BuffaloBrad

My top three: 1. Bar Bill 2. Nine Eleven Tavern 3. Elmos Frankly, most bars that bother to try have pretty good wings. And Duff's and Anchor Bar really aren't bad.

While I have mixed feelings about the possibility of a downtown stadium for the Bills, I prefer for cities with downtown stadiums to host the Super Bowl. If I had my way, the rotation would be: 1. New Orleans 2. Indianapolis 3. Seattle 4. Atlanta Then make every fifth year a wildcard. Do something different, like they did with the New Jersey Super Bowl.

The primary way the NFL and their networks make their money is through cable subscriber fees. ESPN pays the NFL $2 billion a year for Monday night football. Having the NFL makes almost impossible for a cable company to not carry a network. This means ESPN is able to collect almost $7 from every cable subscriber in the country, over $7 billion a year. It doesn't matter if you watch ESPN or not. If you have cable, you pay. This is why when the NFL network rolled out, the fight between the cable companies and the NFL was primarily about whether it would be carried on the basic tier or on a premium tier, a fight that the NFL mostly won. For now, network neutrality prevents the NFL from replicating this same model on the internet.

The reason people believe that might be a catch is that plays like it have been ruled a touchdown in the past. Remember last year's Golden Tate touchdown. He got two feet down and then lost the ball. Initially ruled no catch and an interception, but reversed on review. After the game, the NFL insisted that this was the correct call because he had caught the ball with two feet down, established himself as a runner, and was not going to the ground. http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2015/10/18/9564873/breaking-down-call-lions-golden-tate-touchdown-fumble-muffed-punt While I would argue that neither the OBJ or Tate plays should have been called a catch, I'm not going to criticize anyone for believing differently given the NFL's inconsistency.

One possibility I've heard is that a new practice facility could be built in Amherst, so that it could be partially shared with UB.

I stumbled upon an interesting website, footballgeography.com, that includes loads of information regarding the NFL's expansion and relocation history. I knew about the AAFC Buffalo Bills and the old NFL Bisons, but I was unaware that Buffalo was a potential landing spot for a couple of NFL franchises in the 1950s, specifically the Chicago Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers (!!!). The Cardinals actually played both a preseason game and their 1958 season opener at the Rockpile, losing to the NY Giants. Of course, the 1958 season is the year of the famous Giants - Colts NFL Championship Game, a.k.a. The Greatest Game Ever Played, so Buffalo has a tenuous link to that as well. The other interesting tidbits I found were relocation destinations for the Bills when Ralph was trying to get Rich Stadium built in the late 60s / early 70s. I knew about Seattle and Tampa, but I was unaware that NYC (the Bronx), Montreal, Los Angeles, and Memphis were also possibilities. For anyone interested, here's the link: http://www.footballgeography.com/proposed-nfl-team-relocation/

NYS law does not prohibit smoking areas in outdoor stadia. Citi Field, for example, has designated smoking areas. Erie County law bans smoking in enclosed areas of the stadium and in the seating bowl, but leaves policy in other areas up to the operator. I'm also not aware of any law that prevents re-entry, which I believe the Sabres allow. I don't recall seeing re-entry at any recent NFL game I've attended, so that might be an NFL policy. The stadium lease has a clause that requires the Bills to prohibit smoking in the Stadium, but the Bills policy still goes beyond what the lease requires. Are the Bills claiming that the smoking ban isn't their choice?

This will be my eighth year with seats in the Maguire club. While there are some downsides to club seats, the benefits make it worth it to me. The biggest downside is the location of the club seats. Most of the seats are between the endzone and the 20, not the most desirable areas. To sit between the 20's can get pretty expensive. In addition, If your seats are in the first six or so rows, you really won't get much benefit from the radiant heat. As for the benefits, you get a full bar and much better concessions with minimal waits. The bathroom situation is much better, cleaner and shorter lines. At the risk of TMI, I've been able to make a bathroom trip in the space of a change of possession. My seats are under the overhang, so I'm protected from the elements. The overhead radiant heaters work really well. There's an annual draft party for club seat and suit holders. I've also received stadium tours and pre-game on-field passes. Next week, I'm going to a Rex Ryan event at the stadium, which I assume is for club seat holders. If I already had good seats, I might not rush to upgrade club seats, but if you are not giving up great seats and can afford the clubs, I say go for it.

