Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills Offseason Thread: Bills Apparently Think Signing Incognito a Good Idea

[enthusiast]

RIP last season.

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[enthusiast]

Well, you have accused him of being over his head, so really the burden is on you to back up your statement. But why not, since I know you won't.

I actually extend arguments for days/weeks so I'm not sure who you're thinking of.

1. Pegula has owned a professional sports franchise for just over 4 years now. He's familiar with how a pro sports team operates, how interactions with other league owners go, and how to work with the league office. He's familiar with how the media works, and how to interact with them. Most NFL owners never owned a sports franchise at all before purchasing their teams, so it could be argued Pegula is better positioned.

Pegula has owned a middling to poorly performing NHL franchise, it's true. Familiarity with league structure or media doesn't reflect on his knowledge of the sport or ability to staff effectively, and you know it.

2. Pegula owned a player agency representing multiple professional players. This provides him with experience and knowledge of how contracts are negotiated, how to work with players, and interact with the league from the player's side of things. This is also experience and most NFL owners do not have before purchasing their teams.

That was always France's show, as shown by the divestment endgame. Still, a working knowledge of capgeek doesn't make a competent GM.

3. Pegula was vetted extensively by the NFL. Had their been concerns about his competency to adequately manage NFL team ownership, he would not have been approved.

Come now, that's a ridiculous angle. I'm not saying he's a war criminal or embezzler.

4. Pegula owned and managed a company that was sold for over 3 times what he paid for the Bills. It's not possible to do that without a good level of business knowledge.

Business knowledge =/= sports business knowledge. Look at the Lions.

So there's 4 major points that completely discount your accusation of being unqualified.

Again, YOU have made the accusation, YOU back it up.

They don't even address my point whatsoever. Pegula isn't inherently qualified to staff an NFL front office, and should his desire to acquire Polian/Shannyteam be true it's indicative. Pegula can be a savvy businessman with sports connections up the wazoo but so is Daniel Snyder.

 

[SackTastic]

He's owned this team 3 months, and done NOTHING WRONG, yet he's being accused of being an incompetent buffon. He's made no moves, no hires, no terminations.

I have no idea if he'll get it right or get it wrong, but I sure as hell am not going to participate in bashing the guy for what he hasn't done yet.

I've had more intelligent conversations with my cats. Take care.

 

[enthusiast]

He's owned this team 3 months, and done NOTHING WRONG, yet he's being accused of being an incompetent buffon. He's made no moves, no hires, no terminations.

I have no idea if he'll get it right or get it wrong, but I sure as hell am not going to participate in bashing the guy for what he hasn't done yet.

I've had more intelligent conversations with my cats. Take care.

"What are conditional statements aaah my brain hurts"

this is absolutely hilarious given your opening on the last post though

 

[Djp]

Is thus a Pegula bashing thread?

 

[vcv]

You need to be "qualified" to own an NFL team and hire a GM?

What defines being qualified? Can you quantify that for me?

 

[enthusiast]

You need to be "qualified" to own an NFL team and hire a GM?

What defines being qualified? Can you quantify that for me?

Your questions can be answered with even the most superficial reading of earlier in the discussion

 

[SabresFan26]

Rex Ryan officially confirmed as a wanting to be met with by the Bills per Sal Maiorana

 

[stokes84]

Is Lane Kiffin a serious thought? I hope not.

 

[Bps21*]

You're rooting for his team...he's not running yours. You can go root for another one. (And hopefully post about that one elsewhere)

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

Pegula has shown to be a mediocre to average at best owner.

Spends lots of $$$ = ! = Good Sports franchise owner

I guess it is frowned upon criticizing Pegula whatsoever. He has shown he gets involved with his teams when he needs to let more qualified people do that . Remember when we signed Ehrhoff and mentioned how he wanted him because his daughter liked how he played in the playoffs ? (Not to say Ehrhoff wasn't a good pickup but you get the point)

 

[vcv]

Your questions can be answered with even the most superficial reading of earlier in the discussion

Actually, they can not, because you never quantified what qualifications a good owner has. You just alluded to it, but never actually said anything.

I assume this is what you think counts as "answered":

There are definitive right and wrong ways to run franchises. There are ways that have historically brought success and those that have not. The behavior that has been suggested by separate accounts and past evidence of Pegula's actions is suggestive of the latter types.

 

[whiplash]

Further, if Polian was truly being pursued, that was an enormous error in judgment. Looking at that with the hindsight of the LaFontaine hire is alarming.

Someone blew apart your Polian arguments in the last thread and I don't think we got a response. Care to to elaborate on your wrongness in this regard?

 

[enthusiast]

Actually, they can not, because you never quantified what qualifications a good owner has. You just alluded to it, but never actually said anything.

