corta765

Agreed. A flight to London from NYC is 5-6 hrs. By comparison you can reach any city in the US from NYC in less then 4 hrs direct. If your a free agent small markets like Buffalo aren't too bad because you are still close to live wherever you want and its a quick flight. Your effectively adding 5-6 hrs before you even hit the US just to get back home. That's going to be a huge determent before you even touch the tax structure, marketing, weird hours, lack of US exposure etc.. I think the NFL is playing a dangerous game right now. As is fans have unrest after the botched Charger move which looks worse by the minute and the Rams leaving a market that wanted to host them where now St. Louis could care less about the NFL. Even with that people still flock to games, every team/fanbase has the belief this could be there year, and currently every game matters with the season. The owners true goal is 18 games with a 16 team playoff field. You do that and it will kill everything you have in my eyes outside of your diehard markets like GB BUF PIT CLE and your major markets like NYC DAL CHI and even so I still think they would all hurt. Yep. To me its a forgone conclusion JAX is gone the league is just waiting for the situation in JAX to deteriorate to the point its easy to justify either moving the team completely or getting what they at least want which is 4 games London 4 games Jax. I think if the league had their way Buffalo would be sharing 2 games with Toronto regardless of the disaster it was due to the market size.

St. Louis and Baltimore were actually considered ahead of them in 1993 and Jax was the least likely. BUT my guess would be behind the scenes it became known both of those markets were going to try and get teams to move or favorites so the NFL frontlined Jax to get them to the front of the line.

From what I have read from guys like Peter King from NBC the NFL has a huge appetite to see this happen given the market penetration. I do not disagree at all that the logistics are a nightmare, as a player I would refuse to play in London given the tax disadvantage alone, and the laundry list of other reasons are quite long including game times. BUT this is the NFL and they are trying to force a 17 game schedule despite the players universally not wanting it and injury issues like CTE saying that 16 games is a problem as is that needs to be address. I just think it setups a really easy situation for the league and Jags to say "hey the fans stopped coming the way we want whereas London really is buying into this" and then making the move. My greater fear is that regardless of a 17 game schedule which it sounds like the extra game is a neutral site international game, they force every franchise to align with a foreign city and mimic what the jags have been doing. If the money is great enough I could absolutely see that happening.

To me it is the possible death knell to the Jags in Jax. As is I could see a lot of Jags fans saying why bother when you take 1/4 of our home games away from us and if fan support dries up (which might be the goal) it is easier to justify moving to London for good.

Thought the same exact thing. What a surprise the two games which the opposing fans will sellout the stadium you don't move. That speaks volumes to their issues selling tickets.

The 2017 season should kind of be the forever end to making projections about how tough a schedule is. I remember going into that season looking at trips to Atlanta & KC thinking we were toast and also feeling the Raiders would beat us at home and possibly the Broncos. They won all of those games and lucked into a playoff berth over a much more credible team like the Chargers. The schedule itself also softened and by the end what looked scary turned into manageable. We really don't know what is in store given how much football can change. There is absolutely credence to the QB's they face in 2020 will be a stiffer test led by Mahomes & Wilson, but do you honestly fear Brady or Big Ben whose numbers are way worse on the road a year after surgery as much prior. Of course you respect what they have done, but truthfully Kyler and Lock scare me more then either of those guys because they are young talented and unknown. The division is the gateway to the playoffs though and I agree that's going to be your best route. To me it all comes down to going 6-2 at home. I don't care how you do it, but going 6-2 gives you a lot of leash on the road to go even 3-5 and still have a decent look at the post season. Buffalo will have to take down at least one of Seattle or Kansas City to do this plus split PIT and NE at home to do this but I have faith. This last season I was actually disappointed that the Bills couldn't pull off a win against NE PHI or BAL as they had previously won at least 1 or 2 of those games in the previous two seasons where they weren't the favorite. Those games are mammoth when the playoff race is tight. In general I see a 9-7 10-6 season on paper with the Bills taking a tight AFCE. That really should be the expectation nothing less, the talent is set at the big places and its time for Josh to keep his ascent.

