Interesting Article..Rank the Owners.. (1 Viewer)

[Shark Attack]

If this is a Honda, kill me. From the blogger...

Having a good owner in the NFL is probably the most important thing for any team to have as far as winning games go. So check out where your owner lands in this ranking of the owners. Then discuss what you think of this list and the owner of your favorite team?

My owner Kraft is the best in the business bar none but that's an easy one. You Cowboy fans surely are are good hands and but who are the worst owners to have running your team? Surely Bidwell is down on the list some where but he has been spending some bucks lately and they are opening the most modern stadium in the NFL's history this year. It has a retractable roof but still has real grass! They have some contraption that somehow moves the all grass field in the stadium for games then back out to get the sun after its over! I thought I read the the cost of doing it was in the millions of dollars each time but maybe I have that wrong as it sounds very high now but still that is one inredible thing to have!. After you check for yourselves and find out where your favorite team owner stacks up talk about what you find here and how you feel about your owner. Enjoy.

http://snipurl.com/skkb

 

[-OZ-]

22. William Clay and Bill Ford, Lions

I am surprised to see 10 worse owners.

 

[Tom Servo]

I can't get the article to load now. I might try to read it later.

Colin Cowherd was talking about this yesterday on his show. I was rather surprised to not hear the mentioned at the top because of consistent ownership with a rather stable management team that keeps the team out of salary cap jail and consistently finds new talent.

I was not surprised to find Da Raiders down towards the bottom. CC talked about how the quirky, rebel owner is so 1984. Today's owners -- like Kraft -- are savvy businessmen who seek to make the NFL all it can be. Cowherd even added that the Jerry Glanville leaving tickets for Elvis shtick doesn't fly anymore, that all coaches are 18 hour a day workaholics with masters degrees.

Obviously, teams like the Raiders and Cardinals are Thankfully, teams like the Bungals are starting to get it.

 

[-OZ-]

Obviously, teams like the Raiders and Cardinals are Thankfully, teams like the Bungals are starting to get it.

Cincy, Arizona and New Orleans are 30, 31 and 32. Benson at 32 shouldn't surprise anyone.

 

[Tom Servo]

Obviously, teams like the Raiders and Cardinals are   Thankfully, teams like the Bungals are starting to get it.

Cincy, Arizona and New Orleans are 30, 31 and 32. Benson at 32 shouldn't surprise anyone.

You mean dancing on the sidelines with an umbrella (in an indoor stadium) isn't the model of refinement, dignity and class?

 

[Mighty Mice]

Cards at 31 is a little surprise to me.

Not a Cards fan, but signing Edge to a big $$$ deal, building a new state of the art stadium in the desert, and selling out season tickets (for the first time) are some pretty good moves in the right direction. Maybe it just took Bidwell 15 years or so to get it.

 

[roadkill1292]

The jury is still out on Steve Bisciotti. He's a local guy and has said all the right things so far and seems to recognize the value of Ozzie in the organization. The money, stadium and fan base are all there but he may ultimately be judged on how he deals with a visible and fairly high maintenance head coach.

Almost forgot to add that Pittsburgh's ranking seems awfully low to me.

 

[by_the_sea_wannabe]

10. Dan Rooney, Steelers; 11. Bob Harlan/John Jones/Green Bay Packers Inc.; 12. Lamar Hunt, Chiefs

Some might argue that Rooney isn't progressive enough, and the Steelers have certainly sacrificed talent over the years because of the bottom line. But you will never hear a discouraging word about Rooney from me. And right now the best of the old-guard owners is the man of the hour. Among the many things for which he deserves credit: Getting a new stadium built without ever having to threaten to move, and keeping ticket prices affordable in the process.

#10 because they let over priced old players go, and replace them with younger faster guys ? 2 coaches since the Roman Empire, and 5 super bowl titles ? ok if ya so

 

[imeimex]

29. Michael McCaskey, Bears

McCaskey, who once did so miserably as a manager that his mother banished him to lawn duty, has the distinction of serving as chairman of the board of what one owner called "the most undermanaged outfit in the league."

Think about it: All that tradition, the nation's No. 3 media market, and the Bears are still living off a Saturday Night Live sketch and a lone Super Bowl title from more than two decades ago.

As a Bears fan I would have to say

 

[Shark Attack]

Obviously, teams like the Raiders and Cardinals are Thankfully, teams like the Bengals are starting to get it.

Cincy, Arizona and New Orleans are 30, 31 and 32. Benson at 32 shouldn't surprise anyone.

