What do you think is the reason why good FA wont come to Buffalo?

[Albany,n.y.]

High state income tax.

 

Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming have NO state income tax. New Hampshire and Tennessee limit their state income taxes to only dividends and interest income, so regular earnings are not taxed.

 

So, you're an NFL player about to sign a multi-million dollar contract -- you gonna want to fork 8-9% of that over to NYS? !@#$ that. I'd play for the Titans, the Seahawks, the Cowboys, the Texans, the Bucs/Dolphins/Jaguars before I give up that additional income.

 

Oh, and other states that do have income taxes are a bit more reasonable on the tax rate. NYS=socialist state.

That never stopped them from coming during the Kelly years. We had Paup, Spielman, Early and others come here to play with a Super Bowl contender. Just like Miami in the NBA, NFL players want to play with guys who can team with them to get a championship.

4 of the 7 states with no income tax don't have NFL teams.

The lower cost of living when buying homes & doing other things in WNY offsets their taxes enough that it's not a factor.

So save that stuff for the political board, it has little to do with why players aren't coming here.

 

It's a bad organization. The owner doesn't have a win now attitude. He doesn't hire relevant GMs or Head Coaches. The Players on this team belong in the UFL. There might be 20-25 players that belong on actual NFL team here. Bad drafting and bad management of this team has lead to this organization being completely inept. Why would anyone any allpro player wanna come to Buffalo? There is no draw. This team is not built to win championships. They are not 1 or 2 players away from it. They are move like 30 players away. So that is why good FA won't come to Buffalo.

When I sat in the stands on opening day the 1st thing I noticed was that our #1 picks from 2007, 2008 & 2009 all started the game on the bench.

Edited September 16, 2010 by Albany,n.y.

[All_Pro_Bills]

The other angle to consider is what the player is looking for. I break it out into 2 types of FA's (there might be others or subsets but to summarize):

 

1) Younger players, up and comers, at the end of their rookie deals looking for a big payday.

2) The seasoned veteran who's been displaced by a younger, cheaper alternative on his original team or has simply reached the time to move on for whatever reason.

 

These players are looking for different things. In the 1st case, money. In the later, a chance to hook up with a contender to win a title before shuffling off into retirement a few years down the road.

 

I think the record shows the Bills are willing to spend money, and have signed some big dollar contracts with FA's. Unfortunately the record also shows that money was not spent wisely as the performance of most of these players leads you to conclude the Bills overpaid. The other reasons for not attracting the #1 type FA are probably among those cited in the tread most of which seem pretty valid.

 

The Bills as of the past ten years could not attract the #2 player. There might be 5 or 6 teams around the league that would attract this type of FA. Until the time when they turn it around and string together 3 or 4 winning seasons along with playoff appearances don't expect a lot of veteran FA to consider coming to the Bills. Putting yourself in their situation, you've got 2 or 3 years in the tank so are you going to spend it 'rebuilding' in Buffalo or take a chance at the SuperBowl right now with a contender? Easy choice.

[dpberr]

What top FA's are you referring to not wanting to come here? Personally, I did not see a whole lot out there that I would have been willing to pay more than they were worth to obtain. The free agent market this year stunk to high heaven.

 

+1. The excellent players were RFAs which would have required a king's ransom to obtain.

[EastRochBillsfan]

all true, but what good FA's are we talking about? Who is so good that made it to FA that we needed? There have not been many the last couple seasons that I can think of. TO may have been one of the best and we DID get him. Karlos Dansby, but hard to top Miami as a destination for most of these guys. Bart Scott was a FA I guess, but the only teams in the running were his own team, and the free spending Jets who happened to have his former DC as head coach... and he still did not jump teams.

 

a 3-4 DE? Edwards was one of best available and we got him.

 

What else we really needed, QB and Oline, there has not been much out there.

best post out of this stupid azz thread.

 

No secret around the league that Ralph is a POS, all problems continue to start there.

 

you are classless. but i already knew that.

 

It's a bad organization. The owner doesn't have a win now attitude. He doesn't hire relevant GMs or Head Coaches. The Players on this team belong in the UFL. There might be 20-25 players that belong on actual NFL team here. Bad drafting and bad management of this team has lead to this organization being completely inept. Why would anyone any allpro player wanna come to Buffalo? There is no draw. This team is not built to win championships. They are not 1 or 2 players away from it. They are move like 30 players away. So that is why good FA won't come to Buffalo.

If there's no draw, what makes you follow the team? Actually, you never have anything good to say about the Bills. Almost trollish I would say.

[Marv's Neighbor]

High state income tax.

 

Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming have NO state income tax. New Hampshire and Tennessee limit their state income taxes to only dividends and interest income, so regular earnings are not taxed.

 

So, you're an NFL player about to sign a multi-million dollar contract -- you gonna want to fork 8-9% of that over to NYS? !@#$ that. I'd play for the Titans, the Seahawks, the Cowboys, the Texans, the Bucs/Dolphins/Jaguars before I give up that additional income.