I assume this is what you think counts as "answered":

We'd all agree of course that there is more than one standard for a good owner. That's already been hashed out. However, what characteristics would most agree that a good owner needs to have? If anything, the ability to put their team in the best possible position to succeed.

If you have grade A, B, and C options, a good owner chooses A, a decent one chooses B, a poor one C. Acceptable?

In this scenario, Shanahan & Shanahan is so laughable that even rotoworld is throwing the C out there. I'd posit Polian is between a B and C. This is the spur of the conditional statement that if the reports are true, Pegula is starting to look a lot more like Dan Snyder than Bob Kraft.

Someone blew apart your Polian arguments in the last thread and I don't think we got a response. Care to to elaborate on your wrongness in this regard?

I actually hadn't seen that but it won't be that difficult to correct them, would you care to find it?

You're rooting for his team...he's not running yours. You can go root for another one. (And hopefully post about that one elsewhere)

Perhaps that's a true way to put it. It's his, and he can do whatever he wants with it, but that doesn't make him good at it

 

[vcv]

We'd all agree of course that there is more than one standard for a good owner. That's already been hashed out. However, what characteristics would most agree that a good owner needs to have? If anything, the ability to put their team in the best possible position to succeed.

If you have grade A, B, and C options, a good owner chooses A, a decent one chooses B, a poor one C. Acceptable?

In this scenario, Shanahan & Shanahan is so laughable that even rotoworld is throwing the C out there. I'd posit Polian is between a B and C. This is the spur of the conditional statement that if the reports are true, Pegula is starting to look a lot more like Dan Snyder than Bob Kraft.

Fair enough. An owner is considered qualified when they choose a candidate you deem worthy.

 

[enthusiast]

Fair enough. An owner is considered qualified when they choose a candidate you deem worthy.

Well, if not me, or consensus among knowledgeable parties, then what? Can I just not judge them? How objectively awful would a candidate have to be?

 

[enthusiast]

Ghost of Knute Rockne Hired to Coach Bills, Pegula: "He's Around Here Somewhere"


Well c'mon you gotta let this play out before you judge

 

[vcv]

Well, if not me, or consensus among knowledgeable parties, then what? Can I just not judge them? How objectively awful would a candidate have to be?

I didn't say it's wrong, I did say "fair enough". I just wanted to understand your decision process. I don't completely agree, but it's reasonable.

And in understanding your process, I now get that being "qualified" is a fluid thing subject to the latest move, and not really very fixed.

 

[vcv]

Ghost of Knute Rockne Hired to Coach Bills, Pegula: "He's Around Here Somewhere"


Well c'mon you gotta let this play out before you judge

I know you're trying to be funny, but you're talking about 2 guys that have had a great amount of success in the past at the positions Pegula wanted/wants to hire them for. Granted, their success is way in the past and arguably irrelevant at this point, but it is success and that alone should not put them under the worst classification you have.

You talk about qualified when it comes to owner, but then discounted some candidates that are "qualified", even if past their prime.

 

[enthusiast]

I didn't say it's wrong, I did say "fair enough". I just wanted to understand your decision process. I don't completely agree, but it's reasonable.

And in understanding your process, I now get that being "qualified" is a fluid thing subject to the latest move, and not really very fixed.

I think it has to be a fluid standard at this point in his sports "career." He's only a few years in, and has made some good and some poor decisions. He's obviously going to learn from them. Well, hopefully. It's just that after a while too many mistakes can snowball, or a lot of good moves can protect you from faults.

 

[enthusiast]

I know you're trying to be funny, but you're talking about 2 guys that have had a great amount of success in the past at the positions Pegula wanted/wants to hire them for. Granted, their success is way in the past and arguably irrelevant at this point, but it is success and that alone should not put them under the worst classification you have.

You talk about qualified when it comes to owner, but then discounted some candidates that are "qualified", even if past their prime.

If we're using that same standard as the ABC, I wouldn't consider those two parties qualified to GM in the same way that a doctor who trained in the 70s isn't qualified to perform cutting edge surgeries. I love Marty Schottenheimer with all my heart and joked about him here but he's the same way imo. To me, they're all guaranteed C results.


I also feel very strongly that Polian is a sham and would happily engage on that in specificity should specific arguments come up.

 

[enthusiast]

Note that the Dolphins just hired a czar-type who drove the Jets into the ground so maybe I'm just out to lunch on what NFL people want here.

 

[VaporTrail]

Whaley talking up Manual

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/whaley-talking-up-manuel-in-coach-interviews-20150106

Sounds like a big gamble to me, and that another season could be wasted away if EJ doesn't pan out....

 

[enthusiast]

Pondered FA Targets:

Tyrod Taylor
Mark Ingram
Mike Iupati

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

Note that the Dolphins just hired a czar-type who drove the Jets into the ground so maybe I'm just out to lunch on what NFL people want here.

Lol at the Dolphins. Will never understand how Rex outlasted him though.