Rochesterfan

But the old time reporters - Felser and Carruci version 1 and especially Jim Kelley - had great insight and communication with the owners, coaching staff, and players and could be counted and trusted to get the whole story and present it in a fair way - that allowed them to break stories and be the guy the national people went to. Bucky, Sully, and Sal from Rochester- have lost/never developed those connections and have actually pushed the organizations away. Therefore very little gets out of OBD to the local team and we are left with the national guys breaking everything. Many markets - local guys get wind and are the sources to national guys - look to NY with Metta and Cleveland with Cabbott. These guys have established and cultivated their organizational contacts for years and don’t present the team as a bunch of bumwads - even though a place like Cleveland has had less success than Buffalo over the last 20 years and even lost their team. That is what TBN is/was missing - without a trusted source - the Bills and Sabres basically froze TBN out and the staff got more and more bitter. When Kryk in Toronto is actually one of the preferred and go to reporters over TBN - there is an issue.

Yes and as their team team has had more success and had players drafted and played higher competition- the number has gone up - including building a new stadium to house the increase in fans. If UB could take on a mantle of a powerhouse state school - like a Penn State or Ohio State or even a lesser degree Oklahoma State, NC State type and get some additional funding - they could increase their athletic pull more - and take over what Syracuse used to be - the dominant NYS athletic school.

We we will see, but I am not expecting big time signings unless there is someone that fits exactly what they are looking for and they can get him in their salary structure. It seems to me Beane has a certain price for every position and person and he does not at this time appear to chase to far outside his range. I would expect that to continue with them looking specifically at younger, talented players that are hard working. I would not not expect to see any high maintenance - me first - type WR divas (ala Dez) or Mario Williams top of the salary structure players, but I could see them scooping up several middle of the road FA like Hyde and Poyer to supplement their draft plans.

Agreed - what will be interesting is if he is double teamed as has been the case and was the case last year and in this Andy Reid system - Mahomes targets others significantly more - does his head and heart start to no longer be in it. Watkins has always had the talent, but something has always prevented the break-out - be it QB, injury, or how defenses play him.

Come on on we need to be concerned about time/space - this is a 4D league and we should be playing 4D chess against 2D checkers by this time. ?

Mahomes on OTA day 1 as starter threw 3 picks I believe it was and had a couple more dropped. Then the story came out about how Reid was throwing everything at him to see what he could and could not do. If Allen had thrown 3 picks like Mahomes or fumbled multiple snaps like Darnold - this place would have exploded. Heck even if he had the same practice as Mayfield with a few picks and some bad throws - people would be all over the place screaming bust. Instead it sounds like Allen has been sound and making good live throws both against air and with DBs. At this point it just means so little, but positive news is always better than negative.

I do not disagree that there can be middle ground, but neither of those guys is career backup material. Blake Bortles not only played out first contract, but was extended by his drafting team - that to me makes him their franchise QB - maybe not by a pure numbers perspective, but by how they have treated him. Josh was a flash in the pan that ended up busting. He never stuck anyplace as a back-up. To me a career backup is a guy like Matt Moore that has played in the league 10+ years only started more than 10 games 1 time, but is kept around because he can come in and steady a ship. See also Chase Daniels, T.J. Yates, Derek Anderson. Josh Allen if he plays at that type of mid level - Blake Bortles/Matt Moore - will probably still end up still starting a large number of games for Buffalo and being the starter - we fans may not be happy, but he was drafted to start. I just do not see Josh Allen sitting on the bench as a back-up for 10+ years to help stabilize when the starting QB is hurt - that does not fit it’s the skill set I have seen.

This is just poor trolling on your part - nothing has suggested he will be a career back-up player. If anything his his style and skill is totally boom or bust. He will either become a franchise player or totally flame out. Brett Farve/Aaron Rodgers or Jamarcus Russell/Ryan Leaf

I was not specifically thinking of you, but let’s talk a bit about that. I believe prior to the draft you started a specific thread about not drafting Josh Allen thread and several of his stats were used in the threads to prove your point. I will not pull the specifics, but I believe there were quotes along the lines of “he is being drafted because of how he looks not based upon the production on the field and therefore these guys nearly always bust.” Now you have gone back and watched “film” and have convinced yourself that he can be successful based eye test in college - even though the stats pre draft suggested to you he would bust. To me that is a total 180 degree change. I believe you even stated you threw your flip phone and the Bills were safe because you hated the pick in the draft thread. Look - I totally agree the PFF numbers in college mean nothing for projecting to the NFL because they will be totally switching offenses and personnel and because the style of offenses and the skill level of teammates is so different - you can’t even legitimately use the numbers to compare the different prospects. I just do not expect that Josh Allen is going to put up certain numbers in the NFL that are going to be better than TT for example. His TD to Int rate almost certainly will be worse and his completion percentage will be lower, but I think you will see an urgency, ability, and plays that are going to make TT a distant memory. The difficulty will be guys that love to praise the Bills QB (forgive me Transplant, but you are 1 of these going back to Edwards I believe) will point out the positive things he will be doing on the field because the stats most likely will not compare favorably to TT, while those that want to poop on everything the Bills do at QB will be pointing to the stats he produces and how they are a step below a guy like TT a guy they ran out of town. Obviously this is just my opinion, but it is how I see it will play out. I myself am hoping he puts up both production and stats and therefore we have a winner, but much as I was with TT - I want to see how he plays out to make a decision. I think long term he has the ability to be a stud and I love his attitude and talent - so we will see.

