May Day 10

They were in the hunt a week longer than normal so this season was a huge success

We're pretty far off the topic now. Lol. But they took it to another level with the ticketed practices, merchandise tent, organized autograpH sessions, etc. It All would have been tapped before long but I do believe the bills were 1st.

Yup. The same reason the Indians pulled anchor from buffalo and affiliated with columbus

Brandon's crowning achievement imo was moving the camp to sjf and making it into a real fan attraction. They were about the first to do it as I recall

I worked in pro sports for more than a decade, including the nfl. I have a degree in sports business too. I moved into construction management for money, hours, and i just wanted to be a fan again.

I just want someone from the outside brought in who has experience with a winning program to properly structure and delegate and re-staff if needed. Marrone stays under that condition its cool Brandon stays he stays. I hope the pegulas do get him away from microphones though. As a fan and a sth I don't appreciate the rhetoric downgrading sellouts as "manufactured" and pointing to games 25 years ago and not a decade and a half losing streak as justification for outsourcing games. Also didn't appreciate the no stone unturned all for winning speech followed by signing another toronto deal a month laterm which arguably cost being "in the hunt" Last season too.

You said yourself he is influential in choosing the football personnel.

Tim Graham the other day on his twitter said that brandon still has a lot of control and influence over football matters. Let's say for the sake of argument it's to approve or deny moves.... why is anyone cool with that? That is the Ralph Wilson failed football team structure. Here we are giddy to be "in the hunt" with 2 weeks left. Mission accomplished I guess... Others are saying he isn't involved, other than choosing the gm, coaches, most important people in the football side. I'm not cool with that either. Brandon is a marketing intern from the Marlins who happened to gain influence in the bills organization while Mr wilson aged and health declined. I don't even want his rubber stamp on anything football related. What magic skills or knowledge does this guy possess that only the thought of losing him would set the bills back ages? I'm not sure he is even a great pr guy. I hear him on the radio and he sounds adversarial to the fans. Regionalization? What has he done that any marketing grad couldn't figure out?

I'm cool with whatever they do, really. A lot to be excited about, and even if everything remains the same, I have faith Pegula wont hesitate to make tough changes quickly.

People were ready to burn the stadium down. Ralph said "head of football" like 500 times during Nix's PC to drive the point home that the change was being made. I doubt it was Brandon's choice. Any self-respecting male would relish the opportunity to play GM of a major pro sports team.

So people don't understand that sports is a business? That all was hammered home about 25 years ago. The Pegulas have plenty of high powered and successful business people all around their sports enterprises... and much more trusted and entrenched (with the Pegulas) than Brandon... Koelmel, Black, Sawyer, Batista, Greenburg, Kim Pegula herself etc... Pegula also heard around the league about how well respected and revered Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff were. Brandon has been acting as the owner the past few (maybe several) years as our owner was not capable or unwilling to manage an NFL team day to day. Now we have 2 relatively young and hungry owners who have a huge vision for this enterprise, want to be very involved, and have already sunk around $2 Billion into it. No way they don't diminish Brandon's role.

I would probably kill myself if Brandon was in charge of the Bills and Sabres. No way the Pegulas do that. Its laughable.

Agreed with some on anchorman. I also felt it was pretty bad and unfunny. Comedy as a whole is and has been a desert over a long period of time.

its going to happen IMO. St Louis and Oakland. Then the NFL will leverage an expansion stadium derby between St Louis, Toronto, Oakland/San Jose, San Antonio, and maybe London.

the one thing that I keep thinking back to this season that sours me on Marrone is the series in the KC game, which you can argue is going to cost them the playoffs. This sequence KILLS me. 1st and 10 from the 18. Down by 4. Plenty of time left. They chuck the ball into the end zone 4 straight times. (2:47) 18-K.Orton pass incomplete short right to 14-S.Watkins (38-R.Parker). Underthrown, receiver at goal line near pylon. 2-10-KC 15(2:42) (Shotgun) 18-K.Orton pass incomplete short left to 15-C.Hogan (38-R.Parker). Overthrown, receiver near sideline 7 yds. into end zone. 3-10-KC 15(2:37) (Shotgun) 18-K.Orton pass incomplete short middle to 15-C.Hogan. Overthrown, receiver 4 yds. into end zone, slanting from left. Timeout #1 by KC at 02:32. 4-10-KC 15(2:31) (Shotgun) 18-K.Orton pass incomplete short right to 14-S.Watkins (38-R.Parker). Receiver at goal line underthrown, nearly intercepted at KC 2. So you would think a head coach who knows what he is doing would have planned ahead. Why end zone 4 straight times. He needed to make up his mind before that sequence of FG vs 4 Down Territory and commit. A 4-6 yard gain on one or more of downs 1-3 would have been great. Could have also run some clock. Or 3 incompletions, run no clock and kick the field goal, down by 1 with a battery of timeouts and a killer defense.... To me it reminded me of a guy sitting at a $10 blackjack table with $100, losing 3 straight hands, then pushing the last $70 to the table, and losing that hand to, thus cleaning him out. It made no sense and demonstrated to me that there was no foresight there. A game that huge. A game that will cost the playoffs.

I still cant imagine they will just let the status quo remain for the future. This is nearly identical with how the Sabres went down.

I still think the Pegulas bring in their guy... Instead of firings though I see more restructuring and possible a hire or 2 on the business side. Wouldnt be shocked to see Brandon 'resign' from the organization as Im not sure he is really needed and he doesnt seem to fit well with the approach/structure Pegula has shown with the Sabres. There you have the GM on one side, and Ted Black on the other (who is much more personable and likeable than Brandon and also never really comments on the hockey side).

Poltergeist scared the living hell out of me as a kid. The Omen part when the guy got his head decapitated freaked me out.

troughs? is that it? Thanks for the kind words. I think if it was an early-season game (or if the Bills were established better in the playoff/division chase), the noise would have been much more impressive. 1st Half Im sure everyone was like me and waiting for the Packers to kick the Bills' teeth in.

either way the Sabres will be fine... Risto, Girgs, and Zadorov look like the sky's the limit. Also happy for Nolan. with that said, a pretty brutal upcoming schedule over the next 20 games or so.

Well the playoff machine is what goodell uses when he declares the playoff matchups

this is what really gets under my skin as far as Brandon goes... and why I get the "wild idea" he is involved in matters not solely on the business/marketing end.

I think its Schwartz (sp) (also remembering Marrone brought him on) This defense is punishing now. Literally stacking guys on carts all season. His Detroit teams had a similar swagger of playing on that edge. A bit undisciplined, but the payoff in this case is worth it.

I still believe Pegula should and will install his football guru at the head of the Org Chart. What the guru does is anyone's call, but I wouldnt blame him one bit if he decided to keep Whaley and Marrone/co around for another season. I do believe something is/has been up between Marrone and Whaley. Could be just professional differences easily bridged over or something philosophically unfix-able. Something is there though.

its strange. It seems to hinge on the Bears winning tonight. Some sort of strength of schedule deal. Then it again hinges on the Week 17 Cowboys Redskins game (in terms of the "battle" with the Ravens)