Ralph Wilson, Jr. (photo credit – Sports Illustrated)
The recent passing of Buffalo Bills’ owner Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. was covered in depth by the local Buffalo media, and local sports fans showed a genuine outpouring of positive emotions for the man, with a very appropriate tailgate party in his memory, and a good showing at a team-sponsored memorial event at the Bills’ field house. At one time, Wilson’s local image was that of an old tightwad curmudgeon who refused to spend the money it took to make the team a winner, and who at one time threatened to relocate to Seattle if he didn’t get a new stadium. Over time, however, fans came to appreciate the fact that Wilson kept the franchise here, despite being in a small market that seems to get smaller as time goes on. After his death, stories surfaced about what the real man was like – his service in the Navy on a mine-sweeper in World War II, his tremendous generosity in the Buffalo community and beyond, much of which was not publicized. The lease he negotiated with Erie County was a final gift to the community. It includes a huge penalty for any prospective buyers who might want to move the team, and although there are no guarantees, it gives local politicians time to plan the club’s future here without undue pressure. That shouldn’t really be a surprise considering Wilson voted against every relocation of a franchise since he’s been an owner, and always put the betterment of the league ahead of personal goals, going back to the AFL days when he loaned the Oakland franchise owners money to stay afloat when they would have folded. He was a throwback to the days when sports team owners were true sportsmen, and the NFL will surely miss him.
Other thoughts on the NFL off-season:
Following a third consecutive 6-10 season that didn’t show much improvement or development from the Chan Gailey era, I’m still not completely sold on Bills’ coach Doug Marrone, but I’ll give him credit for having guts. After some late season problems with Marcell Dareus, Marrone spoke of having to instill more discipline in the club in 2014. After adding Brandon Spikes through free agency and Mike Williams through trade in the off-season, that challenge will be even greater. Both of those players arrive with baggage that not only makes them appear to be discipline problems, but is pretty disturbing. After acquiring Williams, if the Bills can keep him out of jail, they’ve managed to plug in new players at every position of need from last year, which puts them in a position for the draft where they can pick the best player available when their turn comes.
The NFL has, indeed, announced that they will make an effort to put some sportsmanship back into the game starting next season. Originally, it was announced that the league will instruct referees to penalize a team 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct if any player uses the “N” word on the field, but it appears now that a “point of emphasis” (something the league does every year regarding certain rules) will be put on enforcing an existing rule regarding use of offensive language during games. I’d personally like to see that rule tweaked to include offensive actions, or any language, actions or gyrations meant to taunt or disrespect the opponent. The NFL is slowly deteriorating into the WWE, with selfish, self-promoting players blowing their own horns and attempting to push their own personal agendas ahead of the team. I realize my opinion on this is old-fashioned and very old school, but I really wish there were a few coaches left in the game who had the kahunas to sit their teams down in training camp and lay down some rules that were required to be followed, involving sportsmanship, decorum on the field and how they represent the team. In general, just get these players, who whether they like it or not are role models, to act like grown-up adults. It’s unfortunate there are no Paul Browns, Vince Lombardis or even Bill Parcells left in the coaching ranks.