I think this nails it for me! Nice work ?

I agree - over the years I have agreed with him 1/3 to 1/2 the time, but over that time there have been only a few limited articles that I thought were well written. Tim Graham I have agreed with even less, but over the years I thought his articles were better researched and written and even though the articles usually take a more negative and extreme approach- I could at least read the article.

I think they could of taken his column, but without the buyout - I am not sure he would have left - he would have been paid with not much to do. They had a buyout in place and then took his column- leaving him little choice, but to take a nice sum and move on. He could of stayed on even now, but he got something to leave.

He has been negative for a long time and during that time the Bills went to 4 Super Bowls and the Playoffs In 11 of 13 seasons. The Sabres meanwhile went to the playoffs 15 out of 20 years at the start including a Stanley Cup and conference Finals. It is not like he came in during the drought and the tank at the same time. He did not agree with how the teams may have been run, but his attitude is way more than that. The Bills under Polian and Ralph were well run and received a lot of praise nationally, but he picked at many small issues. The Sabres under the Knox brothers were also well run and this should not have been an issue. He he wanted to be the contrarian view point and worked that angle for years - it just became all he could do and he had to top the hate to get his view across - so it became nastier and nastier until he lost his place at the table.

Look the Bills were mired in a 17 year drought, but during that time the Sabres were not that bad - they had several years of playoff runs and some deep including a Finals run during the drought. He he had no reason to become the scathing critic of both teams. The Sabres started their tank and shortly afterward the Bills started winning getting to 9 wins under Marrone, 8 under Rex and then 9 again under McDermott. The worst of the issues started with ownership changes with the Sabres and Sully’s attitude toward the Pegulas - that then crossed into the Bills even more. I think you hit a big part of his issue - his passion was Basketball and Baseball and he was forced to cover Hockey and Football. He was not happy in his job and that spilled over into his attitude. I have read Sully articles that are brilliant and well thought out - they just never dealt with his actual day to day job. If he had just been critical and objective- he would have been ok, but he chose to take it further and he made it personal and that is where he lost me and many others. He left fair and objective in the rear view mirror years ago and it became a vendetta on several levels. He was not a fawning reporter, but he also was not a fair and balanced critic. He would stand up and ask a few tough questions, but for the most part he tried to get these guys to make a contradictory statement so he could pounce - and when he got called for it - he went further negative. Really in the end end he had a job most of us would love and many of us do on our own time with less access, but he took an approach that many people over time did not like and in the end he could not change back to what he was in the early 90’s a true journalist with a fair approach.

Yes, but 20 years ago he actually was more objective and did actual work on columns. If he still did that he would still have a job. His worth is very little not just because o his age, but his attitude and ethics at this point.

Yep - I remember those days also - it is not they these guys did not at one time write half way decent columns, but since the success of the early 90s they have just been bitter and getting worse. I see it with several of the Rochester guys also - they have taken the low road for so long that they do not realize they are no longer “fair or objective, but just being sarcastic and mean because that is who they have become.

Not sure that Tomlin fits in that group - last year they attempted 8 4th down plays about half of what the Bills attempted with a significantly better offense. Tomlin also does not strike me as a good game manager - He has by far one of the most talented and balanced teams, but seems to find many ways to lose because of how he handles the game. He is always making poor in game decisions and has routinely been criticized for going conservative when they get a lead against teams like NE and that costing them the game. Sean Payton and Arians are offense guys the same thing you see with McCarthy in GB and the entire staff in Philadelphia- those guys are aggressive and are offensive minded with strong offensive teams. Ron Rivera was giving the moniker Riverboat because of how aggressive he was a few years ago when he had the correct mix of offense and defense. So I am not sure that he isn’t more along the line of the coach you are looking for McDermott to become. Many of the more aggressive teams are lead by offensive guys and that makes a difference. I expect him him to get better at some things like Timeouts and challenges, but I expect little change in the defensive minded HC view on going for it versus punting because their strength is defense And defending the length of the field.

Agreed. He was never going to be overly aggressive as a defensive minded HC with a weak passing offense and a more stable and talented defense. People that want him to be more aggressive are going to be in for major disappointment. I do not expect this year to be to much different unless the defense is even better and/or Daboll instills confidence with the offense and a QB that can make the plays when needed. Once we get that - then he can afford to be more aggressive. Last year they were a miserable 2 of 15 on 4th downs, but people want them to go for it more? Being aggressive is great when you have the right team built up - for the Bills last year - I think being conservative won them more games than if they had tried to be more aggressive. That is not to say that he can not get better in many decisions, but each team and coaching style is different and you are going to see offensive minded coaches be more aggressive on offensive chances and defensive coaches be more conservative.

