May Day 10

It is actually the only good stretch in this organization's history. That and a blip in the afl in the mid 60s. Its all they got. Its historically a wretched organization. Hopefully beane and mcdermott can change the tides

Wasnt beane basically a foregone conclusion, a poorly kept secret, and the preference of mcdermott? Even while whaley was still employed? Any of us could have put him on a "list"

Agreed I would wager all these guys would love for these teams to do well. It has got to be monotonous to cover these guys

It was fine. All it was (and all his pieces that take place with "Rex" at Cole's) are basically the devil and the angel on the shoulder of a Buffalo sports fan. Shows the rah, rah side as well as the possible negative 'reality', and the forces butt heads. I am cautiously optimistic with the recent hires... but I would be lying if I said I didnt hear Sullivan's voice from the article tugging at me.

I have been on Brandon's case for 10 years now... but I agree with this. It seems the Bills finally got their 'czar' from the outside, in McDermott. They are finally building a professional football executive staff which is not tailored to Wilson/Littman/Brandon/Overdorf's needs and wants to maintain control over the football operation. At long last, his involvement has likely been completely marginalized. I do think both teams could do a lot to repair their image and perception/relationship with fans. I know losing has a lot to do with it, but both operations seem to be pretty tone-deaf in a lot of ways. I hope Brandon can repair that, but I dont think of him as a real 'fan-friendly' executive. I got sidetracked here, but my main point was we should thank Wilson/Littman and not Brandon for 'negotiating' for the relocation penalty. The suggestion that Brandon went into the talks and unilaterally stuck a poison pill in there, saving the Bills is a silly fantasy. If I had the motivation, I think I could 'argue' reasons Wilson might not have desired such a penalty... and if he had lived 3-5 more years, we could have had a real problem... and without Terry Pegula, we could have a lack of a buyer... But I really don't want to think that way, it really matters not at all. The fact will always remain that the whole thing went down very favorably for us and the Bills. I don't have a problem at all giving Wilson credit for that, even if it was 'only' agreeing to the NRA.

My understanding:As far as the bills were concerned, it was a lump sum money deal. They basically sold the games to rogers for $76 million (the second contract was less and not disclosed). The pricing, most of the marketing, selling of tickets and production fell onto rogers

Its not conjecture, its common sense Why would the bills purposely take a position to directly devalue their asset? In that case, maybe polancarz and nys would have been more than happy to sign a 1,000 year lease with a trillion dollar buyout. Negotiations go: the bills want as much public money as possible to improve their earning potential, and the county wants to lesson the blow, have the team kick in, and obtain as lengthy a binding nra as possible. The bills negotiating up to a 400 million dollar buyout is like you going into a car dealership and talking them up from $22,000 to $28,000. This round, the county and state was in a much better negotiating position than the past. No way ralph wilson wanted to put up the money for a relocation/facility at such an advanced age. He also couldnt really sell, as he desired to own them to the wire, and selling would mean his family would essentially be double-taxed. Also, they didnt know when mr wilson would pass away. The way it went down was the most prime in terms of the nra timeline. They werent even done with the renovations they signed for.

Why would the bills negotiate for a major nra penalty? That position is pro county/state and anti bills. Also, if mr wilson passed away closer to the opt out window... there probably would have been serious out of town bidders. And the evidence is that ralph wilson owned the team and littman was his chief financial guy. I am sure they had a pretty strong footing in the process and had the ultimate authority.

This. For the most part it is a sales position. They are able to prey on people overwhelmed by joining a gym and/or riding out a quick wave of motivation to 'get in shape'. I wouldn't allow myself or anyone I know be 'trained' by anyone in a 'chain' gym for the most part. Basically, a nutritionist would be a better route to go, and just find a physical activity that you find enjoyable. Anyone who wants in-depth information could just browse through the forums on bodybuilding.com. On a side note, some of what I see people doing and getting seriously injured in this 'crossfit' stuff give me the shivers.

That "The Kitchen" show is good. Always filled with useful do-at-home stuff and easy fare. The nerdy old guy has Buffalo ties as well. Diners, Drive-Ins, etc... is good too I hate to admit. Guy Fieri annoys me, and so does the show.... but when the wife is watching it always captivates me for a bit.

