SoMAn

I was in Buffalo several years ago, and I swear it was for a Bills season opener, but I’m having trouble trying to figure out exactly which game it was. I can’t remember if it was the following day or exactly when, but I had to catch a flight back to Atlanta and I saw several flight cases (used for music gear among other things) out on the curb at the airport drop off with the name Allman Brothers stenciled on all of them. I didn’t realize that the Allman Brothers had been playing at Darien Lake that weekend, otherwise I would’ve tried to catch them. I was standing in the security line, waiting to go through the metal detectors and so forth, and I look back and the guy standing directly behind me was Gregg Allman with some girl. One of my closest friends here in Atlanta is an Allman Brothers disciple and I was half tempted to call my friend Scott (with my Nokia cell) and ask Gregg if he would say hello. Gregg is pretty low-key so I didn’t want to bother him so I never did. I've got some other Gregg/Cher stories from the days when they'd come to Buffalo and hit Stage 1, a regular nightspot for us in Clarence. I’ve played with a couple of dudes who played with the Allman Brothers (not that I’m exactly in the same league). One of them, the guitar player who backed Gregg on his laid-back tour on 1974, just passed away a couple of months ago. Playing with him was a pleasure, but it also put things in perspective of how good some of these real pros are. I loaned him my slide and he show me how it’s done properly. The Allman Brothers, my estimation are probably one of the best or the best American band ever. Somewhere I have a bunch of pictures from the Rose Hill cemetery in Macon, where Elizabeth Reid, Little Martha, and now Duane, Gregg, and Berry are all buried. Long live the Allman Brothers Side notes, Buffalo connections: When Duane got hooked on H back in the early 70's, he did his rehab in Buffalo. That may be the same reason that Gregg was coming frequently in the late 70's. IDK. Also in the early days when they were just getting started, they played at a club in Buffalo and the a-hole owner wouldn't pay them after the gig. I'm not surprised. I had similar issues living there when I was young. Anyway, bassist Berry Oakley went to collect the $1000 from Angelo Aliotta, owner of Aliotta's, the gin joint where they played. Aliotta was only willing to part with $500. Road manger Twiggs Lyndon got in the middle of it, stabbed and killed Aliotta. I believe Twiggs got off using a 'temporary insanity' plea, stating that working for the Allman brothers made him crazy. It actually worked!

He was a drinker and would get in fights with band mates.

Funny. Yes, I’ve experienced that a few times with my wife.

He was fired

I know aisle seats are preferable for most, but since I don't get up and move a whole lot during the game, I'd rather be in the middle. Sitting in an aisle seat you have to keep getting up every time someone from the interior seats needs to get something to eat or drink, or hit the rest room. Sometimes it's not too bad, but if there are restless kids and people who need to pee more frequently (like my wife), you're up and down all afternoon with these short attention span fans if you're on the end. I can easily sit until halftime or after the half until game end without having to go anywhere. Give me the middle seats.

I never would have guessed. He's a man of few words, but when he does speak in English, I hardly detect any accent at all.

I can't imagine him playing into his 70's, 80's or beyond. We'll just have to wait and see.

Which teams do you have in mind that consistently restock their roster from the draft and a high percentage of players that contribute? I'm not doubting you, just curious of which teams you considered that fit the description.

Bless his heart. Now he, Nicole, and Ron can all be together again. But why call him a terrible human being for one lapse in judgement? By my estimate, he lived 28,035 days. 28,034 days he never killed anyone (as far as we know). Pretty good record by any measure!

I get it - the draft can be a crapshoot. Everyone thought Watkins was going to be a superstar. But, keeping Milano on the field for the entire season is also a roll of the dice, judging by his history. The defense fared decently last year without Milano. Of course I would hate to lose him, but if there was a good chance at a generational WR to pair with our generational QB, I'd pull the trigger if it were up to me.

If true, I can see how it makes sense. There's something Stef is unhappy with, so probably a good idea to unload a player that doesn't want to be there and get something in return that could pay long term dividends. IF they can parlay extra draft picks from the trade to move up in round 1 and get an impact WR, it would be a brilliant move. Suddenly, a WR with fresh legs on a rookie contract, with minimal drop off at the position (if any), and freeing money for other need positions. Hope it works out that way.

Sorry if this has already been addressed, but I’m not reading through 93 pages hoping to see the answer…. If a the PSL is purchased and financed over a 10 year period, and the buyer defaults, dies, changes their mind, etc. Is that PSL re-sold at original cost or is it sold for the balance owed? If the PSL is paid in full, but the owner elects not to renew season tickets, what then? Does the PSL owner still retain ‘ownership’ of those seats but the Bills can sell tickets for them? Can owners of PSLs sell them privately or do they have to go back to the Bills? TIA

Reading the OP and the statement concerning the DL rotation, it's a reminder that there are no impact players on defense, other than maybe Milano if he's healthy - and that's in question judging from Bean statements during press conference. Rousseau, Epenesa, and Miller are all average, or even slightly above due to experience. But they're not players any team is game planning against. The secondary has lost 3 of 5 pro-bowl caliber players in the last 2 years. Oliver is the top D lineman. He can be a force, but not consistently. As much a I'd love to see the Bills snag a play-making WR, they can use some help on defense. Hopefully, they'll make the most of all these draft picks.

