May Day 10

I'm left on a lot of social issues. This is a disaster. Completely unqualified with no relevant experience. Snuck in because the people couldn't even bother to vote Brown was a steady hand and buffalo has been moving in a better direction under his leadership. He certainly has his warts and we can do better, but not this. We need someone who is friendly to business and big business.

I'm sure they have collected plenty of data on all fronts and will feel confident with whichever investment/plan they choose. Motocross and monster truck rallies probably don't justify the extra time and money downtown

So arguably the 2nd or 3rd best team in the league doesnt have any of the best players. great job

From a fan's perspective, weather becomes another interesting, defining characteristic for the game. People say "the Colts game" and everyone recalls it and can remember a number of plays and the result. Without the weather in a Ford Field environment, that game is very forgettable. Im in favor of situating the stadium to reduce wind on the playing field and protect fans from it, as well as some sort of roof covering (for noise as well). That is enough here. We will get the unique weather cataclysm, but its all part of the show and what makes the league and this team interesting

If you look though, those brown strips are actually brick, would probably look a lot better in reality.

I really like that rendering. It reminds me of a hybrid of Lincoln Financial Field, Seattle's stadium, and the old Cleveland Municipal/War Memorial Stadium.

If the stadium was done in-place, I would think they would just expand the crater in the ground. Would probably be cheaper than it would to demo, then backfill/compact it (thats a lot of backfill). That will still be really expensive if they need to do that after-the fact. Really looking forward to more information/renderings. Really hoping it resembles Seattle's stadium. Also, give our crowd an acoustic sound deflecting roof and it will be really loud.

It's simple. They want to establish that after 2023 it's not a foregone conclusion they rubber stamp a lease extension But eventually, in the interest of cooperation, they will agree to extend the lease through that bridge time period in exchange for more funding from the state and county. And there is no doubt there were meetings with buffalo. Downtown was one of the final and most likely options and the organization did all due diligence. I'm sure buffalo threw up roadblocks because that's what they do, and that probably went into the decision to remain in orchard park, along with many other factors.

That I can buy and it is plausible. But to think this is all a ploy to strong-arm Byron Brown and the City of Buffalo into building a covered stadium downtown is fantasy If they wanted a covered stadium downtown, they would be floating that option, insisting its the only way the Bills can remain economically viable, and leaning hard on the County and the State for that. Also remember there would likely be many hundreds of millions in infrastructure to accompany the stadium... It would be a very pricey thing (and why I have predicted all along we are likely looking at Orchard Park for this when all the $s are calculated). So if they did pull the switcheroo and introduced this much more expensive option down-town, Im sure the State and County would point to the original 'plan' in Orchard Park

The Bills dont negotiate with the 'city'. Its an EC and NYS thing. I dont get how floating the idea of a Stadium in Orchard Park would be a threat to anybody. Nor does the promise of a more economical option of an outdoor stadium.

I wonder if they got this Jerry Jones firm on-board to be the bad guy. I always thought it would be a very awkward situation with pegula and his/their whole persona of being unquestionably committed to Buffalo and they seem to always want to be liked by the fans and community (in fact, Terry said to his people that was his primary goal when he first bought the Sabres) So it would be weird for the Pegulas to play any sort of hardball in these negotiations, and I wonder if the State would really take advantage of that, Im pretty sure Polancarz/EC will/would. So they got this firm to come in and lob the threats and all that.

716 was poorly run. Lots of potential but it fell on its face for the most part. It's rare I ever heard anyone rave about it, or even have anything other than complaints. I'm very easy to please and they were about 0 for 3 for me. It's to the point that we considered Labatt house once and decided not to because it was a pegula operation and probably sub-par. Southern Tier will show how to run that kind of thing the right way.

I wonder if they are planning on using the crater there from the existing stadium (and/or expanding that).

I have been stuck down there for multiple hours due to Sabres gridlock after a playoff ot game. When I go to Sabres games I always leave early due to the nightmare. A bills game is unimaginable there without re-working the entire grid and 190. I'm sure the study brought that to light.

Ultimately, downtown would have cost a ton of money in land acquisition, demo, and infrastructure/roads/highways. There just aren't enough potential events over the winter that the arena can't handle to make it worthwhile.

IMO the cost of a new, somewhat modest outdoor facility there in Orchard Park would about = renovating without the restrictions of being bound to the existing structure. Orchard Park makes the most sense, and I have been saying it for years because the infrastructure is there. Downtown cannot handle Bills traffic. It would be a nightmare and people would leave in the 3rd quarter every game. Sabres games with 19K fans is a nightmare gridlock. They would essentially have to find additional hundreds of millions to rebuild the Buffalo roadway and highway system (money that could go directly into a new orchard park facility). Indoor/Outdoor. I can see both sides. I have been on the side of outdoor, but with a bit more wind/roof protection. I get bored with the miscellaneous nature of indoor games. Outdoor weather effects add to the majesty and individuality of games. You recall a Bills game, you recall the score, a few plays, something that happened in the lot, and the weather.

