May Day 10

IMO they havent really 'blown things up' since Donahoe came in. It has all been some sort of nepotistic progression since then. Changes over the years have been mild changes. Pegula has committed to the current course, although I fear Whaley will be sent packing. I do think we are destined to get the "Lafontaine moment" that the Sabres had... whether its after next season, or in 3 seasons.

yes, I get my moneys worth. I never felt like I hadnt. I have wished the team would be run other ways for years... but really the amount of money and the amount of fun/entertainment is fine by me.

They wont/can't blow it up. Ownership chose this direction and we are going to see if it succeeds or fails

This is the right answer... the problem is, they hired a lightning rod coach long term who is probably an immovable object at this point... and also committed big chunks of the cap long term. I have a bad feeling about whaley leaving this offseason. They will need to beg for a gm in this situation... let alone the top football exec. I'm sure we would see little grenades dropped into the media about that guy too from within the organization. Someone there has been slimy this leak process has been going on a few years. Imo anything done at this point would be a half measure again. There is no way pegula just installs a man at the top with any options at this point. The best I can hope for is they just stay the course. Keep whaley, rex, etc. One or two more seasons. Either the team is good and we are happy... or it falls further and pegula feels he needs to rebuild the bills program from the top down.

disappointed but not surprised. I was digging fanduel and having fun with it. I was up a few hundred dollars on the season. Didn't think I was harming anybody. Oh well.

best wishes for Aaron.

I think amendola coming back will be big for them. He needs that quick slot option. They really don't run a lot of plays, they just somehow "guess" what the defense is going to do. Take away 2 of their main options (slot and TE seam)... and suddenly they look normal, average. With that said, I have never seen Brady take shots like he has in the middle 1/3 of this season (and still has the Jets and Texans). He is very sly about that little dump-off into the ground (does he even make it to the LOS?), but he is still taking shots. The Pats will be a different team once/if Gronk and that little guy who went to Kent St come back... but damage may have been done. The Pats need to play an extra playoff game and go on the road... I don't see them winning the Super Bowl this year. It is also understated a bit that their defense is starting to show vulnerability.

Whaley drafting has been unreal. The pegulas should have made him fat and happy by now. However. As per usual at obd there seems to be internal strife. I have a bad feeling.

In a vacuum they should keep Whaley. Had some great draft picks. Theoretically if that continues, you never have to worry again. However, i feel like he will be gone, barring a 10-6 playoff run. Something still stinks out of OBD. All the 'leaks' and strange things coming from OBD wasnt just a Marrone thing. We still hear little purposefully placed snippets in the media from there such as "Whaley went rogue", "Manuel may win the starting position", and even this new one about the extension. Folks will disagree but I feel like it is Brandon. In which case you would have to assume Whaley will be the one to go as Brandon is pretty much an immovable object at this point with the Sabres and Bills thing. If its Rex... he is also not going anywhere with his deal, signs like speaking at the WJC presser, etc. Whaley is on the weakest footing, unfortunately.

I agree, to a point. But I have said it before: If these were a one time a year or less... we would never see one played in WNY again. So it is kind of a necessary evil for us.

I have no issue with the facemask call.

They pulled a bills therr

so amazing

This season is going splendidly IMO. OReilly, despite the payday is a workhorse beast. Kane looks great when he is in there (needs to convert chances though). Ristolainen is continuing to progress into an All-Star caliber defenseman. Eichel looks great and it looks like his ascent into the 40 goal range and beyond wont be too far off. Ullmark has looked decent and getting real NHL experience at such a young age. The most encouraging thing though is the progression of Reinhart.

Partially right (it is Tim Murray). They faltered trying to enhance the existing squad. They were really bad, sniffing last overall a few of those seasons, only to make a 'late run' to ruin the draft position. They really started the tank under Darcy, but he was kind of slow with it. The Rolston hire as head coach, then re-hire after a "search" was a complete farce. Things got really ugly and Pegula was basically forced to get Darcy out, but the plan was the same. Now Murray has made some moves on his own, changing the course (OReilly, Kane, the tanky moves, getting Fasching, Carrier, Deslauriers, etc).

Also dont forget the instances where teams have been able to put decent QBs in place. Arizona with Warner and Palmer. Denver with Manning. Drew Brees was had as an FA

2 kickers. cant get touchbacks or extra points. Might as well bring Brad Smith back too

I have little doubt they will get there... at some point. Since the acquisition of the team, it doesn't seem like Pegula has taken the quickest path to get there. Same with the Sabres who now appear to be on track. Devoting resources, although great, doesnt ensure an A. How about the Redskins? Cowboys?

I gave him a D for the Bills and B with the Sabres. The Sabres, he needed to identify change was needed. They went on a run in the Spring of 2011 and kind of lulled him into a false sense of security. Threw a pile of money at Darcy and it magnified all the issues instead of fixed them. After that, they were too slow to make the changes and still wouldnt jump in, by firing Ruff early in the season after the lockout which reeks of indecision... then firing Regier early the following season. Both should have been shown the door preferably earlier before the offseason. But they now have it right. Up and coming, non-sexy of a choice GM, money well spent on scouting, coaches, etc. Arena improvements, Harbor Center, etc. Once we see some results from this Sabres team, give them an A With the Bills, I fear he has made similar errors early. IMO he needed to install a football man who has come from a winning program at the top and have him build a totally new program. Instead it was half assed, Polian walked away, the coach walked away, now we have a strange structure where the GM reports to Pegula, the owner apparently hired the coach who reports to the owner... and the hire seems to be going very poorly. Now they have a lot of money tied up in all this. If I had to bet on it, I would say someone will be brought in to build the program the right way after the 2016 or 2017 season if things dont improve

I started the X Files. Probably only watched 2-3 episodes total in my life.

Do you think they draft a QB this year? Early (say they pick 10-15)? Or take a flier in the 3rd-5th? Just curious, I dont know. What I do know is Pegula subscribes to the 'pick a QB every year' philosophy, which is why the Sabres have acquired so many prospect goalies in the past 5 years.

I dont think you do anything TBH. You let these guys ride it out. Pegula invested years and money in Ryan. Cant trash it now. Let it ride on them, Worst case the Bills get some decent picks. I feel very good about Whaley's track record as GM in that department. If this team takes a step back in 2016 and 2017. Then I think you explore blowing it up. IMO, Pegula needed to install the head football man who knows how to build a winning program. He needed to do that before the end of 2014. He needed to do that with the Sabres in 2011. He didnt. Instead, he doubled down in house and selected a few shiny toys, thinking its a simple sum-game. The resources/money just magnify the organizational shortcomings, not fix them. The Sabres needed to be torn down to the studs, and I believe the Bills will have to be torn down to the studs in a couple years. I wish he had learned his lesson.

Yup, hence the 'nfl' qualifier. Here's the game http://m.pfref.com/m?p=XXboxscoresXX198112270nyj.htm I guess you could include the Reich games?

Team has won one playoff game in the nfl without jim kelly.

Just things like: have a guy in the booth who constantly looks at reviewable plays and has a good handle on managing risk/reward and knows situational decisions. The fact that our head coach scratches his head and blames it on Arrowhead Stadium not showing enough replays on the scoreboard reflects really bad on this organization. Something still stinks in OBD. We have consistent leaks going on that shows that there is a level of disfunction still going on. Whaley 'went rogue', the nonsense that came out before the Jacksonville game that the Bills were considering Manuel auditioning to be the full time starter, all the crap last year... Its broke, we are still in groundhog day. Nothing has gotten better. Nix, Whaley, Levy, brandon, Rex, marrone, Jauron, Mularkey, Greggo.... its all the same flavored feces.