May Day 10

its a breath of fresh air before they talk about quarterbacks that the Bills wont draft and who they know nothing about for 2-3 months

Good column. Sums up the current situation or lack of as well. Didnt realize the invoices are later this season than usual. Maybe something? Maybe nothing

the other show on 1270 (who doesnt have a business agreement with the Bills) had no trouble talking about this

Basically, yes. I dont know how "deep" the complaints go, I dont think there is all out conflict or anything... (or how factual Graham's column is). I just know Overdorf/Littman/Brandon are lock-step. If anything were to happen, we will see the Complainant resign or get canned at some point. Likely, things will quietly be smoothed out in-house and we wont hear anything more

I believe it is from close to, if not Marrone/Whaley. I would think Marrone only, because WHaley has been around and should be aware of the pecking order... but the mention of "scouts"... I believe Brandon is firmly in the corner of the power-brokers Wilson/Littman/Overdorf. He is a career-oriented man who has never waivered in his ability/desire to please his bosses. I dont see him tossing a grenade on his org. All IMO thoughts though

The Bills will hope this goes away quietly. Overdorf/Littman are not relinquishing power no matter what. Whaley/Marrone will be gone long before that happens. Really, it gets repeated, but the only hope we have is new (local) ownership with a new structure and new execs. It has been that way a long time. I think maybe if the media gets some blood in the water and it turns into a full blown fiasco could possibly force some changes that arent cosmetic (like we usually get).

I have gone over it before, and people feel the opposite... but here goes: -I do not think he sniffs his lofty status/title if it was not for the Bills/Wilson's situation. If he were to hit the market, what team is hiring him anywhere near CEO? -He is a "marketing genius", however, this team really isnt marketed very well at all, especially compared to other markets I have lived in. -His habit of kicking sand in the face of us fans whenever he can on the radio trying to justify the Toronto games. He even had to rub the "manufactured sellouts" thing in our faces... but never admits that the team being terrible for nearly a generation might have anything to do with it. In fact, he tries to head that off with pointing to a few December games 20 years ago when the team was good (but fails to mention the stadium was 80K, modern ticket brokering pushing event ticket industry, S Ontario and Rochester fans, etc). That is not good marketing -His rise through the organization seems correlated to their fall from relevance. Things are bad/worse, let's keep promoting Russ Brandon. The fans seem to trust him! -I thought his mouth ran a lot more last year and made a lot of statements he couldnt back up. Let's see how/if he handles this though. If he marginalizes O and L, I will likely change my tune.

This is very interesting and welcome. Its painfully obvious these suits in the shadows have had too heavy a hand in too many matters that affect winning. Shifting Brandon to "owner" really didnt do anything to quell the problem (if he isnt a major part of the problem himself). What do they do if this story becomes bigger? They will be exposed as frauds if Whaley and/or Marrone are dealt with (or quit). I dont see Overdork and Littman going anywhere...

Byrd is another blue. Make it happen. Hopefully we see a TE upgrade Also Aaron Williams as a S is a Green! Wood should definitely be green Woods and Goodwin are "adequate", but both guys have me excited Legursky may be a Red

We will continue to disagree on this, but Ill say it again. Event Tickets are a completely different animal than they were 20 years ago. Also, there was no regionalization. All the Bills need to do is have 1 good season, maybe 2. Resale values will go way up. The few fast starts in recent years, many people contact me asking about tickets. I look on stubhub and the prices are more than double face value. You talk about a December game for the Division vs New England and a home playoff game, those tickets will fly and be a tough ticket to get. Especially with internet sales (and resales). The following season people will overflow the demand for season tickets. fans, brokers, and fans who want to be part time brokers. There will be a waiting list and even a few bad seasons can sustain because people do not want to lose their spot for when they are good. The Sabres are a perfect example of this and I have seen it happen elsewhere in sports (Phillies). The Sabres couldnt sell 14000 seats in the the 16000 seat aud in your "Superbowl" time period (92-93) with the most exciting team in the league as well as team history. New arena was lukewarm once the honeymoon period passed... then completely hit the wall in the early 00's. Once a few good teams came out in the internet/resale age, they are sold out into perpetuity. Also, dont underestimate the "dark cloud" that the current ownership situation and uncertainty brings around the team. If there is a new local owner with the right attitude it will spring a hell of a lot of excitement

