buffalobillsfootball Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 (edited) Talked with Bill Polian last week on SiriusXM NFL Kicks and asked Bill two questions: 1) Do you think the Bills will stay in WNY? His response: Bill said that the Bills will stay in WNY though the duration of its lease with Erie County but would not really comment beyond that... He did add: If the NFL even tries to move an existing team outside the United States - you can expect powerful politicians in Washington to begin sessions on pulling the NFL's tax exempt status. He said there is no chance that the NFL will fool around with that and that the Bills will likely stay put. 2) If the Bills stay, where should the Bills new stadium be? His response: Although Bill loves the sight lines at the Ralph - it's time to build new. He said Buffalo should build a new stadium anywhere north of Orchard Park and specifically mentioned the City of Buffalo or Niagara County. He mentioned that the stadium in its current location is stuck in a snow belt and that the new stadium must have a ROOF. Always interesting to get a national perspective on the Buffalo Bills. It's critical that Buffalo get this right. This is a huge decision and it is paramount that we get this located in the right area - with as little corruption and behind the scene deals where a select few benefit. This decision is bigger than Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz - he needs to keep his mouth shut regarding the existing location and let the true powers that be (new owner and Cuomo's hired experts) find the right solution. go bills! Edited May 31, 2014 by buffalobillsfootball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 If the NFL even tries to move an existing team outside the United States - you can expect powerful politicians in Washington to begin sessions on pulling the NFL's tax exempt status. He said there is no chance that the NFL will fool around with that and that the BIlls will likely stay put. Oh please! For a few bucks the NFL can buy off all the right people. Gimme a break. The politicians are nothing but dogs on a leash with the uber wealthy holding the leash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomon Grundy Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 (edited) I agree with Polian, of course. The Sabres play downtown. Pegula's new project in down on the harbor. Why not have new stadium down there with retractable roof? Incorporate this with the UB project and downtown Buffalo will thrive once again Edited May 31, 2014 by the skycap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Polian's opinion is interesting because obviously he knows both the NFL and Buffalo. I believe if Poloncarz keeps his mouth shut, he's not doing his job as an elected official. He should advocate for Erie County because the future of the stadium - and the fate of the Bills - are hugely important to his constituency. I just hope his counsel is wise and that his work effectively helps the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF Bills Fan Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Too bad we can't get him to come back as GM. He was the architect of the golden era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ennjay Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I'm wondering how many people on this board remember the political fights from ~45 years ago over the location of the Ralph, before it was Rich Stadium. The politicians divided predictably (Dems for the city, Reps for the 'Burbs). The then-Buffalo Evening News pushed hard for as far away from downtown as possible so Mrs. Butler's trucks wouldn't get caught in traffic jams after games. 'Course, there was a lot of talk then about a multi-purpose stadium that a baseball team could play in. Nobody does that anymore -- I think Oakland has the only shared FB/BB stadium left. We learned the first time around that a stadium on a remote island away from any other commercial development, like the one in Orchard Park, has as little secondary positive impact as you can get. So do the politicians and business people get it or, assuming there's the money to build anything, did they learn too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I'm on record hoping for a Niagara Falls super dome and complete agree with BP that Orchard Park was a very poor choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 (edited) Oh please! For a few bucks the NFL can buy off all the right people. Gimme a break. The politicians are nothing but dogs on a leash with the uber wealthy holding the leash. You have no idea how wrong you are, that coming from multiple people in the know and behind the scenes per several articles that have been written about it. They are very scared of f***ing with Cuomo and/or Schumer considering Cuomo is likely a presidential candidate and Schumer a very powerful Senator. The NFL has a "mob" mentality...they make a ton of money and have some very questionable breaks given to them by Congress. All they want to do is keep making money and be left alone, upsetting as few people in the process as possible who could put a big kink in the money hose, so to speak. There is ZERO chance they do something that could upset someone like Cuomo and/or Schumer, its just not how they operate. Moving the Bills just isn't worth the potential loss of the golden egg. Edited May 31, 2014 by matter2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincec Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I'm wondering how many people on this board remember the political fights from ~45 years ago over the location of the Ralph, before it was Rich Stadium. The politicians divided predictably (Dems for the city, Reps for the 'Burbs). The then-Buffalo Evening News pushed hard for as far away from downtown as possible so Mrs. Butler's trucks wouldn't get caught in traffic jams after games. 