zonabb

Brett Favre. That's waaaay to much of a leap. Jesus. Guy won MVPs, Super Bowl, threw for over 70,000 yards and 500 TDs. As much of a risk taker as he was, he more than made up for it in his ability to read defenses and be accurate. HIs career completion percentage was 62. His first season as s started in GB he was 64.1%. He was sub-60% 5 times in 19 seasons. Two were 59.9% and 59.3%. I'm sorry but I'd bet Allen will not finish his career with a >60% percentage, which is likely mean we'll be in a Tannehill situation... a medioce QB we'll hold onto for a few seasons too long and have to rebuild in 2022. It'll end Beane and McD's tenures. Just because you are a Bills fan doesn't mean past history and predictive analysis related to QBs doesn't apply in the case of your QB. Maybe, maybe he's the 5% outlier in the 95% certainty underlying most predictions. But that's a long shot to hang your hat on.

This guy in unlistenable. Holy hell. Guys like this is what drove me away from TV commentating. Can anyone who covers the NFL speak like a professional, use a player's actual name (how many times can you try to be cool and hip as a dorky suburban white guy and say Big Q?), stop screaming and yelling, avoid hyperbole, and have an actual informed conversation instead of a slang-ridden, hip-hop rap take? These idiots could take some lessons from anyone cover the English Premier League, who are technically superior to any of the jokers covering the NFL.

But the guys on WGR55, lead by Schopp and White argue that culture, accountability, maturity and other qualitative measures are meaningless. Essentially, these guys believe there is zero negative impacts when players of this ilk act as they do. The issue with these dorks is they believe in binary quantitative evidence. In other words, they look at yards and catches and that, and only that, is a measure of the value of a player. They can be self-destructive off the field, destroy the lockerroom, and undermine the coach but none of that will impact the team or their own play because.... numbers. I am continually fascinated by the WGR55 people when I get a chance to listen. They seems to always focus on data and numbers, incorrectly in most cases, yet fail miserably in understanding that in all professions, and hockey and football are not immune, back co-workers can often have a deleterious impact on the organization. For some reason, they believe sports are immune. As soon as someone comes up with an analytical measure that quantifies the impact of these losers on a team, then maybe they'll believe in it. Let's maybe add some context here. You can't tell me that in cases where someone has to make a tough block or play to support a catch and run by Brown that less effort might be put into it because he's not someone a millionaire is going to stick his neck out for. That would impact, for example, yards after a catch in this on instance. That is a direct impact on the game due to bad behavior and I bet my next paycheck on it that it happens. The reason is, guys say they work harder for guys they love, who are committed to the team. So the inverse is true. In the end, I railed against these kinds of players before and am a major supported of McD and Beane and the way they are shaping this team. Emotional maturity, team-first, football IQ, hard working, and smart. You can teach and coach up the emotionally intelligent and smart players, you can't with the Browns and Dareuses of the world... the perpetually late, inattentive, divas who put themselves above the team. So I will thoroughly enjoy his lackluster season (he gave up on a much better QB) as much as I'll enjoy watching the Cowboys suck.

Love the endless excuses for Allen. Love the kid's mentality, love his poise, seems to be better at game management and reading the defense and therefore operating in the offense. But he is and always will be maddeningly inaccurate and I keep reading these homer excuses like he's "knocking the rust off" or "it's preseason" or any of the myriad of excuses that avoid seeing him for what he is.... inaccurate. Nothing has changed on this regard. I watched Kyler Murray's first drive last night, didn't look like he was "knocking any rust off." In fact, the kid looks pretty awesome and wickedly accurate. The kid from the Giants was 5/5 or Mayfield was 5/6. They knocking the rust off too. Rosen was 13/20 and is roundly hated here. That's 65%. He knocking it off too? Or are there excuses why he did that well on that garbage team? I think we should hope that with some better receivers and less drops that he can approach 58% or a little over. The problem is, the homerism here just can't let anyone criticize the kids accuracy. Face it, this team has possibly the most inaccurate starting QB in the league. If they can find a way to get him into the right throws all the time, limit the route tree to passes he can be accurate with and get a decent run game, they an win with him and what looks like a really good defense. But I refuse to give this kid excuses for the inaccuracy.