Im sure 1/3-1/2 the price of a new stadium (plus these current improvements) can vault RWS ahead of Pitts/Cincy/Cle We got all the lots there already. Dont lose any (potentially) valuable waterfront poperty downtown. Dont have to add to the public costs by creating additional roads/exits/etc. RWS is going to be a relic... in a good way. Dont we wish they would have somehow been able to renovate the Aud to use it another 40+ years? The biggest key is the structural integrity of the concrete work. I know people disagree with me, but IMO those outdoor December games sell out present day if the team is competitive and the ticket market/resale market structured the way it is. I have Season Tickets and I dont show up to December games, not because the weather, it is because I dont want to invest (another) entire day in a meaningless game in this seemingly endless cycle.

Im all for pouring like half the price of a new stadium and renovate the heck out of RWS. I love the fact that we now have one of the oldest, most unique, and "fan friendly" stadiums remaining. Every 5-10 years, it will be multiplied exponentially and will become an attractive feature in itself.

I expect the bubble to pop on the NFL at some point. Cant tell when. There is just so much immersion for everyone. Fantasy leagues and Gambling. The Super Bowl is also a social event and they have tried to weave pop culture deep into it. It just cant keep growing. I believe they are at or near a max in the US. The sites are on other countries. I guess there is nearly unlimited growth there, but I dont see it happening across the globe.

I agree with this. I am very happy with our spot. Take any one of these guys and Im thrilled

the concept is bad for fans. It is a ripoff... and I hope at some point the bubble on the NFL bursts where these things arent necessary/possible... But unfortunately it has worked, and that is the price fans have to pay. I wouldnt want to stand up against it here as I dont think the NFL would bluff in allowing the team to leave.

I have less of a problem with this than I do with taking state and county money. Its voluntary. As a primary customer, I use the stadium, I take pride in it, I take pride in the Bills. The existence of the team provides to me a lot of entertainment in the form of watching, analyzing, worrying about it, looking forward to drafts, schedules, etc, and even enhancing NCAA watching. I would think that in my case, for my seat level, a $2,000/seat PSL would be very reasonable, especially if it can be spread over some years. My enjoyment would be enhanced more by the cloud of relocation finally sent away. And it holds value, and heck, it could even increase in value.

I believe they are 1-time.

Honestly, these prices arent that bad. If it meant a new stadium, or re-structured RWS, and (finally) security for the Bills, I would be happy to pay that.

He is a Bills fan? wow. Im smitten

I saw RHCP twice last year (2012) and they were quite good.

Instruments also warp a bit in cold air. The tunings would be thrown off.

The way I see it, we need to weather the storm over the next 5-10 years. We need to get through the unprecedented transition of the Bills from Mr Wilson's ownership. Then the issue of RWS will come to the forefront. It will likely need 2-5 hundred million in renovations in order to fully "rebuild" it to provide more "modern" comfort for fans, as well as ensure structural integrity. Or they will have to build a new stadium. Any meaningful contribution from EC/NY will likely come with some sort of strong, long term lease. Additionally, the NFL may be different by 5-10 years. Maybe they will have to expand by then and all our "enemies" will have teams. Maybe (I believe so) the bubble will burst a bit and the NFL will fall back to Earth and Buffalo wont be as outgrown. Im also buying in on all the progress I see in Buffalo in the past 5 years. I think we could see things moving in the other direction here within 10 years. This transition from Wilson is a hell of a pickle. Ideally, the man remains healthy for another decade.

I think that is still a boatload of money and a positive story

I think you guys are overlooking the potential power of the symbolism of this. For both the NFL and the politicians. A grassroots effort by fans/constituents raises even close to $170 Million and the NFL is going to look very bad allowing a move, as will any politician who uses anything at their disposal to prevent a relocation.

Bruno’s bassist posted this: “All instruments at Super Bowl half time shows are prerecorded. Have been for a good many years. It isn’t feasible to soundcheck everyone in the amount of time they have and too many things can go wrong. You might be able to take two minutes to fix something at a regular concert, but two minutes at the Superbowl is millions and millions of dollars down the drain. The NFL isn’t willing to take that risk”