The only reason I think Buffalo gets three primetime games out of the gate is due to all of the West Coast road trips. Putting the Bills against the 49ers Raiders Broncos or Cardinals all are pretty easy MNF games and it keeps Buffalo out of the 4:00 pm window a little more. I think Buffalo gets a SNF at home which will be against SEA or KC or LAR and a TNF game on the road against the Jets.

Why the heck do people like you even post honestly? Some people do care and find this interesting, it plays a role in who the Bills may play which I am hoping is a Bradyless NE week 1. But regardless your literally posting to be negative for zero reason then that when others do have some form of a care. Yea like @Buffalo03 said if you win the title you get the big night at home to open. Generally it is a major advantage to whoever hosts since they've been doing it. What really stinks is because labor day is so late opening night is going to be much farther back this year with the Bills not playing week 1 until at least Sunday Sept 13th.

They are at Baltimore not home unfortunately

With the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl they will host the first game of the 2020-21 season on Thursday Night Football. Last year was an oddity with it being the NFL's 100th season so the Patriots got booted to Sunday Night Football as the NFL prioritized the Packers against the Bears as the first game of the year. But with the NFL's brightest star and a SB title the Chiefs should be hosting the opener. With that said it will be interesting to see who as the Chiefs host a lot of big profile teams. I had thought that the Bills may finally host the Patriots week 1 at home as they are not in the Super Bowl, but with the Chiefs winning the title I could easily see the Patriots going to KC for the opener. The Texans are also a top contender given the playoff game they just had. I think much depends on where Brady ends up. It has been rumored that Brady may go to the Chargers or Raiders also who could easily become a top attraction for opening night. My guess is right now the Chiefs will face Texans, but it will be quite interesting who the Chiefs face as much of the Bills schedule faces KC.

I agree with your premise although I wouldn't say the league wants 32 Dallas or NE's. I do think the NFL wants all teams exploring and utilizing as many avenues as possible to increase revenue and in the case of Buffalo there is much left on the table right now. The Raiders moved to Vegas and created new lanes of money. Vegas won't be a top grossing franchise but they increased their lanes. Buffalo fans need to face the fact the lanes will have to increase at some point and at least the Pegula's seem smart enough to not force something dumb like PSL's and will consider renovations over a new stadium. But it will cost more regardless and the NFL will want more options for families because they produce more revenue then singular fans. So basically I pay 5k for a PSL but lets say it then guranatees 5 years of season tickets at $1500 for a pair with no price increase? Is that what your saying

PSL's have only had moderate success and by success I mean not been an utter disaster in Cleveland and Pittsburgh. But the cost was far more modest compared to the newer stadiums where your paying ridiculous amounts for the right to actually buy your seats. My idea if they want some sort of fan investment would be a ticket tax instead. Lets say your wanted to raise 75 million for the stadium over 15 years. Spread that cost over the 15 years and it works out to about 5 million needed per season. The Bills have around 71,000 seats-ish and over 8 regular season games it breaks down to about $9 extra per ticket. Again not great fans are paying more, but it is far more logical and would face less opposition as opposed to PSL which would never fly. If you include pre season games in this equation which season tickets holders have to pay for and the STH base is around 50k you could cut the tax a little lower to $7 per ticket. Again this is just an idea on better ways to generate revenue in no way am I endorsing this

I never had one guy that really was above the rest. But these three really burned me: Donte Whitner- Below average SAF who wouldn't stop running his mouth after he left buffalo about the area Paul Pouslozny- Incredibly overrated player who racked up tackles 8 yards downfield, never understood the hype and in general never liked his play Chris Hogan- Overrated and dropped the ball soo many times when it mattered. Of course went to NE and then never heard the end of him Ryan Lindell- Any big kick needed the guy missed. If it was a kick that meant nothing he could make it from 60 yards, but pressure came and he blew

