I Want to Share a Story With You Guys, RE: Free Agency

[ThurmasThoman]

Now, it's been over a year since Pat Moran made Buffalo Bills message board history claiming to have inside sources telling us, in no uncertain terms, that Bill Cowher was going to be a Buffalo Bill within a short time frame.

 

Obviously, that didn't come to pass.

 

I can claim no such "inside source" as Mr. Moran, bring no news that can equal the earth-shattering potential of those predictions, and my claim to fame is surely bettered by 75% of you living in the Buffalo area - but hear me out.

 

I live in a town that was home to a minor league affiliate of the Sabres, Portland Maine. Two autumns ago, between traveling and pursuing my career, I found myself working as a bellman/valet/shuttle bus driver for a Holiday Inn in our downtown area. Nothing exceptional about the job, other than spending entire days driving between the airport and the hotel, bringing patrons one way or another. One day, on a job bringing someone from the airport to the hotel, I happened to pick up the goalie coach for the Buffalo Sabres.

 

Now, I am a life-long, die-hard Bills fan, but in all honesty, could care less about the Sabres. My family is from Buffalo, so we made small talk about the area, and I told him several times I wish I knew more about the Sabres, or that he could be a quarterbacks coach for the Bills, and we both shared the awkward laughs that can only come from being a shuttle bus driver tasked with driving someone 30 minutes to their destination.

However, my knowledge of the Sabres, although superficial, was enough to ask him, point blank, how we lost Drury and Briere. What he told me was eye-opening then, and comes to mind every single time I read a thread about

-who the Bills should sign

-Ralph Wilson being cheap

-Buddy Nix being a bad GM

etc.

 

In no uncertain terms, this gentleman told me that there are 2 types of athletes, and in Buffalo in particular, there are those that

 

- Want to make as much money as possible, and could care less about where they play, and their signings are motivated by the most bland, ho-hum, average joe reasons (kids in kindergarden not wanting to switch schools, wives in books clubs, mistresses that have a downtown apartment paid for, etc. etc.)

 

and

 

- Those that want out of small markets as quick as possible to play for the New York Rangers/Philadelphia Flyers of the world, that you would need to pay 3x, 4x their market value to keep.

 

He said that from the moment those 2 showed up in Buffalo, they knew they were leaving, and there was nothing the Sabres could do to keep them. He said (and at this point, I'm paraphrasing, because it's been a few years) that the business of keeping players, signing players, and releasing players is perceived by the public to be one big game of fantasy hockey (football/baseball/whatever,) but the actual reality of it is, these are human beings, and (to completely make up an example) a free agent signing could hinge on nothing more or less than a girl that a certain athlete has been talking to online living in Cincinnati instead of Philadelphia.

 

Now I'm not saying you need a coach associated with the Sabres organization to make this clear to you, but those of you that are losing sleep over the fear that Buddy Nix is literally sleeping on the job - remember. The perfect Bills roster that you construct from home has no doubt been constructed by Nix and Gailey a hundred times over. The difference? They know the phone numbers of the agents for the players in question. Just realize, that 95% of the time, when that call is made, unless the Bills are offering above and beyond, and then above a little bit more, what that players market value is, odds are said player has his mind made up on where he's going, and is just using the Bills (and every other team he won't sign with) as leverage.

 

Nothing ground breaking here, just some food for thought.

Edited July 30, 2011 by JohnnyGold

[Scrappy]

So, we need to get Gaither laid. Got it.

[DDD]

Zzzzzzzz

[birdog1960]

Now, it's been over a year since Pat Moran made Buffalo Bills message board history claiming to have inside sources telling us, in no uncertain terms, that Bill Cowher was going to be a Buffalo Bill within a short time frame.

 

Obviously, that didn't come to pass.

 

I can claim no such "inside source" as Mr. Moran, bring no news that can equal the earth-shattering potential of those predictions, and my claim to fame is surely bettered by 75% of you living in the Buffalo area - but hear me out.

 

I live in a town that was home to a minor league affiliate of the Sabres, Portland Maine. Two autumns ago, between traveling and pursuing my career, I found myself working as a bellman/valet/shuttle bus driver for a Holiday Inn in our downtown area. Nothing exceptional about the job, other than spending entire days driving between the airport and the hotel, bringing patrons one way or another. One day, on a job bringing someone from the airport to the hotel, I happened to pick up the goalie coach for the Buffalo Sabres.