I knew Bidwell was one of the worst but the fans there must be getting off his case some now i would think? Signs Denny signs Edge, allows a QB to be taking in the first round knowing he will want big bucks sooner or later. I am not sure how much he has to do with that stadium but it is state of the art and he offered lots of season tickets for like $100 bucks for the year and sold the place out much to the chagrin of other NFL owners( I guess that are not to happy with that $10 dollars a seat thing). Things are looking up for that team and if and when they start spending some cash on the Defensive side of the ball they actually might make the playoffs. So are the fans letting Bidwell off the hook down there yet? Arizona homies what's up with that in Arizona?

 

[Shark Attack]

Obviously, teams like the Raiders and Cardinals are Thankfully, teams like the Bengals are starting to get it.

Cincy, Arizona and New Orleans are 30, 31 and 32. Benson at 32 shouldn't surprise anyone.

You mean dancing on the sidelines with an umbrella (in an indoor stadium) isn't the model of refinement, dignity and class?

One lucky and likely fixed game does not makes ones coaching career. If it had not been for the refs calling the worst game ever in any sport in any big game setting they don't win that game. I still say Holmgren calling out the refs like he did in the media after the regular season loss during the year came back to haunt him and his team. The NFL and its referees were so pissed at him the refused to go over the next two weeks game films with him showing all the refs calls in those games for the first time in league history. this is done for every team every week the coaching staff can get to show film and ask why this was called and why that wasn't called etc etc. But Holmgren went nuts on game (escapes me which game it was i am sure someone here knows, hawk fans chime in here, and will make mention of it). This carried over to the super bowl and was the perfect setting for the league and Refs to say hey, nobody dare talk crap on us or this is what could happen. Quite a statement they made. Never and I mean never have i seen that offensive pass interference called in a big game..cuz it never has been. The phantom holding calls? Big Ben did not get in. Hasselbeck's tackle penalty and on on. The penalties decided that game and if any of the above were not called or went the other way the Hawks win that game. That's a fact and anyone who watched that game closely knows it. So please Tom take your Sig and stuff it you and Cowher got very very lucky or it would have been just another big game LOSS for the big Jawed man. Listen its not so much that I was on Cowher for bad coaching, actually not at all. I just thought he should have put his foot down more when management just let all pro players walk away left and right while he has been there. They(Pitt) have lost a nice starting team for crying out loud. That and i felt going into the last few years the players had had enough of his rah rah yell an scream on the sideline antics and it was just time for a change. I still think it is considering he had the big game handed to him gift rapped. That's a fact in my book.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Never and I mean never have i seen that offensive pass interference called in a big game..cuz it never has been.

I distinctly remember an OPI on one of the Bills WRs (Reed?) in the Giants Super Bowl.

 

[CravenM]

#15 Arthur Blank for the Falcons

Hmm, not really sure what he could have done better:

1) He did exactly what all the pundits said to do and got Michael Vick, who is a winner but not a FFL stud

2) He's certainly revolutionized football at the Georgia Dome by getting close to selling out the games, primarily due to the presence of Michael Vick. Before, the dome was a sterile, unfriendly place (i.e. no standing and cheering, etc.)

3) He's gone after a highly regarded HC in Jim Mora.

4) He's brought in respected talent, even though some of it hasn't worked out (like PPrice)

5) He's stuck with very good players who proved him right (WDunn. KBrooking, etc.)

6) He's brought in some veterens this year to supplement the glaring weaknesses on deffense

7) He's in the mix with the rules committee - no wilting flower

8) Very accessible to the public and press

9) Non-invasive in the football operations - he's a businessman, not a football guy.

10) He's maintained a professional team and told Terrel Owens to bugger off.

Not really sure what else he could done to move up the list which isn't worth the paper it was written on.

If Atlanta wins the Super Bowl this season, he'll look like a genius and the best owner in the league.

 

[The Ref]

Krafty Bob #1, a very good choice.

 

[Chase Stuart]

I also think Wilson deserves to be a good deal higher on the list. I'm not sure what Bills fans think of him now, but he's been around forever and has the respect of most of the other owners in the league. He was one of the founding fathers of the AFL and did a lot to keep that league alive.

 

[The Jerk]

One lucky and likely fixed game does not makes ones coaching career. If it had not been for the refs calling the worst game ever in any sport in any big game setting they don't win that game. ... The penalties decided that game and if any of the above were not called or went the other way the Hawks win that game. That's a fact and anyone who watched that game closely knows it. ... I just thought he should have put his foot down more when management just let all pro players walk away left and right while he has been there. They(Pitt) have lost a nice starting team for crying out loud. That and i felt going into the last few years the players had had enough of his rah rah yell an scream on the sideline antics and it was just time for a change. I still think it is considering he had the big game handed to him gift rapped. That's a fact in my book.

