corta765

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

Haha yea the lines are redrawn depending on the individual its hilarious

Went to school at Oswego (awesome place) and I can say without any issue that your better off living up there where at least you have the lake then Cuse. The place is like a 3rd world city outside of the Campus, baseball stadium, and Destiny USA. I moved to Rochester to be with my wife in 2011. Great city and area...but yea the East side vs West side thing is literally the dumbest thing ever. Being from Buffalo I just shake my head at these people.

Agreed. I personally am not solid on Jackson and think their D is taking a major step back this year. BUT Harbaugh is a good coach and nothing is set in stone. I disagree with Jackson doing less with more considering how Crabtree & Brown both went from being on pace for 1000 yard seasons to cratering to the bottom. I think Jackson had vastly more help then Allen.

Buffalo's defense and O-line is better then Houston's, the Bills schedule is hilariously easier on paper then Hou, the Texans division itself is far tougher across the board, and for a year plus there have been rumors that O'Brien is out. I think talent wise they are better but that never tells the whole story Drew Brees was wasted by the Saints with 7-9 three straight years why is it impossible for the same to happen to Watson? Their opening 7 weeks are as followed: Week 1 at NOLA MNF Week 2 home Jax Week 3 at LAC Week 4 home CAR Week 5 home ATL Week 6 at KC Week 7 at IND Are you honestly saying it isn't possible they spin their tires big time and start 3-4 or even 2-5? All of those teams have good QBs and rosters minus Jax, and Foles is better then Bortles. Even after that opening 7 game stretch they have to go to London, host NE, and host IND plus go on the road against TEN, BAL, and TB. Again the point is not whose team is more talented its who has a better shot at the playoffs. Buffalo by comparison has a significantly easier schedule with their lines in much better shape.

Given the turnover playoff wise every year with 4-6 teams entering that were not the previous year it was too much to say one of those was that big of a lock. If CLE had made the playoffs last year I'd have an easier time buying that but they still need to prove they have the goods.

No it was the WR, CB, Pass Rush LB that did. All three were well regarded and I hated seeing NE get them but they did well Look at their schedule, factor in their sketchy O-line, the fact IND has put together a superb team in division, and then the rumors of O'Brien being canned its the perfect recipe for failed expectations. This was not a look at who is more talented otherwise HOU I would put ahead of a few of those teams, rather looking at the large picture itself. Looking at their roster honestly knowing the holes they have and the fact at best only 20% of the entire NFL draft plays the majority of snaps for their team in season and that Jackson has not proven to be a passer can you honestly say they are any better then 8 wins? Baltimore is a team that lives off reputation despite being a .500 team for seasons now.

I did this after free agency of where I thought teams ranked in terms of their playoff chances based off roster additions and departures. With the draft and schedule out I am doing another ranking of the chances I give each AFC team of making it in. Remember just because a team has a talented roster it does not mean they have better odds to make the playoffs then a team with a cupcake schedule who may be less talented. The Bills made the playoffs in 2017 ahead of a far more talented Chargers team because of some luck and schedule advantages. Virtual Lock (95% chance) : New England Even before the draft I in no way would pick against NE given their history despite the fact I think this is their weakest offense in a very long time. They had a superb draft which helped their defense and the offense should be a little better. I just cannot see a scenario they don't make it outside of injury to Brady. Even if the AFC East closes the gap the lowest I see NE falling is 10-6 and they still would be a WC team. Strong Contenders (55-75%) : LA Chargers KC Chiefs Indianapolis Colts The Chiefs drop from being a Virtual Lock after losing Tyreek Hill. I think they most likely still make the playoffs, but you do not replace a talent like Hill instantaneously and their defense is older with their additions. Basically their is a worst case scenario now where I could see them 9-7 even 8-8 if the defense doesn't gel and the offense doesn't have the same bite with a less explosive WR corp. On the flipside the Chargers had good draft and I think are the favorite for the AFC W at this point. Indy has done a superb job this offseason just building that foundation even stronger around Luck and I am confident that they are the class of their division now. Playoff Hopefuls with a Flaw (35-50%) : Buffalo Bills NY Jets Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers As a Bills fan I can't believe I am saying this but between the schedule and additions Buffalo absolutely would be an easy pick for the playoffs. I liked that the Jets just added BPA with Williams and getting the home crowd at night for two of their toughest games certainly is a boost. It feels like its either BUF or NYJ for one of the two wild card spots. Cleveland has really done a great job building the roster, but they have not proved anything and with the amount of games under the bright lights I want to see how they perform with the pressure squarely on before making them a lock. On paper they are an 11-5 team, but the Steelers have shored up their defense a bit and will not go down without a fight although I think their WR corp is significantly weaker without AB. If Everything Goes Right They Can Have A Great Playoff Season (25%) : Baltimore Ravens Houston Texans Denver Broncos Jacksonville Jaguars Oakland Raiders Tennessee Titans All of these teams are relying on their draft picks to have a big impact. The dirty secret is just 44 rookies last year started more then 75% of their teams snaps so hoping the draft is your cure all will lead to disappointment. The Ravens I am not a believer in and the fact the passing game collapsed once Jackson came in is not a good long term sign. I think even if Brown helps their WR corp it is not enough and that D has many holes their are not being fixed this year. Houston seems like a potential four alarm fire ready to explode, they missed out on Andre Dillard at LT in the draft and were forced to scramble for a project O-line player. Their inability to win big games with O'Brien as head coach leads me to believe it is more likely they flame out at 6-10 or 7-9 especially with that schedule and refresh with a new HC for Watson. Denver actually had a great draft and I think find that they were better off keeping Keenum and letting Lock earn his way in. Fant will be a help to Flacco but this team really needs everything to go right to make it in. The Jags had a decent draft and their defense is as loaded as ever with Josh Allen joining the fold, but they just feel like a team that will spin their tires on offense to 7-9 or 8-8 with Foles who has never done a lot outside of PHI. The Raiders would've been much easier to buy as a true playoff hopeful if they would've grabbed Josh Allen to help their defense. I think their offense will be potent, but a porus defense will hamstrung Oakland. The Titans to me just feel like a hodgepodge of whatever, no one has an idea what Mariota will be anymore with Tannehill a worthy candidate to replace him in season, and their schedule is daunting to say the least. Lets Just Go to the 2020 Draft: Miami Dolphins Cincinnati Bengals Miami is interesting with Rosen. If he actually pans out a bit they will have the ability to add some real impact players in the 2020 draft or pickup a bounty of picks for the top pick. Their roster has so many holes though it will take time. Cincy just looks and feels destined for a 4-12 type season given the lack of impact players added in the draft (minus Jonah Williams addition) and the caliber of competition they face.