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Front office changes bode well for Bills' future
By Aubrey Gibert
On March 6, 2013
A new year, but the same old stuff - that was the thought of many Buffalo Bills' fans at the
beginning of this offseason.
Jan. 1 marked a new year and it seemed like the Bills were still making the same decisions when
owner Ralph Wilson decided to grant all organizational control to Russ Brandon.
It was a simple promotion that the Bills have been accustomed to within their organization when
you talk about names such as general manager Buddy Nix, Tom Modrak and other staff members
of the Bills that have seen promotions with the team.
Brandon had spent time as the Bills' director of non-football operations, interim general manager
and CEO before being named the team's president, in addition to keeping his CEO title.
Hearing the news, I, along with many other Bills' fans I'm sure, weren't excited. It as another
move by Wilson to promote somebody he knew within the organization instead of going to
someone on the outside.
Upon the hire, though, Brandon had done nothing short of changing the culture of the Buffalo
Bills organization. He started by firing Chan Gailey who went 16-32 in three seasons as head
coach, and hired former Syracuse University head coach Doug Marrone.
Seen as a hot commodity around the NFL, for the first time ever, the Bills hired a coach from the
college ranks to take over the team. While many fans clamored for ex-Bears coach Lovie Smith,
and other names like Bruce Arians and Ken Whisenhunt, Brandon decided to go a different
direction with the team.
Upon hiring Marrone, Brandon then brought to our attention a new tactic and game plan he's
bringing to the Bills front office - analytics. Or what many people know as "moneyball."
The idea is based off what Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane did in MLB. That
is assembling a team based on statistical analysis and in doing so, finding value in players other
teams underrate. A money-saving team like Buffalo has plenty of money, as it is reported that
they are currently about $28.5 million under the cap.
Since being promoted, Brandon has been adamant about implementing a new winning culture
to a team riddled with failure in the recent past. The Bills have not had a winning season since
2004, and have not made the postseason since the 1999 season.
Brandon knows that Bills' fans are tired, but at the same time hungry for a trip back to the
playoffs. Or at least want a sign of what they were blessed with in the early 90s with the likes of
Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas.
Since being hired, Brandon has hired a young offensive mind in Marrone, who in turn hired
young coordinators in Nathaniel Hackett and Mike Pettine.
Roster-wise, a plethora of moves have been made recently, including the releases of starters
George Wilson and Nick Barnett, who were the team's two leading tacklers. The team also
decided not to re-sign longtime Bill Terrence McGee and receivers Donald Jones and David
Nelson.
All-Pro safety Jairus Byrd is one of the only free-agents-to-be to have been retained by the Bills
thus far. He received the franchise tag last week, which gave him a one-year deal.
With moves like this it seems that the Bills are looking to get younger and faster. With obvious
needs at receiver, linebacker, quarterback, cornerback and maybe defensive end with the sudden
retirement of Chris Kelsay, it makes this upcoming offseason one to look forward to if you're a
Bills fan.
I'm not saying that Brandon was the right man for the job, or that he's going to be the one to lead
the Bills back to the glory days. But one thing that's for sure is Brandon is looking to change the
culture of the Bills to bring them back to relevancy.
Aubrey Gibert can be reached by email at gibert.record@live.com.
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