Russ Brandon involved in GM search....

[Mace]

http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/12/terry-pegula-explains-involved-sean-mcdermott-russ-brandon-gm-search/

If this was posted previously, I never saw it, sorry.

Were people saying Russ was much too busy to be a football voice in Pegula's ear ?

Good thing McDermott had the other ear.

[Night Train]

http://www.geektrench.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Conspiracy-Theory.jpg

[DraftBoy]

Shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.

[OpIv37]

But but but he has no football duties anymore!!!!!!

We will never be free of his meddling until he is out of the organization completely.

[Albany,n.y.]

McDermott said he wanted Beane & Terry told Russ to pick Beane up at the airport.

[Night Train]

McDermott had the only say...let alone the final say.

Let the Buff News chirp away with whatever Pegula wishes to feed them.

[OpIv37]

McDermott said he wanted Beane & Terry told Russ to pick Beane up at the airport.

In a $150,000 car that he can afford because of a decade of selling snake oil to Bills fans.

[cookie G]

Only one person (out of 4) on the search/selection committee has any more football experience that exceeds "fantasy football owner" level.

It just oozes culture change, doesn't it?

[Mace]

McDermott had the only say...let alone the final say.

Let the Buff News chirp away with whatever Pegula wishes to feed them.

Alternative facts ! Misinformation !

[Mace]

Only one person (out of 4) on the search/selection committee has any more football experience that exceeds "fantasy football owner" level.

It just oozes culture change, doesn't it?

Well you have to figure Russ and Pegulas mishandled their turns, so letting the guy with football exp have input technically is culture change.

[Turf]

When I started to read the thread title I saw Russ Brandon in.... my brain played tricks on me and I saw invited to North Korea for a moment.

[Mace]

When I started to read the thread title I saw Russ Brandon in.... my brain played tricks on me and I saw invited to North Korea for a moment.

Now that would be so nifty I'd have to hug myself and squee like a small child.

The photo ops would be priceless with him grinning.

[Frenchman]

Just hope that they get someone that knows what they are doing with the team. Is all that matters.

[Topas]

Anybody thinks that Beane is Russ' guy?
I guess not. But I am all fine that he picks him up at the airport. Sharing the same name must be good for something. And having Russ driving is actually something that he should be able to do correctly.

[Historian]

Don't bank on it.

What say you Brandon apologists???

[YardRat]

Like it or not, 'NFL team owner' actually does carry a teensy bit more football experience than 'fantasy football owner'.

[SpikedLemonade]

Only one person (out of 4) on the search/selection committee has any more football experience that exceeds "fantasy football owner" level.

It just oozes culture change, doesn't it?


You noticed that eh?

[Joe Fo Sho]

If you guys think Russ convinced anyone to change their mind and hire the guys that they did, you live in a tree. Doesn't every single hire have ties to McDermott? The guy who is actually running the show?

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

Don't bank on it.

What say you Brandon apologists???

In Russ we trust! The marketing genius........HA

[cookie G]

Like it or not, 'NFL team owner' actually does carry a teensy bit more football experience than 'fantasy football owner'.

Power to make a decision doesn't equal the qualtifications to make that decision.

In truth, Terry and Kim have no more ability to evaluate a coaching or GM candidate, than Ron Wolf would have in evaluating a geologist or civil engineer for one of Pegula's gas fields.


The depth of their involvement in these decisions..especially after their Rex debaucle...I really don't see any difference from the Ralph years...which many considered "meddling".

[SpikedLemonade]

I just don't understand why the DP simply does not hand the keys to a seasoned NFL Executive.

[cookie G]

I just don't understand why the DP simply does not hand the keys to a seasoned NFL Executive.

Ego?
Shiny new toy?
The need to prove themselves to their co-owners?
The fantasy football mentality (You too can be an NFL Executive!!)?

Who knows?

3 coaching changes ago...Jimmifli created a thread called Process vs. Outcome.

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php/216479-Process-vs-Outcome


His first post was excellent:

In business management there is a lot of emphasis put into evaluating processes rather than the outcomes. This is done because at the time of the decision there is often a lot of uncertainty, usually due to incomplete information or insufficient resources required to guarantee success. So managers are forced to make decisions using the resources available within the time available, and this means they'll make some bad decisions but hopefully some good ones too. The quality of the decision can't be judged based on the outcome, which has a large component of chance. This concept is why poker players focus on their reasoning and how they played the hand and not whether they won or lost. Over the long run making decisions based on a logical and disciplined process will pay off with more good decisions.