I think it's all going to come down to the grades they have on prospects when their choice comes up. If it's a choice between a DT on whom they have a high grade, or a WR who they like, but doesn't get a first round grade on their board, it's going to be the DT. It could be some other position, but I believe the Bills would apply the same strategy to their pick, regardless. If they can't get a player they grade high enough, I can see them trading back a few picks, maybe into the low second round if that would give them an extra pick in the third. I don't think they want to make the same mistake (I believe) that they made reaching for Elam. They're going to get cap compliant with a young low-wage squad and attempt to let the super stars keep the team competitive.

The players can stay in the tropics for 6 months out of the year, no matter where they end up playing. They will play in cold weather at some time, no matter where they end up playing. They will never be exposed to the cold for much more than a maximum of 40 hours in any season during games. Probably about half that time. And only if they're unfortunate enough to play in a cold weather city, and every road game Nov-Jan is also not in a dome and outside in a cold weather city. Compare that amount of exposure to someone who works for a fraction of the money repairing power lines, roads, etc. I guess some of this has to be an understanding of what's defined as 'cold weather'. Is is under 50 degrees? 40? 30? The flip side is the players in Atlanta, Miami, Carolina, Arizona, even Washington. The players can be exposed to sweltering heat throughout training camp and the early part of the season. Bottom line is that the kid will have to go to whatever team drafts him, or he can elect not to play in the NFL. It's that simple. Maybe it's Deion who doesn't want to watch his kid in cold weather.

First off, thanks to Scott and all the admins for providing this exceptional forum. For those of us ex-WNYers who want to keep up with our Bills, it's been a fair substitute for sitting around the local Buffalo gin mills debating and discussing out team. Prior to this development of this site, there was Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle message board, where several of us exchanged thoughts about the Bills. For perspective, this was a few years before 'the drought'! 3 years prior to the 2000 TBD tailgate, a handful of us faceless users of the D&C Hyperbills board met for the season opener against the Vikings. The game was on Aug 31, 1997. I don't remember why it started so early. I was at Rooties, a bar and wing joint on Millersport Hwy near UB Amherst, sitting with one of the multiple-personality comedians who trolled the message board. The screen flashed the news and the wreckage in Paris that killed Princess Diana. Oh well, pass the blue cheese. The Bills lost that weekend of course, but we had a good time. That was the last tailgate party I experienced with anyone from here, but maybe I'll make it up there for one of the tailgate parties before my body has other ideas. Hope you all have a great time. As Russert said, "please Bills, just one [super bowl win] before I die". Go Bills!

If some team gave up a first round pick a less than 20, yeah. My rationale: for the sake of argument, lets say we had a Justin Jefferson level player at WR - would you trade him for Milano if he wasn't on the Bills? Obviously the answer is no. Using that argument as a starting point, if the Bills could bundle an acquired first rounder and an existing pick to get a 'can't miss WR', I'd take it in a heartbeat. Josh needs weapons to make the most of his high salary. Diggs is getting older. Gabe will be gone. Until the LB unit was decimated by injury, the fill-ins did an adequate job. Bernard is looking good. Dorian Williams is a good prospect. Dodson can play. Love Milano, but he's not a kid, has a higher cap hit, and reading into Bean's recent comments, Milano may not even be ready when the season starts, indicating his injury may be more serious than many of us suspected. As much as I'd hate to lose him, if it meant making the offense a high-flying feared unit, may answer would be go for it. Currently, if Diggs gets injured and is out for any period, the season is probably over. Go get the economical star WR.

Q: What is your level of patience on not advancing to the Super Bowl? A: No patience, I would already have made a change. And yet, even moving the comma, (it should actually be a period) it still doesn't make sense in the context of the question. The first part and second part seem to contradict each other. Excuse me while I go bang my head against the wall.

this makes no sense. No, patience I would already have made a change What does that even mean? 1, 2, or 3 more seasons..... or what? Take up Pickleball on Sunday afternoons?

Maybe the contractors don’t want live video of 10 of their union workers standing around a bon fire for an hour before work begins while they sip their morning coffee.

Ok Linus.

I like Brown. I don't have any problem with is play. I think he was unfairly maligned by some, who maybe had unrealistic expectations for him as a starting NFL tackle. He was given baptism by fire as a rookie, and in '22, playing through an injury (bad ankle?) Young and still learning, his play was adequate in '23 and should continue to improve and be a fixture on the line for a good while.

As much as I'm glad Josh is our guy, there's a little piece of me that feels like I'm having salt poured into a wound, knowing the Bills were the ones who provided the pick to the Chiefs that got them Mahomes. He has 3 Lombardi's and is young enough that it's not a stretch to think he'll continue to be a thorn in the Bills' side for many more years on the way to claiming more chrome hardware.

Looking forward to progress pictures when we get to see the second one installed around August.