CodeMonkey

Is it that hard to believe Marrone thought the price was too high? I do. Could be he also had a pretty good idea about the QB situation and wanted the 2015 #1 to try and deal with that. I don't know any more than you. But it seems a lot more plausible than silly "damage control" spin. I very seriously doubt Marrone cares much about what the Bills fans think about the situation.

Is there a reason you think the bolded is a good thing? Do they have a wealth of football knowledge that I am unaware of?

Local sports (Rochester) tonight said Polians decision came after Orton then Marrone both quit. He thought the consultant job would be "fun" originally, but with no HC or QB the job would require more "heavy lifting" than he was prepared to take on.

Hopefully he is too busy doing evaluations as part of the hiring process to have time to talk to the press.

I disagree about any of them being NHL ready right now (all star game balloting aside ). Just watch when they play a talented team like last night. Deer in the headlights. I fully expect all 3 to be good to very good, but in my opinion not now. Best on the Sabres, but that is saying nothing.

Yeah those 3 have a lot of potential to be sure. Just look how it worked out for the lightning line of 2nd year NHL players that made the Sabres look silly last night as an example. I wish all three of those guys (particularly the 2 defensemen) had been given time in the development leagues though.

I follow hockey much more than football. The future could be bright assuming prospects develop etc. How many more years do you think they will aggressively go after the top pick? At some point you have to stop sucking if you want people to believe it is on purpose.

Yes. And it remains to be seen if this is a good thing or a bad thing both for the Sabres and the Bills.

Very much agree. However to get to that next step they need a lot of their prospects to also make it to the next level.

I consider myself very competent in what I do for a living. But I strongly suspect as an owner of a NHL or NFL franchise I tried to be directly involved I would be incompetent. Because you are good at one thing does not mean you are good at something else completely unrelated. But like I said, far too early to make that judgement at this point one way or the other.

Raping the land for gas.

I do. That's why I said what I did about if the prospects develop along with the HC they could bounce back in 3-4 years. But it's not like the Sabres need 1 or 2 of their prospects to develop, they need a dozen or more. They also need some of the young players on the main team to continue develop as well such as Girgensons, Zadorov, and Ristolainen.

Pegula's reign as the owner of the Sabres has brought them to being bottom feeders. If enough of their developing talent proves NHL worthy, and if the HC does as well, then they could bounce back in 3 or 4 years. If not, the Sabres are starting their own epic playoff drought. The Sabres now have precious little NHL caliber players so there are a lot of positions to fill with developing talent. It is too early to grade him as a NFL owner. All of this current **** he inherited. He just wanted to keep the team in Buffalo. Pegula has a lot of money, and does not seem reluctant to spend it. So far that's about all the good that can be said. But incompetent, it's far too early to say. But it cannot be discounted at this point either.

I would call what he did the smart bet. No QB, no first rounder, lots of non-QB needs. Punt for a 3-4 year deal plus double dipping on Pegulas dime to the tune of $4 million, or gamble for maybe a contract extension with the Bills. Sometimes it is the smart move to punt.

Oh OK I gotcha.

I am of the exact opposite opinion. What you described is precisely what my thought process would have been. Do you think it was emotional for him regarding Whaley or something else?

That is more than likely going to prove difficult unfortunately.

That's what ESPN is scrolling on the bottom of their screen now.

Watching ESPN and they are scrolling that Polian declined the offer from the Bills.

Trade bait perhaps. It may not have worked out, but there is certainly no way not having a first round pick helps your situation.

Like every team who fires coaches/players before their contracts are up? I am certainly no GM or owner, but I am involved frequently in hire/fire decisions. And yes, seeing a job jumper in the real world does raise a red flag. But in the high stakes world of NFL head coaches I can't imagine looking poorly on Marrone for taking those opt-out conditions. I would look poorly on the Bills FO for agreeing to them however. It does only if you are thinking with your heart and not your head.

To me his credibility would take a bigger hit if he essentially coached next season for free by not opting out. Stupid move by the Bills agreeing to that clause in the first place.

A warning sign that a coach wants to do the best he can financially and for his career? People have to stop reacting emotionally like a girl stood up by her prom date and realize it is a business to them.

Character and trustworthiness? He didn't hold out. He simply exercised his contractual option, one that Whaley and Brandon gave him. If you want to be pissed at someone, be pissed at Brandon and Whaley for giving contractual terms that made it crazy for the coach to stay with the Bills to a mediocre HC.

Exactly. It was just a business decision. I had no idea about the 4 mil double-dip before yesterday. Given his current marketability, he would be crazy not to opt-out unless the Bills were willing to significantly sweeten the pot. The the Bills credit, they did not agree to what they thought would be overpaying for a mediocre HC.