Well, Gannett hasn't owned the NG since at least around 1998, if I recall, when they were bought by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., which, again if I recall, is basically a pension-owned company focused first on profitability for pensioners in some southern state, hence the constant cuts. It also acquire the Lockport Scum and Urinal and Tonawanda Snooze, which was folded at some point in the last decade. Print news sucks. And they suck by choice. They don't know how to deliver local news in a digital format that people want to purchase. I stopped subscribing to the BN probably a decade ago. How many stories about real estate, development, gentrification, and hipster beer spots can you read about?

Filed under "Who cares" along with every fanboy's birthday thread announcing that it's some former Bills' bday like it matters to anyone. What are we supposed to do, buy gifts? Send cards? Hold a parade. Literally, who gives a flying f about this woman? How does it relates to the Buffalo Bills football club and the 2019 season? And if you do give sheet, that's sad. Come at me with the "then don't read it." I don't, but this one tipped the scale.

Downtown is not likely. I've outlined the reasons here multiple times. Pala-dinosaur is angling for his own benefit and not the benefit of the city, which he has NEVER given two sheets about. He knows downtown is unlikely and this is a classic attempt to build public support for the most expensive option regarding a new stadium. Now, if the Pegulas want to shell out the entire cost, let them. But those greedy corporate frackers will certain turn their grubby palms up and ask taxpayers to help. And if that's the case, the location decision is directly connected to cost first, and again, downtown will be the most costly. No question. Again: land acquisition will be costly and almost certainly require the City to utilize its eminent domain powers to take land from owners. Politically, shelling our millions will be challenging enough, taking people's land on top of it, and lower and moderate income people's land at that, isn't a good look for a mayor, esp. a Democrat Mayor doing it for a fracking billionaire. Add in the massive investment in infrastructure to service that stadium in an old, dense, deteriorated, industrial part of town, it's wicked costly before a penny is spent on the actual building. So everyone can pine for a downtown arena all you want, my knowledge/connections, understanding of land development and costs, has my money on continuing to prop up the current stadium or build across the street from it.

The downtown issues still and will remain. They are costly, time-consuming, and politically touchy. 1. Infrastructure. A new stadium would require massive upgrades to existing sewer and water systems. The systems in the downtown core simply can't handle that. The upgrades would be in the tens of millions if not hundreds, including addressing stormwater. The average person who hasn't spent a second in the development field tends to look only at the structure, missing out on the massive investment it often takes in upgrading existing or installing new public infrastructure. All of that exists on Abbott Rd. 2. Transportation. This might be the biggest hurdle. There's not a site downtown, whether it's the Old First Ward, Waterfront, or somewhere else that offers easy access by auto OR a mix of public transportation and auto. Old First Ward comes closest but existing surface road system can't carry the traffic for a game. 3. Land acquisition. This is a the politically touchy issue. Pegulas clearly have the financial ability to buy properties one at time in the Old First Ward or pretty much anywhere. However, the prices goes up as more property owners hold out for a sweetheart deal. The City could take properties by eminent domain on behalf of the team, but that's not a good look for a Mayor to take a property from a family to give it to a billionaire for fair market value. There are literally hundreds of small properties in the Old First Ward and surrounding areas owned by individuals that would require extensive legal work and costs to acquire. I have been told there are contracts to buy on some streets in the City but was not told which streets. Again, there's free land on Abbott St. My money would be on continuing to walk along with this stadium as long as possible, hoping the fortunes of the city and region improve as climate change becomes and issue and the water wars take place, which make this region a sustainable place. Then if we see both an improvement in the overall economy and some population growth, it'll be a conversation for 10 years from now. Barring that, a new, simple stadium across from the current one would be my educated and informed guess.

Garbage. That entire channel is loaded with hot summer dumpster garbage. Was forced to listen the other day, can't recall, and I think it was these two morons babbling on about mayonnaise. Good stuff. Friend finely got annoyed and changed the channel (his ride, his call!). So now I guess from avoiding WGR at all cost except driving to games and an occasional instigators moment, I'm down to almost zero WGR55 time. Sweet. Also, the awesomeness of satellite radio makes one wonder why local radio even exists.

