rpcolosi

i'll look at any guy that Parcells is considering. Brandon should just interview whoever the Phins and Patsies do... at this point, why not?

the NFL won't be expanding any time soon. but i would buy the fact Golisano will make a bid for them. There is a notion that buffalo doesn't have the money to buy them, but that is simply not true. we have 4 billionaires with ties to buffalo (the 2 rich brothers, 1 of which is in alabama, TG and Jacobs). the most likely scenario is a few of them buying the team together with TG being the majority share holder and someone like Jacobs or Rich being a minor player. The Bills can stay, it will just take proof to the NFL that Toronto fans are not heavily interested, that we can still sell out and that ownership can turn a small but possible profit.

"statistically" ?? you are aware sacks allowed is an un-official stat and one that is really not quantifiable unless you are aware of the blocking schemes being run. I'm not saying he had a great season or was dominant but you clearly lack some football knowledge if you are viewing him by stats alone. that guy is insanely good what he does. start watching him block and pull, etc instead of following the ball on every play...

tell that to teh 15,000 canadians coming to every bills game...

you are right that toronto is indeed part of the plan to keep them here. Why wouldn't we use a wealthier city to our advantage? but that does not mean relocate. It means tapping into a larger corporate base for as much wealth as possible. I'd rather see training camp in Canada and preseason games in Rochester to be honest but I don't see Brandon going back on his home town. In regards to the Browns leaving, it was similar to the Sonics - lots of uproar within their community but hardly at a national level. And more so, that team was moving to an Original NFL Team location in Baltimore. That is a far different dynamic than competing with another sports league in a city that already has 3 professional 'american' sports franchises and has no prior ties to the NFL. So you can't compare Moddell's blunder to this. Finally, as you correctly pointed out, the Bills need Toronto corporations to remain viable. We need their American and Canadian business' to drive up the value of suites and boxes at the Ralph. Even if 5 large Toronto HQed Companies such as Rogers Comm, Scotia Bank, Bell Canada, etc buy suites at the Ralph it is a success. Consider that we didn't even have a radio presence in Toronto prior to '07 nor did we have a ticket office there. Doing so now can increase the number of fans to draw and the number of businesses (large or small) to start investing at the Ralph now... I don't know if we need to split the season half and half with Toronto in the future. Rather, I think Goodell wants to see after 5 years how our expanded presence into Southern Ontario works. If we sell higher priced suites and boxes, continue selling out all games, and have an increase in merchandise revenue, this will show Goodell and the league that we are a viable franchise and are drawing to our maximum regional capacity. We are #27 out of 32 teams and are in the 2nd smallest market. This bodes well that we are out performing other 'larger' cities... http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/30/sports...lls_301765.html

A guy we should have gone after is Andy Alleman, former 3rd round pick of the Saints, currently on Miam. He was claimed off waivers by the 'Phins last year, and its clear Parcells and Sparano know linemen. He'd be a good, young guy to consider for depth and competition at LG. Plus his brother went to dental school at UB with me and this guy, unlike TO, enjoys the buffalo night life. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Alleman

Kemp is 74 and already in worse health than Ralph so i wouldn't count on him doing much (unknown cancer stemming from a hip problem indicates most likely a bone cancer, which is not great at his age). There is a chance he may lose some of his clout even before Ralph's passing. The best thing we have going for us is that Bills 'fans' or those with connections to the team are in significantly important positions - throughout the media, league and, yes, politics. Staring with the aforementioned Kemp, Higgins and Schumer both value the economic vitality the Bills bring to the region and will be the staunchest allies. Throughout the media, such people as Vic Carruci, Gregg Easterbrook, Chris Berman, Tim Graham, Don Criqui, Luke Russert, Nick Bakay and the entire MNF broadcast team (Jaws, Kornheiser and Tirico all UpState NY guys)are all on the national media stage and have voices that stretch far and wide around the country. When the Seattle Super Sonics left Seattle, they lacked this type of attention and support. This will be a national issue if/when relocation comes about... And finally the league itself. Having the Commish hometown within our region is without a doubt a great asset. He grew up in this region and knows the importance of keeping this team in Buffalo as well as any of us. He does have our interests at heart. Not to mention, so many vital people have come in and through here - From Marty Schottenheimer to Bill Polian. If there is talk of moving us when Ralph passes, God Bless Him, expect to hear a huge, huge uproar from this community.

good article by PFW explaining the positive attributes a guy like Lee Evans can have on TO... http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFL/A.../wwhi031209.htm

a new stadium is not an option if the bills stay in WNY. its minimum $350mil additional debt, even if the state kicks in similar amounts that it has for Citi Field, the new Meadowlands, and new Yankee Stadium. the best thing we have going for us is a "free" stadium. in addition, niagara county has already voted down wanting the bills moved there.

not long ago it was only 14 game season. 18 is not a bad move and you may see them add a 3rd wild card as a result, as it once was. besides, who cares about the NBA or NHL in February anyways?

um is it possible we have too many needs for that question?? D: all of the above

its liz mullen from a sports business site commenting. This is not the NFL's take. No way it happens. TWeather is what makes football what it is and allows for homefield in the playoffs. So consider the source of who's reccommending it - a business person. in addition, if we add 2 more games to the current schedule why NOT play those extra 2 in toronto and garnish more income???

agreed. and your link is to a 3d article, not moving games..

