Petition to Fire Tom Donahoe

We, the fans of the Buffalo Bills, who pay the salaries of the entire team through our purchase of products, tickets, TV rights, merchandise, and so on, hereby plea wtih own Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. to fire General Manager Tom Donahoe.  Mr. Donahoe has been remiss in his duties to this team by failing on the following areas:

1.  Since taking over as Bills G.M. five years ago, Mr. Donahoe has produced only one winning season and no playoff appearances.  He claimed to have a "three-year plan" to take this team to the playoffs, but as we end his fifth season as G.M., the team will once again finish at .500 or below.

2.  He has failed to seriously address the offensive and defensive lines, the most important positions in football.  On the offensive line, he has repeatedly plugged in low-cost, low-value, journeyman players whose average abilities have left four different quarterbacks vulnerable to the simplest of defensive pressures.  Despite allowing large numbers of sacks every year he's been here, Mr. Donahoe has drafted only one first-round lineman (who has since been benched and replaced by an undrafted, converted tight end.)  Mr. Donahoe allowed the Bills' best offensive lineman, Jonas Jennings, to depart in free agency, then failed to find an adequate replacement for him.  He allowed All Pro guard Ruben Brown to leave and his since tried multiple low-cost, low-talent lineman to replace him.  All have failed.  On the defensive line, he allowed a defensive leader, Pat Williams, to depart without an adequate replacement.  He turned down opportunities to sign Pro Bowl caliber free agents on both lines.

3.  He has hired only low-cost, inexperienced head coaches in Gregg Williams (fired and no longer an NFL Head Coach) and Mike Mularkey, ignoring more qualified candidates for people who "interviewed well" or had a close, personal connection to him (Mr. Mularkey).  His repeated nepotistic hirings in the former Pittsburgh "good ole boy" system have left this team with inadequate leadership during crucial transition times, and has stunted the development of young players.

4.  Mr. Donahoe has failed repeatedly to accept any blame for the failure of the Buffalo Bills to reach the playoffs, blaming instead "inconsistency" from the players he himself brought in.  He answers questions from press and fans with condescendingly written answers that lack substance, and has demonstrated no accountability whatsoever for the failures of the team under his leadership.

Based on Mr. Donahoe's failures to even attempt to seriously address either line, his losing record as the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills, his refusal to accept responsibility for the failures of the team, and his repeated nepotistic hiring practices, we, the fans, call for his immediate resignation or dismissal.  We further plead with Owner Ralph Wilson Jr. to hire a replacement with a dedication to producing a winning team.  We urge him to bring in experienced, quality coaches, top-notch players, and a winning attitude rather than consistently hiring bargain-basement personnel who cannot get the job done.