My problem with this recent hiring isn't who we hired... it's how. My first problem is that Russ Brandon is making the hiring decisions. It should be the GM, so Nix. And if Nix isn't a real GM anymore than he should be out. If the real GM is Whaley than he should hire his own coach. If he isn't qualified to hire a coach, he should be out too. Next problem is with how they conducted the search. Russ Brandon didn't "look under every rock", he hired a guy from his hometown. He interviewed a few recently canned coaches and then hired the guy he wanted from the beginning. And for all the talk of analytics, he sure sounds like a few hours of interviews was the determining factor.

Now don't get me wrong, Marrone might turn out to be a great coach. But that's like drawing to an inside straight at this point. The process sucked, the only way the outcome works is luck. That doesn't exactly signal change. And it doesn't bode well for the future.

After the Marrone failure, 3 non-football people (Terry, Kim and Russ) picked the new coach based on falling in love with him in an interview;

After that failure, 2 non-football people (Terry and Kim) picked the new coach based on a dinner interview on their yacht. They were so enamored that Kim was talking about realtors in Buffalo before the night was through. And they gave the new rookie coach the power to pick the GM and basically gave him total control over the front office.

As Jimmi said, yeah, its possible to draw to an inside straight and they might have gotten lucky for once.

But on average, it isn't too hard to see why the past 2 decisions failed and why we're on our 3rd coach in 5 years.

[Bill Cody]

Ego?
Shiny new toy?
The need to prove themselves to their co-owners?
The fantasy football mentality (You too can be an NFL Executive!!)?

Who knows?

3 coaching changes ago...Jimmifli created a thread called Process vs. Outcome.

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php/216479-Process-vs-Outcome


His first post was excellent:

In business management there is a lot of emphasis put into evaluating processes rather than the outcomes. This is done because at the time of the decision there is often a lot of uncertainty, usually due to incomplete information or insufficient resources required to guarantee success. So managers are forced to make decisions using the resources available within the time available, and this means they'll make some bad decisions but hopefully some good ones too. The quality of the decision can't be judged based on the outcome, which has a large component of chance. This concept is why poker players focus on their reasoning and how they played the hand and not whether they won or lost. Over the long run making decisions based on a logical and disciplined process will pay off with more good decisions.

My problem with this recent hiring isn't who we hired... it's how. My first problem is that Russ Brandon is making the hiring decisions. It should be the GM, so Nix. And if Nix isn't a real GM anymore than he should be out. If the real GM is Whaley than he should hire his own coach. If he isn't qualified to hire a coach, he should be out too. Next problem is with how they conducted the search. Russ Brandon didn't "look under every rock", he hired a guy from his hometown. He interviewed a few recently canned coaches and then hired the guy he wanted from the beginning. And for all the talk of analytics, he sure sounds like a few hours of interviews was the determining factor.

Now don't get me wrong, Marrone might turn out to be a great coach. But that's like drawing to an inside straight at this point. The process sucked, the only way the outcome works is luck. That doesn't exactly signal change. And it doesn't bode well for the future.

After the Marrone failure, 3 non-football people (Terry, Kim and Russ) picked the new coach based on falling in love with him in an interview;

After that failure, 2 non-football people (Terry and Kim) picked the new coach based on a dinner interview on their yacht. They were so enamored that Kim was talking about realtors in Buffalo before the night was through. And they gave the new rookie coach the power to pick the GM and basically gave him total control over the front office.

As Jimmi said, yeah, its possible to draw to an inside straight and they might have gotten lucky for once.

But on average, it isn't too hard to see why the past 2 decisions failed and why we're on our 3rd coach in 5 years.

All of the above makes sense. The only difference this time is it appears they gave McDermott close to total control. I suspect the GM was his choice. That doesn't make the process better per se but it does narrow things down. If Mac turns out to have the goods he's going to get a chance to succeed here because he has an organization that will work with him. That's different. So all we can do is hope Peg and Kim nailed it this time. To be fair Bob Kraft picked Bellichick and when he made that call he was just a rich guy that liked football, sort of like all of us minus the money. Owners get to be involved if they want to be but if it's limited to this decision and Mac is the right guy we should be good. if not we're still rid of Rex so there is always a silver lining.

[BertSquirtgum]

But but but he has no football duties anymore!!!!!!

We will never be free of his meddling until he is out of the organization completely.
Whoever believes that is a complete moron.

[Jan Reimers]

To all of you Brandon haters: He will be with the Bills for a long, long time. He is a very good business executive, and the Pegulas really like him. He has had little say in football-related issues for a while, and with McDermott, Beane, Gaines et. al. having been brought in to run the football side of the operation, Brandon will have virtually no influence there.