 

Now, I am a life-long, die-hard Bills fan, but in all honesty, could care less about the Sabres. My family is from Buffalo, so we made small talk about the area, and I told him several times I wish I knew more about the Sabres, or that he could be a quarterbacks coach for the Bills, and we both shared the awkward laughs that can only come from being a shuttle bus driver tasked with driving someone 30 minutes to their destination.

However, my knowledge of the Sabres, although superficial, was enough to ask him, point blank, how we lost Drury and Briere. What he told me was eye-opening then, and comes to mind every single time I read a thread about

-who the Bills should sign

-Ralph Wilson being cheap

-Buddy Nix being a bad GM

etc.

 

In no uncertain terms, this gentleman told me that there are 2 types of athletes, and in Buffalo in particular, there are those that

 

- Want to make as much money as possible, and could care less about where they play, and their signings are motivated by the most bland, ho-hum, average joe reasons (kids in kindergarden not wanting to switch schools, wives in books clubs, mistresses that have a downtown apartment paid for, etc. etc.)

 

and

 

- Those that want out of small markets as quick as possible to play for the New York Rangers/Philadelphia Flyers of the world, that you would need to pay 3x, 4x their market value to keep.

 

He said that from the moment those 2 showed up in Buffalo, they knew they were leaving, and there was nothing the Sabres could do to keep them. He said (and at this point, I'm paraphrasing, because it's been a few years) that the business of keeping players, signing players, and releasing players is perceived by the public to be one big game of fantasy hockey (football/baseball/whatever,) but the actual reality of it is, these are human beings, and (to completely make up an example) a free agent signing could hinge on nothing more or less than a girl that a certain athlete has been talking to online living in Cincinnati instead of Philadelphia.

 

Now I'm not saying you need a coach associated with the Sabres organization to make this clear to you, but those of you that are losing sleep over the fear that Buddy Nix is literally sleeping on the job - remember. The perfect Bills roster that you construct from home has no doubt been constructed by Nix and Gailey a hundred times over. The difference? They know the phone numbers of the agents for the players in question. Just realize, that 95% of the time, when that call is made, unless the Bills are offering above and beyond, and then above a little bit more, what that players market value is, odds are said player has his mind made up on where he's going, and is just using the Bills (and every other team he won't sign with) as leverage.

 

Nothing ground breaking here, just some food for thought.

interesting and well stated post. it's in keeping with the build through the draft philosophy but that will ultimately fail the bills if your points are fully accepted because all the type 2 stars will leave at the end of their contracts. the only way to win then is to pay the type 1 stars. not bloody likely. here's hoping for more greedy players and less bills frugality.

[jkhmlf]

My compliments on that sobering anecdote. Its something I think most people could understand but as sports fans of buffalo, probably not want to believe in our hearts.

 

I guess we better hope nix n gailey are that smart. I mean what other teams have management with names like buddy and chan.

[Bill from NYC]

interesting and well stated post. it's in keeping with the build through the draft philosophy but that will ultimately fail the bills if your points are fully accepted because all the type 2 stars will leave at the end of their contracts. the only way to win then is to pay the type 1 stars. not bloody likely. here's hoping for more greedy players and less bills frugality.

 

The above doesn't even take into account idiotic picks such as Spiller, McKelvin, Whitner, Lynch, Maybin, and probably our second round corner this season.

Think about it. Last season we wasted the 9th pick of an NFL draft on Spiller, a situational/gadget player. In the 2011 offseason, we used the 4th pick of round 2 on a corner. We also re-signed a corner and signed a UFA who appears to be a gadget/situational player. It is pure and unexplainable stupidity.

 

While repeating the same stupid mistakes, can a rational person expect this team to improve? Sorry, I think not.

[Thoner7]

So its exactly what I and many many others have been saying for years. To get players in Buffalo, you need to pay them more than the Giants/Cowboys/Patriots/Dolphins/Falcons would.

 

Everything in life is relative. If the Bills need to pay 20% more to land the same player as say, Atlanta or Miami, then they are NOT overpaying for that player. Thats simply the going rate for that player in our market. Dont forget, our 8% state tax compared to 0% in FL and 5.5% (i think) in GA puts us at a disadvantage from day one. We need to offer a player 8% more than Miami to compete on an even playing field, then factor in weather, night life, we have sucked for ten years, etc.

 

On the surface, it appears we are going bargain hunting. That may work in one of the aforementioned cities. but not in Buffalo. We need to knock some peoples socks off if we want to sign them.

