Tim Murray and Dan Byslma Have Been Fired

[Brawndo]

Who around here was the one that said they heard the B-Sens were happy to be rid of Murray? Does this validate that claim?

That would be me. It was a his way or the highway approach.

 

I'm still upset about his firing though

[PromoTheRobot]

Dude. 

 

He's not a sales person.  He's the team president.

 

And are you going to continue to pretend that Rex, Whaley and the Toronto series weren't his babies, or that they didn't hurt the team?

 

1) Pegula said specifically Brandon's role is strictly away from team operations. Are you saying it's not true? Got proof?

 

2) Brandon's role was to find revenue. The Toronto series earned the Bills $9MM/game!  Three times what a home game earned. You can debate what effect it had on the players, but from a revenue standpoint it was genius.

 

3) He did hire Whaley because, you know, someone has to be the GM.

 

4) Rex was a bad hire. I'll give you that.

Edited April 20, 2017 by PromoTheRobot

[That Aud Smell]

Reports? The TB thing? Isn't it a fake news parody account?

 

TB thing? Not sure what that is.

 

I've read accounts that Brandon had a role in ownership's decision to move on from Murray, and that the process of disenchantment dates back to the start of this season.

 

It's not so much a love of Brandon as a hatred of witch hunts. What's stopping you and Taro from just spilling the beans? Lay it all out. The fact he's a d-bag is not a reason. Many awful people are good at what they do. But if you can give me proof that he actually did something to hurt the team, I'm listening.

 

I'm not inclined to repeat the many specific things that were stated upthread. Nor am I inclined, right now, to get into details of the lurid stories I've been told.

 

In terms of him doing specific things to hurt the team, how about: It was Russ Brandon who decided to extend Cody Hodgson. I HAVE PROOF!

 

C'mon. There's not going to be that level of transparency with this guy. There's going to be whiffs, hints, tidbits, atmospherics, and inference. I'm satisfied that he's consistently exerted his influence into realms where he is out of his depth. And based on what I know and what I think I know and what I feel, I think he's a bad guy who should be sent packing on the next slow boat to China.

 

That's not a witch hunt. That's a take. You have yours. I happen to think it's a bad one.

[TrueBlueGED]

I won't take the bait and defend Russ Brandon!

So close! You're so close! Just a few more inches! :p

[Taro T]

C'mon Taro. Lay the cards down. Connect the dots. Are you indicting Brandon for being a part of an organization that doesn't win? I've worked in radio for decades. They don't fire sales people when the ratings suck.

I've already told you things he did that were about short term $'s at the expense of W's.

 

And though they may not fire salespeople when the ratings are poor, they DO fire program managers.

 

Russ Brandon was the lousiest GM the Bills have had in decades & is now not only the President of the Bills but also the Sabres. He isn't the ####ing marketing director only anymore. Would you please stop pretending that is all he's in charge of now?

[Brawndo]

Per Dreger

 

 

The Pegula's made their decision of Murray and Bylsma after meeting with them on Wednesday.

[RustySabre]

Well, I'm hearing that he was in the Pegulas' ears to s-can GM TM. I'm reading screen caps of texts from a team source who said Brandon was envious of the public popularity that GM TM enjoyed for his quirky style.

 

He's a bad guy who continues to exert his influence where it has no place.

 

 

Is she not a co-owner of the Sabres? She might not be, strictly speaking.

 

 

Those are GM TM's guys, I reckon.

 

 

A fan of facts on a message board, then? Haha - yeah, definitely good luck to you, then.

 

Fwiw, I've met Brandon twice. Not like a one-on-one sit-down, but peripheral interaction. The more extensive of the 2 meetings was at a 10-person (round) table under a tent at St. John Fisher. My own personal opinion (not a fact!), based on a mostly visceral reaction: He's not a good guy. Is most likely a bad guy. He's not a guy I want involved in managing my favourite teams, 

 

So am I to assume that because you are on the message board, what you say is not based in fact? I can sort out the difference since this is not the only place I get information from. Trouble is  there is too much parroting going on. National media picks up on local media and sells it as the truth. No reason to fact check right? That's the world we live in today. Fact checking needs to happen now more than it ever has. Too many trying to make a name for themselves to care about the actual facts in a report. That's where we're at. Run with it and deal with the results later.

[nfreeman]

1) Pegula said specifically Brandon's role is strictly away from team operations. Are you saying it's not true? Got proof?

 

2) Brandon's role was to find revenue. The Toronto series earned the Bills $9MM/game!  Three times what a home game earned. You can debate what effect it had on the players, but from a revenue standpoint it was genius.

 

3) He did hire Whaley because, you know, someone has to be the GM.