 

Oh, and other states that do have income taxes are a bit more reasonable on the tax rate. NYS=socialist state.

Of course you're right on about the NYS Taxes but I have lived in both Houston & Seattle.

 

While there are no "Income Taxes" there, they have plenty of innovative ways that are just as effective in seperating you from your Income.

[DarthICE]

1) History of losing.

 

2) Bad rep of city and area.

 

What else do you need?

 

PTR

 

 

To add to and expand, I am willing to bet former players like Bledsoe, Pat Williams, antone Winfield, etal really do not have good things to say about the Bills org. They all love the fans, but to be honest the Org has sucked. Being further honest, there isn't that much to do there and more often than not the weather isn't that great. Add to that WNY is one of the most taxed places in the US and it doesn't make for a very good situation.

 

We have a 90 something year old owner who refuses to sell the team or step aside and let someone else run it. There is no succession plan in place, it is a small market team who's owner consistantly cries about how tough it is to make it in the NFL. If you look at the Bills history with Ralph Wilson as owner, outside of the Bill polian era, the team sucks. I have posted the history in great detail before and the proof is undeniable. This team has historically stunk and one man has been the main guy from day one till now. ONLY because of Polian did this team have any real success and respectability.

 

Leaving your fandom out of it, why would you go to Buffalo? Sorry but no way in hell would I sign there if I was a quality Free agent. An Unsure future I am dragging my family into with a team that has a history of losing and showing no signs of changing. I would have heard from several of my fellow NFL players that have played there about how crappy it is. Add to that I am going to pay more in taxes IE less in my pocket than I would in most other places.

 

Until Ralph is no longer owner, We get a better/ NAME GM and HC in place, we draft crazy well and start building a winning culture again, we aren't going to attract any high end Free agents.

[DrDawkinstein]

most good players are good because they HATE losing. this franchise has proven that losing is acceptable.

 

add up the history, the current state of the team, and the outside views of the city... and it's pretty obvious why no one would want to come here.

 

until the Bills start winning, it will be tough to lure anyone who isnt desperate.

[ChasBB]

That never stopped them from coming during the Kelly years. We had Paup, Spielman, Early and others come here to play with a Super Bowl contender. Just like Miami in the NBA, NFL players want to play with guys who can team with them to get a championship.

4 of the 7 states with no income tax don't have NFL teams.

The lower cost of living when buying homes & doing other things in WNY offsets their taxes enough that it's not a factor.

So save that stuff for the political board, it has little to do with why players aren't coming here.

 

I'm sorry if my post offended you, Mr. Chuck Schumer.

[Benjamin Barker]

No one wants to come here because people view the Bills as a joke.

 

Terrell Owens was misbehaved so badly that no real team would take him, and he had to go spend a year in Buffalo as punishment to prove he could behave, before a decent team would give him a shot again.

 

It's not the weather, there are plenty of teams with bad climates.

[Sisyphean Bills]

To add to and expand, I am willing to bet former players like Bledsoe, Pat Williams, antone Winfield, etal really do not have good things to say about the Bills org. They all love the fans, but to be honest the Org has sucked. Being further honest, there isn't that much to do there and more often than not the weather isn't that great. Add to that WNY is one of the most taxed places in the US and it doesn't make for a very good situation.

 

We have a 90 something year old owner who refuses to sell the team or step aside and let someone else run it. There is no succession plan in place, it is a small market team who's owner consistantly cries about how tough it is to make it in the NFL. If you look at the Bills history with Ralph Wilson as owner, outside of the Bill polian era, the team sucks. I have posted the history in great detail before and the proof is undeniable. This team has historically stunk and one man has been the main guy from day one till now. ONLY because of Polian did this team have any real success and respectability.

 

Leaving your fandom out of it, why would you go to Buffalo? Sorry but no way in hell would I sign there if I was a quality Free agent. An Unsure future I am dragging my family into with a team that has a history of losing and showing no signs of changing. I would have heard from several of my fellow NFL players that have played there about how crappy it is. Add to that I am going to pay more in taxes IE less in my pocket than I would in most other places.

 

Until Ralph is no longer owner, We get a better/ NAME GM and HC in place, we draft crazy well and start building a winning culture again, we aren't going to attract any high end Free agents.

Add also recent history. I said at the time that the hens would come home to roost...

 

The Bills blew up their OL 2 years ago, largely because of contract/money. They released both Dockery and Walker who were brought in as free agents. Both are starters on their former teams this year in the same positions. Actions speak louder than words: Russ "Hard Ball" Brandon sent the message to free agents that the Bills expect players to play above their contracts, and if they don't then they will be dumped. Some of this was exacerbated by "continuity" as the Bills coaching staff seemed to go in a direction du jour on offense.

[papazoid]

#1- Winning - last playoff appearance 1999. most free agents want an immediate shot at Super Bowl.

 

#2- Weather - especially for the family of the Free Agent.

 

#3- Endorsements - limited due to local economy.

 

#4- Taxes - significantly higher than some other states.

