Sometime last week, Bills owner Ralph Wilson decided that halftime of Sunday’s game against the Browns wasn’t the best time for him to ceremonially receive his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring.
That’s fine, except that he didn’t tell the media about the cancellation. Or the public, who thought it was part of Sunday’s festivities. They waited at halftime for a ceremony that never came. Then they waited for a Bills offense that was also M.I.A.
(And yes, we’re a little late on this story, but it got buried in the avalanche of news the last two days, and deserves some notice outside the city of Buffalo.)
Wilson was reportedly not feeling up to the ceremony physically and says he will reschedule. But he was at the game and there is doubt it will ever happen. The immediate reaction in Buffalo is that he didn’t want to get booed.
“It was an insult to Bills fans, who pay their hard-earned money to
support a dysfunctional, losing team,” Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News wrote Monday. “Don’t expect the worst from them.
Let them decide whether to boo. Many would have cheered because they’re
able to separate the Hall of Famer and founder from the foundering
owner.”
The Bills gave the crowd plenty of reason to boo before and after halftime, but the late cancellation and poor communication by the Bills is symbolic of a franchise struggling to right itself.
The Bills released a statement after the game about the cancellation:
“The focus of today’s game should be about the team and the fans,”
Wilson said. “I think most of our fans know that I’ve been inducted
into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
Bills fans focusing on the team will do so on television the next two weeks, when they travel to face the Jets and Panthers before a home game against the Texans, then a Week Nine bye.
It’s anyone’s guess whether we’ll see Wilson’s ceremony or head coach Dick Jauron after the break.
Bills owner Ralph Wilson has some tough decisions to make with that team.
He needs to clean house and start over.
This did not go over well in Buffalo. Former RB Thurman Thomas shed some light on “ring-gate”.
http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/2009/10/thurman-thomas-sheds-light-on-ring-gate/
Ralph has no idea how far he has pushed his loyal fans from western new york and southern ontario, people are going to give up. He has cheaped out, he needs to spend money to make money, and people aren’t going to take this garbage product for much longer.
I was at that horrible, horrible football game. I am a season ticket holder. Nobody knew there was a half-time presentation. The only word going around was some people said that the local Buffalo media had asked people; “IF” there was going to be a presentation, to Boo Mr. Wilson to let him know of our displeasure.
Mr. Wilson was at the game and SAW and HEARD much displeasure ALL game.
It was ugly and he KNOWS he has to do something. I don’t think he really knows where to turn now? Russ Brandon has his ear. Look for Dickie J to get gassed before the bye week. Bobby April will bring the “leaking airship into land” by week 17. Then let the Marty Schottenheimer/ Brian Billick/ Jim Fassel sweepstakes start!
that she-ho sure is werkin out real well, aint she…
There isn’t one ray of light with Buffalo’s current state.
No real GM, but rather a Ralph yes man who specializes in marketing tickets prior, and knows NOTHING about football players.
No real leadership or direction from football operations. Tom Modrak is a total joke.
No scouts worth their weight in horse poop, and who would want to work for Modrak anyway?
To top it all off, no real plan because the owner is too cheap to buy out a bad football coach. He would rather just hide than do the right thing for his paying customers.
This was your fault Ralph, nobody elses but you.
God help us if we get the no. 1 overall pick next year. The owner won’t want to sign him, and probably not the number 2 either.
I don’t think there has ever been a team with this dire of a future.
good call by wilson. fans are so short-sighted, it’s ridiculous.
that and the fact wilson is one surprise moment away from a heart attack. don’t rock the boat. the dude deserves the ability to scuttle that, IMO.
First good decision by Bills management this century.
50 years of losing football teams, granted we lucked out and had about 10 years of success including losing 4 super bowls in a row. I wish he would have done that ceremony, I for one would have tried to boo his face off, he deserves it.
I think it also bears mentioning that fans are currently organizing a walk out for the Texans Home Game.
At the two minute warning of the first half of the Texans game. Fans will leave the stadium in protest.
Fans are also trying to buy billboard space that says “FIRE DICK” along the roads to the stadium.
http://www.firedickjauron.wordpress.com
# George C says: October 13, 2009 4:19 PM
There isn’t one ray of light with Buffalo’s current state.
No real GM, but rather a Ralph yes man who specializes in marketing tickets prior, and knows NOTHING about football players.
No real leadership or direction from football operations. Tom Modrak is a total joke.
No scouts worth their weight in horse poop, and who would want to work for Modrak anyway?
To top it all off, no real plan because the owner is too cheap to buy out a bad football coach. He would rather just hide than do the right thing for his paying customers.
This was your fault Ralph, nobody elses but you.
God help us if we get the no. 1 overall pick next year. The owner won’t want to sign him, and probably not the number 2 either.
I don’t think there has ever been a team with this dire of a future.
———————-
Excellent assessment of the situation in Buffalo. The Bills are the new Lions, hopeless from top to bottom. They need a new GM that is a football guy, not a PR flack, and let that guy have his way. RW is 91, and probably not going to be around much longer, but the current plan is clearly not working.
Time to dynamite the whole thing. He may not be around to see the tree grow, but he can at least plant the seed.
He deserves to get booed, he is doing a bad job as owner of the team.
All he has to do is hire a solid GM and coach and things could be good for their franchise. They have some decent player building blocks to work from, but no strategy or vision of success that has logical merits. Hire a logic/game theory master and that’s all you have to do. Winning at football is a simple science, no reason to make it so complicated and to let people “who don’t get it” be in charge.
Maybe he’s planning to do the ceremony in the Jets at Bills game in TORONTO?
” but the late cancellation and poor communication by the Bills is symbolic of a franchise struggling to stop itself from going down for the 3rd time and drowning.”
Fixed your quote.
Seems like a good chance they’ll soon be the LA Bills.
Sorry Harrison,They’ll be the Toronto Bills and the Los Angeles Vikings!
This youtube clip pretty much sums Buffalo up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP8XPxPWaU4