So really, why don't we gripe about something else?

[SpikedLemonade]

To all of you Brandon haters: He will be with the Bills for a long, long time. He is a very good business executive, and the Pegulas really like him. He has had little say in football-related issues for a while, and with McDermott, Beane, Gaines et. al. having been brought in to run the football side of the operation, Brandon will have virtually no influence there.

So really, why don't we gripe about something else?

Brandon a relative of yours?

[Joe Fo Sho]

Who would the Bills have hired if Brandon wasn't involved?

[cookie G]

All of the above makes sense. The only difference this time is it appears they gave McDermott close to total control. I suspect the GM was his choice. That doesn't make the process better per se but it does narrow things down. If Mac turns out to have the goods he's going to get a chance to succeed here because he has an organization that will work with him. That's different. So all we can do is hope Peg and Kim nailed it this time. To be fair Bob Kraft picked Bellichick and when he made that call he was just a rich guy that liked football, sort of like all of us minus the money. Owners get to be involved if they want to be but if it's limited to this decision and Mac is the right guy we should be good. if not we're still rid of Rex so there is always a silver lining.

What happens when Kim wants Jamie Foxx at QB instead of Dennis Quaid?

[swiper]

What happens when Kim wants Jamie Foxx at QB instead of Dennis Quaid?

LOL. Stop it right now or we're going to start calling you Spiked Jr. :laughing:

[SpikedLemonade]

LOL. Stop it right now or we're going to start calling you Spiked Jr. :laughing:
THE truth will set you free.

[OpIv37]

To all of you Brandon haters: He will be with the Bills for a long, long time. He is a very good business executive, and the Pegulas really like him. He has had little say in football-related issues for a while, and with McDermott, Beane, Gaines et. al. having been brought in to run the football side of the operation, Brandon will have virtually no influence there.

So really, why don't we gripe about something else?

We've been sold that bill of goods from the snake oil salesman himself for what? 4 or 5 years now? Yet, he was just involved in a major FOOTBALL hiring. And when you say "he's a very good business executive," what you are really saying is that he continuously gets Bills fans to pay for an inferior product.

He keeps saying that he's not involved in football decisions, but the football decisions continue to be poor and he is the only consistent factor....

[YardRat]

Power to make a decision doesn't equal the qualtifications to make that decision.
In truth, Terry and Kim have no more ability to evaluate a coaching or GM candidate, than Ron Wolf would have in evaluating a geologist or civil engineer for one of Pegula's gas fields.
The depth of their involvement in these decisions..especially after their Rex debaucle...I really don't see any difference from the Ralph years...which many considered "meddling".
You are moving the goal posts. Your original comment was football experience, relative to fantasy owners, which was inaccurate. If you want to talk about capability instead, that's a different discussion.

[Mace]

It's win/win to me.

I can blame Russ if it fails, and if it works, can give the organization credit for ignoring him for once.

One might look at this and see an inconsistency. Haha, damned if I give a crap.

[feldspar]

It's win/win to me.

I can blame Russ if it fails, and if it works, can give the organization credit for ignoring him for once.

One might look at this and see an inconsistency. Haha, damned if I give a crap.

The funny part is that I don't think you're kidding, or at this is true.

Lots of people will take that attitude.

[cookie G]

You are moving the goal posts. Your original comment was football experience, relative to fantasy owners, which was inaccurate.

Really? How so?



If you want to talk about capability instead, that's a different discussion.

so..if you'd like..." a lil more experienced, still uncapable, and still making football decisions"

Make you feel any better?

the 20 year anniversary of the homerun throwback quickly approaches

[Topas]

I see two good news here.

First, I am pretty sure that Russ has no more control over football decisions. McD and Beane are a team and they have the ear of the Pegulas so starting from now I am very positive that Russ is out.
The second good news is that I really assume that the GM and coach are on the same page, which is a completetly new concept for the Bills.

So that sounds promising.
The bad news is that the coach has a ton of power but not much experience. But lets see. I have a good feeling.
Actually I am so positive that I think that McD will get 7-8 wins out of this 4 wins team, which means that we will miss out on a premier Qb during the next draft and the next 5 playoff free years are secured.

And that sucks so much. We might now have the right people and Buffalo-style, this will exactly hurt us...