'Course, there was a lot of talk then about a multi-purpose stadium that a baseball team could play in. Nobody does that anymore -- I think Oakland has the only shared FB/BB stadium left. We learned the first time around that a stadium on a remote island away from any other commercial development, like the one in Orchard Park, has as little secondary positive impact as you can get. So do the politicians and business people get it or, assuming there's the money to build anything, did they learn too? Ironically, having the stadium downtown usually leads to LESS traffic problems. The road infrastructure in downtown is designed to handle tens of thousands of commuters on a daily basis and what you get on game day is usually no big deal. However, I am mixed on a downtown football stadium unless you are going to try and build some kind of multi-tenant, mega complex. A football only stadium is only used for 8 to 10 days per year and it takes up such a huge footprint with parking deck and practice facilities that it basically makes several blocks of totally dead space- not really what you want downtown. Unlike the hockey arena, it's generally too big for other uses or events. Maybe if it could be wrapped effectively in retail, office, housing or other uses it could work but you'd be looking at a gigantic facility and a huge price tag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yungmack Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I'm wondering how many people on this board remember the political fights from ~45 years ago over the location of the Ralph, before it was Rich Stadium. The politicians divided predictably (Dems for the city, Reps for the 'Burbs). The then-Buffalo Evening News pushed hard for as far away from downtown as possible so Mrs. Butler's trucks wouldn't get caught in traffic jams after games. 'Course, there was a lot of talk then about a multi-purpose stadium that a baseball team could play in. Nobody does that anymore -- I think Oakland has the only shared FB/BB stadium left. We learned the first time around that a stadium on a remote island away from any other commercial development, like the one in Orchard Park, has as little secondary positive impact as you can get. So do the politicians and business people get it or, assuming there's the money to build anything, did they learn too? I do remember that, as well as the stadium was to be roofed and in Lancaster. The dome in NOLA is the one that was to be built in Buffalo or so I was told. BTW, the anecdote about the Buffalo Evening News is a perfect metaphor for the parochialism that once (still?) contributed mightily to the decline of the city. Lots and lots of short-sighted decisions made to preserve the status/interests of this group or that, something we are now starting to see on a national scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulMan Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I'm wondering how many people on this board remember the political fights from ~45 years ago over the location of the Ralph, before it was Rich Stadium. The politicians divided predictably (Dems for the city, Reps for the 'Burbs). The then-Buffalo Evening News pushed hard for as far away from downtown as possible so Mrs. Butler's trucks wouldn't get caught in traffic jams after games. 'Course, there was a lot of talk then about a multi-purpose stadium that a baseball team could play in. Nobody does that anymore -- I think Oakland has the only shared FB/BB stadium left. We learned the first time around that a stadium on a remote island away from any other commercial development, like the one in Orchard Park, has as little secondary positive impact as you can get. So do the politicians and business people get it or, assuming there's the money to build anything, did they learn too? It was corruption that killed the dome,pure and simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahbonas Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Oh please! For a few bucks the NFL can buy off all the right people. Gimme a break. The politicians are nothing but dogs on a leash with the uber wealthy holding the leash. So either you believe that you are better informed than Bill Polian or you believe Bill Polian has some incentive to make this up. By the way - Tim Graham's article last week mentioned he had FOUR well placed sources that stated the same thing that the NFL has multiple privileges that can be changed by politicians and the last thing they want to do is open up any can of worms. But hey - you post here and you know more than those 5 sources. Why read and learn when you can simply post away in ignorance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machine gun kelly Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 You have no idea how wrong you are, that coming from multiple people in the know and behind the scenes per several articles that have been written about it. They are very scared of f***ing with Cuomo and/or Schumer considering Cuomo is likely a presidential candidate and Schumer a very powerful Senator. The NFL has a "mob" mentality...they make a ton of money and have some very questionable breaks given to them by Congress. All they want to do is keep making money and be left alone, upsetting as few people in the process as possible who could put a big kink in the money hose, so to speak. There is ZERO chance they do something that could upset someone like Cuomo and/or