Why I think Ralph hired Marv

[L.A. Playa]

Now I know I am gonna get ton of flack for this, but I am entittled to my opinion.

Guys who lived through the Bills years in the 70' and 80's please confirm the facts.

My dad always told me Ralph was a cheap SOB that only cared about the money in his pocket and not the fans of Buffalo. He said this because the Bills where a business investment for him not a passion. In fact Ralphs first choice for location of his franchise was Miami. When the league couldhave folded if the Raiders would have Ralph stepped in and saved the day to save his investment.

During the 70's and80's the Bills product was usually worse than it is today and there was always innuendo's nyRalph if he didnt get what he wanted he would take his investment and leave.

Flash to the glory years the 90's Ralph becomes the loveable old owner who only wants towins for the fans, more BS, factin the 90's behind more innuendo'sbyRalph threatenong to leave Doug Fluties sucess helps the team sell the tickets they need to to keep the team in Buffalo.

Now why does Ralph hire Marv. Maybe all this will work out and Marv will do great. Think about it he knows he needs to make a change at least at GM and knows he has to make a splash at the hiring to keep ticket sales up. He still has to pay TD and tomake a big splash have to dole out big bucks ona big name GM.

Wait Marv wants a shot, he is 80, no experience could get him cheap, probably paying less than he would for a top GM for Marv and TD combined, plus he brings back the feel good days of the Super Bowl years and keeps tickets steady and fans happy.

I hope Marv, who is highly intelligent and a good guy does great, but to me this is the same ol cheap ass Ralph my dad used to tell me about and this is a PR move by the orginization to keep fan interest and not cause Ralph to fire MM and paymore money out for nothing. Even as an old man Ralph is still a savy business man nothing more and knows how to make money but does he truley care about winning as long as the profit margin is still high ??

Just my opinion

[RedEyE]

Ton of Flack

http://www.homestead.com/genecarson/files/flack.jpg

[Historian]

There could be some truth in that, sure. Let's face it, it's a business, and he wants to make money at it, but I have to believe, this time, it's mostly about loyalty.

Simply put, Marv is a brilliant man, with impeccable character. He brought us some of the best times in the history of the franchise, and Ralph trusts him. He had the highest regard for Lou Saban too, but Lou quit on him twice. Look what ML has done since he's left....broadcasted PSGs for us...wrote a book about his experiences here...never had a bad thing to say about the organization or the city....EVER!

I've met Mr. Wilson on four occasions. Each time, he mentioned tradition in regards to the Buffalo Bills.

Mix tradition and loyalty, and (in Ralph's mind) you have an individual you can trust with your investment.

So, I don't think you're totally wrong Playa...but in this instance, The Historian is going to give Mr. Wilson the benefit of the doubt.

[L.A. Playa]

I hope I am wrong as well

[RedEyE]

Owning a football team is business first. Since the salary cap has been set, it's now status quo to be frugal.

[L.A. Playa]

your personal attacks are really lame and make you look stupid

[footballhottie]

Ralf knows what he is doing and marv is an amazing person...nuff said. This is a business and should be treated as such.

[RedEyE]

Why I think LAplayer should stop talking about football. By Elizabeth Victoria When LAplayer was little he was too tiny and stupid to play football with the other kids. So he would go to his dad and talk crap about their home team. When LAplayer got older he moved to LA and started wearing silk shirts. Why anyone would trust a man that wears silk and lives in LA to talk football is beyond me. LAplayer dosn't like Marv because Marv is a real man and dosn't take it up the ass like TD..this aspect is foreign to him which scares him. Next week i will disscuss why 5 foot tall WWE fans from NYC shouldn't mess with a 6 foot blonde with anger problems.

You can disagree, but calling someone a "poo-poo head" is childish and lame.

[DaBills]

My old man watched home games from the start, and I grew up with them through the 70's, but he didn't complain about Ralph being cheap. It was more why the team sucked at times.

But later as I got older and looked at what teams do in terms of spending and see who's committed to winning and who should just be committed, it becomes apparent. This move strikes me as a move by an owner who knows he's losing fan interest fast and has to restore respectability - FAST. So from that POV, if he didn't act, he'd lose $$$.