I think this is right and what I see as hilarious is that this is the exact opposite of TT as Bills QB. We will see what the future holds. I just find it funny that guys that defended TT had a ton of positive stats to point to and very few negative stats. He had a good completion percentage and TD to Int rate, but there were times watching him you could just tell he was not going to get it done. Now we have the exact opposite situation- Josh puts up very pedestrian numbers, but when you watch him you can see something special. Now many posters that were all aboard the numbers of TT are now having to switch to defending Josh Allen based on what you can see and feel, while guys that killed TT because of how he looked are now trying to kill Josh Allen based upon stats. The fan base has done a total 180 and we still have no idea if either model - stats or eye test is better.

I think we got a better prospect in a better QB year - from a better pro style system. I did not think Mahomes was going to be great before last years draft and his handling of the system in his lone start was not very impressive. Now they are throwing more at him and he is struggling. Good Luck - I think KC will miss Smith more than Alex will miss KC.

All over the league. The new owner of the Panthers had to sell his minority share of the Steelers. Haslam - Browns owner was also a minority owner of the Steelers before buying the Browns. The Mara family in NYG was a majority owner with other owners - Tisch family I believe. The Dolphins have had numerous celebrity minority owners including a group led by Gloria Estefan. The list goes on and on. Look up NFL Ownership: There are at least 12 teams owned by ownership groups with 1 person acting as the designated owner. see below for just a small bit of rules. Ownership restrictionsEdit The NFL forbids religious groups, governments, and non-profit organizations owning a team. The NFL forbids ownership groups of over 24 people or any publicly traded corporations from purchasing NFL teams; one team, the Green Bay Packers, is exempt from this under a grandfather clause and is owned by shareholders. The Houston Texans are also grandfathered in for their home county–the Harris County, Texas government–which owns 5% of the team, as the rule forbidding governments from owning a team became effective in 2007. The NFL's constitution also forbids its owners from owning any other professional football teams, except for Arena Football League teams located in the NFL team's home market. In addition, the controlling owners of NFL teams are only permitted to own major league baseball, basketball and hockey teams if they are in the NFL team's home market, or are not located in other NFL cities.[2] (Stan Kroenke, who owned hockey and basketball teams in Denver, was nonetheless unanimously allowed to buy the then-St. Louis Rams in 2010 and hold on to his Denver assets until 2015, and even then the Denver assets were transferred to his wife Ann.)[3]Soccer has been exempt from these restrictions since 1982, when the league lost a lawsuit challenging them filed by the original NASL stemming from the investments of Kansas City Chiefsowner Lamar Hunt and Elizabeth Robbie, the wife of Miami Dolphins owner Joe Robbie in NASL teams;[4] as a result, NFL owners have owned teams in MLS in other NFL markets.

Nice write up - the one thing missing in it is the new gambling regulations. I think if NYS allows some form of gambling and casino activity - that plays a big part in a downtown decision. I think that makes it much more likely they build a stadium with additional features downtown and attach restaurants, casino, convention center, and hotels to the property. There is already a casino down there, but being able to build and draw downtown makes so much sense and if the city, state, and county can get funds from whatever gambling they add - that makes more likely to get done. Especially if they add a small sin tax - to alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, and eventually leagalized marijuana. The state has some new options coming up to get additional revenue it just depends upon how quickly the jump on board. Overall - I really do not think there is any true decision to be made - a new stadium makes to much sense over renovation and a downtown location with all that is going on drives everything. It will be a major change to tailgating, but offers a lot of attractive pluses for people both in and out of the area.

Could be, but I would not bet anything on it. This pattern of behavior has been occurring since his high school days and he has been treated for mental illness in the past. Typically drugs used to balance brain chemistry are pretty tough to keep in a good balance and they are especially vulnerable to other drug interactions like alcohol abuse - which he also has a history off. I would guess we are seeing the effects of him either no longer taking his meds properly or him needing an adjustment and that has lead to erratic behavior since the end of last season. Now or if you want to say some of the hits to the head and maybe even a hit late last year exacerbated the issues - I could live with that, but this is not a strictly CTE reaction since this has been occurring since his teens. I do not feel bad about watching it. I know a number of ex players that are living an excellent life after football. There are some/many bad cases, but there are just as many or more that are living a great life, but we just do not hear or care to talk about them. Many ex players have allowed their kids to go on and play the sport and it is a love affair they have with the game - the more vocal minority say I would never let my kid play and that gets the headlines. I feel horrible for the ex players that go through things like this, but I also feel both the league and especially the new generation of players need to do a better job of helping the older generations out and being honest with themselves and their doctors.

No - that is incorrect. Lots of teams have multiple owners - majority and minority stakes.

I believe he was given a small percentage when Ralph passed, but that would have been bought up by the Pegulas when they bought the team. Ralph gave small stakes to a few of his cronies that had been with the team to ensure they wanted to get the most for it as that was money for them also.