May Day 10

Bettman certainly stood by buffalo. A lot of it was circumstance too. There are rumors that Jacobs forced him. Bettman also does not act autonomously. He is largely just a greaseman for the board of governors. Also I think there was some degree of loyalty that came from buffalo having opened a new arena not too long before. Most of the teams who were relocated were done so due to the lack of taxpayer funded arenas. Southern markets were actively offering sweetheart lease deals during the 90s, when it looked like the nhl was going to be in fashion. In 2003, there weren't a lot (any?) Southern markets offering arenas. Not a lot (any?) of potential owners offering top dollar to buy a team. It was the dead puck era, and 3/4 of the league was bleeding money. No promise of a shared television deal. The desired "footprint" in the us was largely fulfilled. There was also a long-feared collective bargaining "armageddon" in the near future. Salaries were getting out of whack, teams couldn't compete. The nhl was seeking cost certainty with a salary cap attached to league revenue. Buffalo is/was the poster child for the need for this. If they had an oil tycoon from Houston as opposed to golisano in buffalo, it could be one more owner to break rank to give in to the nhlpa,like what happened in the early 90s. If the owners gave in during the 04-05 stoppage, it would have been a disaster. Plus, if there happened to be a bidding war with a large price tag for an nhl team, that would have hurt the NHL's doom and gloom position at the bargaining table

Does anyone else thing it is a strange and bad idea that "Riverfront Auto Sales" has decided to advertise using "Frankie the Finance Guy" who is made to sound like a characture of the most slippery mafioso ever heard? While promising credit approval for financing for everyone?

There is no way in H that the nhl wanted McDavid on Edmonton. It was a nightmare scenario. It was McDavid's last choice as well because he had a personal beef with the oilers' owner. Pretty much any other destination would be more favorable. You could be even read the disgusted look on Daly's face when it happened.

What if he had 2 children who are black??

He probably will turn up in someone's personnel department

I like what I see about this guy. Loved the poncho billa thing. Wonderful

His mouth is already going too far. Our fan base (and media) would not have been a good fit

I don't think people really get that passionate about pro football there to make it as much as a poop-storm. I think he would actually get more crap if he pulled the anti-Trump bit in Buffalo than he would in Arizona. Less of an extreme microscope there, and our fans create and hold grudges (and pile on) When he gets booed and has a smarmy remark after the game, it would be over

When it looked like the Bills were getting Rosen... while I admit I wanted him, I was picturing him with this community and fan base. I dont think his personality would mix here and it would get ugly. I think Arizona was the perfect landing spot for him

He wasnt my guy, my choice, or what I was hoping for. But Im 100% behind it right now. If they can harness these tools the sky is the limit for both Allen and the Bills. They drafted a high end prospect.

I hate trading up for a non-QB.... but this seems like a terrific get. Guys on the telecast were uttering phrases such as "best linebacker in the league".

Takeo Spikes with dreds

I also think it was a dry run for Ted Rogers before he purchased and moved the Bills.

The NFL is going to tackle that frontier sooner rather than later, now that their LA/Vegas "problem" is solved. IMO they will look to get into London (and possibly Toronto or Montreal at some point). This may tip their hand. Jacksonville provides very little to the NFL. Its not a large market, there isn't a lot of history that is a part of the NFL "brand" (the reason the Bills, Raiders, Packers, Colts, Saints etc have value)... Their lease goes until 2030, but it is possible to get out of it without paying if they prove they are below average in revenue (not sure if NFL would be willing to expose their books). Next CBA in a few years we may see some shifts in scheduling that may make it more likely to fit London. I have a feeling they may add a regular season game or 2 (drop a preseason or 2)... and also add a second bye week. It wont be too difficult to work travel to London in with bye weeks (and Thursday night games). London would also maybe go on extended road/home trips and have some sort of base in the US.

If the browns go mayfield's, I would bet the Bill's buy off the giants to get darnold

All this look at me garbage has cluttered and ruined this board

Our stadium can't trap the noise like arrowhead or Seattle

I have a feeling Brandon lost most of his "football" influence when Whaley was let go, and the bills hired McDermott and beane

1: I'm glad to see the Bills not on there. I would expect them to rate pretty poorly pre-Pegula. Erasing that stigma is/was an important step to restoring credibility. I think the way the handled McCoy was the big turn in their favor. They also didn't monkey around with Watkins around his option year, franchising, etc. They were up-front and instead of holding him up, they released him into the wild, which I am sure he and his agent appreciate. 2: Reading those answers has me fearing the upcoming CBA expiration after 2021. The rookie wage scale needs to stay IMO. I also see their point on mid-level players getting pushed off to the side for cheaper rookies. The disciplinary issue is going to come to a head, and there may be cracks in the owners' resolve due to sour grapes with Kraft and Jones. With that said, for the NFLPA to truly take a stand is very very difficult due to the number of players, disrepancy in wages, and brevity of careers. An extended strike/lockout would hurt more NFL players than any other sport. If it were possible to get them on a strong, united front, this leadership wont/cannot come close.

Fry from Futurama

The more private money involved, the smoother things happen. This Governor's administration has also seemed to take a greater interest in Buffalo than any NYS Governor in my memory. I think Polancarz is generally non-BS too. If Pegula is (hypothetically) going to invest $500 Million in a project downtown and needs some roads and pipes. It'll happen

An important thing.... and I hope it is some common sense that is realized by the Pegulas: We do not have the possibility of extensive corporate backing, nor the high-end clientele to demand a ton of bells and whistles. Make a football stadium with amazing seats close to the field, and give us the ability to make a ton of noise and get involved.

Gretzky's cartoon like dominance was in the 80s, and no cups after he left (was traded by) the Oilers in 88. Tyson's run was also performed in the 80s. I wouldn't consider Bonds anywhere near the GOAT, and I'm not even sure what he accomplished in the 90s. Jordan was certainly 90s... but was he as dominant as Wilt? (I dont know, I didnt see). I think the (late 80s and) 90s seem that way because we had a media explosion right around then, and these guys were canonized in a way never seen. We also were concentrated on select few sources. We had ESPN, our Regional Sports Network (which often were fused with the same programming for 75% of the day), and local coverage... so everybody was exposed to virtually the same exact content. I do feel fortunate I was able to see sports back then, because I feel like it was truly the tail-end of the glory days of sports. Before complete over-saturation with exposure, money, and medical knowledge.

spoiler alert: the super bowl is never coming to buffalo.

i would prefer open... but more enclosed to block wind with a decent roof for precipitation and crowd noise. if it is located out of the snow belt, thats a plus. to me, indoor games are 2 dimensional, and all the same/miscellaneous. when i see bills highlights for home games, the weather is part of the atmosphere... and i remember how it was that day. Even the lighting if its a 1pm game in sept or a 4pm game in late november. i do understand the side who wants a roof. although the "many other" events justification doesnt hold much water. i also think retractable would be a waste of money in buffalo