Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

[bob86]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

As far as Brandon being Managing Partner of the Bills, it is my guess as a business entity, the Buffalo Bills are organized as a Family Limited Partnership (FLP) or something akin to it. A FLP is an estate planning tool that has become popular in recent years. It is used in place of or in association with a trust. Basically, the ownership interests of the Bills are broken into various pieces and each piece placed in a limited partnership. There can be any number of limited partners (anywhere from 1 to 20 or more) that are spread among various family members. A FLP can be sort of shell game with various limited partner interests and their corresponding values moved around (normally in the ownership family) as the need arises. The one legal entity holding the whole group of limited partners together is the general partner. Normally, there is only one general partner and under state law and IRS rules the general partner has management control over the business, with the limited partners having limited input. With that said, in almost all FLPs, the managing partner is little more than a figurehead, needed only for legal purposes, in reality the head of the family makes all the major business decisions even though he be only a “limited partner.”

[Joe Fo Sho]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

The decision to hire Rex definitely kept them out of the playoffs last season and most likely this season.

What makes you think this was a playoff team last year/this year?

[Joe Fo Sho]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

You think he's the only one who can set ticket prices and sell naming rights? Please.

He's the one constant over the last decade of suckage. We know he's bad at football. As long as he's here, we have no idea if he does or doesn't influence football decisions. And he's the one who created the culture where a marketable move trumps a winning move, which is the most damning thing of all.

Since Pegula has been hired, what football-move would you say was knowingly made as a marketable decision over a thought-to-be-good football decision?

[cookie G]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

Since Pegula has been hired, what football-move would you say was knowingly made as a marketable decision over a thought-to-be-good football decision?

Why don't you just answer my question.

[YardRat]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

You think he's the only one who can set ticket prices and sell naming rights? Please.

He's the one constant over the last decade of suckage. We know he's bad at football. As long as he's here, we have no idea if he does or doesn't influence football decisions. And he's the one who created the culture where a marketable move trumps a winning move, which is the most damning thing of all.

That's not true.

Bud Carpenter has been with the team going back to the 80's. Jim Overdorf has been with them over 20 years.

[YardRat]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

He wouldn't be interviewing potential coaches if he no longer had that power. He wouldn't be one of the 2 advisors to the team owners in the coaching decision..if he didn't have that power.

You want to pretend it isn't true, but anyone looking at it, objectively and honestly would say he wields at least influential power, if not direct power, in head coaching decisions.

People want to close their eyes to the power he used in getting Rex here...that's fine..its not very honest, and intentionally ignorant..but that's for them.



The decision to hire Rex definitely kept them out of the playoffs last season and most likely this season.

And set this team back several years. In most cases, that's enough. Except Buffalo. Tom Donahoe got 5 years. Many other GMs get less if they don't have a play off team.

But the question really isn't...why should he be fired, the question is..why should he be retained?

He became defacto GM in 2008, when Marv went into retirement.
In 2010, after acting as defacto GM for 2 years, he was promoted to a supervisory position OVER the GM, the GM HE selected.
In 2013, while acting as president, he was ACTIVELY involved in teh selection of the new coach...and after an astounding 4 interviews were conducted...he hired his buddy from Syracuse.
In 2015, he was again an active part of the new coaching decision..with similar results.

So.. after forgetting this nonsense that he's "not participating in football decisions"...

it comes down to this..

He has been in a position of power of GM or higher for a period of 9 years. And in those 9 years, what has he done to make this a better football team?

Whether through personnel moves, GM hires, coaching hires or anything else he has authority to do..and has exercised...what has he done to improve this football team?

The period of asking what has he done wrong is long passed. His grace period was over years ago.

The question is...what has he done right?

To be fair, as owner pro temp during Ralph's final few years Brandon oversaw a franchise that was built and ready to contend for the playoffs with a dominant defense and solid special teams. The only thing they needed was an average QB and one or two offensive linemen. The reality is, the only difference between Denver and Buffalo last season was a coaching hire and what direction the new coach took the team. Now, I tend to be a half-apologist for Brandon because I respect what he has done from a business management standpoint but I'll re-iterate...even I think the Wrecks hire has his marketing-stank fingerprints all over it, and if he really did influence the Pegula's to move in that direction there should be a conscious effort to publicly remove him from any and all actual football-related decisions.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

Why don't you just answer my question.

My point is that he's in a new role, that doesn't involve the football side of the team. You can list all of the garbage football decisions you want, and you'd be right. No one can argue that.

He's screwed up a lot in the past, you'd have to be an idiot not to see that. He's also done some good things for the business side of this team, and you'd have to be an idiot not to see that. He's in a business role now, which seems fine to me.

Why don't you answer my question now. Why do you think the Bills had the potential to be a playoff team last year and this year?

[Joe Fo Sho]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

That's not true.

Bud Carpenter has been with the team going back to the 80's. Jim Overdorf has been with them over 20 years.

We should fire them, too. Just because, ya know?

Is there anyone else we can blame for our failures? Is the midget trainer still here? Any secretaries or janitors that have been here for longer than 5 years?

[OpIv37]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

Since Pegula has been hired, what football-move would you say was knowingly made as a marketable decision over a thought-to-be-good football decision?

Rex.

Trading for McCoy.

hosing the 2016 cap by bringing in McCoy and Clay in 2015.

[OpIv37]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

We should fire them, too. Just because, ya know?

Is there anyone else we can blame for our failures? Is the midget trainer still here? Any secretaries or janitors that have been here for longer than 5 years?

Don't know much about Carpenter but Overdorf should be fired too. The cap has been a mess for this team. It's either stuffing $20 million in a mattress or being unable to make moves because of all the dead cap.

[Mace]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

My point is that he's in a new role, that doesn't involve the football side of the team.

Well, then you are saying he will not be a part of the next GM or Coaching search ?

[Mace]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

Don't know much about Carpenter but Overdorf should be fired too. The cap has been a mess for this team. It's either stuffing $20 million in a mattress or being unable to make moves because of all the dead cap.

Dunno about that one. Overdorf fits in the people Whaley tells him to.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

Rex.

Trading for McCoy.

hosing the 2016 cap by bringing in McCoy and Clay in 2015.

Trading for a running back who had over 3600 yards from scrimmage over the 2 previous years isn't a football decision?

Just because Rex didn't work out doesn't mean they valued his marketing value over his football unintelligence.

You think Clay really helped market this team? Really?

- - - Updated - - -

Don't know much about Carpenter

That's certainly no reason not to call for his head on a stick, right?

[Joe Fo Sho]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

Well, then you are saying he will not be a part of the next GM or Coaching search ?

I'm saying that his role today is to make business decisions while Whaley makes football decisions.

[Mace]

Re: Why Russ Brandon needs to go.

I'm saying that his role today is to make business decisions while Whaley makes football decisions.

Ok, but this comes back to how influential he is in Pegula's ear regarding football decisions and speaks to what he's done previously in terms of involvement with the Ryan search. If he was pure business he'd have no involvement in replacing Whaley or Ryan this time then.

If he'll be involved with next coach/gm search, it means they turned to him in football matters.