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BillsfaninFl

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Posts posted by BillsfaninFl

  1. Without the first sentence, the rest all melts away. Which leads to the question: would you rather Buffalo had no team, or the Bills as they stand today?

     

    It's not like he could have only chose one place to put the team. Several teams have moved from better markets than Buffalo in the past 30 years and Ralph had a crack at any of them, and the population and economy has been declining for at least that long. He's also voted "no" on every team relocation. And if Buffalo were to have lost the Bills, you can bet the NFL wouldn't have granted them an expansion team.

     

    What is the most recent move you remember? And how is my statement about new franchises going to lesser cities incorrect? State your proof.

     

    What financial moves has Ralph made in the last 30 years? He has not sold, bought or reorganized any of his major investments in that time according to my research.

     

    However, I agree with your last statement. If Buffalo loses trhe Bills, it is unlikely that they would get another NFL team.

  2. Ralph Wilson is not the devil. Nor is he devoted to the fans in Buffalo.

     

    He is simply a guy who plunked down 25 grand in a wise investment. Buffalo wasn't his first choice, and he probably wouldn't have taken it second if he knew that it would be a declining population with less industry over the next five decades. So forget about claiming he has any loyalty to western New York.

     

    The reality is that he may not have moved the team away because there was no juicy morsel out there just waiting to be picked off the vine. Indianapolis was a good move for the Baltimore Colts. Model then took the leftovers in Baltimore because he was fed up with trying (unsuccessfully) to fleece the Cleveland politicians.

     

    So what football paradise was out there in recent years? Certainly not Los Angeles. Back when the Raiders ownership moved there (after the Rams bolted), they learned the hard way that a big population doesn't necessarily mean a huge pricey stadium with filled seats and an adoring local government. It wasn't cheap to move back to Oakland. Want evidence? Since then, the expansion teams were placed in "lesser" cities. Yes, the NFL wants a team in L.A., but they can't seem to lure a sucker to fund it. Toronto is the same as L.A., in that it is not a city filled with passionate NFL fans.

     

    So it is questionable that any NFL team would seriously consider the financial risk of moving in recent years. And none have. Wilson is a rich man who made good decisions in his 40s and has been conservatively tending his investments ever since. He has not been a risk-taker for quite a while. That's the real reason why the Bills are still in Buffalo.

  3. If you leave a Bills game and get stopped in traffic on the Thruway, and hop out and piss in the bushes along the road, you might be a Bills Fan.

     

    If while tailgating you give food to a complete stranger, you might be a Bills fan.

     

    If, no matter what happens in the future, you will always cherish your memories of attending games in Buffalo, you might be a Bills fan.

  4. He lives in Fl not NY. So I think the reports are correct that he would continue to reside in FL if anything. The possibility of him having to stay in NY as part of his parole would most likely mean that he couldn't leave the state of NY for anything. So the chartering of helicopters or traveling across a bridge I to another state might be out of the question. Also, I do not want him on our team anyway but if he played for the Bills he would most likely have to excuse himself from the Toronto game as he would most likely not be allowed out of the country as well as Canadas law that felo s are not allowed into the country. Anyone who has had a DWI knows this story.

     

    If he couldn't leave New York State at all, he can't play for any team. The Bills play nine out of sixteen games outside of New York. The rest of the league plays either zero or one game in New York.

  5. The careers of Ralph Wilson and George Lucas are very similar (in my opinion). In the 1970's and early 80's, George Lucas was at the height of his trade (the original Star Wars trilogy, Indiana Jones, etc...). Currently, he has Indiana Jones 4 and the prequels of Star Wars on his resume. Suffice to say, he was better in the beginning.

     

    The same can be said of Ralph. He started out in the 1960's winning two AFL championships, had a gap, then came back with 4 trips to the Super Bowl in the 90's. Currently, he has the entire span from 2000 to 2011 where nothing has happened and huge chunks of the 70's and 80's where nothing happened (you can compare this to Lucas' HOWARD THE DUCK). Again, Ralph was better in the beginning.

     

    I also find it funny that the fan bases of Star Wars and Buffalo are alike as well. We have a love/hate relationship with our creators. We love them because they started what we love, but we hate them due to the current product they produce. Kind of amusing.

     

    I have to disagree with you. Recent Lucas sequels and prequels have been good. Wilson got lucky a few times between decades of bumbling. Actually, their similarity is based on the fiction they produce: George on the big screen and Ralph in his interviews.

  6. Now this is the kind of senseless post that distracts from serious evaluations of the Bills. I love it.

     

    Joejoebills, your life will be enriched if you are able to share your father's appreciation for this kind of humor. The much maligned city of Buffalo is filled with fans who have "paid their dues" over the years by having to tough it out when things go bad. That helps you to see the humor in almost anything. And a few laughs, or even a smile, is a lot better than giving up. Look how easily the pampered fans in Miami cried when their team stumbled. They don't have the stuff that makes Bills fans great. Only we can B word all we want and never lose the ability to suddenly billieve after that "hail Mary" pass succeeds.

