notwoz

It all depends on who the GM is and how well he evaluates talent

You're not wrong, but the issue is a larger one, and that's the WNY economy. Actually it's the NY State economy as well. I live in the Washington, DC, area and the whining about the local football team with the racist nickname is as bad as the griping about the Bills. But the big difference is that when the local football fans drive to work on Monday morning, they may be p*ssed about the 'Skins, but they're driving their BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, Lexuses, etc. on their way to their decently paid to way-overpaid jobs that are the beneficiaries of being in the proximity of the federal government. Even during the recession when the area lost jobs and foreclosures were spiraling out of control, there were still a lot of people with good paying jobs -- contractors, "consultants," military, government, etc. In Western New York, the economy is contracting. Well paying jobs with promising futures are at a premium, there is no federal government to provide a steady stream of income for every defense or high-tech company that puts out a shingle and a bid for a government contract. If by some chance, Western New York could revive its economy, you'll see that the dark cloud hanging over the sports team usually lifts on payday. And as a WNY expatriot I really wish the economy would pick up -- I'd love to come back home.

It seems to me that the issue is not so much the price of the tickets, but the ability of residents to absorb higher prices. I live in the Washington DC area and have put in for several Buffalo-area jobs in my field. The salaries they were quoting would set me back 20 years. Maybe I'm in the wrong field (quite possible), but the offers were 60% lower than what I'm making now. I'll be happy to take a haircut in order to go back home, but I won't get scalped. My guess is that wages in WNY are not keeping up with a lot of other areas. Another problem is that the current structure requires teams to split ticket revenues -- so if the Bills were to raise their ticket prices by $15 a game, they'd have to give $7.50 of that to their opponents. However, they get to keep all their luxury suite revenues. That's why guys like Jerry Jones build palaces with enough luxury suites to house half of Erie County. I don't know if WNY has that kind of corporate presence, but my guess is that there's not much of a line to pay for luxury suites. I'm going to be in Buffalo next week to visit the in-laws. It'll be good to actually pick up a real copy of the Buffalo News and flip through the Sports section rather than reading it online.

I'm OK with Dungy -- but unless Vick can play on the OL, we don't need him.

I'm sure Marty is a fine coach, but I want someone who can take the Bills through the playoffs, and not just to the playoffs

The problem with this scenario is that you creat a CYA culture. Trust me, I've in situations like that.

He's been asleep for the last 10 years.

Maybe someone out there has the stats, but how much of Shanahan's success can be attributed to some guy named Elway, and to the Front Office folks who were able to draft/sign great players?

Are we dying for a change or what?

Amen, brother -- a "name" is no guarantee of success. The Bills need a GM who has a vision about what the team should be and who can build an organization to carry out that vision, from scouts to coachs. In my neighborhood, Dan Snyder buys the sexiest names he can find (think Steve Spurrier) and falls flat on his face. (OK that's partly because he is a meddling jerk.) The Bills need to find someone who knows football, and more importantly, someone who knows what makes a good football team.

I'm reading Lombardi's column and this sentence stops me dead in my tracks (I haven't read the rest of the article yet): "They have breakdowns in three areas: players, coaching and scheme." I read that sentence over and over and asked myself: "Are there ANY other areas in which a team could have breakdowns." I mean this sounds like the mother of all dysfunctional organizations. (Although I am glad that they took the baby step of firing an inept coach. Let's see if Ralph has the stones to clean house.)

I seem to recall that when Kelly was around, the word was that it was the ability to throw a really tight spiral that determined a QB's success at the Ralph. Is that my imagination, or does anyone else remember that?

Wonder if it was Bud Adams flipping the bird to the Bills that pushed Ralph over the edge.

That's one down. Let's see how serious Ralph is and if he continues to clean house.

That's true, but frankly how many time can you read message boards that say: Ralph sucks, the front office sucks, the head coach sucks, the offensive line sucks, (name your favorite whipping boy here) sucks. we should hire (pick your favorite here) as coach or GM. I think everyone who has a pulse realizes just how dysfunctional the franchise is. I just wanted to see if anyone was willing to have a little fun.

The sad part of this is (and it's really quite funny, Kudos to you) is that it's a better list then the real list of recent free agent signings.

Good band. I lost track of them -- whatever became of them? Or are we not allowed to talk about music on the boards?

You mean Was Not Was, as in Walk the Dinosaur? Open the door, get on the floor Everybody walk the dinosaur I met you in a cave, you were painting buffalo I said I'd be your slave, follow you wherever you go That night we split a rattlesnake and danced beneath the stars You fell asleep, I stayed awake and watched the passing cars And walked the dinosaur, I walked the dinosaur

I first subscribed to Directv's NFL package nine years ago. It's been nine years of disappointment and wasted money. It's my fault the Bills suck. I'm a jinx (and also a Pittsburgh Pirates fan--17years of losing and no end in sight. That's right I subscribe to the baseball package. And while I'm confessing my sins, I also subscribe to the NHL package to watch the Sabres.)

As in "move along, there's nothing to see here?" If they're talking about the game, that would be correct.

Here's an interesting take from the BuffaloBills.com recap: "The game was closer than the final score indicated."

I know how you feel. My wife asked me why I wasn't swearing at the TV. I said, "Why waste my energy?" No emotion left.

there is no way that the Bills go 8-8. But that doesn't mean we don't get Dicked again next season.

I know this is heresy -- and I'll probably be banned from the The Stadium Wall -- but if I owned the Bills, I'd put out the word that I would be more than happy to listen to offers from any community (Toronto, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, I really don't care where) that would offer me the best deal that creates the most revenue for me. It really boils down to money. Why should I be content to make a few million on the Bills in an antique of a stadium (I was there for the first ever game -- an exhibition against the Washington Redskins) in Orchard Park if I could make bazillions somewhere else.

Actually, you have gotten something. And it's from Ralph. He's given you dick!