[hondo in seattle]

I think one of the points of this story is that NFL players are human beings. And we homo sapiens are a diverse lot with diverse motivations. Many players will prefer the media attention of NY. Other will be drawn to the party scene in Miami. Some love the snow. Others hate it. When we are spurned by a FA, we may never know why. But some FAs out there might prefer a smaller city like Buffalo, whatever their personal motivations may be.

 

The only thing Buddy can really do is lay the money on the table.

[Wayne Fontes]

While Briere/Drury saga bores me to death, it has been established that both were prepared to sign but the Golisano/Quinn axis balked.

[Taro T]

While Briere/Drury saga bores me to death, it has been established that both were prepared to sign but the Golisano/Quinn axis balked.

Yep. You are correct.

 

But playing devil's advocate, the following is what the OP is claiming that Jim Corsi (the OP's apparent source - as he is and has been the Sabres' goalie coach for several years - dating back to well before the Portland affiliation) appears to be claiming.

 

Drury only signed a 3 year deal right after coming to Buffalo because he couldn't wait to leave. Briere only begged for a 3 year deal in '05 because HE couldn't wait to leave. (Oh, wait, he was willing to sign for 3 years for less than $3MM/year back then? Couldn't be, it doesn't fit w/ the narrative. ) Drury only agreed to a 5 year deal for $5.3MM/year in October of '06 because he KNEW TG would sit on the deal for 2 weeks so he could make it LOOK like he wanted to stay in Buffalo but in reality knew that TG would give him the out to allow him to look like the good guy in the run for the exit. Drury also was certain back in October when he 'agreed' to a deal w/ DR that the NYR would not re-sign Nylander in the Spring and would be looking for a high priced center or 2. Since he clearly would be able to sign with his childhood favorite team for an astounding $7MM+/year in the summer of '07, he clearly had no intention of signing w/ the Sabres back in October of '06.

[Hplarrm]

 

In no uncertain terms, this gentleman told me that there are 2 types of athletes, and in Buffalo in particular, there are those that

 

 

Actually there are twp types of people in the world, 1. Those who recognize that not only are there more than two types of people in the world but also that any particular individual can actually be motivated by different and sometimes contradictory notions or principles.

 

and

 

those who are simplistic and stupid enough to believe that human motivations and decisions can be boiled down to two simple types.

[Mark Long Beach]

Actually there are twp types of people in the world, 1. Those who recognize that not only are there more than two types of people in the world but also that any particular individual can actually be motivated by different and sometimes contradictory notions or principles.

 

and

 

those who are simplistic and stupid enough to believe that human motivations and decisions can be boiled down to two simple types.

 

Heheh. But for telling a story and conveying a point such as you just did, there are in fact only two types of people in the world.

[thewildrabbit]

Actually there are twp types of people in the world, 1. Those who recognize that not only are there more than two types of people in the world but also that any particular individual can actually be motivated by different and sometimes contradictory notions or principles.

 

and

 

those who are simplistic and stupid enough to believe that human motivations and decisions can be boiled down to two simple types.

Exactly

 

What about the athlete who wants to win, hates losing and the mentality surrounding it. Somthing that in my mind that encompasses almost every player I've ever known or met.

 

When this team / owner finally decides he has had enough of losing (something I doubt he will ever do at this late date) and hires the right people to run the football side of things and they build the franchise into a winner, then this franchise will have no trouble bringing in any player.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Now, it's been over a year since Pat Moran made Buffalo Bills message board history claiming to have inside sources telling us, in no uncertain terms, that Bill Cowher was going to be a Buffalo Bill within a short time frame.

 

Obviously, that didn't come to pass.

 

I can claim no such "inside source" as Mr. Moran, bring no news that can equal the earth-shattering potential of those predictions, and my claim to fame is surely bettered by 75% of you living in the Buffalo area - but hear me out.

 

I live in a town that was home to a minor league affiliate of the Sabres, Portland Maine. Two autumns ago, between traveling and pursuing my career, I found myself working as a bellman/valet/shuttle bus driver for a Holiday Inn in our downtown area. Nothing exceptional about the job, other than spending entire days driving between the airport and the hotel, bringing patrons one way or another. One day, on a job bringing someone from the airport to the hotel, I happened to pick up the goalie coach for the Buffalo Sabres.