That was likely Littman and Wilson who allowed that moreso than Brandon sliding it in there under his bosses' noses, devaluing the team for a multi-year window. And if Mr Wilson had lived a few more years, the terms of that NRA could have been a disaster for Buffalo's hold on an NFL team.

It certainly is a breath of fresh air. For all intents and purposes, it seems like McDermott is kind of the 'czar' that many of us wanted. The guy from outside the organization who finally throws open the shudders and allows the 2000s NFL to enter

No. I think they need to recognize that they are a flawed team, without a franchise QB. Sure, it is possible they make a run in the regular season. Most one-score games fall in their favor.... and they get to travel to a wild card game to get their teeth kicked in by a better team, only to be back to square one this time next year. I don't care to have a one and out Dolphins season. Looking at the Dolphins, that isnt sustainable. I want the organization to take a longer view. I want them to put a franchise together to be a competitive team for a 10-20 year span, the likes of Pittsburgh, NE, Green Bay, Baltimore, NYG, etc. Sure some poor season mixed in for most of them, but overall they have a legit chance every season, many playoff games, home playoff games, primetime, etc...

This is MUCH different than the Bills' M.O. since Donahoe. McDermott wants to be a HOF head coach. He isn't going to stake his career and reputation in a situation that allows for Russ Brandon to tell him who is on the roster, trade returns, and whatnot. Buddy Nix, Whaley, Levy, Jauron, even Rex Ryan couldnt care less. Marrone is/was the wild card. I believe he drew the line and demanded what McDermott has. Beane, I dont know much about. But he seems young and hungry, and here to work in cohesion with McDermott. Beane, from the outside is a far cry from the 3-ring-circus 'hires' the Bills have tried to bamboozle the fans with in the past. Buddy Nix.... haha.

Unfortunately for us, it isnt. 6-9 wins is the problem. They will keep striving for that. A bad schedule, the Pats tooling up for 14-15 wins.... just play dead a year, clear out cap room, acquire picks, put yourself in a position to get Darnold or one of the top 3 QBs... and live to fight in 2018 and beyond.

Bill Murray

16 teams. AFC.

I disagree on the first part. Fans' perception, ultimately can have an effect on the job performance. With the Bills fans, there is no breaking point. Tickets are cheap, it is only 8 dates or less per year, and the game, often can be secondary to the peripheral activities people participate in. Sabres fans though, are close to the breaking point, overall. Perception of the team and direction are going to start to be a factor soon, and many Sabres fans are discouraged that the Bills' leader has been put in charge of the Sabres too. Paired with perpetual losing, and the feeling of dysfunction that plagues the Bills, Sabres fans are going to stop buying tickets. If the waiting list isn't tapped this season, it will only take one more season. Tickets are quite expensive, and 41 games is a big commitment, especially with a weak secondary 'market'. Games are dull and over the years, the Sabres have gotten lazy on that and many other aspects. The last straw for me was the team giving out $0.10 "One Buffalo" sunglasses for fan "appreciation" day. It was literally 'insulting' and people around me felt the same way and there was buzz about it (and people were naming Russ Brandon as the culprit). I am waiting for the invoice this Spring. If there is a ticket increase, my 18 year account will be gone. I liked Ted Black. I met with him in a really cool round table he organized with different STH every home game. He introduced us to his family, and Elliott Friedman was there and was really impressed with the Sabres' outreach (and wrote about it). I emailed concerns back and forth which he graciously humored me. He took suggestions and I saw tangible improvements around the arena. He cried when the Sabres let him go. I thought he was amazing from a fans' standpoint. With Russ Brandon, I have a perception of my 'no frills' benefits of being a Bills STH.

The "Pro Bowl" benchmark is laughable. 3 QBs were selected: Brady, Roth, and Carr. Players bail out, and they look to fill the position. There are numerous 'alternates'... Alex Smith, Dalton, and Rivers... Mariota and Taylor were apparently also alternates. Andrew Luck declined... and Siemian was also asked.... so technically, we are at >75% of the starting QBs in the AFC were 'pro bowl' calibur. I would also wager Flacco was asked... and we have the dumpster-fires that were the Browns and Jets included in that... and the Texans failed to field a real capable starting QB. So Taylor might have beat out Tannehill and Bortles. Good job. The NFL really just needs to name an "all-pro" team, a second "all pro" team. For each league if you need to.... and also come up with cool awards like the NHL. Make that a whole well-produced television special, with special guests and such. Would be 10x better packaged (and watched) than the pro-bowl.