This is a very, very accurate assessment of the state of the economics of the NFL and the current fiscal issues surrounding out franchise. I think anyone opposed to expanding our presence in southern ontario really needs to evaluate whether they want a competitive team or not. The reason the Bills can not compete at this point in time is we simply do not have the same cash flow as other teams. People need to understand, Ralph became a multi-millionaire through owning the Bills. he is not Dan Snyder or Robert Kraft who have private enterprises kicking them a paycheck as well. Ralph and his family owned insurance companies and sporting good stores in Michigan. He is wealthy because of his investment in the Bills, not in addition to. Thus, expanding and regionalizing the franchise is easily the wisest move. Goodell more than anyone is aware of the impact of the bills on the WNY economy and I believe will keep the team here as long as it remains viable. The additional income from Toronto is allowing us to do so, whether we like it or not. TV deals and revenue sharing alone are not enough to keep this franchise afloat. If the new CBA changes to sub 60% player income share and adjusts to a cap or ratio on draft pick salaries, then we are able to compete more so than now. This is why Ralph and Brown were against the original CBA. That extra 5-10mil towards player salaries under a 60% share is not sustainable in any small market. Finally, your point on ownership and debt is valid. Unless Jimbo has some big NYC fat cat lined up to buy the team with cash (see the Dolan family buying the Tribe in 01), the new owner will have some debt. The most likely scenario still is that Jacobs sells the Bruins soon, especially with their value being higher this year than at any other point of the past 25+ years. Assuming the franchise nets ~$200mil, he is able to be the majority owner of the bills with a few smaller investors (see Jimbo, thurman, Hamister, etc) or the solo owner with a set amount of debt. Thankfully our stadium is "free" and that eliminates the need for further financing.... So in the end, pray Ralph can live a bit longer, the bruins with the Stanley cup, and that Toronto is dumb enough to keep giving us $75mil deals for a fraction of our games. It kept the Packers around, we are the GB of the AFC... Go Bills.

exactly... he's not an idiot. we are weakest at those spots and he is making it seem as though we are content. expect june or keiaho to sign after the draft, closer to June 1.....

dead on dude... any word on Brian Waters? I suspect as we get closer to the draft there may be more talk of dealing for him. In addition, don't forget june 1 cuts. We have picked guys up in the past that way as well.

did it say that specifically they wanted more games or were they referencing those years they have 1 preseason and 2 regular season games already paid for and wanted to know new ticket prices since they bombed this year? i think its far more plausible they are discussing what to do for the games purchased for those years as opposed to new ones, base off of what you said - unless they say specifically we are looking at PURCHASING 3 more games from the bills... Ted Rogers died for those of you who are un aware. There isn't a huge movement as of now to bring them there. Tannenbaum didn't have the financial where with all that Rogers did.

yes- just what we need. MORE special teamers! that has won us SO many games. c'mon. Roscoe is useless at his primary position - WR. He is a nice ASSET on a team that needs proven commodities that play more than 20 downs a game. He is a luxury we should get rid of. FJ, Leodis and Terrence are more than adequate. Our special teams are less 1/3 of the game and more like 3/4.... we need better talent on the O and D. ST should be 3rd most important. Sadly, Ralph is cheap so he throws his money at the one thing he can be great at - ST. its a recipe for mediocrity...

actually, the better question with Jones being released, is that a team worth dangling Roscoe to?

is there a blog that has actual, real, intelligent bills fans? these people on here are all young guys trying to pull of fantasy trades... anybody out there who actually enjoys things like potentially filling out needs with some realistic options? draft a DE, sign a veteran LB, draft a few O and D lineman, ideally grow a set and pony up for peters and trade for someone like brian waters ala the marcus stroud method. anyone out there feel like discussing these kind of options? pulling of multiple deals for cutler and schefller for roscoe, te and peters is beyond stupid. sure we got TO, but that does not mean these other fantasy dreams are even worth the 5 seconds it takes to type.

anyone even mentioning the idea of getting matt jones should not be allowed to speak. its beyond stupid for the bills. but I agree it is one hell of an idea for the fish if they pulled that off. make the wild cat a legit threat. too bad he's going to join vick, henry and rae carruth on the all prison team.

Thanks Tim. It's nice to have some common sense and good knowledge after all the bs and fantasy trades most guys are posting on here. Lets keep building this team intelligently. And hopefully bring in a decent O Lineman prior to the draft...

absolutely hilarious

the same goes for things like i dont know, politics and the national media. go TO!!!!

this is a great link on how TO can help: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3958231