 

Now, I am a life-long, die-hard Bills fan, but in all honesty, could care less about the Sabres. My family is from Buffalo, so we made small talk about the area, and I told him several times I wish I knew more about the Sabres, or that he could be a quarterbacks coach for the Bills, and we both shared the awkward laughs that can only come from being a shuttle bus driver tasked with driving someone 30 minutes to their destination.

However, my knowledge of the Sabres, although superficial, was enough to ask him, point blank, how we lost Drury and Briere. What he told me was eye-opening then, and comes to mind every single time I read a thread about

-who the Bills should sign

-Ralph Wilson being cheap

-Buddy Nix being a bad GM

etc.

 

In no uncertain terms, this gentleman told me that there are 2 types of athletes, and in Buffalo in particular, there are those that

 

- Want to make as much money as possible, and could care less about where they play, and their signings are motivated by the most bland, ho-hum, average joe reasons (kids in kindergarden not wanting to switch schools, wives in books clubs, mistresses that have a downtown apartment paid for, etc. etc.)

 

and

 

- Those that want out of small markets as quick as possible to play for the New York Rangers/Philadelphia Flyers of the world, that you would need to pay 3x, 4x their market value to keep.

 

He said that from the moment those 2 showed up in Buffalo, they knew they were leaving, and there was nothing the Sabres could do to keep them. He said (and at this point, I'm paraphrasing, because it's been a few years) that the business of keeping players, signing players, and releasing players is perceived by the public to be one big game of fantasy hockey (football/baseball/whatever,) but the actual reality of it is, these are human beings, and (to completely make up an example) a free agent signing could hinge on nothing more or less than a girl that a certain athlete has been talking to online living in Cincinnati instead of Philadelphia.

 

Now I'm not saying you need a coach associated with the Sabres organization to make this clear to you, but those of you that are losing sleep over the fear that Buddy Nix is literally sleeping on the job - remember. The perfect Bills roster that you construct from home has no doubt been constructed by Nix and Gailey a hundred times over. The difference? They know the phone numbers of the agents for the players in question. Just realize, that 95% of the time, when that call is made, unless the Bills are offering above and beyond, and then above a little bit more, what that players market value is, odds are said player has his mind made up on where he's going, and is just using the Bills (and every other team he won't sign with) as leverage.

 

Nothing ground breaking here, just some food for thought.

Very insightful, I bet if Pegula was in charge then they would have stayed because most players love winning above all else and when the Bills start we will start getting better FAs.

[ThurmasThoman]

Actually there are twp types of people in the world, 1. Those who recognize that not only are there more than two types of people in the world but also that any particular individual can actually be motivated by different and sometimes contradictory notions or principles.

 

and

 

those who are simplistic and stupid enough to believe that human motivations and decisions can be boiled down to two simple types.

 

 

right. we can psychoanalyze his/my comment to death along these lines, but let's not ignore the gist of it - essentially either an athlete is going to sign somewhere if the money is right, or he's not. Even though Lebron's "decision" was aired nationwide, and picked apart for the entire season, that process is essentially the same for every free agent. No amount of money Cleveland paid him was going to keep him there. He wanted to be in Miami, with his friends.

 

Football players have friends too. They are also allowed to want to play in Florida with no income tax (Poz.)

 

Just don't forget that while constructing your dream offensive line for the Buffalo Bills, it's a fair bet that our front office has also heard of these players that you want. The difference being that a 2 minute call to any of their agents might let them know that "player A is either going to dallas or miami, sorry."

 

Doesn't mean Ralph is cheap, or Buddy is old. It means that the Buffalo Bills play in Buffalo New York.

[macaroni]

Actually there are twp types of people in the world, 1. Those who recognize that not only are there more than two types of people in the world but also that any particular individual can actually be motivated by different and sometimes contradictory notions or principles.

 

and

 

those who are simplistic and stupid enough to believe that human motivations and decisions can be boiled down to two simple types.

 

 

Actually there are 10 types of people in the world;

 

Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

That's the problem the Bills have is signing too many busts. I'd be willing to bet if you really took a close look at every other team in the league, the percent of busts the Bills have isn't much different than most teams. The problem is a team like Dallas, Washington, etc can afford busts and can cut their losses easier and move on and somehow replace the mistake. Often the replacement is another mistake, that's why Washington while always making big moves, never seem to work out. The Bills front office needs to do better than most for s couple reasons, firs tit won't be as big a deal when people do leave, plus if the team is playing better, players may not be as quick to leave, and will be easier to attract others if they are winning more.

 

PS I'm not ready to place Spiller in this group yet either of busts.

