What's stopping the Bills from becoming like GB, in terms of owner

[beerme1]

The NFL changes rules all the time. I love how everyone acts like they can see the future and that the league won't allow that again. Did you all think the same about gay marriage and legalization of marijuana?

 

While I respect your position. I maintain mine. Gay marriage, pot and hell for good measure let's add the blackout rule (likely to fall soon) all have one thing in common.

A groundswell of support that eventually won out. There is no support for community owned teams outside of Buffalo and Green Bay. They got theirs and the NFL closed the

door on it forever I believe. There is no shortage of rich guys that will be lining up to buy this team and the NFL will benefit from that.

They don't need or want a community again.

[Meatloaf Sandwich]

The people of GB still have no say. Owning a piece of GB Packers is like having a nice souvenir like a TD ball. You will never actually be able to do anything with it but hey at least you can say you own a piece heh.

[ExiledInIllinois]

The people of GB still have no say. Owning a piece of GB Packers is like having a nice souvenir like a TD ball. You will never actually be able to do anything with it but hey at least you can say you own a piece heh.

 

What would they have a say about? The team will never move. Maybe if there are stadium issues? How did GB come up w/the whole out of conference games in Milwaukee idea? And what about the full time move back to Lambeau? Did they get a say then?

[Meatloaf Sandwich]

 

 

What would they have a say about? The team will never move. Maybe if there are stadium issues? How did GB come up w/the whole out of conference games in Milwaukee idea? And what about the full time move back to Lambeau? Did they get a say then?

 

Why are you asking questions?

[3rdnlng]

IMO, they will never get rid of the rod/stick & chain... They already got it down to the minimum number of guys on the chain crew and the accuracy MAY not be that much better.

 

I worked as a hydrographic surveyor on a survey crew. I used to sound (take depth readings) all the harbors (and rivers associated w/them) from Toledo, OH in the west to Ogdensburg, NY in east. We'd take the soundings to determine how much material would or would not have to be dredged (Harbors & Rivers Act). I did this during the era that led into GPS technology. Pre-GPS, we would have to establish elevation guages in the water and then build baseline all along a shore and then we would sound the water @ stations off that baseline... All by hand, in a rowboat w/a small outboard motor... We would get to 100th of an inch onshore for the baseline with rods and chains and then come off those stations with a boat and tagline. A tagline was a big spool of cable on the boat that had cloth markers every 5 feet. As the boat came off the baseline @ the designated angle (usually 90 degrees set by guy w/sextant or two range poles when there was no shore guy), the tagline would pay out... Another guy would then take a hand sounding with a lead line (think window sash chain with various types of weights depending on botton type) @ various tagline cloth marks. The sounder would call the depth reading out while the crew chief recorded the sounding and @ what point... w/paper and pencil that data would be recorded into the survey book. Data would be then be corrected/adjusted to the elevation of the water. All sounding data would then be plotted onto a chart @ the office. Sometimes big harbors like BFLO, the survey boat would not have enough tagline... +1,000's of feet on the spool. More boats would be needed to cross and get the measurements way out. It would take 3 crews of 5 or 6 guys to work a place like BFLO Harbor, year in and year out, maintaining it...

 

Now... One or two guys in a survey launch can sweep the harbor in half a day with GPS!

 

Anyway... Back in the day we would build that baseline to 100th of an inch yet when we would get out onto the water we could be within 10 feet to take the sounding! :-O

 

What is the accuracy of the GPS? Under 30 feet? :-O

 

Close enough? Both? Building a missile base to launch bottle rockets?

 

Anyway... Sorry for the long winded story, but IMO football is better served with the slightly more people needed to operate the chains and sticks/rods as a crew. The observer (fan) can actually see the integrity of the chain. Go to lasers and what not, who's not second guessing that the parameters set in the machine aren't being doctored or cheated with? Do you trust the tech and the NFL? I want to see a chain! Just as good and just as accurate.

 

Mechanical chains are trustworthy... Save the GPS and lasers for BFLO Harbor where they can eliminate 100 year 'round good paying jobs (from rod & chainmen to plotters and drafters) for 2 guys doing it all!

 

Are you saying you could get to 1/100th of an inch with chains and poles?

[switz1610]

Here is an article in the Washington Post regarding an initiative by chef David Chang who is a redskins fan. Disillusioned with the way the team is being run, he is starting a kickstarter campaign to crowd fund the purchase of the team. The result would be a quasi-green bay packers type ownership structure, which the NFL has prohibited. Fans have stated for years the similarities between the Packers and the Bills (championships aside) franchises and fan bases, crowd funding with kickstarter may be our path to success.

 

Just an interesting idea I thought I would pass along, however, if it does gain some groundswell it could be cool.

 

http://www.washingto...y-the-redskins/

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[bigK14094]

As an interesting sidelight to the discussion on the community ownership of the Packers, there is a board of directors (I think thats what they call them in this case), and former Bill's LB Bryce Paup sits on that board! ( I recall fondly his 16 sack season with the Bills)

[Big Turk]

The NFL doesn't allow it

[GaryPinC]

 

No potential buyers? Are you insane? When this team is put up for auction, it will be the wildest "can you top this" event in the history of the NFL. When has an NFL team (there are only 32 of them in the universe) ever (ever) been put up for open auction? I believe the answer is "never" (someone needs to look this up). This will be wild, with many bidders coming out of the woodwork for whom money is no object. The whole GB thing is very quaint, but you guys need to wake up and smell the coffee… this auction will be wild and any cute little group from the ole B Lo who thinks they will get the home town discount is in for a rude awakening.

 

Do you really believe there will be a truly "open" auction? What happens when the NFL does not approve the new ownership? Ralph Wilson has always been acutely sensitive to putting the league above the individual teams. I also believe that he seeks to burden his family as little as possible with the sale of this franchise. I would bet he has mapped out the process with the league and it will be a pretty orderly process. What makes the most sense is to have a small group of bidders, each pre-approved by the NFL. Closed bidding.

 

Where they are in that process is completely subjective, all the innuendos from Kelly et al. about the Bills' future seem to me to indicate there is at least a process, and if you put any stock in Kelly's confidence, keeping the team in the Buffalo area for at least some specified length of time is part of the process. You could get crazy and suppose the 7th year buyout might be to facilitate moving to a new stadium or simply moving out of town.

 

I could see RW identifying ownership groups now and negotiating the details of ownership transfer (minus the sale price) ahead of time to ease the burden on his family. But I don't know any more than anybody else and probably less.