Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
This is a potential first time scenario for the NFL. We have an owner 94. I have relatives his age, and they all start to lose their grasp and develop dementia at some point. The short term memory is shot maybe by 5-10 mins or two weeks. Yet they remember everything from years ago. I believe Ralph is entering this point, or almost there. And one thing he will remember is that he owns the Buffalo Bills, and he's not selling.
Conceivably, it could come to the point where the franchise is so poorly run and driven into the ground with no direction, that the NFL may have to step in for the sake of league, and demand that the team be sold. How can the future of the franchise, stadium leases or a new stadium be built, with absolutely no direction or commitment to the franchise.
Look at where we are. Who's running the team? Who fires Brandon? When does this organization become a real NFL organization and not this micky mouse bull****. The owner isn't sharp enough to step in and clean house. When does this end? Ralph could live 10 more years and not sell, and this nightmare will never end. The fanbase will be destroyed. Hell, the pregame shows on all three major networks, no one even talks about the Bills, or predicts the games. Why, because we have become a joke, the laughing stock of the NFL.
Until Ralph no longer owns this team, it will never turn around. I wonder if the league will step in at some point.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
The league cannot break a founder's 50 + year grip on the team, there's a point of diminishing losses if they even try.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
Considering the fact that Ralph is rarely seen in public and I'd guess hasn't had many conversations with you you seem to have formed a pretty detailed diagnosis.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
The league likes patsies-- it makes the rest of the league look better. To keep it marginalized into a small market like Buffalo-- even better.
That being said, you may notice that other struggling teams like Jacksonville and Cleveland have miraculously found buyers the past couple of years. Al Davis, of course, died before he could sell. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that the league seriously considers wresting control of the franchise from him, at least until they can arrange for a buyer, whoever that may be.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
He's 94 Eric, not much of a stretch.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Johnny Bugmenot
The league likes patsies-- it makes the rest of the league look better. To keep it marginalized into a small market like Buffalo-- even better.
That being said, you may notice that other struggling teams like Jacksonville and Cleveland have miraculously found buyers the past couple of years. Al Davis, of course, died before he could sell. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that the league seriously considers wresting control of the franchise from him, at least until they can arrange for a buyer, whoever that may be.
Making a move like this would devalue every Franchise because there's an end game precedent set for all teams, it's never going to happen.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
Nope, they don't give a **** about the Buffalo market to begin with.
If anything this helps the eventual move. Fans will stay away from the team going forward making it easier for them to peg Buffalo as a bad market. In the meantime LA is getting it's **** together to get a NFL team, guys like Kraft cream their pants at the idea of having a team in Europe/London so they continue to cultivate that market.
Buffalo fans continue to suffer, all is well.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
The only way the NFL would step in is if this team week in and week out was straight up uncompetitive and if the stands averaged 10k fans a game.
As long as we show up and play and people show up in seats, that's all the NFL really cares about.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Johnny Bugmenot
The league likes patsies-- it makes the rest of the league look better. To keep it marginalized into a small market like Buffalo-- even better.
The Bills sucking has nothing to do with NFL politics. The NFL did not make the Bills hire Nix & Chan, make bad draft choices and FA moves such as spending $100M on MW.
NFL is knows for having a level playing fiend which has resulted in small market teams like the Packers, Bucs, Steelers, Colts, and Saints have won SBs.
That being said, you may notice that other struggling teams like Jacksonville and Cleveland have miraculously found buyers the past couple of years. Al Davis, of course, died before he could sell. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that the league seriously considers wresting control of the franchise from him, at least until they can arrange for a buyer, whoever that may be.
The Bills are a privately owned company. No one is going to just take them away. That would me like someone else selling your car. Further, NFL are highly desirable business which are very exclusive. This finding a buyer is not difficult or miraculous!
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
There is no way the NFL would go for what would likely be a protracted legal battle with a "Hall of Fame" owner. They are just running the clock out until he dies, same as we are.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
Ya why not ...I wish Jim Kelly foce Ralph out. and I wish Jim kelly become Vp/GM Or OWNER
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
at george bush, walking healthily at 92 seemed to be at the top of his game.
the bills will never turn around. wilson or otherwise. we suck.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
paladin warrior
Ya why not ...I wish Jim Kelly foce Ralph out. and I wish Jim kelly become Vp/GM Or OWNER
PW speaks brilliance is his own code, easy discernible.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
He will be dead before 2014.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
I'm not wishing anyones death. Might not the NFL say to whoever is handling Ralph, we think you should sell the team.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
IlluminatusUIUC
There is no way the NFL would go for what would likely be a protracted legal battle with a "Hall of Fame" owner. They are just running the clock out until he dies, same as we are.
He's only a HoF owner because he got the league its long-awaited toehold into Canada.
Re: Might the NFL have to force Ralph out?
Quote:
The Bills sucking has nothing to do with NFL politics. The NFL did not make the Bills hire Nix & Chan, make bad draft choices and FA moves such as spending $100M on MW.
NFL is knows for having a level playing fiend which has resulted in small market teams like the Packers, Bucs, Steelers, Colts, and Saints have won SBs.
Oh, please.
You know who really owns the NFL? Television. They're responsible for half the league's revenue. And here's what television has to say about that:
"It is long proven in (... the) NFL (...) that spreading the wealth to (all) 32 teams is a prescription for deflating ratings." -- Len DeLuca, ESPN program director
The NFL likes dynasties. ESPN likes dynasties because they can ogle over Tom Brady and the Patriots all the time. Besides, every single market you mention (including Green Bay-MILWAUKEE) is bigger than Buffalo. I don't know how much of a hand these markets would have in keeping the Bills down (although I would tend to agree, I doubt they would, at all) but they're certainly not helping the way they constantly do with New England and the superstar QB teams. They were the ones hyping up the Bills signing Williams when I kept saying year after year his injuries were going to be an issue, and they have been.