That's where I am at. The Bills could win 100 straight SB's and it will never completely change that some players will view the area as cold snowy not NYC etc.. Whatever don't care, their doing a good job building the team as such regardless of this.

there still are less games at four and more market available. Additionally SF ARZ DEN VEG are sizable draws for TV mixed with a Bills team that’s on the upswing. It still is more exposure then normal for the team. I think the Bills will probably go back to back for two of the four games. In the past they have. They went 6-2 on the road this year so it’s gonna be the gauntlet to repeat that. 4-4 on the road will be success in my eyes

I've been of the opinion the only three numbers that should be retired are 12, 78, and 32 (although at this point I understand using it). Those three are near the pinnacle of their position. Those three you could argue are Top 10 ever for the position. Andre is a HOF for sure but I am not sure you would say that about him. Good question though wonder what others think

Never happened. Closest the Bills have had was 2015 or 2016 they got a TNF against the Jets each year and MNF at NE in 15 and SEA in 16

I'm sorry but your wrong. The Bills front office has on many occasions spoke openly at the preference at 1:00 pm and having games earlier in the year. Just about every team would love to start with 5 home games in the first half of the year or more. It's an advantage through and through and no team wants more of their home games late in the year. So every team gets there chance. For the most part since 2013ish on the Bills regularly have had 4-5 home games within the first 8 games minus 2018 when they straight up got screwed by the NFL. But otherwise they were more or less gifted a great start last year, same in 2017, and especially in 2015 when they more or less wasted a great team and favorable schedule early on. The Bills also have pushed back against home night games until recently where it seems that they are OK with 1 every other year. It is not a perfect equation making the schedule the NFL does mess it up yearly for a few teams but in general they do try to give every team a fair shake at least regarding home and away dates. I truthfully think this is more likely then Miami. It allows the NFL to not have to put the Bills at 4 pm while still giving the Bills some stage and getting them in the rotation. The only reason why I didn't do Seattle at night is because we did face them on MNF in 16 and at 4:25 pm for out "home" Toronto game. I could see the NFL going either way. But my pick would be one of SEA or LAR at home.