  7. In your opinion.

     

    Are you familiar with the doctrine of determinism? People live their entire lives not liking the President of the United States.

     

    The point is, with one vote, you have no real say in who becomes the President just as you have no say who the owner is. The fact of you having a vote does not change the fact that you have no real outcome in the election.

     

    History does not agree with you. No, one person cannot decide who will be the Pres, but that's a good thing. But there have been a number of close elections that might have had a different outcome if the people who didn't think their vote influences the results had voted.

  8. That's 37.

     

    38. If the day after the 2011 NFL draft ended, you started discussing the 2012 draft, you might be a Bills fan.

    39. If you think Wilson kept the team in Buffalo because of his devotion to the fans in this city, you might be a Bills fan. (Not every owner has the guts to jump to another city. Also, veiled threats to move out if the stadium isn't full have happened way too much for this "desire to keep the team here" to be because of devotion.)

  9. Looka t the the top grossing teams year in and year out in the NFL--other than NE, the only other outliers are the COwboys, the Skins and the Texans. None of them has "dominated"--except in futility. The SB winner list the past 10 years is dominated by middle of the road revenue teams (which includes about 80% of all teams.

     

    What are you worried about? If you think parity has suffered because of revenue differences, you are worrying about nothing. The truth is that the NFL has had fewer different champs over the past 10 years than MLB--so revenue has little to do with parity. The best managed teams/franchises dominate post-season play in the NFL.

     

    I didn't say the NFL now has the same elite teams every year. I said I would hate to see that happen. My comment about a trend toward that was in reference to the growing influence of the richest owners toward a lesser percentage of revenue sharing (of the total income) among the teams. As the league's revenue sharing becomes less of a priority, the potential is real for a huge financial gap in the future that would create less parity. This is especially true if there is more of an open market for signing players (something that could happen if the players have their way).

  10. There are a number of players in the NFL Hall of Fame who would be "average" if they played (and were in their prime) today. There was not the number of players seeking NFL jobs back then, the pay was not as ludicrous, the resources for getting/keeping in shape were not available, it was not a year-round occupation, etc.

     

    But the competition was great and the fans were highly entertained. So it's not necessarily so that the NFL would be boring without the supermen of today.

     

    That doesn't mean that I don't want the best players available, I do. But that's because if you offer me fine wine instead of rotgut I will certainly choose the better product.

     

    My point is that it's silly to say that without 300 pound giants who can outrun all of us, the NFL would be unentertaining. But those who have stated here that if the league becomes dominated every year by the same few rich teams it will no longer be entertaining are right.

     

    So, given the fact that it must financially worthwhile for both the owners and the players to continue, the key point in my opinion is maintaining parity. Other sports are a distant second to the NFL in my mind, because the few dominant teams are the elite almost every year. I would hate to see that be the case in the NFL and frankly have been disturbed by a trend toward that in recent years.

     

    So, who do I want to win this fight? I want the fans to win by being able to watch competitive games. As long as that happens, I don't care if the league structure stays the same or changes. Everyone can argue about the many things influencing this, and good points have been made. But I just hope that the end result gives us fans what we deserve.

  11.  

    I know shutting down a league is not simple nor cheap but I see the owners saying this is enough, the business it's at an all time high but it's probably very close to it's peak of growth. If that is the case, when is enough for the players to get more? it's evident the owners (who know a thing or two about economics) are not happy with the last business model and see no more venues to squeeze a potential large revenue to share with the players.

    If I were an owner and my accountant is telling me that certain business model is unsustainable, not for the now but for an eventual future, you better believe that I'm listening (no matter how good the business is) If I have to lose now to earn more in the future, I buckle up and take care of my business before it's too late.

     

    Well stated. There are two discussions going on here. Some participants are offering what they think might happen and others are reacting with what they want to happen. Both valid topics, but they keep swirling around in the same posts.

  12. Well, the lock out is going strong, the draft is over and the Sabres are out of the playoffs. This to fill our day with non-important questions like this one. Sorry if this has been done before, but what the heck. Here's the question and my response:

     

    Had Scott Norwood made the infamous "wide right" field goal, how many of the next 3 Super Bowls do you think the Bills would have made it into?

     

    My response: I think losing the first one drove them to the second and so on and so forth. I think had the Bills one the first one, they would not have been in the next Super Bowl, but would have made it to the next one against Dallas. I don't think they would have made it to the 4th one.

     

    I have often thought about that. You are probably right.

  13. What does it mean to be a true Buffalo Bills fan?

     

    Good post, Brock. And a few chuckles, too. You bring back fond memories.

