen and a qb.

There, I'll take half of what you were gonna pay Polian for saying the same thing...

[CommissarSpartacus]

Maybe. What do they think about the terrible EJ pick? What do they think about the awful way they handled the QB situation last off season after Kolb went dizzy? How did they react after Orton, on of the worst QB's in the league, was tapped so late in the pre-season? What do they think about Marrone holding the team hostage and running away like the chicken shot he is?

I'm sure they weren't anymore impressed than the rest of us. The difference is this stuff means dollars to them, where it only means high blood pressure for you.


Sorry, I don't think firing the whole coaching staff would have been any worse than the Keystone Kop way this franchise has been run for decades...

Uh, "It's no worse than the stuff the previous morons did!" doesn't seem to me to be a very good reason to do something.


and the fragile ego's of millionaire coddled football players is of little concern....

It would be nice if large paychecks made people act like adults, but as a guy who spent decades in the movie business I can tell you it just doesn't work that way. In fact, large paychecks in many cases exacerbates juvenile tendencies for various psychological reasons.

Now, if we were dealing with assembly line workers, your attitude would make sense as they are all eminently replaceable.

But, when you're dealing with people hired for their talents, their egos have to be managed. Too much money rides on them performing at the top of their abilities.

It's the same with football players, especially ones who grew up with nothing and then suddenly came into money and have their families depending on them.


It's obvious that hardly any player has any idea how to run a football team.
They should concentrate on playing.

Uh, most coaches are former players. Were they too stupid to have an opinion when they were players? Is there something magical about retirement that makes former players go "Gee, NOW I get it!"? C'mon, I know this hardass attitude feels good at the moment, but "Shoot them all!" might not be the smartest thing to do to fix the situation


All Pegula has to do is get a competent staff in place and the player's ego's will be mollified.

As I'm sure you've noticed, opinions vary about peoples' competence, especially when it comes to coaches who have a reputation.

but what we DO know is the players already think we have a competent staff - on the defensive side of the board.

And that's a plus that shouldn't be tossed away in a fit of pique.