 

The above doesn't even take into account idiotic picks such as Spiller, McKelvin, Whitner, Lynch, Maybin, and probably our second round corner this season.

Think about it. Last season we wasted the 9th pick of an NFL draft on Spiller, a situational/gadget player. In the 2011 offseason, we used the 4th pick of round 2 on a corner. We also re-signed a corner and signed a UFA who appears to be a gadget/situational player. It is pure and unexplainable stupidity.

 

While repeating the same stupid mistakes, can a rational person expect this team to improve? Sorry, I think not.

[Hplarrm]

right. we can psychoanalyze his/my comment to death along these lines, but let's not ignore the gist of it - essentially either an athlete is going to sign somewhere if the money is right, or he's not. Even though Lebron's "decision" was aired nationwide, and picked apart for the entire season, that process is essentially the same for every free agent. No amount of money Cleveland paid him was going to keep him there. He wanted to be in Miami, with his friends.

 

Football players have friends too. They are also allowed to want to play in Florida with no income tax (Poz.)

 

Just don't forget that while constructing your dream offensive line for the Buffalo Bills, it's a fair bet that our front office has also heard of these players that you want. The difference being that a 2 minute call to any of their agents might let them know that "player A is either going to dallas or miami, sorry."

 

Doesn't mean Ralph is cheap, or Buddy is old. It means that the Buffalo Bills play in Buffalo New York.

One of the things which I found my way to as I tacked a few more years on to my life is the special nature (for me he said just speaking for myself) of being part of a successful team.

 

It was simply a great moment for me to find myself (at first and then I began to seek it out once I found out how neat of a feeling it was) part of a collaborative effort to achieve something which at first seemed unachievable.

 

This for me is what is special in life.

 

I think looking from outside, that this was what was special for the 2001 New Emgland Patriots who survived the loss of their alleged franchise QB Drew Bledsoe, came together to support each other as a team and was introduced at the 2002 SB not as a bunch of special individuals but as one special team.

 

The irony to me in all of this is that the Bills of the late and early 90s likely experienced the same thing with their 4 time losing SB team. In so many ways, it is not the achievement of the linking goal that matters but it is the collaborative effort to achieve the same goal which elevates life and living.

 

Is the same experience (but compacted into a single or a few sports seasons) that I think many men and women have when they have and raise a kid (or that any two people can have if they are fortunate enough to find their way to raising a kid together.

 

In many ways this is dimestore philosophy which overanalyzes a simple business proposition.

 

Yet, I continue to find as I am lucky enough to get older that the things I cherish most in my life are the moments I can look back upon where I collaborated with others and we formed the bond of teamwork.

 

If there actually is something that can be boiled down to two types of people, it is those who inherently understand that life is about collaboration and co-operation toward a common goal, or in addition, those who get mentored by someone or some situation and learn this lesson if they inherently do not know this.

 

The good GM it strikes me is someone who builds this sense of teamwork and collaboration in a group and is able to make real to the young man who will sign the contract that he has a chance to be part of a special bond.

 

Perhaps the two kinds of people are GMs who are good at building this bond and making it clear to some callow talented youth that this is a chance to be part of this glory if the kid is smart enough to take it. A good team owner is one who at least allows and actually encourages this bond to occur.

 

Its a fragile thing. It does not always happen even if the team is full of great individuals. It takes a lot of different pieces to make the collaboration work (and also a healthy dose of dumb luck as well as this oddly shaped ball bounces in difficult to accurately predict ways).

 

Personally, I am fond of an analysis which posits that a good collaboration or team includes several types (this is part of why diversity is often essential for success). None of them is sufficient in and of itself and all are necessary at different times. In general (though not totally accurately in all cases) they can be divided not into two types but three. Minder, Grinders, and Finders. The finders are the visionaries. They evoke and articulate a broader goal worth sacrificing to achieve.

 

The grinders (my personal favorite because I understand the importance of this but usually do not have the patience and resolve to stick with anything seemingly forever and I am not a grinder) are the folks who show up everyday (and twice on Sundays) and keep working without any thanks and do the job, and do the job, and do the job.

 

The minders are a pain in the butt if you ask me, but I do understand how essential they are. Minders are the moral compass of the operation often. Minders are those folks who are simply not satisfied with 90% correct (a nice B+ in the schools I went to) but insist on a A (93% in the schools I went to) and in fact consistently aspire to 100% though often this is unachievable.