So many problems with this it's hard to compute. In the end, you fail urban economics, land use law (esp eminent domain), local government finance, civil engineering, and rational thought.

The difference is Minny has I believe 5-7 Fortune 500 companies. Buffalo has zero. Minneapolis' economy is constantly growing at least at the national rate, Buffalo, well that thought is laughable. Despite an estimated increase in population in 2017 for the first time since 1970, the county population is about 200,000 less than it was in OJ's sophomore season. In the end, IF, and that's a huge IF, they get a new stadium, you can bet it'll be what it should be for this market... a simple, open air stadium, likely somewhat enclosed like Seattle. This region can't support large events that many here want. Not enough hotel rooms for a Super Bowl or Sweet 16 or Final Four or any national event that would draw 10s of 1000s of out of towners. So to what end is an overly expensive enclosed stadium justified given that this team, which has sucked for two decades, still draws extremely well. And that answer isn't more club seats and boxes. That's not working now. I hope the Pegulas are smart enough to know that a) a good product on the field will be received with open arms by b) a region of diehards willing to pony up the money to sit outside and watch. And in doing so, throws up the collective Pegula middle finger to Robert Rub-and-Tug and his band of greedy municipal fund pillagers.

If I was a bettor, I'd take the under all day long. That's a 250 per game average, or top 12 last season. Or ~75 yards per game more than he averaged last season, or a 43% increase. Nothing whatsoever indicates this is likely, much less even possible. Fun to dream in the off season. And do what everyone here does best... hope.

Literally watched it two full times and half way through again when it was (maybe still is) on Netflix recently. Saw on Twitter someone apparently found the dog.

Now I have to watch Friday tonight.

Stopped buy anything when beers clipped $10. Our 9-person group barely spends anymore, unless its for outrageous water on a hot day. The problem is that every penny of every sale is split so many ways so everyone profits that it's ridiculous. Bills get some, Delaware North gets some, County gets some, state probably as well. Always laugh when I visit a stadium somewhere else and can get way better beer, cheaper.

Best sports analyst in Bflo, bar none. There isn't someone even close.

I have a theory about the national media and guys like this turd, who I haven't heard in years. Not an enlightening one or even a leap but many that continually beat up on the Bills, and it's well-deserved, recognize that these hot takes are click and view bait because this market is tuned into the media, regularly pulls high ratings for viewership and is highly engaged so it's one way to get attention. So glowing supports the bigger markets but has a hot take on the Bills and basically covers all his bases. Has he even been positive on the Bills? Honest question.

Had nearly all mentioned. Smoke on the Water in Tonawanda is where I'd go if I had to get the one I liked best, not the one closest. Had BWs most recently, it was decent.

Totally flawed logic. The TA position has gone through a rapid transition and change in its role and importance in the game. By this failed argument, you should ignore that evolution, the stats put up by the players list by round and not draft a TE in round 1 even if you feel like he's a 100 catch, 1,000 yard player. But if a WR is projected as such, then get him in round 1. Got it. Totally logical.

Burden of proof is on you, not the board. Just like in a criminal trial, the burden of proof is on those who bring the charge. You brought the charge, how about you offer something more tangible than "high quality" and "young." Good lord.

4/20 much?

Sure this is logical, only is you ignore math in favor of homerism. So let's explore this, so we can debunk this kind of thinking and opinion with empirical evidence rather than emotional irrationality. PFF has the 2018 drop rate for the Bills at 8% (9th highest). So if 8% of JA's 320 passes were instead caught, that would add 26 more completions to his total, bringing it from 169 to 195. That would increase his completion percentage to just a tad under 61%. However, since WR drops are common expectation, this isn't reality one should expect or point to blame for JAs low completion percentage. Put another way, Pats had a drop rate of 8.2 and Brady was 65.8%. Or put yet another way, if JA was actually better and more accurate people wouldn't have to try and deflect blame from him and onto everyone else. What is farfetched it your assessment that reducing the drop rate to 4% (by half as you suggest) would put this team in the playoffs. If you think 13 drops resulted in this team missing the playoffs, you're a homer at best, downright delusional at worst. The 6th playoff seed had 10 wins. Bills had 6. So the Bills were 13 catches away from four more wins and the final wildcard spot. Yep, totally logical.