 

#5- Coaching - constant changing of coordinators and head coach.

 

#6- Social/Night Life - see Willis McGahee.

 

 

All these factors just make it harder, but not impossible. At this point, we pretty much have to be the highest $$ bidder......no one is giving this team a discount.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

Two of my best friends work for the Dallas Stars.

 

One of them actually gets involved with the player contracts.

 

He says that one thing that he has learned is that the wives/girlfriends opinion REALLY influences where a free agent will sign.

[Nanker]

Unquestionably, it's the negative press and fans.

Who'd want to come to Buffalo to get constantly pilloried in the press and on "fan" websites by a pathetic bunch of incompetent local media types and grouchy fans that want HOFers to play at cut rate salaries and will do doughnuts on their lawn when, heaven forbid they drop a pass or fumble a kick return?

[dpberr]

I'd like to know what top, marquee free agent refused to come to Buffalo *when* the money offered by Buffalo either matched or exceeded a competing offer from another team.

 

Free Agents don't come to Buffalo because the Bills get outbid by other teams. It's about money. If it makes people rationalize it better by comparing cities, weather, winning or losing, that's ok. But it has, and always will be, about the money.

[billsfreak]

Several reasons why top FA won't come to Buffalo:

 

1. An owner that won't pay what most other teams will pay.

2. An organization that won't put as many quality players around him while he is here like alot of other teams will.

3. They do everything for the most part on the cheap end-coaches, GM, players, etc. And seem content with being a cellar dwellar as long as the team is profitable.

4. The team has gone longer than any other team in the NFL without making the playoffs.

5. Is a perennial loser, has a reputation and expectation of losing year in and year out, and is considered a joke by most of the league and the nation for that matter.

6. Players that bring their families with them, would rather take them to Tampa, or somewhere else if they have to be on a losing team. Might as well at least enjoy the weather if you can't enjoy sundays at the stadium.

7. Bottom line, players love money, we all know that but to get to the level of the NFL you have to be a serious competitor, and competitors like to win=don't come to Buffalo if you want to win, because the organization won't do their part.

[mattsox]

best post out of this stupid azz thread.

 

 

 

you are classless. but i already knew that.

 

 

If there's no draw, what makes you follow the team? Actually, you never have anything good to say about the Bills. Almost trollish I would say.

 

Well give me something good. I thought The defense and special teams played good last week. It's like banging your head against a wall watching this team. It never gets any better. The problems here last year are here again this year. They don't address them and correct them. They won't go out of their way to get players regardless of cost of the player. I don't see management/ownership owning up and making postive changes to this team. If we're building through the draft. It's gonna take years to have something here that can compete for a championship.

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

As others have said, but which bears repeating, this entire thread is based on a false premise. What FAs are we discussing here? Does anyone know of one who the Bills went after but did not get? All I am hearing is a lot of people venting their pre-conceived notions about what they dislike about the team, the organization, the city, and New York politics.

[DarthICE]

I'd like to know what top, marquee free agent refused to come to Buffalo *when* the money offered by Buffalo either matched or exceeded a competing offer from another team.

 

Free Agents don't come to Buffalo because the Bills get outbid by other teams. It's about money. If it makes people rationalize it better by comparing cities, weather, winning or losing, that's ok. But it has, and always will be, about the money.

 

 

You aren't going to know what top FA's said No because the Bills won't allow you fans to see how worthless they are. BTW lets say all other teams offered 5 mill per year and the Bills offered 6 mill. They are going somewhere else, we are losers, the owner is old with no succesion plan in place, the cost of living is worse, more taxes etc.

[Fan in Chicago]

As others have said, but which bears repeating, this entire thread is based on a false premise. What FAs are we discussing here? Does anyone know of one who the Bills went after but did not get? All I am hearing is a lot of people venting their pre-conceived notions about what they dislike about the team, the organization, the city, and New York politics.

Exactly right and you forgot to add Ralph Wilson specifically also is a cheap, good for nothing, old **** (choose your cheap shot). Last year and I think the year before, there were few to none FA O linemen who could have helped the team.

 

Add to that the ones who left the Bills to have a great career were Ruben Brown, Pat Williams, Antoine Winfield (jury is out on Nate Clements) - few and far in between if I may add. Our fundamental problem has been drafting and keeping the pipeline full.

 

back to your regularly scheduled venom spewing.....

 

You aren't going to know what top FA's said No because the Bills won't allow you fans to see how worthless they are. BTW lets say all other teams offered 5 mill per year and the Bills offered 6 mill. They are going somewhere else, we are losers, the owner is old with no succesion plan in place, the cost of living is worse, more taxes etc.

So, in short you don't know for sure but the FO sucks anyway ?

[sharper802]

Players go where the money is. Period. That is it. The only guys that don't are way past their prime players like LT going to the Jets. The good teams like the Patriots get rid of aging vets. Buffalo has attracted many FA's and paid them well. They just happened to have sucked as players. Dockery was the highest paid Bill for a while. He sucked.