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McCoys release marks the last gasp of the big name players Doug Whaley has a role in bringing in to try and build the team. Going back to Mario Williams the Bills for a period brought in through mostly free agency a bunch of players who were name brand established players to try and build with including McCoy, Harvin, Incognito, former coach Rex Ryan, and in the draft the hype of Sammy Watkins who at the time of his drafting was a massive name. Unfortunately most of these moves came at too high of a price with very little result and the franchise certainly seems to be in a stronger healthier place now then at any point back then. But McCoy was a really good player for his time here minus his last season where he struggled a bit. Fair or not McCoys name helped bring the Bills relevance to a team that needs it. As a fan the one part that is hard being a Bills fan is unless we are consistently winning your pushed to the back of the pack due to the market we’re in. Robert Woods and Gilmore were just as good of players here as they are in their current spots, but only when the market changes to the bigger cities do they get the credit due to the Bills lack of success. Tre White is as good of a CB as Xavier Howard yet because he plays in Buffalo not Miami the narrative is different. McCoys departure effectively removes the last big name that brings relevancy to the franchise for right now. Winning is the end all cure for everything and if the Bills win 10 games, some of the names like Oliver White Milano Edmunds and Allen will bring that recognition back. As a fan I understand McCoy leaving and think it was a good move for the Bills future. I will miss though the attention he did bring across the league for a franchise that regularly is forgotten about.

I can tell you that the busses while a nice cheap way to get to practice are not the fastest. Your better off parking for $5-$10 nearby if you want to be there earlier or get to Mendon even earlier because an hour before practice the busses become a zoo

It wasn’t my F it moment but it was probably the hardest reality check I ever had as a Bills fan (being 31I don’t remember much of the early 90s for the bigger reality checks we had). If an NFL team ever wants a look at how quickly the goodwill from an exciting offseason can go away the 2012 Bills Jets disaster is pretty solid proof. Just about everyone jumped off that bus after the game. I remember distinctly that virtually every national analyst had the Bills as one of the two WC teams thanks to Mario, Fitz play, CJs emergence, and a young team that added a lot of good talent like Gilmore and Dareus. Even Jerry Sullivan had them 10-6 in his preview and a playoff team. The defeating feeling of watching that game and going from yea they definitely are a playoff team to dear god they’ll be lucky if they win 5 games was unnerving to this day. I had tickets to the home opener against KC the next week which I wanted to give away and would’ve had it not been for my wife who loves the Bills to an undying point who made us go. The season was encapsulated 6 weeks later when they pissed away an easy win against the Titans before the bye which would’ve got them to 4-3 with a solid look at the playoffs still. Those Chan teams collapsed under the lightest pressure in 2011 & 2012 and the opener in 2012 pretty much defined that time period. This opener reminds me far more of 2014 where we know the talent is there on the team and it’s a strong opponent that is a good measuring stick.

My flight to Cleveland is sold out... because I'm driving ayooooo!!!!!

I will say this for that short period of time he was here TBD was probably more entertaining than at any point previously in a pure chaos type way.

For good food go to the Pittsford Pub its fantastic with a great patio

It's a cool hole in the wall bar that defiently is good for a summer visit. Cash only but they have an ATM and you can get food from Hungrys next door... yes that really is the name haha

Your 100% missing the point here. If you live in Buffalo there are numerous opportunities for families who can't make a game to meet players, go to Bills events, go to signing sessions, etc... If your a family in Rochester who is average FB fans that can't make the drive to Buffalo for a game and the Bills give you the opportunity to see them close that absolutely has an impact on youngsters becoming fans especially given how bad the Bills have been. Rochester actually got Browns games until the 90s Bills came and there is a generation of Browns fans here it is really weird honestly. But once the Bills got good and especially once the Bills came here for TC, the Rochester area embraced the Bills as their team big time. Not sure why this is a debatable thing considering I live here and it makes sense that a team that actively worked to come here was able to expand its fanbase because of it.

The current generation no. But you have to remember the impact it has on kids when you can go and see players, the team, etc.. up close. If that is gone and families who don't have the money to go to games don't go to Buffalo it becomes far easier for kids to cheer a different team. Let them grow up 10-15 years and the next round of your fanbase isn't what it was. I am not sure why people are afraid of the team being regionalized it is only for the best of the team. I never want a home game outside of the Ralph again, but if the team went to Niagara Falls, Hamilton, Cuse, Jamestown etc.. for events I think it only helps to strengthen the brand.

But the flip side is the team needs to be regionalized for corporate sponsors and increased media attention. I would bet money that without the regionalization of the team the odds of the team staying in Buffalo during those dark years would've been much lower. The last I heard the Bills said like 30% of their season ticket holders are Rochester or Southern Tier residents, that is a large portion of fans to say who cares to.

Rumor has it their new stadium will be there so why not put TC also

Back in the day the idea of branding the team outside of Buffalo had real merit that mattered and for most teams going away for camp was a big bonding/gear up time. Like others have said with the facilities they now have in Buffalo and the lack of appeal for most teams to actively market outside their main locale that seems to be fading. As a Rochester resident it would be a major loss fanbase wise if camp goes given how the Bills really have not done a lot out here the last few years, but it would be understood at the same point.