If that was her on OBL, she was smart but a horrible interview. Said "like" about 10,000 times and "right" about 10,000 times. Horrible, had to turn it off. If you can't communicate in a job where, you know, communication is a critical skill, no thanks.

Metcalf. Workout warrior, NFL defensive backfields will make him what he is and will be, a physically gifted, lazy route runner who is fast. Teams and fans always fall in love with the freaks and overlook the limitations. And haven't we learned with top 10 "can't miss WRs"?

I've working in the community engagement field, and I can tell you for certain that public surveys and comment periods are nothing more than token lip service AND that consultants hired by the govt are hired to confirm the position of leaders, not do what's best for the community or provide empirically driven, unbiased findings. Poloncarz hired a firm to "study" a convention center. He conducted a public survey (which by many accounts was responded to by a massive push by the Poloncarz and Democratic machine to get people to respond in favor influence the results). Everything in the study and the survey said it was a good idea. But when you look around the country, read cost-benefit analyses on convention centers, they are f'in losers in most places. The county is going to spend $400+M to build one, then millions annually to maintain and operate it. Who benefits? The wealthy developers who fund his campaign and every politicians campaign and who, by the way, also own the bars and hotels that'll slightly benefit and who, by the way, we subsidized those buildings for. All around, economic development public-private partnerships are losers for the public and a boon for the wealthy. Socialized debt, privatized profit. The same is true for sports teams who hire consultants to examine stadium options and conduct surveys. The owners have already made up their mind, their hire a firm to tell "them" what they want to hear so that they can "tell" the govt the predicament they are in so drum up support. And when the NFL has been bashing you over the head publicly for years to build a new stadium, you hire a firm not to tell you if you should do it, but one to tell you where to do it and how to finance it. Pegula$ were pretty obvious in their statements that a new stadium is coming. When you hear someone say "gamechanger" and "impactful" and “It’s going to take a lot of work from a lot of people. The county, the fans, us, the stadium, the league, the state" it confirms my experience in development and public engagement. And in her comment above, "work" means money. These people are basically pilferers of the public. We pay for their stadium now. They're one of the richest families in America. They've made hundreds of millions of profit on the team in cash and equity. And they want a new stadium but WE have to "work" hard for it? No thanks. One penny is one penny too much for supporting any owner in this league in any market. This team is profitable NOW, as it stands, in this market, in this stadium enough so that they plunked down a cook $1.2B. We have to make sure that in addition to ensuring maximum profit (remember, that's what this is about' it's the potential untapped profit they want to make but it requires US to pay for it) , we subsidize it more so many of us can be excluded? I won't pay for a PSL, I won't pay more than $100 per game for a seat (ticket is super close now) and I suspect many in my large group will be out. So the real question is... can they built something comfortable enough for affluent white professionals to cough up money for tickets so their wives can parade around in knee high boots and spend the entire game on their phones like at Sabres games? What this is about, and what needs to happen for this power play to work, is a significant shift in the composition of the attending fan base away from the commoners who have supported this team through this miserable stretch to a more affluent group that will buy a "status symbol" season ticket, consume expensive food and drinks, and generally consume the NFL and not care about the game. The league and Pegula$ are capitalists first and foremost. The game is secondary, the profit is primary. Or, they keep tickets roughly the same with a small increase and the same general cohort of STH remain. However, that will require a SUBSTANTIALLY higher investment from the govt to increase the annual profit to keep Jerry Jone$ and Robert "Rub and Tug" Kraft happy. Either way, I'm not on board with spending precious public capital on a stadium the owners can clearly afford (this is not about whether they can or can't, it's about playing the economic development corporate welfare game) when we have dire needs in this region ... our roads and bridges are a mess, our sewer and water systems are a mess, our neighborhoods need some help and our people are being left behind. But we're supposed to invest in a billionaire for 10 events a year. What happened to "I'll drill another well" when he needed money?