Schumer, its just not how they operate. Moving the Bills just isn't worth the potential loss of the golden egg. I haven't read the rest of this thread yet, but your right on the money. What benefit do politicians have of a team in Toronto? None. They have leverage and the owners know it. This is about getting a new stadium, and getting a decent price for the Bills. With a new stadium close to the border they cash in on increased Canadien dollars spent in the US, and increased Regional revenue from people in Rochester. They do not want Cleveland again. Spending time there for work, it is such an ugly scene with how hated Modell is for selling the team, and moving, even though I understand why he did it. The owners do not want this to happen again. It is one thing for Jax, San Diego, etc. these are good teams, but they do not have the fan base and traditions like Buffalo. The NFL owners know this point. It is more than Buffalo as they get the regionalization of most of upstate NY, which is still one of the most populated states in the Nation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zonabb Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Polian is misguided and frankly wrong if he thinks the county executive who oversaw the current lease, whose government owns the stadium, and whose taxpayers (who elected him mind you) are footing the bill for the improvements and have for decades should stand down. So he should shut his mouth and quietly walk away after all the county and its taxpayers have given this team and helped secure Wilson's massive return on investment off the backs of the public? I want my elected official who is spending my tax dollars on a publically owned stadium to do what he can to make sure this team stays in Buffalo/Erie County. I like Polian as a football man but his opinion is worth a squirt of piss in this discussion. He should shut his mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpleman Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I could care less about economically boosting the City Of Buffalo. A stadium is for playing football. If the Ralph can be modified to make it acceptable to the league and the new owner so they keep the team in WNY, that is all that football fans should care about, not about enriching some special interest population segment of the area. It is not about being a gravy train to boost a certain segment of WNY at the expense of the rest of the area. A stadium should be built for football, not a bunch of schemers looking for another batch of taxpayer money to milk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpleman Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 With a new stadium close to the border they cash in on increased Canadien dollars spent in the US, and increased Regional revenue from people in Rochester. I question your logic. Do you really think someone from Rochester, or Central NY, the Southern Tier, or elsewhere outside of Buffalo/Niagara Falls are more likely to drive all the way to the Border to see a game? Or that many more Canadians will come to the games if it closer to the border? The problem is crossing the border, not the short drive to OP after dealing with crossing the border headaches . Access is not an issue with OP. It is just the people in Buffalo/Niagara Falls that want the stadium in THEIR city, not the fans you are looking for in regionalization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Orchard Park is in a "snow belt"? The US government will do nothing if the NFL wants to put a team out of the US. To suggest they would is laughable. So is the needless repeating of the possibility of altering the anti-trust status of the NFL. Also, Tim Graham's article said nothing about any politician challenging the anti-trust status of the league. Common sense should inform everyone that if every NFL team was allowed to make it's own uniform/TV/etc deals there would be no profit sharing and a team like Buffalo would would be gone in a flash. Why posters keep repeating that Schumer or Cuomo would ever try to make this happen? This nonsense has to stop. It's magical thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurmal34 Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Isn't the Buffalo TV market the 9th largest in the league? Didn't they pull some of the highest shares in the NFL even last year, at 6-10? Perhaps i'm wrong, but I seem to remember this being tweeted more than a few times last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I question your logic. Do you really think someone from Rochester, or Central NY, the Southern Tier, or elsewhere outside of Buffalo/Niagara Falls are more likely to drive all the way to the Border to see a game? Or that many more Canadians will come to the games if it closer to the border? The problem is crossing the border, not the short drive to OP after dealing with crossing the border headaches . Access is not an issue with OP. It is just the people in Buffalo/Niagara Falls that want the stadium in THEIR city, not the fans you are looking for in regionalization. Orchard Park was not even in the discussion as a location for a stadium in the late 1960s. The stadium ended up there by default, after what can only be described as a cluster f@ck. Stupidity, corruption and greed ruled the day. I always believed it was built in OP because of it's proximity to wealthy suburbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSNBDSC Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 (edited) Stayin Ignore the noise. Edited May 31, 2014 by tsnbd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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