May Day 10

Not saying that his moves are failures yet, more of an incomplete still.... I more-wanted to make the point that he wasnt coming in to a bare cupboard. He had a ton of currency when he came in, along with the promise of multiple top draft selections and a real shot at 2 of Ekblad, Reinhart, McDavid, and Eichel. Not having anything to work with cannot be an excuse if the team remains stuck in the mud another season (as well as the Amerks)

Well, if they cant extend/re-sign Kane, or if he gets into hot water this Summer, that is a huge waste. Hopefully he wants to stay. Kulikov too. He walks and that Pysyk and a 3rd is basically for zilch. The master plan IMO was to draft top end players as well as a cupboard full of developing prospects, to create a strong, deep organization. Murray spent a lot of assets to 'speed the rebuild' and got various guys in who he personally coveted/scouted for Ottawa (Carrier, Fasching, Lehner, Kane, Kulikov, probably Bogosian, OReilly). Also signing Okposo. The step back this season was a big failure. They are going to need to show progress next year, and also start to bear fruit in Rochester, or Murray's seat could get really warm. He really needs to shore up the blue line. Really needs to sign Peterson and have him and Johansson from Sweden backstop the Amerks, with Lehner and Ullmark with the Sabres. Pu and Estephan need to keep progressing, as do Nylander and Guhle in Rochester. Hopefully Fasching works hard this Summer and shows something in camp. We will see. With a new coach and a few changes on the blue line, it isnt difficult to imagine this team solidly up there with the top few in the Division. That along with some of the above named prospects starting to bear fruit in Rochester, Kane signs on a somewhat reasonable deal and things start to look rosey. Definitely a huge offseason for Murray and the franchise

I disagree they were bare. Many publications and blogs had the Sabres' prospect pool in the top 3-5 in the league. They had a glut of upcoming 1st-3rd round picks. Plus the promise of trading a few more pending UFAs in Miller and Ott, as well as having a highly coveted piece in Tyler Myers Just the trade of Brayden McNabb is a microcosm of the consistent bleeding of assets. McNabb AND (2) 2nd round picks for Fasching and Deslauriers. Other high end prospects/picks they have gotten rid of are Armia, Zadorov, Pysyk, Grigorenko, Brendan Lemieux (who was a recent 1st pick in round 2), Compher, and previously mentioned Myers. I know now in hindsight, some of those prospects arent as valuable, but a few years ago they had real value. Traded a 2nd rounder for Gorges, a 1st in the Kane trade (along with Myers who was rumored to be bringing back a high end return)., a 1st for Lehner, 1st pick in the second round in the OReilly trade, burned a 3rd for Vesey, burned a 3rd in the Pysyk trade, and a 4th getting Nilsson. And now, there isnt much to show for it. It was exciting, the Sabres holding all those picks with an incoming GM who supposedly was a drafting expert. The Sabres do not have much depth, and Rochester is bare. Some of these picks really need to pan out.

Murray blew through a ton of capital in the way of donking off draft picks. And they dont seem to have much to show for it. Outside of the no-brainer picks of Eichel and Reinhart... and Kane who is kind of a time bomb and is also approaching UFA... we all like OReilly, but there isnt much else to show for it. No depth, and Rochester is pretty much a wasteland. A couple guys in the pipeline look promising, but us/Murray really need to start seeing some returns.

yeah. These little PR actions mean nothing. Many were falling over themselves praising Rex Ryan for doing these sort of things and pushing everyone's buttons. I am cautiously optimistic for McDermott. Seems like a young, hungry, no-nonsense head coach ready and willing to put the work in. It reminds me how I felt about Gregg Williams though They are the Chrones of the Dosh Khaleen

2-0 Tribe

Yes, title IX sucks. I understand the premise of it... but more times than not (most times) all it does is restrict opportunity. UB Baseball was kind of a joke. I play on their field sometimes in the Summer and it is a disgrace. Our DIII field was 50x better than that. The coach treated it like his baby, and players' responsibilities included routine grounds maintenance. Not sure if UB would ever be competitive in the MAC. They are at a huge recruiting disadvantage

Yes.... typically this happens. In the past, I believe the Bills have been careful to employ GMs and Coaches who are agreeable to leaving as much in place as possible. You want the coach with staff he is comfortable with and shares a vision. Mcdermott, whether he will succeed or not, has a grand vision for his career. If he succeeds, we all will benefit.