[YardRat]

Really? How so?



so..if you'd like..." a lil more experienced, still uncapable, and still making football decisions"

Make you feel any better?

the 20 year anniversary of the homerun throwback quickly approaches
Because, as I've already pointed out, your original comment was relative to experience. Whether you like it or not, and regardless of track record to this point, a few years of actually owning an NFL team is a tad bit better than no experience at all. I certainly don't like that they whiffed, or allowed themselves to be duped, with the Wrecks Traveling Clown Show hire, but I'm willing to consider, given the latest round of hirings and supposed new direction, that the experience they've had as actual team owners has been a learning experience and given them some tools to overcome previous mistakes.

[cookie G]

Because, as I've already pointed out, your original comment was relative to experience. Whether you like it or not, and regardless of track record to this point, a few years of actually owning an NFL team is a tad bit better than no experience at all. I certainly don't like that they whiffed, or allowed themselves to be duped, with the Wrecks Traveling Clown Show hire, but I'm willing to consider, given the latest round of hirings and supposed new direction, that the experience they've had as actual team owners has been a learning experience and given them some tools to overcome previous mistakes.

That's...it?

They make one monumental error in their coaching selection and maybe you're hoping that they possibly could have learned from it?

[cookie G]

The bad news is that the coach has a ton of power but not much experience. But lets see. I have a good feeling.
Actually I am so positive that I think that McD will get 7-8 wins out of this 4 wins team, which means that we will miss out on a premier Qb during the next draft and the next 5 playoff free years are secured.

And that sucks so much. We might now have the right people and Buffalo-style, this will exactly hurt us...

I don't know where this "4 win team" stuff is coming from. A team that won 7 and 8 wins under a bad coach is suddenly a 4 win team?

Its almost as if people have to create a rebuilding situation to justify a 3-5 year plan for the new coach.

I'll tell you what McD is inheriting, and its probably a lot more than either guys like Marrone or Gailey inherited:

-He was given a team that finished 10th in the NFL in scoring last year, and finished 7th in the NFL in Red Zone scoring. That type of production hasn't been seen in Buffalo since the late 90's;
-He is given a top 2, if not the best running game in the NFL. It can be truly dominant;
-He is given one of the better Olines this team has seen in a decade or more. If Dawkins plays even decently as a rookie, a huge hole at RT is fixed;

On D, he has 3 of the 4 guys back from a line that not too long ago, led the NFL in sacks for 2 straight years. The 4th guy was replaced by a 1st round player entering his 2nd year.

The losses at cb and no. 2 wideout were replaced by relatively comparable talent. The safeties..well...he decided to get rid of both...its up to him to make sure the replacements are as good.

If I have any advice to give to McD, its this:

Coach the team

Quit worrying about accumulating power;
Quit asking fans to come up with nicknames for you;
Quit spouting lines from self help books;
Quit coming up with lame team slogans;

Improve on the offense without overhauling it. You'll almost assuredly be sorry if you attempt the latter.
Bring the defense back to what it was. Youre a defensive coach, use your expertise.
You came into a division dominated by possibly the best coach of all time and a QB ranked no less than 2nd all time.

THAT'S where your focus needs to be...beating them.

Coach the team.

[Topas]

Did he do any of this?

Quit asking fans to come up with nicknames for you;
Quit spouting lines from self help books;
Quit coming up with lame team slogans;

Serious question, I dont follow press conferences. Or is this related to Rex?

My 3-4 win team comment comes from:
- WR position is worse
- QB position is worse (enough tape of Tyrod to expose him)
- CB is worse
- LB is a questionmark at least
- probably new system on O and D (at least on D)

[OpIv37]

Did he do any of this?

Serious question, I dont follow press conferences. Or is this related to Rex?

My 3-4 win team comment comes from:
- WR position is worse
- QB position is worse (enough tape of Tyrod to expose him)
- CB is worse
- LB is a questionmark at least
- probably new system on O and D (at least on D)
These are the exact reasons why I see this as a 4-6 win team. McD doesn't have the pieces in place on D, we are mediocre at best at QB and our only real WR threat can't stay on the field. The running game should be good but teams will stack the box because of the lack of a passing threat.

[Joe Fo Sho]

The guy you should be angry at is Terry Pegula, not Russ Brandon. I've never seen a guy be good at 95% of his job and be so hated for it. Be mad at Pegula for asking for his help with the GM search, with the coaching search, or for sharing hot tubs together. That's the person at fault here.

If you do your job great for 11 and a half months out of the year, then your boss asks you to help him with something you're known not to be good at and you fail...who's at fault?

[OpIv37]

The guy you should be angry at is Terry Pegula, not Russ Brandon. I've never seen a guy be good at 95% of his job and be so hated for it. Be mad at Pegula for asking for his help with the GM search, with the coaching search, or for sharing hot tubs together. That's the person at fault here.