     

    5.) To be there through the wind, cold, rain, snow and sun! Had many of these adventures. The top one was a game where I took a friend and his two sons to their first NFL game. At the start, it was cold but sunny. Then it went through all the types of weather you could think of, as the temperature dropped unblieveably fast: torrential rain, sleet, wet snow, etc. There was so much water running along our benches that my wallet and everything in it was soaked. My friend asked, "Is this what fans experience when they come to these games?" My answer was, "Fan is short for fanatic and you have to be one in Buffalo."

     

    6.) To cook and tailgate with the best food and fans in the NFL! Isn't it funny how you will eat almost anything when tailgating... and it always tastes great!

     

    7.) Even if our record is crappy, you do not all of a sudden love another team! There were times when we would leave satisfied, because the Bills didn't get beat as badly as everyone predicted.

     

    8.) When the season is over you still show off your Bills support! I live in Florida, now, and still wear my Bills stuff out and about. When you bump into a stranger who is also a Bills fan, you have to stop and get to know each other a little. That's cool.

  14. First Adrian Peterson says the NFL is modern-day slavery, then Rashad Mendenhall agrees with him. But Mendenhall goes further by blasting people for being happy that the killer of thousands of Americans has finally got his just reward. He chastises us for hating a man (Osama Bin Laden) who we haven't heard speak. Actually, the World has heard him speak several times and boast about the killings he planned and funded. Rashad doesn't believe that the highjacked planes took down the World Trade Center on 9/11. He mentions that we haven't heard the other side of the story. Then, after he loses an endorsement deal he acts like his comments were misinterpreted.

     

    In a way, it's humorous that these young men get a lot of money and a little fame, then shoot themself in the foot. It's sad, too. Mendenhall is probably a fine young man who is wrong about a few things, but has a right to express his thoughts. As a result, there will be a lot of people who hate him.

     

    I don't hate anyone, I didn't dance in the street when I heard about Bin Laden's death. But I believe it was a just end for a criminal who promoted the killing a lot of people during the last fifteen years, including a large number of his own people. But the point is celebrities can be their own worst enemies by hurting their reputation. And beyond the PR, it can hit them financially. For example, Michael Vick lost a lot of money by missing NFL time during the peak of his career. It's sad.

  15. If there is no season at all this year, what happens to the players who were drafted this year?

     

    Could they possibly go back into the next draft if teams are unable to sign them for an entire year?

     

    No. The team that drafted them still has their rights. Several players have gone to the CFL or other leagues, but if they come to the NFL the drafting team still has exclusive rights. Jim Kelly was an example of that situation.

  16. There is a new breed of owners in the NFL. Forget about the cultural rules that used to be considered. The new owners who push the league around (Jones, Snyder, etc.) don't care about whether the NFL will be going strong in 20 years. They want as much money as they can get, now. Toronto will have a team, even if it will eventually fail. Just like Los Angeles will have another team even if it will eventually fail.

  17. I've complied a ranking of the Bills' first round picks in the Modrak era, from best to worst. Feel free to comment, or contribute your own rankings of the Bills' first round picks.

     

    1) Eric Wood, 2) Lee Evans, 3) Willis McGahee, 4) Donte Whitner, 5) Leodis McKelvin, 6) Marshawn Lynch, 7) J.P. Losman, 8) Mike Williams, 9) John McCargo and 10) Aaron Maybin.

     

    Good job Edward's Arm.

     

    I find it interesting that Ralph Wilson said, "Tom does a good job, but he doesn't make the last call. He puts the [draft] board up. But it comes down to making the last decision. That's not Tom." Doesn't this sound like Wilson saying it's not Modrak's fault that the Bills have drafted so poorly? Then what was the reason for firing Modrak? Of course, Wilson has regularly put his foot in his mouth in recent years, so this is nothing unusual.

     

    I'm glad they dumped Modrak, but if he's not among the final decision makers, the problem has not been solved.

  18. Some good points made here from both sides of the aisle. I believe they drafted for size and got it. I hope Dareus has a Ray Lewis mentality throughout his career, instead of what happened with the former TE, then LT, who got a big head and his performance declined. "He who must not be named" will never reach his potential. But Marcell has a chance to be a great one for the Bills for a long time.

     

    I can't say this was a great draft, but at least it doesn't smell bad as of today. Williams (OL), McCargo and Maybin had an odor from day one. So maybe it will turn out to be a good draft. Let's hope. But don't expect too much from our new rookies.

     

    I would have liked to see more additions to the front seven on defense, but maybe a couple of the BDs will end up being fitures on this team. I sure hope the Bills will find a way to get a decent pass-catching tight end and another defensive end who can rush the passer before the season starts (via whatever method).

     

    Regarding next season, I believe they will do better because...

     

    1. This is the team's second season with the Chan and Company system.

    2. Our young offensive linemen are maturing.

    3. We are bound to win a couple of additional games compared to the record number that we let slip away last year.

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