Really? A Billboard?
October 15th, 2009 at 5:30 pm by John Murphy under News 4 Buffalo Sports
I’m talking about the “Fire Dick Jauron” billboard scheduled to go up next week.
Do the people raising money for this billboard really expect it will have any impact at all on Ralph Wilson? I’m sure he hears the boos at the stadium. He sees the fans with bags over their heads. He may already see the coach’s lack of popularity on his bottom line.
But a billboard will not embarrass the Bills. It will embarrass Bills fans.
I love the fact that Bills fans are so passionate; .that they care so much about the fortunes of their team. I’ve benefited professionally from that passion.
A billboard demanding firings will wind up on all the network pregame shows: CBS, FOX, ESPN. It will paint an image all over the country about Bills fans.
You know how they always say, “Philadelphia fans booed Santa Claus??” That was 41-years ago. And that’s not a compliment for Philadelphia fans.
A billboard says to the rest of the country “It’s not enough to boo..or not buy tickets..or complain about our football team. We have to publicly humiliate the head coach. We demand a public flogging, sooner rather than later.
Is that the message we want to send to America’s sports fans?? Is that the message we want to send to the next head coach of the Bills??
Buffalo sports fans are the ones who said “Thank You Sabres” when their hockey team was on the brink of elimination from the playoffs. These are the fans who cheered Scott Norwood in Niagara Square, the day after he missed a kick that would have won the Super Bowl.
Those are two of the greatest moments in Buffalo sports history–spontaneous moments generated by Buffalo’s great sports fans. A billboard on the Thruway would fall way short of that standard.
i saw you present this on the news and have also re-read your article and agree with what you say to a point,but you fail to look at both sides,do you not see what ralph wilson is doing to bills fans by embarrassing us with his refusal to make changes ,what is his reasoning?is he not all there or just doesnt care what he does to buffalo,now is the time to make changes so that we could possibly still have a possibility for the play offs and if not we could at least be on the right track to start off the season ready instead of losing the first six trying to figure things out.like the president says “its time for change now”so whats the difference if a billboard says it to the country or ralph wilson says it to the country.the media is already laughing at us.
Murph,
I agree that the billboard thing is ridiculous, but who feeds these fanatical fans anyway? It’s some of you guys in the media. Inparticular Jerry Sullivan. I don’t think he could find a good thing to say about his mother, or Jesus for that matter. He has been fanning this anti Jauron thing for years and not just litely but with a vengance. I say get rid of Jerry! ! ! ! ! ! !
i fail to see your perspective from both sides John. You say you “get it”, but i really dont think you do. i am reminded of the story of a “defective product return”. we , and i think i speak for many, we have spent good money, some more than others, on a product that refuses to do the what it was made to do. in this case, win ball games.i truly believe that the end result will be fans slowly turning their heads, and their wallets away, and the inevitable will take place, the removal of a team from buffalo that lost its fan base. if you think clear and hard, its the perfect strategy for an owner to do. lose games, on purpose, to lose the fans so then it becomes easier to move a team that no one cares about anymore. the premise has been the basis for movies such as “Major League” for example. perfect plot, perfect end result. for the owner at least. so i say, if a fan wants to take out his anger and fustration, with his own hard earned money, than thats his choice. it beats wasting any more money on a team thats obviously “defective”, and the “manufacturer” refuses to accept our desired “return”. Ralph says he wants the team to stay in Buffalo? I highly doubt it! If he did, he would be more interested in his real clients….the fans in buffalo!! I am ashamed of Ralph, i am ashamed of what his attitude is, whether good intent or not, and most of all, i am ashamed of people who continually make excuses for others when the answer is right in front of our faces!!! Wake up Buffalo….our team is slowly moving away right under our noses!!
It’s a free country and if fans want to contribute money to exercise their freedom of speech, then they have that right. Maybe this will make Ralph “get it” that the fans won’t accept mediocrity and the status quo.
The other option is for fans to stop buying tickets to voice their displeasure. Which sends the better message??
BTW — the billboard also targets Modrak and Guy, not just Jauron. And the final billboard reads “It’s time to clean house, Ralph” with the 3 names and checkboxes next to it.
While I didn’t give money to this, I totally support the idea of it.
I saw Murph present this on the news. I disagree completely with his viewpoint, but I would expect him to say this. As the radio “voice of the Bills” he is, in effect, part of the Bills organization. Murph says this would be a public humiliation for the team. Really? More than the weekly public humiliation the team and Ralph dish out to themselves and the Buffalo fans on nationally televised NFL broadcasted games? That is laughable, Murph! The fans buy the tickets, financially supporting the team, so I think they have more than a little right to freely speak their minds. But if the fans really want to get Ralph’s attention, they will need to hit him where it hurts, in the pocket book. Loyalty to a team is wonderful and none are more so than Bills fans, but as long as we keep selling out a huge stadium game after game to watch a sub-mediocre team, Mr. Wilson will go on about his merry, misguided way.
If these people have money to waste on a billboard – we have a family in our area who could use there help. An 8 yr old who needs multiple transplants and has spent much of his recent years in Pittsburg Childrens Hospital – the family is exhausted physically, emotionally and finanancially. I’m sure we could find many such situations in this area were the need is great and the money could be better spent than on a billboard that embarrases loyal Bill’s fans. It’s a GAME, what a waste of money!!!
I guess we don’t look bad enough on national TV, now we have to show it on a billboard. How rediculous we all look, Fans should stay fans forever
after what was just wrote about owens and the bills,you can now see how wilson is embarrassing the city of buffalo,this makes the billboard seem like nothing,”go Ralph”and all the other sportscasters who are too spineless to speak the truth.i guess you have to lie for the front office,sure glad i dont have a job like that,wouldnt be able to sleep at nite
Hello. May I rent your blueprint for my siute?
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