If you do your job great for 11 and a half months out of the year, then your boss asks you to help him with something you're known not to be good at and you fail...who's at fault?

Yes, Pegula has blood on his hands.

But, I don't think you should assume that Pegula asked to include Brandon. Brandon is high up in that organization and only has to answer to Terry. He can muscle his way in on any decision he wants unless Pegula explicitly tells him not to.

And the reason he's so hated for being good at 95% of his job is because the 5% he's bad at causes us to suck on the field, but the 95% he's good at makes a lot of money for the people at the top of the organization, so they don't care that we suck on the field.

Ok, maybe that lest piece is a bit harsh, but the 95% that he's good at causes Terry to overlook the 5% he's bad at, and Terry can't see the forest from the trees. He doesn't realize the 5% Brandon is bad at is a major factor in holding this team back on the field.

As long as Brandon is employed by the team, he will meddle in football decisions and he will make bad ones.

[Mace]

The funny part is that I don't think you're kidding, or at this is true.

Lots of people will take that attitude.

I'll decide if I was serious or not serious as circumstances present themselves, and maybe still change my mind after. It's a new age these days where there is no reason to find yourself bound by mere scruples.

Best to take advantage of it with gleeful abandon while it lasts or you'll feel like you missed out on some selfish whimsy down the road.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Why are we even talking about this.

If he was or wasn't I think we all like what they did with their front office hires.

Get over it and move on.

Will anyone give RB any credit now if the FO turns out well?

[Joe Fo Sho]

Why are we even talking about this.

If he was or wasn't I think we all like what they did with their front office hires.

Get over it and move on.

Will anyone give RB any credit now if the FO turns out well?

I will give Russ Brandon game balls for every victory we have, just like I did last year.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Yes, Pegula has blood on his hands.

But, I don't think you should assume that Pegula asked to include Brandon. Brandon is high up in that organization and only has to answer to Terry. He can muscle his way in on any decision he wants unless Pegula explicitly tells him not to.

If this were true, it would be the biggest problem I could imagine and we should riot in the streets. Anybody on the football side of things should not be answering to Russ, and I don't think anyone does.


And the reason he's so hated for being good at 95% of his job is because the 5% he's bad at causes us to suck on the field, but the 95% he's good at makes a lot of money for the people at the top of the organization, so they don't care that we suck on the field.

Again though, wouldn't the person at fault be the one who puts Russ in a position that he's bad at?


Ok, maybe that lest piece is a bit harsh, but the 95% that he's good at causes Terry to overlook the 5% he's bad at, and Terry can't see the forest from the trees. He doesn't realize the 5% Brandon is bad at is a major factor in holding this team back on the field.

You could absolutely be right, and that's a big problem that Terry has. I still don't think it's Brandon's fault.


As long as Brandon is employed by the team, he will meddle in football decisions and he will make bad ones.

You know, a lot of people mistake my unwillingness to call for Russ's head as a perceived likeness for the guy. I am probably as ambivalent as it comes to Russ Brandon. If he's here, if he's not...whatever, I don't care. I'm just not going to get out my pitchfork and riot for him to be fired just because his boss isn't putting him the best position for the Bills to succeed.

The guy is good at marketing, we all know that. We also know that marketing a football team might be easier than tying your shoe, which is why I won't be sad if Russ is ever leaves. Which he won't ever do.

[cookie G]

Did he do any of this?

mmhmm

the nickname thingy..maybe it was just a joke....idk...

McDermott then laid a challenge down for the Bills faithful and members of the media to come up with a new nickname for him, signaling that he’d be just as aggressive.

If Ron Rivera is "Riverboat Ron," what is Sean McDermott: "I'll let you guys figure that out."

http://billswire.usatoday.com/2017/03/28/sean-mcdermott-buffalo-bills-analytics-fourth-down/

the slogan thingy...

http://www.buffalobills.com/video/videos/It-Starts-With-One/0962b3d9-2496-41ba-ac4f-16d22830c2b3

as far as the self help thingy....that's just the impression I get when I've listened to him.




My 3-4 win team comment comes from:
- WR position is worse

I liked Woods, but he was replaced. I'd say we lost something in Goodwin, but he never really produced. Holmes should equal or exceed production.




- QB position is worse (enough tape of Tyrod to expose him)

You can probably say that about any QB in the league..



- CB is worse

maybe...but..McD just used his no. 1 pick on a cb...



- LB is a questionmark at least

on the positive side, he's been given a consensus All American LB who was the best in the nation against the run.



- probably new system on O and D (at least on D)

That's on coaching, not team or talent

Im going to go one step further on this area.