I heard about this a few weeks ago and still am generally confused at how/why the Bears are looking for a new stadium. Wasnt Soldier Field fit with all the bells and whistles for a huge price-tag not too long ago?

with no scouting staff or much of a front office, after an uncertain season where some amateur leagues didnt even play

The thing is, a UCF would open up the playoff against a #5-#12 team which is much more reasonable/beatable. If they lose the game against Wisconsin or whoever, then they have no place to complain or wonder 'what-if?' and hang fake championship flags. They win that and they will slot in against 1 of the top 4. A good chance Alabama, but they would wreck Notre Dame anyways to get to the NCG. Upsets do happen though.

I think the 'path' needs to be opened up for those teams. Boise State, early in their run knocked off Oklahoma with a statue of Liberty play. With 2 or 4 teams, it is very hard to justify a Coastal Carolina, UCF, or Western Michigan. You have the SEC Champ, often ACC Champ, SEC runner up is likely a powerhouse, pressure to gift Notre Dame a spot because they beat Navy by a touchdown and bested Duke and you need to capitalize on all the Notre Dame/Yankees fans who will watch, and a Big 12 and Big 10 champion. Thats crowded, and it is truly hard to justify giving a mid-major spot over most of those slots. With 12, you can give a spot to those teams if worthy. If UB had a team with Mack and also maybe that offense with Jackson/Johnson and they were humming and had a season/run like the Nate Oats Bulls... it would be really exciting down the stretch if they can finish the job in the MAC, go undefeated, and get a shot at one of the #5-12 teams, possibly draw someone more beatable like Iowa State, Indiana, etc. Maybe UB could pull it out and we would have a really exciting week going into a puncher's chance against one of the 4 top dogs. Exponentially more exciting than being eternally stuck in the Motor City, Potato, bahamas, or the Lending Tree Bowl game.

I like it. I think the teams such as UCF a few years ago or those Peterson Boise teams should have a shot, a puncher's chance, and if they un-seated a power team in the tournament, it would be mayhem. I would also like to see the SEC runner-up who is arguably the 2nd best team in the country get in rather than an overrated Notre Dame tomato can or Ohio State. Now they all can get in. This truly gives every team a chance at a National Championship when the season starts, which does not exist now. 12 teams will all be pretty high quality. Furthermore, you are having 5-12 in the first round which normally should breed pretty good and interesting match-ups. I dont think we are doomed to perpetual blowouts either. I used to be a huge bowl game fan, but they did lose an enormous amount of luster and importance when the playoff started. If the Bowl Games are grafted with games that mean something, then it is much better. We will get a lot more flavor in the playoff picture than Alabama, Clemson, O-State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Oklahoma. We will get more Washington, Texas A&M, Utah, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, etc. Plus a bracket buster like Coastal Carolina, UCF, Boise, or WMU... say what you will, but if those teams are undefeated, they should get a shot with 12, and Im sure their players would relish a week of "Great White Hype" going up against a P5 school.

I feel like it has to be Schobel. Never has there been such a miscellaneous Buffalo Bill with such statistics. He is second on the Bills in all-time sacks with more than a half a sack a game over about 130 games. Pretty much a model of consistency and he walked-off early on his career after a 10 sack performance. #81 in sacks all-time NFL with an abbreviated career and missing most of one of his seasons. He played during the real dregs of the drought. The defense was really bad through a lot of his career and he watched some all-pros walk out the door (Winfield, Clements, Williams). Him and his family were/are very nice people, down to earth. If he played for a real NFL team in his career and/or had a lot of support in the front 7, he seemingly could have really been a household name and a fan favorite. Im a huge Bills fan, and I can barely recollect him even playing here.

I was at Friday night's game and Saturday. Just an amazing experience being up that close, in that venue, and seeing such a high level of baseball. Correa hitting 2 homeruns and cupping his ear to the Buffalo crowd was great. Grienke complete game. Saw Vlad Jr hit an HR, Guerriel gun someone out at home, etc... Already have tickets for 2 games in the Seattle series. They go on sale this week for the Orioles, Mariners, Rays, Rangers, and Red Sox. Opening up to 80% capacity too. I believe these will be the last of it. I would implore anyone on the fence to go for this once in a lifetime experience.

I think I disagree with his entire premise. At least when it comes to quarterbacks. With the backdrop of EJ Manuel, his whole entire point makes sense and looks intelligent. What if youre the Bears trading up to 'overdraft' Mahomes or Watson? Or if someone tripped over themselves to 'overdraft' Russell Wilson in the first round? Maybe if anyone in that front office was qualified to evaluate quarterbacks or build a respectable team? That was the problem? We have clowns like Nix and Whaley in those positions. Now whaley is the assistant VP of talent evaluation for the Hula Bowl invitational