Buffalo Bills Chief Operating Officer Russ Brandon has been in charge of football operations since January of 2008.

In those 15 months he has faced a long holdout by his best player, two run-ins with the law

by his best running back, calls for the head of his head coach, a playoff drought that has

lasted all decade and the unwanted loss of some free agents.

That's a lot on the plate of a man whose challenge when hired by the Bills in November 1997

was to ensure a smooth move of the team's summer training from Fredonia to the campus of St.

John Fisher College in Rochester, where he lettered in baseball and football before graduating

in 1989.

"I have a few more gray hairs than I did before," Brandon joked during an interview at the

NFL owners meetings in Dana Point, Calif., last week, "but it has been an absolute dream come

true to have this opportunity in my home region."

Brandon, a native of Syracuse, said dealing with the continuing contract saga of All-pro

left tackle Jason Peters and the arrests of Marshawn Lynch have been his biggest worries.

However, he said he has been prepared for such difficulties by watching how his

predecessors handled such problems.

With the owners meetings held just an hour from San Diego, Brandon couldn't help but think

about John Butler, the predecessor who brought him to Buffalo.

Butler died of lung cancer in 2003 while serving as general manager of the San Diego

Chargers. But it was during his time as Buffalo's GM, which ended early in 2001, that he

played a key role in Brandon's career.

"He was a great influence on me," Brandon said. "John had an impact on everybody in the

organization. Don't know many people who loved the game in between the lines more than John.

He's greatly missed.

"I've been fortunate to work with and for some great people. It goes back to Dan Lunetta at

my first job in Rochester [Brandon was the assistant GM with the minor league baseball Red

Wings] to Dave Dombrowski, the president of the Detroit Tigers [he worked for Dombrowski when

he was with the Florida Marlins] to John Butler, Tom Donahoe, Marv Levy, [Bills treasurer]

Jeff Littmann and of course the guiding light in my career, Ralph Wilson. All these people

have helped lay the foundation for my career."

Another difficulty that Brandon has faced is the perception that he's just a business guy

who is out of his element running the football department. Quite a few eyebrows were raised

when Wilson added Levy's job to his duties in January 2008. Fact is, the 41-year-old has spent

more than a decade preparing for the job.

Through the years he picked the brains of Butler, Donahoe and Levy about the personnel side

of football. He would attend film sessions, then be quizzed by Butler on the collective

bargaining agreement, players' strengths and weaknesses as well as schemes and coverages.

Brandon likes being in a job where he can shape the position of the franchise, which he

feels is on the right path. He likes being a part of having the chance to turn these things

around, and he said he's really motivated to prove he's not just a marketing guy.

Like Butler and Donahoe, he loves hitting the road to scout college players. After the

league meetings, he was off to the universities of Southern California and Oregon for their

pro days.

"He's always had a great interest in scouting," said Tom Modrak, the Bills' vice president

of college scouting. "Russ was trying to learn that end of the business with John and then

with Tom and he continues to have a lot of interest in the personnel end of things. He enjoys

that, he wants to be good at that and he keeps working at it."

One thing Brandon has learned is the Bills' team-oriented approach to personnel decisions,

which are made with input from key figures in the organization, including Wilson, Modrak, Vice

President of Pro Personnel John Guy and head coach Dick Jauron.

Brandon also has learned the buck ultimately stops with the man in charge so every player

move he makes will be scrutinized.

"I greatly take on that responsibility because the organization has to be accountable and

we're always looking to get better in everything we do on and off the field," Brandon said.

"We have some great people in our organization. When you're surrounded by quality people it

makes your job easier. But I know that what happens with the team is on me. I accept that."

Brandon wasted little time proving his worth last year, acquiring former Pro Bowl tackle

Marcus Stroud in a trade with Jacksonville, and signing New York Giants linebacker Kawika

Mitchell and Minnesota Vikings defense tackle Spencer Johnson in free agency. Brandon's first

draft yielded a potential star in cornerback Leodis McKelvin.

This offseason, the Bills signed center Geoff Hangartner, cornerback Drayton Florence and

linebacker Pat Thomas, but those moves were overshadowed by the signing of wide receiver

Terrell Owens.

The move was bold, same as the ones Donahoe made in trading for Drew Bledsoe and drafting

Willis McGahee. But it was also out of character for a franchise that has always believed in

being team oriented to sign the ultimate "me" guy.

The Bills know Owens' reputation of criticizing teammates and coaches and being a

disruptive element but pursued him because of what he can do to improve their sagging offense.

"His unparalleled work ethic, being one of the premier playmakers and bringing that

competitive nature to the team, that's what we're looking forward to," Brandon said. "Our

focus is on winning games. The guy has been ultra-productive and has been a tremendous talent.

To add that kind of player to our team is exciting for everyone in Bills Nation."

Brandon said free agency is far from over, but most of the Bills' attention the next four

weeks will be on the draft and on the status of Peters. Brandon indicated that the team needs

depth at all positions, but a pass-rushing defensive end, outside linebacker, tight end and

left guard are specific needs.

Besides Owens, the biggest offseason news was the decision to retain Jauron. It was an

unpopular move in the eyes of fans critical of Jauron's game management.

After the Bills turned in three consecutive 7-9 seasons, a lot of fans feel the team has

gone as far as it can under Jauron. Brandon is convinced that keeping Jauron was in the best

interest of the franchise.

"We have a young team that we built collectively, and this gives us an opportunity to see

the mission accomplished," Brandon said. "Continuity wins in this league, in sports. You look

at the Colts, the Steelers, the Eagles; the one common denominator of success is continuity

and a consistent vision.

"That is our goal, and we hope we can keep taking the next step. We didn't take the next

step last year in terms of wins, but we took steps in other areas that will put us [in

position] to hopefully take another step in the win column."

Jauron acknowledged recently that this is a must-win year. Brandon stopped short of saying

that, but he made it clear that another losing season will not be acceptable.

"It's a critical year for the organization because we have a young core of talent on this

team," he said. "We have guys that are poised to take the next step in their development. So

overall we feel that it's important for us to take that next step.

"The playoffs are our mission. We haven't been to the playoffs in nine years. It is

unacceptable to everyone in the organization at One Bills Drive, and we're going to do

everything we can to get back to where our fans want us to be and that's playing football in

January."