BillsFan4

Important game tonight. If buffalo loses they they could be pushed out of a playoff spot, depending on how the NYI and Montreal games go. I know now Eichel is out, but they have to find a way to get at least a point.

Damn it. I was hoping that they’d fire Danny Crossman... ?

You can vote 10x (easiest to just do it in a row) every 24hrs. Voting goes till the 10th. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-eichel-miss-least-two-games update - Eichel to miss at least the next 2 games with what is termed as a day-to-day injury.

My guess is Arizona. They really wanted Allen. And their GM is kind of a douche. I would not put it past him to have zero issue doing something like that. You can tell they settled for Rosen just by watching some of the team videos out there. Like the one where they talk about how they’re happily surprised that he’s not this arrogant/entitled/cocky prick that he was made out to be before the draft.

https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2019/01/02/backstrom-kopitar-laine-skinner-highlight-nhl-all-star-last-men-in-vote/ Jeff Skinner is part of a new “last men in” all star vote, giving fans one last chance to vote in an all star snub. Voting opens tomorrow at noon and goes till Jan. 10th.

Housley said he would know more tomorrow (thurs). He said he was still expecting/hoping it was a day to day thing, but housley hasn’t exactly been known for giving an accurate injury timeline. Sure hope he doesnt miss any significant amount of time. Sabres are in trouble if he does.

The airing of grievances.... (for all the Seinfeld fans)

Tomrrow at 7pm. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/schedule/2019-01-01/ET

I will never celebrate someone losing their job, especially when it means having to uproot their life/family etc. But I will say that the performance of the Bills o-line and run game left a lot to be desired. It is without a doubt an area that needs to greatly improve. I have to give McDermott some credit for making what I am sure was a very tough decision. I know he and Castillo are close friends. McDermott hasn’t been one to shy away from the tough decisions. I think he is sincere when he says that he’s continually evaluating everything/everyone and looking for ways to improve. Now, he has to get this hire right. Giving Josh Allen a solid o line, in pass protection and the run game, IMO is crucial to his continued development.

This seems more like Rex trying to get his name back out there than anything else. I haven’t heard of him actually scheduled to interview with any teams. But we will see...

https://www.nhl.com/standings/2018/wildcard With the bruins win today, it pushes Buffalo out of 3rd and into the 1st wildcard spot. The Canadiens are 1 point behind us and the Isles are 2pts behind with 2 games still in hand. Buffalo is getting dangerously close to being out of a playoff spot all together. Yep. It was bound to happen though, with the Bruins getting healthy and the Sabres losing more than they’re winning lately. Its looking like like we will battle Montreal and the Isles for a wildcard spot. The Rangers and Panthers can’t be counted out yet either. Its going to make for an interesting (and potentially disappointing) 2nd half of the season...

CJ Smith called up from Rochester and will play tonight. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-eichel-questionable-monday I guess Eichel is questionable for tonight. It says he will be a game-time decision. Fingers crossed that he plays! This is an important game. Sabres need a win. The Isles are only 4pts behind us and we very well could be battling them for one of the 2 wildcard spots. Buffalo has to get back on track here and start banking some wins.

We may be picking 10th for now, but let’s see where we pick on draft day. In the 2 years we’ve had McDermott and Beane, they haven’t picked at their original spot in the 1st (or 2nd?) yet. They seem to like to move around the draft board in the first few rounds.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001005594/article/mike-mayock-a-strong-candidate-for-raiders-gm-job NFL.com calling him a strong candidate for the job.

He would probably be really good at the recruiting aspect of it.

I have to give props to McDermott. I thought he showed a lot of class today with everything he did for Kyle. It seemed like McD did everything he could to make sure this day was special for KW. I appreciate that as a long time fan.

?

I can’t believe today is the last time I will ever get to watch Kyle Williams play football in a Bills jersey. ☹️ Nice article on Kyle by Eric Wood. Athletic sub. needed - https://theathletic.com/738976/2018/12/29/wood-paying-tribute-to-kyle-williams-the-heart-and-soul-of-the-bills-before-his-last-nfl-game/ Found this part interesting -

They were better (at times) but they let Boston hang around all night and it bit them in the ass. That late penalty was somewhat questionable, but the Sabres still has plenty of chances to put this game away. That 4 on 3 PP in OT was especially pathetic. This is was really a badly needed win as far as the playoff picture goes. Now Boston is 2pts behind for 3rd in the Atlantic. Montreal is 3pts behind with 1 game in hand and the NYI are 4pts behind with 2 games in hand. A couple more wins by the teams below us, combined with a couple more losses by buffalo, and they are suddenly sitting outside the last wildcard spot.

The way this team is trending, they will be lucky to make the playoffs as the 2nd wildcard team.

^ for sure. Bringing back Zo is a must now, IMO. There is going to be a huge leadership void with Kyle leaving. It would be even bigger if Zo left too.

Bummer. Comgrats on a great career Kyle! You will be missed.

I had never heard Skinner didn’t want to be there. What i read happened is this (I’ve been following this story since they got a new owner. This is the best I can piece the timeline together...): The new owner (Tom Dundon) took over in January. He had already been working behind the scenes and came in guns blazing wanting to make changes. He felt the culture needed to change because it had been 9yrs without playoffs, and felt drastic action was needed. Carolina started exploring the option of trading Skinner at the end of last season. Ron Francis was a cautious GM, couldn’t find a deal he liked so no move was made. And as I understand it, didn’t feel that moving Skinner was a priority. Tom Dundon then “re-assigns” Francis, effectively firing him without firing him (he’s later let go) because he was too cautious and Dundon wanted action. Don Waddell is appointed new GM, is given the mandate to take action now and continues trying to trade Skinner over the summer, along with a few other guys. They are now openly stating that they want to trade Jeff Skinner (and I believe they may have even approached him/his agent for a list of teams). This continues over the summer. As the summer went on and Carolina continued trying to trade Skinner, he and his agent told the team they they also felt that it was best that he moved on at this point. The way I understand it though, It was carolina who initiated trade talks and I don’t think it was over a new contract. Now, I know Don Waddell said that he didn’t think Skinner would re-sign. But he also said that they never even tried to approach Skinner to negotiate a new contract. From an athletic article (inside the war room with Tom Dundon. I can link it if you have a subscription) the Hurricanes felt that had cheaper internal replacements for Skinner (the article said they weren’t willing to pay the market rate for numerous RFAs/UFAs. Dundon is cheap). There’s also quotes in that article from Dundon on his desire to change the culture, and how it would only happen through action on their part. Anyway.... that’s what I’ve pieced together from the articles and interviews I’ve read/heard. I’m just glad that, for whatever reason, Carolina decided to trade Skinner and he listed buffalo as one of his preferred destinations! lol Like you said though, now they have to get him signed.