Hi Everyone, Usually I do this once the SB is over, but there actually is stuff to report! For a quick recap if you haven't been paying attention this is the Bills home and away opponents for 2020-21: Home: NE, NYJ, MIA, KC, LAC, LAR, SEA, PIT Away: NE, NYJ, MIA, DEN, VEGAS, ARZ, SF, TEN Now for the fun tidbits: -Much has been made about the Bills getting multiple primetime games, primetime games at home, etc.. Generally teams that make the playoffs get an average of 2 primetime games the following season many times 3. The Bills in 2018 are the major outlier as they received just the NE MNF game as the NFL basically said prove it that you weren't a fluke in 2017. Obviously this season was much different as Buffalo did prove to be a team of substance and they did end up being rewarded with 3 prime time type games (DAL Thanksgiving, PIT SNF, NE Saturday 4:30 game). Every playoff team from 2018 got a minimum of 3 prime time games in 2019 (prime time qualifying as SNF, MNF, or TNF). Buffalo did well ratings wise with all of the games they were on this year which helps to dispel the notion they do not draw on TV. Please do keep in mind that all 3 games were against major NFL draws (DAL, NE, PIT) so I can almost guarantee that the primetime games they receive in 2020 will be opponents who bring that (aka TEN BUF or VEG BUF probably is not going primetime haha). -With the Bills playing both the AFC West AND NFC West they will be flying a ton this year and 4:00 pm games will be coming strong (sorry 1:00pm is best crowd). The last time against the NFC West the Bills faced the Seahawks on MNF cutting out one of the two 4:00 pm starts. With a projected four games starting at 4:00 pm (SF, ARZ, VEG, DEN) I have a strong feeling they will probably move one of those games to a night game as a way to reduce having the Bills in the 4:00 pm slot that many times. In regards to the home matchups the LAC and KC both have played at 1:00 pm many of times when they come to Buffalo so I would be surprised to see them be later given the amount of 4:00 pm games Buffalo already has. LAR and SEA both have played the late game anytime they have come here with the SEA playing up in the infamous Toronto disaster game in 2011 (yay beach boys and rob ford). I would not be surprised to see one of those two teams as the Bills home primetime game as a way again to limit Buffalo having a mammoth amount of 4:00 pm games and the draw power of both teams. At the same time both of Seattle’s AFC games were at 1:00 pm last year and one of the Rams was at 1:00 pm. -With all of that as a backdrop I know many people are saying the Bills and Chiefs are a top night matchup, but realistically the NFL and networks will probably prioritize KC for other top night games especially if they win the SB. The Bills prefer 1:00 pm home games as is and KC is a team they can keep in that slot. Realistically the best chance for the Bills to keep as many games as possible at the 1:00 pm slot is putting the Bills at night against LAR or SEA who give the NFL the draw power they'd want for a SNF or MNF game. The only AFC I really could see being PIT as a rematch night game and has been mentioned that it would be a good game for fans given last years playoff implicating matchup. -It is not unheard of at all that a team plays multiple prime time games at night against their NFC conference opponent or vise versa. Last year the Browns hosted the LAR SNF and went to SF the week after for MNF. -It was recently reported that the NFL really liked the Saturday Xmas schedule they did this last year and they are strongly considering doing the same in 2020. The Bills drew well in that game TV wise so very possible they are in the rotation again. -In the last decade the Bills have hosted home night games in 2012 MIA, 2016 NYJ, and 2018 NE. As I said earlier the Bills are quite sensitive to keeping games at 1:00 pm for their season ticket base and I would expect that they prefer at this point just a single home night game mixed with hopefully only one 4:00 pm game if they can help it leaving the other six homes games as 1:00 pm starts. With the added attention Buffalo has received, the teams upswing, and the possible retirement/leaving of Brady in NE though Buffalo may be subject to more games at 4:00 pm which is typically the game of the week or at night. -Yes there are rumors MIA and Buffalo are playing in London but there is also rumor that Arizona may be hosting a game overseas also. It is absolutely plausible the NFL puts the Bills and Cards as a London game to reduce travel for the Bills from having four west coast trips AND a London game. But the Panthers did that exact schedule and the NFL always will pick money over sanity. -Buffalo has not played overseas since 2015 so it would not be a major surprise if they went there as it has been a few years. -For the record if I had to predict right now what Buffalo’s primetime schedule would be I would say MNF at home vs LAR, SNF at SF, and TNF at NYJ. The Bills have played the Jets at night nearly every other year for a bit so I could see that happening as it gives the NFL NYC market and divisional opponent to market -The Bills schedule will not be released until the middle of April right before the draft. Leaks will come out so please supply them if you hear anything. There is talk of the NFL turning the schedule release into its own event over the course of multiple weeks. That has not come to fruition but is something to bear in mind. -And if I had to make an early guess as to exactly what the Bills start times in 2020 were it would be this: Home 1:00 pm: NE, NYJ, MIA, LAC, KC, PIT (opportunity to Flex) 4:00 pm or later start: SEA MNF: LAR Away 1:00 pm: NE, MIA, TEN 4:00pm or later start: VEG, DEN, ARZ SNF: SF TNF: NYJ It breaks down to nine 1:00pm start times, four 4:00 pm starts, and three night games. It would be the largest exposure forever but realistically the four west coast trips force a lot of later games.

