JohnC

Terry had an uncanny ability to figure out where was the best location to dig the hole for gas and oil. He was a talented geologist.

Terry Pegula made some glaring set back mistakes with his football and hockey franchises. Most notably his hires were atrocious without much thought and consultation with outside voices. To his credit I think he has rebounded and learned from them. He has done better hiring qualified people to manage his major sport teams. I still consider hiring Rex Ryan not only a hideous mistake but and odd mistake made by someone who was clueless about the NFL. I agree with you that his involvement in his endeavors beyond the energy business were related to family legacy issues.

I have no problem with people criticizing the Pegulas for their initial response to the game day employees because they didfumble in their attempt to explain what and why they were doing in this tumultuous situation. I may be mistaken but I think they did make some payments to these workers even though the season was postponed. (If I am wrong I would appreciate being corrected.) What some people are forgetting is that this pandemic is considered a once in a century cataclysm that will have lingering consequences for some time. It's a tough time for everyone whether you are on the business or labor side. There are no easy answers----you just try to get by as best you can.

A successful owner of a business is not always the same person who manages the business. Knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are in a complicated business environment is an indication that Pegula has enough humility and self-awareness to become a success. A lawyer who owns a firm isn't always the same person who manages the firm. A doctor who owns a large and varied practice isn't always the same person who manages the practice. The pizza mogul who owns a country-wide franchise business isn't always the same person who manages the business.

If Miami out of fear over Tua's health status takes Herbert they will be making the same blunder that they did when they didn't take Brees because they worried about his health status. Brees revived the New Orleans franchise and has had a HOF career while the Dolphins have floundered for a generation with a multitude of mediocre qbs. Herbert has the prototypical football body. Tua is immensely the better football player. My prediction is that Miami will stay at the five spot and select Tua.

As a marketing exec you have the luxury of giving advice without facing the realities of cash flow and meeting payroll. There isn't any business within their portfolio of energy, hospitality and ownership of sport franchises that isn't in a precarious financial situation. There is a longball game in a real world challenging economic environment that is going to last probably longer than a year. It's called survival. The Pegulas are attempting to make painful decisions that affect the lives of their employees in order to exist in the future. Marketing in many respects is presenting an attractive illusion to make their products appealing to potential customers. What happens when you don't have customers to sustain your business? Owners have to face the facts of the real business world where there is a relationship between income coming in versus incoming going out. The manner in which the Pegulas are handling this historic pandemic is in line with the way other businesses are the handling situation.

I don't see next season being a normal business environment for any of the Pegulas' sports teams and hospitality businesses. Too many people are counting on a vaccine to be a miracle panacea to this health nightmare. We currently have flu vaccines that can mitigate the normal type of flu during the flu season. But this virus is demonstrably different because it is so contagious and debilitating compared to the regular seasonal flu. Because of the anti-vaccine no-nothing ignoramuses there will be enough unprotected people to expose others and again possibly exponentially spread the virus. I hope that I am wrong in this pessimistic assessment. But how many people for the upcoming season in any of the sports would want their elderly family members to attend a game with them and be in a crowd of 68,000 people? And how many parents would want to have their children with them at any of the pro games at the risk of exposure? Remember all the cavalier talk about the Pegulas being the main source for the financing of a new football stadium. Not only are the financial resources of the Pegula business empire being stretched but so will the local government/s be in a dire financial crunch situation for quite some time.

Attached is a column by Jourdan LaBarber from Sabres.com on Dylan Cozens. This link was taken from the hockey side of TBD. Within the column is a 6 minute attachment of a Cozens interview, including clips, with Rob Ray. It is very probable that he will make the Sabre roster next season. He and Kahun should be two good youthful additions. Will Tage and Mittelstadt be on the roster and contribute? I don't know. For both of these players offseason preparation during a coronavirus challenge could be the difference in making the club and being effective. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-prospects-rewind-dylan-cozens/c-316649574

I hope you take my correction in the helpful spirit it is being offered. The word that I'm sure you intended is complement.

I appreciate your thoughts. As like what you are experiencing it is an unsettling thing to go through. This coronavirus pandemic is horrific. I get really upset with the segment of the media (Fox) who downplay it and don't treat it with the seriousness it warrants. Those people who gather to demonstrate to open things up before the situation is acceptably remediated are doing a disservice not only to themselves but to others.

