BillnutinHouston

^^ In poor taste, even by TSW standards.

Interesting.

Go Bills.

Although I think you take yourself far too seriously, I agree with you about Stevie.

Do you mean the party's over? Why is basic grammar so hard?

Pathetic. TWO FUMBLES cause the loss? I'm convinced, you simply cannot rely on Stevie.

Wow. Where to start? It wouldn't matter if the Bills drew 10,000 a game in Toronto, because I'm NOT arguing that the Bills in TO series has been a success AT THE GATE. Sure they have made money (and paid Mario Williams) with this deal, but what I am arguing is, by physically playing in Toronto and by striking that deal, the Bills staked claim to that market FOR THE NEXT OWNER. By cementing the Buffalo-Toronto relationship, you make the potential future value of the franchise much greater, thereby improving ROI for the next prospective owner. Are there still people who think ticket sales trump corporate support? People need to get over the "woe is me" stuff and accept the reality that the Buffalo market without TO has no future in the NFL. I suggest that people who have trouble with this watch a few episodes of "Shark Tank" and learn to think like investors do.

Of course, Buffalo as the home of the Bills is in competition not just with Toronto, but also potentially LA. Investor groups have some options, and at the end of the day this is really about Buffalo vs. everywhere else. I think most recognize that capturing the Toronto market makes Buffalo much more economically powerful and therefore more attractive as home to an NFL club for the new owner, than if Russ hadn't captured Toronto via this series. The future location of this franchise is either going to come down to a local ownership group coming to the rescue despite what the return on investment numbers look like (unlikely), or a scenario whereby the new ownership group chooses a city based on their calculation of where they can get a favorable mix of support and ROI. I firmly believe the Toronto series helps Buffalo achieve the latter scenario.

For the "distrusting"... Would you really have felt more secure about the long term viability of the franchise, post-Ralph, if Russ had never ventured into the Toronto market? Do you believe the best approach is to hunker down and hope/pray that the next ownership group happens to have a heart for Buffalo, regardless of Buffalo's relatively weak socio-economic standing, considering the huge $ investment needed to submit the winning bid? If you honestly answered yes to the above, I don't know what else to say. The Toronto series has successfully incorporated TO into the Buffalo football market, meaning the Bills never have to compete with a separate Toronto NFL team. The TO series has massively bolstered Buffalo's "market", EVEN IF that market is largely theoretical at this time. If the doubters cannot see how that market expansion solidifies the feasibility of the franchise in Buffalo with the next ownership group, and how it INCREASES the likelihood of having a Buffalo football team past 2020, then I have to wonder if they are capable of thinking with their heads and not their hearts.

In his interview with GR, he alluded to season tickets and group sales. This would mean he's only referencing ticket sales for games at RWS.

I recall reading this as well, most likely during the last series renewal. No link though. Fixed.

Brady crunched, Pats now down to their 3rd string RT, now Blount fumbles. Very good so far.

So? Poloncarz can't stop a sale. And if a new owner wants to move the team, how could the County Executive stiffarming him possibly prevent a move?

Here's what you're missing. ONCE A NEW OWNER COMES ON THE SCENE, it's not about "not losing money", or about "surviving". The new owner MUST get a decent return on his investment. Maybe we get lucky and the new owner has a heart for Buffalo, but it wiser to build a franchise that doesn't require that. This is why the steps Brandon has taken toward the Toronto regionalization effort is so essential. If the new owner demands a new stadium, then you know he really is primarily money driven and the economics become even worse for Buffalo.

I'm not saying LaCanfora has ANY special insight into the situation, but it's interesting to see the article littered with references to "the region", which includes Toronto. Those continuing to resist the Bills in Toronto series really are misguided in thinking the Bills have any chance of staying in Buffalo long term, absent some type of Toronto connection. The winning bidder is going to be in DEEP, and the economics of a "Buffalo only" franchise just aren't there for the successful bidder who needs to see a return on his investment - and that doesn't even include taking on debt from a potential new stadium.

I saw Dierdorf as I was headed into the stadium at the home opener. He was being driven in on a golf cart and was holding a walking cane. I remembered thinking, that man does not look good. News of his retirement comes as no surprise to me.

I never understand how people can make statements like this. All it takes is one play in one game to incur season-changing injuries. It's like, "we'll never get hurt again this year". Huh?

I don't credit Geno for the first game vs the Bills, as much as I blame Justin Rogers.

He's every kind of fast. It was great to see Goodwin separate on that deep ball, but I think it was sweeter to see EJ's throw. And his previous throw to TJ was great too.

This is the best 5-6 game stretch he's played as a pro.

It's hard to be drunk in the NFL.

Ouch

How hard do you have to work at stupidity to fall from the 300 level?

Maybe he should apologize to us for not being in the lineup for several weeks.

I agree, but props also go to TJ who made a nice adjustment to the throw and ran it in for a TD.