 

4) Rex was a bad hire. I'll give you that.

 

1 - Well, you've admitted that he hired Whaley and that he participated in hiring Rex.  Do I need more proof?

 

2 -- No.  As team president, his role was to make money AND produce a good team that isn't an NFL laughingstock.  He made a short-term decision to increase revenue by implementing the Toronto series, which materially contributed to the Bills' chronic losing and their "achieving" NFL laughingstock status.

 

3 -- So "someone has to be the GM" excuses hiring a terrible GM?

[That Aud Smell]

So am I to assume that because you are on the message board, what you say is not based in fact? I can sort out the difference since this is not the only place I get information from. Trouble is  there is too much parroting going on. National media picks up on local media and sells it as the truth. No reason to fact check right? That's the world we live in today. Fact checking needs to happen now more than it ever has. Too many trying to make a name for themselves to care about the actual facts in a report. That's where we're at. Run with it and deal with the results later.

 

I'm on a pro sports team dedicated message board, so what I say is presumably a melange of fact, opinion, rumor, speculation, and inference.

 

It'd be a sad and boring sports team message board that trafficked only in facts.

[TrueBlueGED]

Per Dreger

 

 

The Pegula's made their decision of Murray and Bylsma after meeting with them on Wednesday.

I'd freaking love to know if Pegula thought a coaching change should have happened at some point during the season and Murray stood up for Dan. I'd kill for that kind of knowledge.

[darksabre]

That would be me. It was a his way or the highway approach.

 

I'm still upset about his firing though

I mean, this certainly lends that a lot more credence doesn't it?

[PromoTheRobot]

1 - Well, you've admitted that he hired Whaley and that he participated in hiring Rex.  Do I need more proof?

 

2 -- No.  As team president, his role was to make money AND produce a good team that isn't an NFL laughingstock.  He made a short-term decision to increase revenue by implementing the Toronto series, which materially contributed to the Bills' chronic losing and their "achieving" NFL laughingstock status.

 

3 -- So "someone has to be the GM" excuses hiring a terrible GM?

 

I don't consider Whaley to be a bad GM. In fact the Bills have more talent than ever. The fact he sucks at press conferences is meaningless to me.  As for the Toronto series, the team didn't need any help making themselves laughing stocks. They managed to do that on the field themselves. That's like saying they lose because they can't play all their games at home.

 

That series wasn't popular but it made craploads of money. Brandon was hired by Ralph to find money to keep the team viable. He did that. Here's something else Brandon did that no one likes to give him credit for: He put the $400MM "poison pill" in the Bills lease with the county that would have penalized any owner who tried to move the team out before the end of the lease. That soured several potential outside bidders for the Bills.

 

But he's a mean old d-bag so it doesn't count.

Edited April 20, 2017 by PromoTheRobot

[darksabre]

I'd freaking love to know if Pegula thought a coaching change should have happened at some point during the season and Murray stood up for Dan. I'd kill for that kind of knowledge.

Same.

[That Aud Smell]

Someone called a Greg Brady tweeted that a few NHL people told him that they wete aghast at the Pegulas' unprofessional treatment of Murray.

 

Fwiw.

Edited April 20, 2017 by That Aud Smell

[Darryl Shannon's +/-]

I'm delighted to see Bylsma go away, and happy that ownership stepped up to pay out the remainder of his deal.  The arena was a morgue this year, and this game is supposed to be fun to watch in person. 

 

I understand Murray getting the gate - a lot of blood was on his hands with this mess too.  I'll miss his interviews....

 

Two things:

 

I wonder if the Reinhart situation was really a fight between Bylsma and Murray, and each side stood firm to try to make the other look bad.  If I'm Pegula, that alone is a cry for help from the team in terms of dysfunction.

 

Second, was Terry's quarterback tour really an excuse to meet team president candidates?  Given how horrible he is alone at the podium, I wouldn't doubt him handing the microphone over to his newest employee....

[PromoTheRobot]

Someone called a Greg Brady tweeted that a few NHL people told him that they wete aghast at the Pegulas' unprofessional treatment of Murray.

 

Fwiw.

https://twitter.com/sn590gbrady

 

Greg Brady‏ @sn590gbrady  42m42 minutes ago

More

Talked to a few NHL people today - "beyond unprofessional" & "aghast" were terms used to describe Pegula actions today....

 

Greg Brady‏ @sn590gbrady  42m42 minutes ago

More

It's not that you decide to move off of Tim Murray or the more-accomplished Bylsma, but the day AFTER the Eichel story is a bad, bad look.

 

So because of the EIchel story the Sabres were supposed to be paralyzed?

Edited April 20, 2017 by PromoTheRobot

[DarthEbriate]

All this talk of media and sources. My sources are indefatigable....