I think people jump to "Marketing" because it is probably the #1 defense of Brandon that is used. "He is just a marketing guy", "he is a marketing genius". It kind of compartmentalizes the discussion. The fact is, he hasn't been director of marketing since like 2005. I know with certainty that he was very involved in football decisions, pretty much since Donahoe left. Now though, with Pegula as owner, and with Whaley out of the picture, and with his new role(s) it is diminished. Part of the reason though, is Pegula wants to be the guy who plays with the toys in the tub... which ultimately gets us to the same place. I still suspect there is baggage with Brandon and the front office, and that Pegula leans on him for counsel.... which I do not like. I would trust almost anyone else in the world to counsel t-pegs. Also, the fans carry a pretty widespread, and in many cases extreme distrust of the man. Whether it is warranted or not... it should carry some weight. So for now, I believe Brandon is somewhat minimized on the football side. However, I still believe Pegula needs a president of the football side to build from the top-down. No more counsel from Brandon, and Pegula's own decisions should be made, only with a lot of guidance from an experienced football exec. Maybe we struck it rich with McDermott and him bringing in his buddy from Carolina will provide strong leadership on the football side, we get a franchise QB next season, and we can start to talk seriously about NFL competition. If not though.... I really hope the Pegulas consider bringing in a 'power broker' to fix things.

I dont believe that... What kept the team here is Ralph's unwillingness to sell the team while he was alive for both ego and tax reasons. At his advanced age, he also did not want to go through with a major financial commitment in relocation fees and partially funding a new facility to move the team. This team would sell these tickets with or without Russ Brandon. They are cheap as can be, and there is a party element of going to games. People go more for the tailgating and periphery fun. The game and this awful team is secondary for way too many people. Overall... as Russ Brandon said himself: the brand is tarnished. Go poll 1,000 random football fans... or even random people around Buffalo about the Bills and overall perception of the franchise and brand would most likely be very negative. It is not just the losing. They have put forth an ugly face through much of it, such as the strange drama we witnessed through the Rex firing process into Lynn's PC being thrown on a grenade, into Whaley's bizarre PC... Also previous to that, the whole Marrone vs Whaley thing that led to the second 9-7 HC quitting. How is he a 'marketing genius'. I always see him labeled here as that. I don't see much marketing. I am a STH, along with 9 friends, and nothing has had to do with Russ Brandon or 'marketing'. His main claim to fame was the call to move camp to St John Fisher and make an event out of it, which earned him Mr Wilson's admiration. It became a fad, but now, NFL teams are moving away from that. The team's marketing materials and presence are kind of a joke and lazy to be honest. The team is at the bottom of the NFL in revenue and value. Just the fact that a large majority of the fan-base hates him (as well as the Sabres' fan base) should be concerning, and shouldn't be ignored. There are hundreds and thousands of business people and sports business people capable of running the business side of a sports organization and bring in ideas. And then you have every major football decision and action, spanning back almost a decade now. His fingerprints are all over most of them.

The team is at the bottom for revenue and value. The nfl tv sharing has kept the bills viable. The bills sell tickets relatively well... but mainly due to the low price and party element. Ticket dollars are shared with the visiting team anyway. Actual marketing/perception of the team, franchise, and brand is a disaster. Game presentation as well as presence in the media is minor league compared to other teams. Since he has been elevated to president, the team hasnt gotten anything right and has been a continuous clown car of dysfunction. And unless brandon gave a younger terry pegula tips on an emerging technology to extract natural gas... he had nothing to do with saving the bills in buffalo. I think overall, the bills can use some new ideas and modernization in all aspects. Russ brandon is from the "no frills" crusty estate planning mode that he ushered the bills through. It shows. Tgats when you get things like cheap, insulting one buffalo sunglasses given away for fan "appreciation" night. A few things have diminished as a sabres sth since black was swapped with brandon.

I have thought this about marrone for awhile now. I think he wanted basically what mcdermott has. Pegula sided with team brandon/whaley. It wasnt so much about leveraging money. The last few years may have bern different, but overall, I think i would much rather have mcdermott.

If its a great move, and we are in such a hurry to franchise tag him, why does any team pick up the option?