I said in my year in review that I thought both had down years by their standards. BUT they still played well in a top 5 defense. Additionally with the defense now rounding into what McD wants I do not think they have gotten the same amount of opportunities as they had in the previous two years. Additionally I do not think teams are as aggressive deep because of their play making skills. In 2017-18 teams basically tested what they could do against them and regularly got burned. By now your better off staying short then pushing it on them. Judging a player on stats alone is dangerous in the NFL given how misleading certain things can be. Between Hyde Poyer and White they shut down a majority of the field to the point offenses only have the CB2 to really target. I do think Poyer could be gone after this year or possibly cut if they draft a safety for less money as he has outplayed his contract but you can find safeties on the cheap. Hyde's coverage skills really though are top notch. His pick on Brady against NE showed as much and even BB was impressed.

If you have never watched the NFL All or Nothing series on through Amazon it is without a doubt the best documentary out there on football. Think Hard Knocks times a billion. Anyway the new season will be out far earlier with the Eagles being the team releasing Feb 7th. Why do Bills fans care....well we played Philly and it will be interesting to see how that game is shown and the game is portrayed. The Bills also were on the show in 2016 when it was the Rams. Greg Williams and Jeff Fisher had some fun comments about Tyrod back then.

Haha I’m on to 2020-21

sorry should’ve referenced after this year. I’ve read it’s possible buffalo drafts a safety and cuts Poyer so I’m semi referencing that and also when his contract expires. Otherwise your right we do have him another year but if they pay Tre Day, Poyer will want more

Haha well a normal human could not go through a phone book, but Singletary is so shifty he can. OR he is really good at finding holes in places that don't exist and evading tackles