 

You told me Pegula betrayed and murdered GMTM.

 

GMTM was seduced by the dark side of the Moulson. He ceased to be ZFGMTM and hired HCDDB. When that happened the good man who was your GM was destroyed. So what I told you is true... from a certain point of view.

[woods-racer]

Careful, I have a habit of being right. Accidentally, but I'll take it.

 

I think your right.

[TheAud]

Second, was Terry's quarterback tour really an excuse to meet team president candidates?  Given how horrible he is alone at the podium, I wouldn't doubt him handing the microphone over to his newest employee....

 

Mitch Trubisky is going to be the new Sabres team President?

 

I'd prefer Watson.

Edited April 20, 2017 by Sakman

[nfreeman]

I don't consider Whaley to be a bad GM. In fact the Bills have more talent than ever. The fact he sucks at press conferences is meaningless to me.  As for the Toronto series, the team didn't need any help making themselves laughing stocks. They managed to do that on the field themselves. That's like saying they lose because they can't play all their games at home.

 

That series wasn't popular but it made craploads of money. Brandon was hired by Ralph to find money to keep the team viable. He did that. Here's something else Brandon did that no one likes to give him credit for: He put the $400MM "poison pill" in the Bills lease with the county that would have penalized any owner who tried to move the team out before the end of the lease. That soured several potential outside bidders for the Bills.

 

But he's a mean old d-bag so it doesn't count.

 

Who said anything about press conferences?  Whaley is terrible for many reasons -- and the evidence is the team's record on his watch.

 

If the Bills didn't need any help making themselves laughingstocks -- isn't RB, as team president, accountable for that?

 

As for the poison pill -- it's pretty clear to me that it was Ralph's doing, not RB's. 

[That Aud Smell]

Oh, man. That Greg Brady is all in on Pegula being an incompetent, bumbling, meddling boob.

[Jsixspd]

Eichel wanted Disco gone. GMTM told Pegs that 15 shouldn't run the team. Pegs said that's my star, bye bye Disco & GMTM.

ESPN's Burnside already commented on this earlier today - He said the Pegulas need to make it crystal clear to the entire league that a 20 year old kid is, in fact, NOT running this team if they want to have any hope of attracting quality coaching/managers/players.

 

Even if Eichel wasn't the reason, the Pegulas need to hammer that home;  and make it 110% clear that Eichel is NOT driving the train!  And the team needs a real president like Shanahan, not some Peter-Principle clown like Russ Brandon.   Brandon is totally useless now, in a situation where the GM and HC posts are both vacant.  

 

 

Edited April 20, 2017 by Jsixspd

[RustySabre]

I'm on a pro sports team dedicated message board, so what I say is presumably a melange of fact, opinion, rumor, speculation, and inference.

 

It'd be a sad and boring sports team message board that trafficked only in facts.

 

That doesn't mean we're able to post totally untrue things about people and blow it off as a message board does it? If someone post something I would like more information on I'm going to ask about it. If they can't or won't back it up, then I'm going to say it's BS until I learn otherwise.

[woods-racer]

I'm delighted to see Bylsma go away, and happy that ownership stepped up to pay out the remainder of his deal.  The arena was a morgue this year, and this game is supposed to be fun to watch in person. 

 

I understand Murray getting the gate - a lot of blood was on his hands with this mess too.  I'll miss his interviews....

 

Two things:

 

I wonder if the Reinhart situation was really a fight between Bylsma and Murray, and each side stood firm to try to make the other look bad.  If I'm Pegula, that alone is a cry for help from the team in terms of dysfunction.

 

Second, was Terry's quarterback tour really an excuse to meet team president candidates?  Given how horrible he is alone at the podium, I wouldn't doubt him handing the microphone over to his newest employee....

 

I really can't see Terry saying anything more than..

 

Hi!

 

Meet our new President of Hockey Operations Joe Blow!

 

Now I'll hand the mic over to him because I'm sure you have a lot of questions for him.

[PromoTheRobot]

Who said anything about press conferences?  Whaley is terrible for many reasons -- and the evidence is the team's record on his watch.

 

If the Bills didn't need any help making themselves laughingstocks -- isn't RB, as team president, accountable for that?

 

As for the poison pill -- it's pretty clear to me that it was Ralph's doing, not RB's. 

 

FYI: The team's record is 24-24 under Whaley.  Practically 0-48.  

 

You can blame RB for all the losses, just like you can blame Whaley and Overdorf or the midget trainer. When do the coaches and players get blamed?

 

The last part is just you unwilling to believe anything positive about Brandon. It's a fact he negotiated that lease. Sorry it goes against your preferred reality.