 

No one (from my experience except for my wife who is perfect in everything she does and I know this is true because she is perfect and I told me she is never wrong- how can I object, she chose me) is all three things, a Finder, Minder and a Grinder. In fact, there is an intricate dance for the successful team where at various times someone else takes the weight and leads the team and one sits back. However, every one is totally committed to doing their part as best they can.

 

Its my sense that this is where decisions and efforts like the one made by Pat Tillman come from. He gave up on the achievement of amazing football team goals to seek another form of reliance and sharing with your fellow teammate. he paid for this with his life, but who really faults the choice he made for his fellow Americans.

 

My experiences have been in hiring people to be part of a team I have been fortunate enough to head up at times, that an important part of my leadership was to give everyone involved a sense of the pivotal and appreciated role of their small acts to a greater whole.

 

A good GM is one that can help a player and his agent to see that potential greater whole. Even better to let the player know he can succeed even if the team fails to win by sharing and collaborating seeking a goal together.

 

This is part of why being a rooter for the Bills team which lost their first Super Bowl was one of the best fan experiences I ever had (better even than being a lifelong Bears rooter whose team won the 1985 SB. I became a Bills fan when I married a Buffalo gal and moved to this city in 1989. The moment when the 30 or so of us watching Scotty Norwood line up and go wide right with his kick was a great moment because without any urging we all held hands when he lined up for the kick and shared the body language as we all leaned left.

 

Even better for me was watching Norwood address and apologize to the 20,000+ folks who came out to Niagara Sq. to welcome home the losing members of their family.

 

This was sports at its best to me.

 

The good GM is able to impart that quest to the young athlete.

 

That to me are the different types. Those who can impart that feeling and also those who can embrace it and thems that cannot.

 

I understand the choice of those who simply go for the bucks.

 

I do feel sorry for them.

[coseybedaman]

Aaron Williams is expected to be a STUD defensive back whether it be at safety or cornerback. You can never have too many of these guys. With Whitner out of the fold that situation needed to be addressed, and the strong possibility that we upgraded at that position with drafting Williams is exciting to me. Now The Whitner, Lynch, Maybin, and McKelvin picks I would have to agree with you on. I think those picks were based purely on the fact that they were reaches at the pick we drafted them, and could probably get them under contract more affordably then the players we SHOULD have picked those years.

 

The above doesn't even take into account idiotic picks such as Spiller, McKelvin, Whitner, Lynch, Maybin, and probably our second round corner this season.

Think about it. Last season we wasted the 9th pick of an NFL draft on Spiller, a situational/gadget player. In the 2011 offseason, we used the 4th pick of round 2 on a corner. We also re-signed a corner and signed a UFA who appears to be a gadget/situational player. It is pure and unexplainable stupidity.

 

While repeating the same stupid mistakes, can a rational person expect this team to improve? Sorry, I think not.

[GaryPinC]

right. we can psychoanalyze his/my comment to death along these lines, but let's not ignore the gist of it - essentially either an athlete is going to sign somewhere if the money is right, or he's not. Even though Lebron's "decision" was aired nationwide, and picked apart for the entire season, that process is essentially the same for every free agent. No amount of money Cleveland paid him was going to keep him there. He wanted to be in Miami, with his friends.

 

Football players have friends too. They are also allowed to want to play in Florida with no income tax (Poz.)

 

Just don't forget that while constructing your dream offensive line for the Buffalo Bills, it's a fair bet that our front office has also heard of these players that you want. The difference being that a 2 minute call to any of their agents might let them know that "player A is either going to dallas or miami, sorry."

 

Doesn't mean Ralph is cheap, or Buddy is old. It means that the Buffalo Bills play in Buffalo New York.

 

Lebron also wanted another superstar to play alongside with and that wasn't happening in Cleveland. Pretty much all the other players on his Cleveland teams were within the range of average. Cavalier offense during the playoffs often involved everyone standing around letting Lebron do everything. At the root of his decision was a desire to win a championship and he was unsure that Cleveland would get in the extra talent to do that. There's also the fact that Lebron was 25, a superstar who had spent his entire life in Cleveland/Akron. Can't blame him for wanting to get out and experience life somewhere else.

 

My point is that I think Hplarrm's insight is closer to reality than this goalie coach. There's a diversity of influences and motivators for every athelete and for some it's simple and others it's much more complex. And while Drury and Briere may have come to Buffalo wanting to get out as quickly as possible they may have found reason to stay in their time here but things didn't work out. Jim Kelly's the best example of changing his mind about Buffalo.