May Day 10

I have suspected for awhile that a permanent brick and mortar amphitheater by the waterfront will be a reality in the next 5 years or so.

Im kind of split, but lean toward open. Would like something similar to Seattle. Real grass. Get it out of the Southtowns though. Games in domes lack character for me. They are all miscellaneous and the same. With all the memorable outdoor games for the Bills, the weather becomes a large character in the story. However, by the time this would theoretically get built, I will be in my mid 40s, and my friends and I would maybe rather spend our gamedays calmy grabbing a brunch and some beers in a downtown pub... walking to the game, being comfortable, and leaving in a timely fashion. It would also lend to me bringing my kid(s) who would theoretically be about 10-12. So a downtown roofed facility, I hope constructed and designed tops aesthetically, with a distinct unique flavor where a Broncos fan sees a quick highlight and immediately knows its from Buffalo... and also to maximize noise levels. As far as Ford Field goes... I dont know, never been there, but on television it always appears so dark and boring. Super Bowls are laughable at this point either way. Maybe, just maybe with a new roofed structure, and Buffalo continues a strong rebound, and Pegula swings a lot of money and political clout to make it so, we can land 1 in a 1-shot-deal. It would take a lot of "Pegula Dust" as someone calls it.

Terrible to hear. Hoping for the best for the guy

yes. They scored 4 goals on 14 shots vs San Jose, and were outshot like 45-22 vs Washington. Not concerned... There is a balance there. You dont want the team getting their teeth kicked in for 7 straight months setting records for being terrible. Still need to procure last with some bright spots.

you can argue until you are blue in the face. It doesnt work and only serves to frustrate you and 95% of others if not more will disagree, if not think you are silly and unknowledgeable. I pulled this with Brady forever. Would argue and argue. Game manager. Only as good as his Gameplan. Hits slants and guys run for 30 yards after the catch. Cheating. Uggs, etc... When you just come to terms with he is really great, history will label him a top 3-5 QB of all-time, and nothing you can do or say can change that... accepting it makes you feel better and the blood pressure drops a few points. He will be gone before too long (still hoping beyond hope no Super Bowl wins post-cheating). Same thing goes for Belichick. Just recognize the sorcery this guy has and how NFL history will look back at him. He will be a coaching legend. Nobody is going to care about Bledsoe's last season or his struggles with Cleveland. I do think though, that if they cant land a Superbowl post-cheating, it will be a legitimate foot-note and asterisk. Just look at that whole machine. What they lost and what they lost on injury. I thought Mayo would be the death blow and they wouldnt be able to contain anyone. Their defense is outstanding.

They look mighty good. No idea how they do it

Wow that's a lot of snow. I don't think they'll ever be able to play there again

they should move a game per season to Toronto

i wonder if Pegula purchased some deer and releases them for a few minutes at a time near Mario's house so he likes WNY better?

its just silly. Just look at that stadium. There is no way they can get that clear without an undertaking that resembles building the Pyramids. Them wasting the manpower there instead of people who are trapped, needing medicine, etc would be an awful look.

Im usually the last person to be in the camp of OMG! ITS ONLY FOOTBALL THINK OF REAL PROBLEMS... but this time it is accurate. Its poor form they are letting it go this long. I applaud Polancarz for making the 1st move and the NFL needs to move swiftly.

we had a thread a month or so ago about this. IMO Defensive PI calls should be reviewable due to the amount of weight they have. They can potentially be 40-50 yard penalties. A lot of it is timing, and its bang-bang, sometimes tough for an official to nail in real-time, while replay shows a different story.

The instant McKelvin went down, the Dolphins started to target Graham often, seeing very good results. He is awful as a corner. At least against the Dolphins he was. A very understated reason the Bills lost that game.

I think the base of your point is correct. But nothing could have/should have been done yet. Mid-stream moves in the NFL dont seem common or advised. Im sitting back to see what happens in late December/January

there was a "Pegula-dust-esque" vibe to the Sabres in 2011. He came in, the Sabres went immediately from crappy to unbeatable... and should have beat a much better Philly team in the playoffs until Miller melted down in game 6. He told the media that he wanted their help to only write positive stories and thought he could actually pull that off. He bragged how he never had to fire employees and they performed very well as long as they were happy. He though Ruff and Regier were in 8th place... so logically Ruff and Regier in 8th place + $$$ = cups. It was all incredibly naive and he took a lot of lumps for that, learned a lot of lessons and eventually pulled the plug... which is what he should have done in 2011. I would think that the Sabres' experience hardened him a lot and prepared him to make tough and radical changes.