Shark Attack, Thanks for the balanced posting, as usual.So the Steelers won one lucky game last year and it was based on officiating only? Funny, but I remember them winning their last eight games, including three other playoff games on the road against teams with a combined regular season record of 38-10. And they were pretty dominant in all of them.

As to your officiating reference, Ian Allan, one of the longest-tenured and still respected voices in the FF universe (Tatum Bell prediction aside) -- and from the state of Washington no less -- begs to differ.

LINK

It was a poorly officiated game, but I don't know that it affected the outcome. The Seahawks simply made too many mistakes. Jerramy Stevens dropped 4 passes. Josh Brown missed two field goals. There were huge defensive breakdowns on the 75-yard touchdown run and the pass by Antwaan Randle El. As far as calls, I thought the holding call looked soft. That was a big one. And everyone agrees that the officiating crew just blew it on the 15-yard penalty on Hasselbeck. I had no problem, however, with the call on the Roethlisberger touchdown; I don't think anyone can look at the replay and say with certainty that it wasn't a touchdown. And in regards to the Jackson play, while that was a 50-50 type situation, he definitely pushed off, and that definitely gets called on occasion. I've seen Randy Moss flagged for it a few times. The king of the push-off, Michael Irvin, had a similar touchdown nullified in a Super Bowl, also against Pittsburgh.

Might your outrage be related to the fact that the Steelers have not lost since the day you made your comment in Tom Servo's signature, or is that just a coincidence?The bottom line is that even a loss in the Super Bowl wouldn't change the fact that the Steelers ownership knows what they're doing. There's a very short list of teams who have won more than 31 games in two consecutive NFL seasons.

 

[turkishkamel]

22. William Clay and Bill Ford, Lions

Way to generous. Matt Millen is still the GM. There are probably WNBA owners more equipped than the Fords.

 

[azgroover]

Obviously, teams like the Raiders and Cardinals are Thankfully, teams like the Bengals are starting to get it.

Cincy, Arizona and New Orleans are 30, 31 and 32. Benson at 32 shouldn't surprise anyone.

I knew Bidwell was one of the worst but the fans there must be getting off his case some now i would think? Signs Denny signs Edge, allows a QB to be taking in the first round knowing he will want big bucks sooner or later. I am not sure how much he has to do with that stadium but it is state of the art and he offered lots of season tickets for like $100 bucks for the year and sold the place out much to the chagrin of other NFL owners( I guess that are not to happy with that $10 dollars a seat thing). Things are looking up for that team and if and when they start spending some cash on the Defensive side of the ball they actually might make the playoffs. So are the fans letting Bidwell off the hook down there yet? Arizona homies what's up with that in Arizona?

Decent assessment. It's hard to name one thing the Bidwills have done wrong in the past 3 seasons or so. I do think they have spent on the defensive side of the ball. They locked up Adrian Wilson to a long term deal, they brought in Bertrand Berry (who was injured a good part of last year), they drafted Antrel Rolle in the first round (also injured for most of 2005). The thing that concerns me the most is that the expectations are so high now; it's almost as if they can only let you down now given their history.

 

[Shark Attack]

Never and I mean never have i seen that offensive pass interference called in a big game..cuz it never has been.

I distinctly remember an OPI on one of the Bills WRs (Reed?) in the Giants Super Bowl.

Well that ones escapes me right now and I would have to see it to know if it was anything as slight as DJacks(i think it was him)?. Even so that's a whole one and how long ago ten years or over?. I would like to know how many plays were never called in a huge game situation..pushing and shoving by both players that is usually let go as incidental contact? WowWow I have hi jack my own thread..ok to this good and important article!

Hey Chase who is the owner of your team and do you think his poition on this list if fair and do you like him or not?

 

[noneother]

i think the fords (family anyway) get a bad rap...

he has done a great deal for the leauge, and many felt getting superbowl XL was a payback.. I also think he has tried to bring a winning team to the field, he has always paid, even over paid at times... his loyality has been his downfall, and it will be again... I could lead into how the 'family business' and back in his day things were done a certain way.. people need to changed with the changing times,

if we strictly are judging on the records then yes he is in the lower 1/4th.. if we are judging type of person and character, I would feel he needs to be in the top 5 or 10..

just my 2 cents... and no, I am no longer am a ford employee

 

[Shark Attack]

Obviously, teams like the Raiders and Cardinals are Thankfully, teams like the Bengals are starting to get it.