So for confidential purposes I will not say the name of my source or place of employment but trust me when I say it is well founded. With that said in conversation today I learned that training camp may be shorter then last year and the possibility is true that the team in a few years may pack up back to Buffalo. This falls directly in line with what I have heard that the Bills preseason schedule itself would force less training camp days given when there games are this pre season. Last year the number of practices in Rochester fell to 11 total down from 13 in 2017 with only one night practice in 2018 compared to three in 2017. Both years McD has done camp the number of practices and night practices have been far less then in years prior. Rex Ryan's last year had 16 practices including 5 night practices. While the team has said they have no plans to leave, I believe realistically that it will end in the next 5 years with the Bills just doing a 2-3 day joint practice or something like that. My one compliant since Russ Brandon has left is the fact the Bills have backed off Rochester with events the way they use to and it does make us nervous that camp will go given how it already has been condensed. That said as a Rochester resident training camp is an incredibly exciting time for us and great primer for the regular season. Plus it is cool being out in the area and seeing the Bills players and coaching staff. If you ever are up in Rochester during camp go to Thirstys in the town of Pittsford. The players, coaches, and administration tend to go there. A few years ago Whaley and I believe Rob Ryan came in there. Usually it is a little later at night.

Thankfully Milano & Edmunds are such a good pair that is a spot you almost want to platoon anyway at LB to mix rush and coverage. Zo's leadership will be the bigger loss, he is a great player but he is a great community leader and locker room guy you want.

I do agree with this and it is a fair point.

Agreed. While Shaq might not be signed Milano, Edmunds, & Tre White all seem likely to need big deals which is a great thing.

Very true its why the 2015 team is the biggest waste and misuse of talent since the SB days. If you look at the amount good starters they had and the failed results it still is mind blowing.

Covered that above said drafted and UDFAs. Still counts as someone they went after without much financial concern

A few months ago I posted about Peter Kings piece discussing the strength of good teams being the players who start are guys they drafted and that is the true goal for a good roster. Most teams have somewhere between 5-8 players starting that were drafted by that franchise. The top teams have nearly half their starters or more be drafted guys or undrafted free agents. It goes without saying that if you can build a homegrown roster you have done a good job finding the right pieces and salary cap wise you have some cost certainty as opposed to bidding on free agents at a higher price. So how does the 2019-2020 roster look heading into the season? Here are my presumptive starters: QB: Josh Allen (Drafted) RB: Shady McCoy WR: John Brown WR: Robert Foster (Drafted) WR: Cole Beasley TE: Tyler Croft LT: Dion Dawkins (Drafted) LG: Quintin Spain C-:Mitch Morse RG: Cody Ford (Drafted) RT: Ty Nsekhe Offense four starters drafted with the assumption Ford makes it in. Zay Jones could be argued as one of the WR's and long term Dawson Knox hopefully becomes the TE starter. Additionally guys like Wyatt Teller and Devin Singletary could emerge. I think long term the Bills need either Foster to develop into a true #1 guy or they need to draft a guy like that to solidify the offense. DE: Jerry Hughes DT: Ed Oliver (Drafted) DT: Star Lou/Jordan Phillips DE: Trent Murphy MLB: Tremaine Edmunds (Drafted) WLB: Matt Milano (Drafted) SLB: Lorenzo Alexander CB: Tre White (Drafted) SS: Micah Hyde FS: Jordan Poyer CB: EJ Gaines/Levi Wallace (Drafted) The defense has at least 4 starters drafted with Levi Wallace the possible NCB depending on scheme and how he does. What is nice with the defense is they have guys like Harrison Phillips, Taron Johnson, & Levi who all can jump in if needed which is a good sign of depth. My hope is in the next year or two they can find a good DE in the draft to finish off the youth movement they have created. Overall this is a lot better then last year where the Bills had at the start of the season maybe 5 guys who were drafted as part of the core for the roster that season. Like I said a pass rushing DE and a good WR in the draft would solidify a really solid core they are developing for the long term.

The Dallas one was the weakest of the three but I thought all were superb. At times it felt like a slight Cowboys promo which was my thing and yea Garret was dry as heck. But it was cool to see the inner dynamics and how Zeke had to respond to some things. The best for me was the Rams because the season went from so good to literally a coach being fired. It was incredibly dramatic and real to see.

To summarize Greg said that Taylor was like Russell Wilson lite but faster and incredibly hard to bring down. Their defense knew it would be a task with him. Team wise they respected Buffalo but made fun of Rex non surprisingly. I suggest to watch it though was super cool.

Interesting and great point. Not sure what the criteria is for it.

If any of you have watched All or Nothing a series by Amazon Prime/NFL Films the Carolina Panthers are going to be the team that was picked for the 2018 season. They have not announced the date but its good to know the series is coming back and what team was picked. If you have never watched the series All or Nothing it is a full season inside look at teams like hardknocks but better. They get into players and coaches personal lives and give an excellent in depth look at things. The 2016 year when they picked the Rams it was cool to hear what Jeff Fisher and Greg Williams thought of the Bills and Tyrod Taylor.

I don't think everyone will get Nike'd, BUT any team who is open to a non traditional look certainly is for the taking. Buffalo learned from the 2000s just to go back to what works. I think Denver's uniforms are pretty slick, but man Cleveland and Tampa Bay's are atrocious

They should continue what they've been doing which includes color rush. 2x with AFL and 1x with color rush and then mixing up their normal digs. The color rush they seem to prefer to do in December I have noticed recently. The collar should go back to what it was in 2011 when they originally did them. Nike's changes made them look stupid and not just for Buffalo but everyone