He's also one of the few remaining original AFL owners and he doesn't have a ring like the others do. That imo, is killing him when he sees the bling at owner's meetings. Speculation here, but he probably figures he's got the nice-guy rep, but where's my damn ring after all the time put in, you know?

Either way, we need to always think it's a business first for any of these guys. We may not have a SB win, but Ralph's still making money. So's the joke of an operation in Phoenix. They all do. TV money and shared revenue sees to that. I don't feel bad for Ralph from a money POV - more, it would be nice to see the guy get a ring after time served in one city after other owners can move their team to a new city and get one.

Marv may be his last chance to rebuild their shot at a SB run on his watch.

[footballhottie]

You can disagree, but calling someone a "poo-poo head" is childish and lame. FINE! i disagree with LA...

[L.A. Playa]

I wasnt attacking you. I was writing a story. BTW your silk shirt makes you look :limp: People im just trying to kick sence into men... Men are to be manly..so go out side and chop some wood...


:yawn: more cheap personal attacks with no substance or intelligent thought

[L.A. Playa]

fans like FBH who have jumped on and off every team in the NFL's bandwagon don't have the maturity or intellectual brain power to comprehend posts such as mine, so they resort to grammar school insults thinking they will hurt someone, well they don't and since the playing field here is tilted where she can personally attack posters but can not be attacked in return without warning and repercussions Choose not to stoop to her grammar school maturity and intellect

[Historian]

Ralf knows what he is doing and marv is an amazing person...nuff said. This is a business and should be treated as such.

It's R-A-L-P-H.

ralf is what you do in the parking lot after games.

;)

[footballhottie]

NO I DON"T!!!!!! lol i never "ralf" when i drink..i just get C-R-A-Z-Y

[Mudflap1]

Playa,

I think your post has some merit. However, along with Billsology, I think you have to add in the loyalty factor. Ralph handed over the keys to Tom Donahoe for the past five years and looked what happened. Ralph had no involvement, and while he might have made money, the fans got pissed at Donahoe as he comes off as nebulous and a bit cold, like a politician. Most importantly, he didn't deliver a winning team.

Yes, I believe the fact that he fired Donahoe and hired Marv instead of someone like Ron Wolf has some dollar implications -- I'm sure Marv isn't scalping Ralph on his contract. However, let's remember it appears from reports (whether they are true or not is a different story), that Ralph was ready to pull the plug on Mularkey, but he ended up complying and getting a second chance (probably because he fired his assistants).

Marv is a great guy, a very intelligent guy, and he knows football. No, he's never been a GM before, but I believe because of his qualities, he has the upside to do it. The guy knows football and is a winner. But Ralph can trust him, and knows Marv is a good leader who knows his role, and will keep Ralph involved in the day to day operations. This is the cornerstone to why I believe he was hired.

That all being said, I'm definitely ready to give it a go and see how Marv does. I think he might just do a darn good job.

Jon

[R. Rich]

Now I know I am gonna get ton of flack for this, but I am entittled to my opinion.



Where did you get that stupid notion from?

[LtBillsFan66]

I think Ralph has f'ed things up royally on occasion but I believe he wants to win and not only profit. And he also cares for the fans, IMO.

[ublinkwescore]

Where did you get that stupid notion from?

No flack - just beatings right.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Personally, I think Ralph has evolved over the years.

When the Bills played in the rockpile, it's hard to imagine that he was making much money there. He did hold WNY hostage for a new stadium. It was always reported that he was in Seattle or Jacksonville (back then neither had a team) or someplace else threatening to move the Bills. The ill fated dome in Lancaster almost did us all in when that fell apart, but in the end, Rich Sadium was built.

He got a reputation for being cheap because, back then, we were always among the last to sign our #1 draft pick. Every time OJ's contract was up, it was a big hassle to get him signed. Every time a veteran player would leave town, it seemed like they all cryed about $$.

As the TV contracts get bigger and bigger you could put a team in Elmira and it would still get boatloads of cash, so $$ isn't as much of an issue as it was then.

In the late 80's Ralph was probably making so much money that he gradually turned the corner and decided to try harder to win. He did spend money on the Super Bowl teams and today he spends $$ on players (Spikes, e.g.)


I will say, however, that it would not surprise me if Ralph got Marv on the cheap.