I wish your father the best. He will be in my prayers. I know what you are going through. I just received a phone call from my brother that my other brother has cancer located in the knee area. I'm very distraught over it.

Attached is a 17 min WGR segment with Nathatn Paetsch , a player and coach in Rochester. If you skip to the 15 minute point he talks about Mittelstadt and his play. He made some positive comments about him. When Biron asked if he would be with Buffalo next year he was at first reluctant to answer (which is understandable given his role in the organization) but did state that if he put in the work in the offseason that he could. He also made some positive comments about Borgen. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/04-17-amerks-defenseman-nathan-paetsch

The story is not necessarily completed. Just like a virus it can go dormant for a long time but unexpectedly it can be revitalized. https://www.livescience.com/new-dinosaur-velociraptor-cousin-claw-marks.html

Whether I'm on the lawn or not I am a crank. My favorite animal is the dinosaur. It needs to be restored.

The one thing that I won't miss in this draft is the seemingly mandatory hugs by Goodell and the draftee. It's gotten tiresome.

The Bills will draft a DB with their first pick. I read WGR's Louie DiBiase column about the draft and it seemed like a reasonable proposition. One player the article cited was A.J. Terrell from Clemson. If he's on the board McBeane will immediately pounce. I have said this before but I would love to see Buffalo select the running back from BC, AJ Dillon. He's a big N/S runner who would be a good complement to Singletary. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/opinion/three-cornerbacks-who-could-fit-the-bills-at-pick-no-54

Arguably, Gilmore is the most important player on New England's defense, and Belichick recognizes. White is arguably the most important player on Buffalo's defense, and McDermott recognizes it. White is not only a core player he is also an instrumental player. As you and others have pointed out White is the essential player that allows the McDermott defense to work. There are defenses that radiate from the defensive line to the backside. McDermott's defense is different. It radiates from the backside. That's why White is such a critical player for us.

I would also rather have Cam Akers but as you point out it is dicey that he will be there in the third round where we draft. The reason that I am leaning towards a back like Dillon is that he is a big back who is a N/S runner and would be good complement to Singletary. If the Bills have an opportunity to grab one of the top four backs in the second I wouldn't be adverse to seizing the opportunity.

I'm not suggesting that he is a younger version of Gore. Because he is not. But he would be a younger and speedier version of the depleted Gore we brought in last year to serve the same function as a change of pace back. The bulky Dillon certainly isn't quick but he would be well suited to receive swing passes where there is time and space for him to get a head of speed going.

How about A.J. Dillon in the third round? He's a north/south runner who would be a good complement to Singletary. https://nflmocks.com/2020/03/11/2020-nfl-draft-aj-dillon-scouting/

I'll still take Diggs over OBJ. Diggs did lose control and was fined. And he should have been. OBJ has a more extensive history of problematic behavior.

No one is questioning OBJ's superlative talents. Without question wherever he has been he has been the most talented receiver on the team. Yet he keeps getting moved. Football is a team game where how you fit in goes beyond talent and to an extent actual production. Recognizing the fact that Diggs is less talented than OBJ I would still prefer Diggs on the roster than OBJ. You don't have to be an angel to be a wanted member on a team. On the other hand you have to have a level of maturity and stability to contribute to a culture of unselfishness that leads to team success.

The calculation for any transaction for OBJ for the dispatching team/s goes beyond talent consideration. There simply has been too much drama and hyper-emotion in the locker room and on the sidelines. If you want to eliminate or at least lessen that individual volatility in order to bring more stability and maturity to the group then it is not surprising that Cleveland is (supposedly) considering offers. If you want to change the culture then you have to change out some players. From a Cleveland standpoint the priority isn't necessarily getting equal value back. As the saying goes: addition by subtraction. Make no mistake what I'm saying here. I not suggesting he is a bad guy. That doesn't mean that his retention is good for the mix.

Messier also departed. My point is that for a lot of these high profile departures the underlying cause was due to financial considerations. The Jack situation is completely different. As the captain he is invested in the team and is very happy with the coach he is playing for. Although he has understandably expressed his frustration at how the team has performed he has never indicated a desire to leave.

He is not unhappy being a Sabre. The captain is certainly disappointed at how the team has performed but as the captain he is fully invested in the team. Wayne Gretzky got traded because of financial considerations. It was a different situation altogether.