Cincy, Arizona and New Orleans are 30, 31 and 32. Benson at 32 shouldn't surprise anyone.

I knew Bidwell was one of the worst but the fans there must be getting off his case some now i would think? Signs Denny signs Edge, allows a QB to be taking in the first round knowing he will want big bucks sooner or later. I am not sure how much he has to do with that stadium but it is state of the art and he offered lots of season tickets for like $100 bucks for the year and sold the place out much to the chagrin of other NFL owners( I guess that are not to happy with that $10 dollars a seat thing). Things are looking up for that team and if and when they start spending some cash on the Defensive side of the ball they actually might make the playoffs. So are the fans letting Bidwell off the hook down there yet? Arizona homies what's up with that in Arizona?

Decent assessment. It's hard to name one thing the Bidwills have done wrong in the past 3 seasons or so. I do think they have spent on the defensive side of the ball. They locked up Adrian Wilson to a long term deal, they brought in Bertrand Berry (who was injured a good part of last year), they drafted Antrel Rolle in the first round (also injured for most of 2005). The thing that concerns me the most is that the expectations are so high now; it's almost as if they can only let you down now given their history.

Good call on the D side of the ball there, nice. As much as i think that is a good stsrt I also feel there is a ways to go upgrading the fornt seven for them to make a real run at the playoffs and succeed in them but yes those guys are all players for sure.

 

[trader jake]

as a packer fan i wouldn't trade the ownership in green bay for ANY other owner in all of professional sports

wikipedia link

The Packers are currently the only publicly owned major league professional sports team in the United States. Currently, a total of 4,750,925 shares are owned by 111,967 stockholders — none of whom receives any dividend.

11th is too low for the packers imo

 

[avoiding injuries]

Snyder has taken a lot of shots in the past few years(rightfully so), but I agree with the writer of this article. He created the first franchise to be worth over $1 billion and puts that money to use for the team. It is a little annoying seeing Fed Ex ad's all over the stadium and hearing Papa Johns announcement's every 4 minutes, but at least the fan's know some of that money is bringing in some quality athletes.

 

[lions327]

22. William Clay and Bill Ford, Lions

I am surprised to see 10 worse owners.

I agree with you 100%. A team is 1-10 in playoff games since 1957, Matt Millen gets a contract extension for going 21-59, and basically have been a mismanaged franchise since Ford took over...how can there be 10 worse owners?

 

[fatness]

3. Dan Snyder, Redskins;

I can't believe I'm ranking Snyder this high, and a lot of people I know around the league are going to brutalize me for doing so, but right now Dan is The Man in two big ways: He has turned the franchise he loves into a money-making machine, and his willingness to spend that money in pursuit of victory is second to none. Plus, since his hiring of Joe Gibbs as coach, he has begun to learn to get out of the way on the football side.

I bolded the part which significantly raised my opinion of Snyder. He finally learned that "spending what it takes" is only one part of "doing what it takes" to win.

 

[BlueDredSo]

I also think Wilson deserves to be a good deal higher on the list. I'm not sure what Bills fans think of him now, but he's been around forever and has the respect of most of the other owners in the league. He was one of the founding fathers of the AFL and did a lot to keep that league alive.

What is he ranked?

 

[fatness]

27. Ralph Wilson, BillsWilson, perhaps the league's least progressive owner, whines so much he makes Weaver look like Jimmy Stewart at the end of It's a Wonderful Life. Even after big-market owners like Kraft and Snyder, in a quest for labor peace, embraced a compromise that would transfer some of their revenues into Wilson's coffers, Wilson threw a public tantrum and voted against the proposal.

 

[ookook]

In today's age of media markets and commercialism, I would have to also support that the Packers' deserve more recognition for maintaining a quality franchise is such a remote location.

Consider also the number of years they have made the playoffs in the past decade and made it a place where players feel welcome no matter what their diverse background might be. Both are hard to do from the boonies.

 

[pmcdade]

Randy Lerner, Browns; 22

I'm not sure how Zygi landed above Randy... The only knock against him is that he's not a football guy. However, he is a die-hard Browns fan. What other owner has gone on public records saying that the stadium will never be anything but Cleveland Browns Stadium because its just not worth the extra revenue?

Further, he is reaching out into the (now ancient) glory days and getting people like Jim Brown, Paul Warfield, and even Bernie Kosar more involved in the organization, some in official roles. Further, he gives back to the community tremendously.