The NFL could potentially create rules to suffocate the one team that refuses to get with the times, and are sucking in way more than they contribute.

I think we will have a good pile of details and plans revealed in 2020... stadium opens in 2024. Hopefully the bills find "success" by then but im not holding my breath

It stems back further than that though. Ralph Wilson, especially in the later years would not give off good vibes. I still fondly recall his boasting about Toronto while subtlety trashing Buffalo... while outsourcing games there and feeding everyone's collective inferiority and fears.... or the PC where he declared that all the Bills needed were "runners" and "Tight Ends who don't get hurt". That transitioned into Russ Brandon delivering the message, and let's face it... about 80% of the fanbase would be thrilled to never hear a word from the guy and do not trust him. Also, Buddy Nix was a characture, especially with his infamous telephone screw up. That transitioned into the trainwreck Rex.... which in turn went into the strange events of Anthony Lynn and the Whaley PC. They reacted by changing the direction of their PR man... and now this 'talent evaluator'. They were/are completely necessary moves. Even if they are well oiled, they always give the public impression of being keystone capers

They have already relegated him to be their Reek. Why fire him? They could save that and play the card after the season when they go 4-12

We are pretty safe. The Pegulas plunked a lot of cash down on the team. The could make more probably up North even paying the relocation fee... but it essentially undermines everything they have worked for in the last 6 years (and poured money into) in WNY. Maybe they could graciously sell the team.... but I am not sure there is a willing/able bidder up there. Rogers is full of drama without a singular Patriarch since the old man passed... MLSE starts to look small-time when you talk about $1.5 Billion, another $500 Million in relocation fees... and new stadium. Also, the Province of Ontario will be very stingy for any new facility. I think there will be a good faith negotiation between the County, State, and the Bills/Pegulas. IMO the Pegulas will be willing to plunk down cash to get it done. Also, don't forget the previously stated interest in Jacobs/Delaware North in the project. Pegula has the city in mind, so the proposed project will likely include the possibility of much more use/benefit than 8-10 football games/year which will sway/justify the public funds a bit. As far as fan pricing goes. With the drought.... it is kind of false data. With a competitive football team, I feel like the ceiling is much higher than current pricing. Once they hit the point of being a real team with important games (and playoff ones)... Season tickets will be capped permanently, and they will be able to steadily raise prices. The Bills are very safe. We'll see when the gears start moving on life after this lease... but everyone's intent, including ownership is 100% for the Bills to remain here

To me, Whaley was/is just a continuation of Nix. As mentioned here and another thread. The Bills have a collaborative model of making decisions. It seems often that this leads to rocky relationships and poor decisions without vision. This model was necessary during Mr. Wilson's final years because IMO he was mainly running out the clock. Levy was fine with it. Brandon is a major part of it so he was fine. Nix was comfortable with it... and I am certain the indoctrinated Whaley on how it works around here. I was convinced Pegula was going to flush it out because preparing the franchise for the estate sale was no longer a function. It was time to get a leader in here and become a big boy club. This did not happen. This was the second time I was fooled, as the Sabres were in a similar pattern (instead of estate sale, Golisano had the goal of the team being financially self-sustainable). I am starting to think that Pegula likes and admires the Bills model of murking up all the decision-making, so nobody can pin decisions on any person. Someone can be jettisoned and in many eyes all the bad decisions/blame go out the door with that person, while the good decisions and excuses remain in-house. This allows for management to remain. Pegula likes this structure as they like to make decisions too and this will keep them out of the firing line. They took a ton of heat for the Sabres. So in short, Whaley being sent packing wouldn't make me happy or sad. Maybe a little concerned because they would be going all-in on McDermott who isnt too much of a known commodity. I think Whaley, or someone has been irresponsible with the cap... and has left too many gaping holes with a desert as far as depth goes at many positions. Whaley seems to be very good at pro-scouting though. They should either publicly give Whaley full control over the football operation and let him succeed or fail.... or get someone else to head it up. Instead, I just see more murk.