This will be my final rational thoughts post for the 2019-20 season. It has been a pleasure having some great conversations with everyone and it has made the season quite fun. I will be moving into my offseason mode where the majority of my posts are schedule related because I spend WAYY too much time analyzing it. The first three posts here are game related and the rest are the season. Cheers! Playoff game 1. No way around it the Bills choked and they missed a big opportunity to move forward. It has already been analyzed thoroughly by others so I won’t go into the details but this team fell apart when they typically had been their strongest. On the 1st drive to tie the game I had no doubt Allen was going to get a TD to win instead. On his first OT drive I believed he would get the win. The defense I swore was going to hold Houston and not let them get the 2 pt conversion, force a FG instead of TD, hold on 3rd and 18, not allow Watson to scramble out of a sack etc.. To this teams credit when it hit crunch time they've made me believe not doubt. To this teams criticism they looked too big for the moment and they missed. I believe in the future big time and where they can go, but you only get the season you have in front of you. The Bills probably were not going to the Super Bowl but I would’ve rather played this weekend then not had the chance to fail. Next year could be great, next year could be a disaster, the defense was relatively injury free and they had some good luck in close games they could’ve lost. They had a big chance after making the playoffs to win a game for the first time and 25 years and they blew it. That sucks it still hurts days later. 2. Allen put his rollercoaster style on full display. Overall I was not disappointed with Josh. He had a role in them not closing the deal, BUT he did lead the team to tie the game, he was let down by some awful drops, and his blocking failed him including on the sweep which would’ve iced the game in OT. He will learn from this I am actually more encouraged by his performance then discouraged. 3. I generally do not blame the defense. They allowed 19 pts total in regulation and gave the offense numerous chances to close the deal. I will say some of their best players Tre, Milano, and Poyer all had their worst moments at absolutely the worst times. I thought Edmunds over pursued at points and Houston took advantage of that. Levi Wallace being out and Taron Johnson going out hurt the defense and showed CB is a problem without them. Still I look at the names I just typed and they are soo young that this experience should help. People are going to bash Daboll and I hated his insistence on running Gore and his lack of running Singletary in OT was mind blowing. But I will say the offenses issues from the 2nd half on were far more execution related then coaching. Regular Season 4. I would grade the season as a B+. Massive strides were made and you cannot undersell how big it is that they made the playoffs a second time in 3 seasons, made the playoffs without a crazy play getting them in, won on primetime on the road in PIT to clinch the playoffs, won primetime on the road in DAL, the offense improved from doormats to OK where you were more frustrated because they can do more (that’s a good thing), the defense was top 5 and very good, AND they played a highly competitive playoff game which took an OT to knock them out. I cannot give an A or A- because they did not win the division, did not win a playoff game, and they couldn’t beat NE or BAL despite three big opportunities where they were oh so close to doing so. That’s the next step and they are knocking on the door, finish the job in 2020. 5. Allen was a B grade to me. Last year he was a C- showing tons of promise but little consistency with nothing of substance to help him at the skill positions. He showed with better weapons he can do more and certainly evolved into a talented game manager. That’s not a slight because he can do a lot and was a piece to the team winning. I want him to become the reason though, game managers are rarely the reason for wins while franchise guys are. He absolutely needs a bigger WR who can be the #1 guy though. The throw to Duke Williams in the endzone that Duke couldn’t hang onto is what the top WRs do. The biggest thing I think that will help Allen and this is more on the OC, but is running the offense with a quicker tempo more regularly. He really did well when he was in a quasi-hurry up offense and his decision making absolutely was good there. Also do not undersell how big of a deal it is that the Bills found and drafted a QB who helped them to the playoffs for the first time since Kelly. 6. Of the 3 years Poyer and Hyde have been in Buffalo this felt like their weakest year for me which is weird to say. I have thought for a while that Hyde has an injury as he has seemed a half a step off all season and Poyer had some rough games here. You could list quite a few plays where one of them missed or blew coverage this year with the Hurst TD being probably the worst of all. I wonder if with the rest of the roster on defense upgraded with far more talent than their first year, they do not have as many opportunities to make plays so you notice their faults more. If you have to keep one I am keeping Hyde and drafting a replacement for Poyer. Hyde has that overarching coverage ability that you do not get with Poyer. In no way do I want Poyer gone and I hope they sign him. But he could get a decent payday and I could see the Bills being priced out. Remember the Bills drafted Jarius Byrd & Aaron Williams within a few years of each other. McD’s scheme also helps to make the safeties have opportunities for big plays. 7. I went to the Miami home game and left saying they have to learn the killer instinct on offense or they will get burnt eventually by it. The playoffs they finally got burnt by it and there was other games where a killer instinct for more points earlier would’ve helped closed things earlier. I want to attribute that to the offense learning and growing, but it will be the difference next year to their success regardless. 8. The Bills were very healthy all year and I think a portion of that is the new facility they created and the other piece is the coaches telling the players to not fear the doctors and get themselves treated. Teams with good defenses usually are helped by a clean bill of health and outside of losing Harry for the year they seemed to manage the team better than any point I can remember as a fan. Keep in mind next year they probably will not have as great of injury luck so it will be crucial Beane adds the proper depth to help. 9. If you told me at the start of the year Robert Foster would finish with just 64 yards and 3 receptions I would’ve been stunned. Brown and Beasley certainly took throws away, but I would’ve thought that with the additional weapons it would’ve opened up more chances. Instead he looks more like a flash in the pan and was rarely on the field to any great length. Duke Williams feels like he has come in Fosters spot and I expect a top drafted WR to probably bump him off the roster completely. Too bad Foster was a really fun player I wanted to see workout. 10. 4-3* at home (I don’t count the Jets loss we were not playing for anything) is OK but I would’ve like to seen the Bills defend home a little better. Had they won one of PHI/NE/BAL they take the division and having those games at home make you feel like missed opportunities all over. Again this is one of those next step type things, but the best teams turn home field into a place the opposition virtually never wins at. 11. Singletary is going to be oh so good. He could slip through a phone book he’s that good at evading tackles. 12. In general Beane and McD have done a tremendous job in the draft at finding talent in the draft. From 2017-19 they’ve added White, Milano, Edmunds, Knox, Singletary, Allen, T. Johnson, Dawkins, Phillips, & Oliver all who were starters this year. That is how you build a true core to work with long term. I am very excited to see how they keep drafting given they can basically go BPA now which is how you find even more stars. Until next season Go Bills!