Getting a new coach doesn't mean a total rebuild, or that a rebuild is needs 3 years.

In very recent history,

Andy Reid took a 2-14 Chiefs team to 11-5 his first year in KC. And that was with his no.1 pick playing like crap.
Bruce Arians took a 5-11 Arizona team, a team that scored 250 points the year before, and turned them into a 10-6 team;
Bill O'Brian took over a 2-14 Texans team and turned them into a 9-7 team. and he did it with Fitz.

Good coaches can implement their schemes, dreams, aspirations and visions a lot sooner than 3 years.

McD has been handed a better team than in at least 2 of those cases. It is up to him to move it from point A to point B.

Im not willing to cut him much slack. If he wants to be the One Vision of the franchise...he needs to take responsibility for the product.

[Arm of Harm]

Did he do any of this?

Serious question, I dont follow press conferences. Or is this related to Rex?

My 3-4 win team comment comes from:
- WR position is worse
- QB position is worse (enough tape of Tyrod to expose him)
- CB is worse
- LB is a questionmark at least
- probably new system on O and D (at least on D)


Topas, just to add to your list, I would say that the RB position is worse. Partly, that's because we lost Gillislee. Granted, Gillislee wasn't the starter. But he was a rock solid football player, and an important contributor at the RB position. Also, LeSean McCoy had a stellar year last year, at an advanced age for a RB. Odds are against him having an equally good year this season.

The best aspect of the team last year was the running game. Of the three best runners--McCoy, Gillislee, and Tyrod--I'm expecting decline from two of them.

[DraftCzar]

http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/12/terry-pegula-explains-involved-sean-mcdermott-russ-brandon-gm-search/
If this was posted previously, I never saw it, sorry.
Were people saying Russ was much too busy to be a football voice in Pegula's ear ?
Good thing McDermott had the other ear.

Hate hear he is anywhere near these decisions...

[Historian]

If Brandon is so good at his 95% why is this team last in the league in revenue?

He sucks.

Deal with it.

[Arm of Harm]

If this were true, it would be the biggest problem I could imagine and we should riot in the streets.

The Bills playoff drought is the longest current drought in major sports. If the drought itself isn't going to cause us to riot in the streets, I don't think an underlying cause of the drought will do so either.

At the moment, I believe McDermott is in complete control of the Bills' football operations, and can prevent Russ from taking the team in a direction he doesn't like. That's all well and good as far as it goes. But if McDermott should fail, that would create a power vacuum at the top. Russ's football influence would expand to fill that vacuum. That, of course, would be disastrous.

Russ Brandon came to the Bills (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Brandon) in 1997. Our last playoff game was in 1999. There are high school age Bills fans who hadn't even been born when the Bills last made the playoffs. Some of them are even in college. I'm not laying 100% of the blame for the playoff drought at Russ Brandon's feet. On the other hand, he's had varying degrees of football-related influence on the team over the years, and that obviously hasn't worked out so well.

I would also point out that the football side and marketing side are intertwined. For example, suppose the Bills sign a guy like Terrell Owens, hoping to sell more tickets. Which they do. But then there's the (inevitable?) disappointment, when things don't work out as well as planned, or as well as Russ Brandon had led fans to believe. If something like that happens just once, most fans will give the team the benefit of the doubt. But when it happens again and again and again--as it has under Brandon--then at some point the team's stockpile of credibility becomes depleted. It becomes increasingly difficult to get fans excited about big splash/big hype player signings. The fans become weary and (in some cases) apathetic, due to the continued cycle of large emotional investment followed by disappointed hope. Brandon's ineptitude on the football side of things is eroding the Bills' long-term ability to market themselves. That's why it's to everyone's benefit--including Brandon's--for someone like McDermott to keep him entirely out of football decisions.

[justasportsfan]

To all of you Brandon haters: He will be with the Bills for a long, long time. He is a very good business executive, and the Pegulas really like him. He has had little say in football-related issues for a while, and with McDermott, Beane, Gaines et. al. having been brought in to run the football side of the operation, Brandon will have virtually no influence there.

So really, why don't we gripe about something else?
People here know more than anyone in OBD Jan. They also think that even though the Pegulas are in the middle of it all, they are still smarter than the billionaire and the guy that got them to buy tickets . We have keyboard trillionaires here on BZ Jan.

[HAMMER]

If Brandon is so good at his 95% why is this team last in the league in revenue?

He sucks.

Deal with it.