you and I do not have any clue what the current specific plans are for the Bills. I feel pretty confident in my feeling that they didnt spent $1.4 Billion to go with the status quo and have a couple meaningful games in December in a 15 year span. Its not just the prospect pool either. It is everything surrounding the Sabres, the arena, development of the area, money in the ancillary un-salary-capped areas such as scouting. They are in the long game to have sustained success. Not hoping for lightning to strike and the Sabres to someday make the playoffs one season (like we are currently with the Bills). Their goal for the Sabres (and I would assume its translatable to the Bills) is for long term and sustained success at or near the top of the league. There is no "dust" to make this happen... but there is the strong desire to make this long term high end the biggest priority by a mile and not turning a profit if necessary. If you are talking in terms of 2015... Im not sure if its salvageable without a QB answer. QBs can be had though if they have the right people looking and there is desire. Arizona got Palmer, KC got Smith, Denver got Manning... But anyways, I see this as the start. Pegula hasnt been able to do anything because the team was above .500 and that would be foolish (at least he said so in an interview). At the end of the season, I expect/hope/want a power-broker to be installed at the top and that is the beginning. So I agree with you on "rapid" improvement. Long term plans is what has me thrilled. The cycle here (should) be broken.

I get what youre saying, but that was a miraculous run of schedule where they played the worst 5 teams in the NFL in succession

The lack of coaches' interest imo has been the management structure

Pegula dust? Lol. I am a bigger sabres fan I'd say than bills fan. At least more knowledgeable. As a long time fan of over 30 years... the sabres are doing exactly what they should have done years ago. The run to the playoffs when pegula bought the team in the spring of 2011 muddied the picture. Thought that if r&r can make the playoffs... more money is directly correlated with winning a cup. Instead, in a cap league it just magnified regiers shortcomings. The whitewash and building the prospect and pick pool is 100% what they needed and it is the best path to a decade plus of being a top team in the nhl. It is different with the nfl though. You don't need as much time to develop players and build the system. Even if major changes are made there won't be a similar plan. It is all the peripheral stuff too. Player facilities, harbor center, most robust scouting budget in the league, willingness to eat salary if it helps the team, even the way they treat and respect players and staff. First class and that goes a long way. Very bob kraft like. Oh yeah and scored the nhl combine too. The arena also looks great. It's foolish to just look at the current nhl standings and form a final opinion.

It's the whole kit'n caboodle

Why do you follow the bills then?

I don't get the common opinion here that we are "on the verge of greatness". Miracle wins vs Detroit and minnesota... and ot in Chicago from being 2-8. Now ok they should have won the kc game... but this crap happens every time this organization ends up in a push the chips in the center game. A game that actually matters (can prorally count on 1 or 2 hands 15 years worth). They get hit in the mouth and the bottom falls out. Depth too. You can see Miamis offense immediately start atracking that turnstile graham when mcfumble got hurt. Graham was terrible and a very understated goat from the game. This has been the pattern for close to a decade: New coach. Year one we are excited but they stink and "rebuilding" is accepted as the excuse. Year 2 get off to a decent start with some tight wins... look ok and then wham the bottom falls out right when games begin to get bigger and the team displays some sort of systemic failure Year 3 the wheels come off completely and the team and fans quit. The coach is blamed for everything and somehow all personnel moves and problems are blamed on and leave with the coach. Brandon gets a new title. GM takes a step to the left. Sell it to the fans as MAJOR changed. Rinse and repeat. Same movie over and over

It's amazing and nearly mathmatically impossible in a salary capped league

Why does making changes and improvements mean rebuilding and sacking for years? Chip kelly got the keys and is flying pretty highard out of the gate. Even if you want to believe a 93 year old man was making all the decisions and ruining Things and this regime started 2 years ago... it still looks to me like we are stuck in the mud. This organization is just screaming for someone knowledgeable from the outside to be installed at the top. Create a winning football program here long term. Everyone should be rooting for this, no? Any fan who wants to protect this losing culture that forces me to hope and pray the bills can "keep it interesting" through the middle of November every season has stockholm syndrome. You cant heap it on marrone, ej, and Orton as if they are outside influences. These were the hand selections of these bozos

The game changed the moment that human turnstile had to play cb