Has there been any information leaked about provisions in the will that prevented the team from being sold to a buyer that would move the team? I believe it was the lease and non-relocation agreement that made such a sale pretty difficult. The NFL would not accept a lame duck franchise, and the trust would not want to select a buyer which would likely result in litigation.

The thing I remember, as a former out-of-town Shout subscriber, is that it wouldn't always make it to me before the game. I assume that you can get electronic delivery now.

So I guess the thinking behind this is that there's a segment of Canadians that prefer organized, corporate tailgating to real tailgating.

Actually, Mohawk Place just reopened under new ownership. http://www.buffalosmohawkplace.com

I've saw an estimate that the next round of TV contracts are expected to total $17 Billion per year. That means each team's share will be over $500 million before a single ticket is sold.

Not to mention the CFL fans who absolutely despise the idea of a NFL team in Toronto, a move that could easily spell doom for the CFL.

It's been a while, but I remember another Buffalo bar in the East Village named Kelly's. Owned by a really nice couple with the wife being from Buffalo. I've only been there for hockey. I'm not even sure if they have Sunday Ticket, but it's a great place to catch a Sabres game.

As others have said, change of ownership doesn't affect the lease. That said, a new owner could challenge the lease, just as Ralph could have challenged it the day after he signed it. A court could theoretically allow the new owners to break the lease paying far less than the $400 million penalty that the agreement specifies, but that would be after a long, drawn out court battle that would be awful PR for the NFL. Also, there's no guarantee that the new owners wouldn't be libel for the entire $400 million penalty. If a new owner wants to move the team, their only option is to wait out the lease. The Jaguars are encumbered by a 35 year lease signed when the Jags were owned by Wayne Weaver that has significant penalties for early termination. Many believe the current owner is waiting out that lease to move the team,.

For all the talk of what a great businessman Bon Jovi is, the bidding process is making the Toronto group look pretty bush league. I'd bet that there are bidders we haven't heard about yet, but the Toronto folks can't seem to stay out of the news. Heck, Donald Trump has a lower profile.

Then they would move the team in 2035. I believe that the Toronto group might not move the team in 2020, given the lack of a NFL caliber stadium in Toronto, but there is no doubt in my mind that their ultimate goal is to get a NFL franchise for Toronto. It's only a question of when, not if.

Rather than placing the team in a trust, Ralph could have borrowed against the value of the team and use it to create an irrevocable life insurance trust. The trust would then cover any estate tax due. It's also possible that Mary inherrited the majority of the estate and she will dole out the proceeds from the sale of the team over he lifetime. Stretching out the timeline may make it easier to avoid estate taxes. Also, the estate tax would be based on the value of the estate at the time of Ralph's death. The value of the team would be an appraised value which could easily be less that what the team actually sells for. I'm sure the estate will argue that the Bills are worth something in the $800 million range, but we all know that they could easily sell for more than that.

There's no estate tax on any property that passes to a spouse. Since Mary is likely the primary beneficiary of Ralph's estate, there's likely no estate tax due.

I'm also happy with my club seats. In addition to the amenities that have already been mentioned, the Bills hold a number of special events for their club seat holder. I received a stadium tour last year, there's an annual draft day party, and I'm getting a field pass for pre-game warmups for a regular season game this year. Since club seat revenue is mostly unshared, it's a very important revenue stream for the Bills. So as a club seat holder, I also believe I'm helping to ensure the Bills remain viable in Buffalo.

While we might informally refer to this whole agreement as a lease, the non-relocation agreement is actually separate from the lease. So even if the lease were voided for some reason, the non relocation agreement would probably remain in effect. The Buffalo News article suggests that any attempt to arrange a move prior to year seven would constitute a breach of the agreements, so I'd guess it's possible that even executing a buyout in year seven in order to move would result in a court battle over whether it was a breach of the non-relocation agreement.

There is also a lot of guesswork involved in these numbers. While it easy to determine the value of stock held in publicly traded company, it's much harder when dealing investments in private companies that don't have the same reporting requirements.

If Bills fans want to fund construction of a new stadium for the team, there's already a mechanism for that. It's called a PSL.

I could never root for another team. I'm a Bills fan by birth. If they leave town, I'll never watch another NFL game.