They are last in the league in revenue as they have to keep ticket prices down to accommodate the lack of money in WNY. They also have less fans than many teams due to sucking for the entirety of their existence, with the exception of four years, which were painful in their own right. Russ Brandon is not the problem. People need to stop beating a dead horse.

[Mace]

People here know more than anyone in OBD Jan. They also think that even though the Pegulas are in the middle of it all, they are still smarter than the billionaire and the guy that got them to buy tickets . We have keyboard trillionaires here on BZ Jan.

Well...you know, honestly, sometimes they do. You see it often over time on boards, where common people see things well before the pertinent ones do. Very often, you included.

People are often wrong too of course, but a lot of people have paid more attention to the franchise and the sport than the owner over time, decades even. Pegula himself admitted when he bought the team he wasn't so a football guy, so he's playing catchup. Big difference though in saying you could become a natural gas billionaire better than Terry did. Expertise in certain facets of life don't translate across the board...why, a lot of people have a better grasp of history or world affairs than the current President, though he's pretty rich and seemingly accomplished.

Doesn't make criticism automatically right or wrong but worth noting over time, because let's face it, a good chunk of it has been correct over the history of Buffalo's (to date) futile franchises.

Maybe this time it works. I sure hope it does, but it's not to hard to see apparent flaws in a given moment and point them out, you do too, because, well, they're obvious points of contention.

[Arm of Harm]

People here know more than anyone in OBD Jan. They also think that even though the Pegulas are in the middle of it all, they are still smarter than the billionaire and the guy that got them to buy tickets . We have keyboard trillionaires here on BZ Jan.


I do not claim to be better at building an oil company than Terry Pegula, or better at sports marketing than Russ Brandon. Neither has anyone else on these boards, at least that I've seen. Your implication to the contrary is a straw man argument. (Although I very much doubt Brandon is anywhere near as good at sports marketing as Pegula is at building oil companies.)

I do claim that I would have made better draft day decisions than taking Donte Whitner 8th overall, or taking QBs such as Losman and Manuel. Nor am I unique in this. Let's say that back in 2000 you'd randomly chosen some intelligent Bills fans and had armed them with draft guides. Over the years you let them make mock draft selections. During the next fifteen years, most of them would have done a better job of drafting than the Bills' front office. This is not to suggest that an intelligent fan with draft guides is how a team should be run. It is, however, a better way of running a football team than what the Bills actually did.

[SpikedLemonade]

If Brandon is so good at his 95% why is this team last in the league in revenue?

He sucks.

Deal with it.

YUP

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

I just can't believe there are idiots here who will defend this weasel. Just can't believe it.

[SpikedLemonade]

This thread needs more nipple.....


....AND more cowbell....




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kx9MdYYx7o

[justasportsfan]

They are last in the league in revenue as they have to keep ticket prices down to accommodate the lack of money in WNY. They also have less fans than many teams due to sucking for the entirety of their existence, with the exception of four years, which were painful in their own right. Russ Brandon is not the problem. People need to stop beating a dead horse.

If the bills raised the prices to match NE, we wouldn't even be whining about how Russ sucks because we wont even have a team.
Imagine WNYers paying the same amount downstaters pay for homes with the salary upstarts make.

Brandon kept the team viable so that people in Buffalo whose city needed 1 billion from the state to bail out from becoming the next Detroit afford tickets. Uet he's stupid.

[justasportsfan]

Well...you know, honestly, sometimes they do. You see it often over time on boards, where common people see things well before the pertinent ones do. Very often, .

Not when it comes to what goes on behind closed doors. That's my point. People here talk as if they have inside /1st hand information.

Also, my point is that if people are smarter than Pegulas running a business Is like to see their bank account.

I don't have a problem with the Pegulas asking Russ for his input. Every decision affects business side of things because Russ is going to have to market it.

It's not a bad thing to let your right hand know what your left hand is doing.

[Historian]

It's not a bad thing to let your right hand know what your left hand is doing.

It is if the fans are being jerked off.

[Arm of Harm]

I don't have a problem with the Pegulas asking Russ for his input.

I do. Nothing about Russ's football decisions suggests he's prepared to compete against the likes of Bill Belichick. If you have someone on the team who does know football--such as McDermott--you don't want his decisions second-guessed by someone whose football judgement is much weaker. Nor do you want a good football decision recommended by McDermott to be vetoed or sidetracked based on whatever marketing considerations Brandon might raise. That's a stupid way to run a team, at least if the objective is to maximize the probability of winning a Super Bowl. Brandon is incompetent, at least when it comes to the football side of things. The more influence incompetent employees are allowed to have, the more that competent employees' influence is diluted.