Now, there can be no doubt that the Browns didn't blossom back from the destruction wrought by one of the WORST owners in NFL history, Art Modell. But don't forget that they didn't get nearly the sweet deal that the Texans, Panthers, and Jags got. They got awarded the Franchise with only a few months to put together a staff and draft, compared to over a year for other recent expansion squads. At the very least this effected Al Lerner's ability to get the coach he wanted, so he settled on a choice well down the list in Chris Palmer.

Further, Carmen Policy had a great track-record but boy did he stink things up. First he picks the worst personel man in a decade in Dwight Clark, then he brings in Butch Davis and gives an unproven college coach almost complete control!

Now Randy has things clicking a little, and shortly after he literally inherited the organization. The Browns have had a good off-season after bringing in Phil Savage and Romeo Crennell. The firing of John Collins just showed that Randy didn't want a business guy at the head of the organization, he wanted a football guy. All good from my point-of-view.

He's too fresh to have a great opinion, but as a fan, I love the guy as my team's owner.

 

[Shark Attack]

OK, if the peeple own the Pack for the most part who makes the final end all decision on all important football matters? I mean is there an end of the line top honcho type who can void any deal or OK a deal on a FA or any contract? Who would be the guy who can make or break anything football related for the Packers?

 

[trader jake]

OK, if the peeple own the Pack for the most part who makes the final end all decision on all important football matters? I mean is there an end of the line top honcho type who can void any deal or OK a deal on a FA or any contract? Who would be the guy who can make or break anything football related for the Packers?

for as long as i can remeber the man in charge has been bob harlan. right now a transistion is being made to a new guy names john jonesbob harlan is one of the classiest and most respected men in all of professional football. john jones has some huge shoes to fill moving forward

 

[redman]

Obviously, teams like the Raiders and Cardinals are   Thankfully, teams like the Bengals are starting to get it.

Cincy, Arizona and New Orleans are 30, 31 and 32. Benson at 32 shouldn't surprise anyone.

I knew Bidwell was one of the worst but the fans there must be getting off his case some now i would think? Signs Denny signs Edge, allows a QB to be taking in the first round knowing he will want big bucks sooner or later. I am not sure how much he has to do with that stadium but it is state of the art and he offered lots of season tickets for like $100 bucks for the year and sold the place out much to the chagrin of other NFL owners( I guess that are not to happy with that $10 dollars a seat thing). Things are looking up for that team and if and when they start spending some cash on the Defensive side of the ball they actually might make the playoffs. So are the fans letting Bidwell off the hook down there yet? Arizona homies what's up with that in Arizona?

Decent assessment. It's hard to name one thing the Bidwills have done wrong in the past 3 seasons or so. I do think they have spent on the defensive side of the ball. They locked up Adrian Wilson to a long term deal, they brought in Bertrand Berry (who was injured a good part of last year), they drafted Antrel Rolle in the first round (also injured for most of 2005). The thing that concerns me the most is that the expectations are so high now; it's almost as if they can only let you down now given their history.

You're pitting 3 years (in which they haven't sniffed the playoffs in a weak overall division) against 50+ years of dismal failure. Even ignoring that, why isn't it fair to simply attribute this new interest in winning to their contemporary interest in a new stadium (replacing one of the most outdated stadiums in the NFL) as opposed to a sincere effort to turn the franchise around? Until I see this same level of devotion to spending for the purposes of winning 5+ years down the line, I'm not willing to cut Bidwell any slack. He's lucky he was ranked above someone else.

 

[Q-Bert]

I also think the Packers should be higher. Bob Harlan is a class act who has done a fantastic job as President.

Plus, one of the owners is my mom.

Good work Mom.

 

[valhallan]

Hah, I love that absolutely no one has questioned Tom Benson's last place ranking. A lot of fans think their owner is the worst, but we all know who's actually correct when they say it.

 

[trader jake]

I also think the Packers should be higher. Bob Harlan is a class act who has done a fantastic job as President.

Plus, one of the owners is my mom.

Good work Mom.

 

[Shark Attack]

OK, if the peeple own the Pack for the most part who makes the final end all decision on all important football matters? I mean is there an end of the line top honcho type who can void any deal or OK a deal on a FA or any contract? Who would be the guy who can make or break anything football related for the Packers?

for as long as i can remeber the man in charge has been bob harlan. right now a transistion is being made to a new guy names john jones

bob harlan is one of the classiest and most respected men in all of professional football. john jones has some huge shoes to fill moving forward

[/quote

Thanks Trader..but are these guys Presidents, GM's or hold the most stock(which is another good question does any one person own so much stock that he has a bigger say?) are those the guys who hire and fire etc? Also who makes all the cash the team brings in if the stock holders dont take it back were does all those tremndous profits go??