A lot of it is speculation and connecting the dots I think I think it has been rumored that the Pegulas would like to clear out space in the Keybank Center for fan amenities. That would include them booting that strange aeronautical museum that used to rent there... as well as the Sabres Store and Admin/Ticketing Offices. It makes sense that these would be moved right next door. They could also create a much better retail store, and also make it a downtown Bills store location as well. Would be a nice opportunity to consolidate various offices they have (I know they have bounced around a little bit from the HSBC Building to the Creamery). Probably have a Bills Ticket Office location as well as one for the Arena. You would also assume that they would like to create a nice space for the MSG WNY as well as maybe something for their record label endeavors (as far as the label goes, its a wild guess) As far as the possibility of a 'Brewery' goes. I would think that if they did it.... they would just have microbrews for 716. Why compete with themselves kitty-corner? They could serve them at 716... and maybe even in the Arena.

This is why I am leaning more toward the 'solution' of a new build, but more of a cheaper and modest vision in Orchard Park. Thinking along the lines of Seattle/Pittsburgh/Cincy/Philly/Cleveland. You really have to rack your brain to come up with a number of realistic events that are too large for Keybank Center. Maybe a few one-off things like a Wrestlemania or a Final 4 are a dream. A couple concerts... but stadium musical tours are rare. Conventions? I dont know. Really not much of a market for that in Buffalo but maybe a few. Possibly could kidnap the low-attended MAC Football Championship game... and maybe a neutral site NCAA Football game... unfortunately though, NCAA Football isnt a big draw here, and I am not sure who is tripping over themselves to play here. I think the NCAA Ntnl Championship Game is a near impossibility. A stadium downtown would require drastic purchasing of property/eminent domain. Lots of engineering and studies, utility relocation and upgrading, traffic issues.... Plus the price tag for an enclosed or retractable multi-use stadium on top of that... doesnt seem worth it... A vision of downtown, you can have put a brand new convention center and a brick and mortar amphitheater downtown for a small fraction of the price and fill every possible need, while bringing even more people downtown annually. Keep the stadium in Orchard Park is fine. I dont see the value of crowbarring this thing with that large of a footprint downtown.

I think the building is going to be renovated and made into PS&E offices as well as Sabres' administrative offices (possibly even Bills). Probably a small television studio. Also a large Sabres/Bills/OneBuffalo Store.

with that kind of investment... you wonder if they have plans to build on an adjacent lot there....

I believe Belichick and the Patriots would go on to have prolonged success. Maybe not to the degree they have.... but pretty good. Belichick is an innovator and visionary. Brady, IMO, would not have turned out the way he has. I think he has developed into who he is thanks to the organization. if he gets drafted by the Cardinals, I dont think we know who he is right now.

Dont really care that much but I think it is good. Every other time Wood or C has been out for any length of time, it has been a disaster. With Groy, there wasnt much of a notable difference

Apathy Apathy

THIS JUST IN........ THE BILLS ARE... AWESOME! -John Murphy and Chris brown special report

It isnt about losing on purpose. It is looking at 3-4 years down the road and beyond and building with that in mind. Operationally it gives you an advantage because not many teams are able to commit to that mode, whether it is ownership impatience or fearing fan backlash (I think, like the Sabres, the Bills' fan base would buy into the vision). You can act in a way that other teams dont like trading off assets for futures and like the Osweiler case, eating a team's bad contract for a future benefit. As a side effect, the team is probably going to be terrible for a year or two. Assuming all scouting and development is the same.... who has a better chance at being a better team and scooping up pro bowlers? The Browns with 36 draft picks (many of them 1sts-3rds) over '16-'18 as well as unprecedented maneuverability under the cap? Or the Bills' 20 picks over that span, cash-strapped, and doing just enough to stay in the #7-#14 draft position? Also, I also do not believe Wilson's Bills in the 2000s were geared to win.... however, I think he enjoyed staying in mediocrity. Was just enough to keep the fans off his back for 3 year stretches. They were comfortable where they were, which is why there was never a major change since the Donahoe hire 1000 years ago. For some reason, Pegula maintained the same management team, and it isnt surprising they act the same and get the same results