[justasportsfan]

It is if the fans are being jerked off.Pegulas bought the team and kept the team in Buffalo when he didn't have to. He's made mistakes but is willing to swallow the money spent to correct that mistake and yet the fans are being jerked off?

You could always cheer for the browns.

[SpikedLemonade]

It is if the fans are being jerked off.

Let's just hope there is an eventual "happy ending"....



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSf02Ep_6X4

[YardRat]

I cheer for the Browns, unless they are playing the Bills.

[justasportsfan]

I do. Nothing about Russ's football decisions suggests he's prepared to compete against the likes of Bill Belichick. If you have someone on the team who does know football--such as McDermott--you don't want his decisions second-guessed by someone whose football judgement is much weaker. Nor do you want a good football decision recommended by McDermott to be vetoed or sidetracked based on whatever marketing considerations Brandon might raise. That's a stupid way to run a team, at least if the objective is to maximize the probability of winning a Super Bowl. Brandon is incompetent, at least when it comes to the football side of things. The more influence incompetent employees are allowed to have, the more that competent employees' influence is diluted.
Do we know for fact that the bold part in your post is happening? Is this an assumption?

Since we're all making assumptions then I can assume that if Russ is getting in the way of winning he'd be fired since the Pegulas have made it clear that they want to win a SB .

[Arm of Harm]

Do we know for fact that the bold part in your post is happening? Is this an assumption?

Since we're all making assumptions then I can assume that if Russ is getting in the way of winning he'd be fired since the Pegulas have made it clear that they want to win a SB .

In answer to your question, I do not claim to have any special inside knowledge about the workings at One Bills Drive. My post was based on recent reports that Pegula had gotten Brandon's input before hiring our new GM. If accurate, those reports imply that Russ Brandon is once again providing football-related input to this organization.

Influence is a zero sum game, especially with an NFL football team. Every team has a strictly finite set of resources, whether those resources be draft picks, salary cap space, roster positions, or general manager positions. If Russ Brandon is influencing the football side of the house, it can only be by diluting someone else's influence.

In this case, I think McDermott has enough influence that he can prevent Brandon from messing up the football side of things too badly. But if for whatever reason McDermott's influence should temporarily wane, Brandon will be right there with all sorts of bright, football-related ideas to offer.

[trapezeus]

I know for a fact that Brandon has meddled in things like drafting ej Manuel. But I can't offer you that proof or who told me that. But the stories are numerous in his reign in buffalo. He's a suck up and talks the part while selling people down the road to save himself. Hesgood at it and it only seems like now the pegulas are a little more wise to it. He might stick around 2-3 more years but in the first time since he kept getting more responsibility has been forced to step back on the day to day. If they keep it that way, maybe we have a chance. If not, then we got a whole lot more losing to do

[Arm of Harm]

I know for a fact that Brandon has meddled in things like drafting ej Manuel. But I can't offer you that proof or who told me that. But the stories are numerous in his reign in buffalo. He's a suck up and talks the part while selling people down the road to save himself. Hesgood at it and it only seems like now the pegulas are a little more wise to it. He might stick around 2-3 more years but in the first time since he kept getting more responsibility has been forced to step back on the day to day. If they keep it that way, maybe we have a chance. If not, then we got a whole lot more losing to do

I'll allow that it's possible that Brandon provided his input on draft day, in support of the E.J. Manuel pick. Wouldn't surprise me, in fact.

That being said, there's plenty of blame for the Manuel pick to go around. Buddy Nix was the general manager when the trigger was pulled. However bad Doug Whaley's advice may have been, Nix must bear his share of the blame for that bungled draft pick.

On the other hand, Whaley should by no means escape blame here. Whaley was clearly "high on E.J." both when serving as an advisor to Nix, and later after becoming Bills' GM. The trade-up for Watkins was clearly a decision to go all-in on E.J. Whaley's words matched his actions: in talks at Bills backers meetings, for example, Whaley indicated his very favorable impression of E.J.'s future in the NFL. Nothing about his time with the Bills suggested that Whaley is capable of evaluating QB talent. The only reason Whaley was not immediately fired over the Manuel debacle was because Rex Ryan (of all people) suggested the Bills sign Tyrod Taylor. Any time Rex Ryan can do the GM's job better than the GM, you know there's a problem.

The E.J. Manuel decision is the type of mistake Doug Whaley would have made on his own, without input from someone like Russ Brandon. In the case of the Manuel pick, it may be that Brandon attempted to push Nix and Whaley into going where Whaley wanted to go anyway. I expect this front office to be far more professional and competent in its QB evaluation process than Whaley had been.