Ralph Wilson, Jr. Gets a Bum Rap

I’m not from Buffalo—or western New York for that matter—but I've been a die-hard Bills fan since the late 1980s. So it’s no wonder that I have a different perspective on Ralph Wilson, Jr. than most of you probably do.

As a businessman, I think Mr. Wilson is a little sentimental (not a compliment in those circles) in his attempt to keep the Bills in Buffalo. Frankly, his bottom line could have been best served by moving them to greener pastures long ago.

The fact that he has not done so speaks volumes about him.

Sure, it’s not so easy to move an NFL franchise, but it’s been done many times during Wilson’s tenure. Each time he has stood up for the fans in those markets that stood to lose their team, always voting in favor of keeping NFL franchises right where they were.

"Big deal" to you, but consider that under the terms of the NFL’s revenue sharing scheme, Wilson and all of the other owners are best served by having teams in the markets that are most fruitful. 

Also consider that those other owners would love for the smaller markets, such as Buffalo, to concede their teams to the bigger markets, thus sweetening the revenue sharing pot.

It’s pretty clear that if Wilson chose to move the Bills, the other owners wouldn’t throw up much of a roadblock. After all, it’s not their market, but it is their money!

In fact, as I said, one of the biggest roadblocks to this sort of deal has been Wilson himself.

I suppose Wilson’s logic is that what’s best for the bottom line—today—may not be best for the league and the franchises themselves in the long-term. This is, after all, an AFL owner in Buffalo we’re talking about.

Maybe some of you concede my point but want to say, “Thanks, but no thanks,” because, as the hyperbole goes, "Ralph is cheap. He won’t spend money to field a competitive team.”

Well, let’s analyze that a bit, shall we?

It just so happens that by opening day 2007, the Bills ranked fourth in the NFL in team salary at roughly $108 million.

In that same year, the Giants won the Super Bowl with the lowest team salary in the NFL at roughly $75.8 million. That fact is kept way under the radar because it flies directly in the face of “ESPN wisdom,” which suggests that a bigger signing equals a bigger impact.

In 2008, the Bills ranked 16th in team salary at roughly $113 million. A paltry ranking, I'll admit—except that they ranked higher than San Diego ($111 million), Philadelphia ($109 million), Atlanta ($96 million), Indianapolis ($93 million), New England ($92 million), and Baltimore ($90 million).

With the exception of New England, who were left out only due to the NFL playoff structure, all of those teams made the playoffs in 2008.

(Note: Sort of makes you wonder what a franchise run by ESPN would look like, but one really has to look no further than Washington or Dallas to have some idea.  How have they fared over the last 10 years?)

Yes, there is clearly something wrong with the Bills, but spending definitely does not seem to be it. In my opinion, if you want to fault Wilson, you’ll have to get beyond the dollars and cents and look at his hiring record.  Here, Wilson has—unfortunately—not fared so well.

Of course, none of Wilson’s hirings have proven to be more damaging than that of Tom Donahoe. Here Wilson certainly, and by his own admission, dropped the proverbial ball.

To Wilson’s credit, Donahoe had—somehow—earned some credibility in Pittsburgh before single-handedly dismantling the Bills roster. Ahhh, Mr. Donahoe. What would the Buffalo Bills look like without your crafty stewardship?

Despite big-name ESPN style signings, the Bills managed a meager 31-49 record during Donahoe's tenure.

That probably had something to due with hiring quality coaches beginning with Gregg Williams and ending with Mike Mularkey. And while each of them deserves his share of the blame, they have one thing in common: Donahoe hired them.

Some notable Donahoe classics include:

• gutting a top-ranked defense (particularly releasing Pat Williams, which depleted the Bills run defense for years)
• releasing Drew Bledsoe without a capable replacement
• drafting an injured Willis McGahee when you had a capable back in Travis Henry (note that this was before he self-destructed)
• trading up for J.P. Losman
• drafting Mike Williams No. 4 overall
• spearheading the designation of Rob Johnson as the starter in ’98
• …the list really goes on and on

While it’s true Wilson hired Donahoe, thus sharing the blame for all of this, it has nothing at all to do with Wilson’s overall spending.

Nor does it have anything to do with Wilson’s dedication to the Bills, to winning, or to the city of Buffalo. Really, at the end of the day, it’s been Wilson's underlings that have let him and all the rest of us down.

Perhaps this is just an outsider's view, but it definitely seems to me that Ralph Wilson, Jr. gets a bum rap in Buffalo.