Tim Graham: Are the Bills shaking the Siberian stigma? It depends what matters to NFL players in free agency. (Paywall)

[Alphadawg7]

2 hours ago, DCOrange said:

Yeah, the article touches on that. Basically says Green Bay has the aura around it that Buffalo currently does not.

 

Also mentions that Buffalo has to offer more money than almost any other team due to the income taxes in New York. Teams like the California teams can get away with it because players want to live in LA, but Buffalo gets hit by the income tax as well as being a relatively undesirable place to live.

 

I tend to think that we can sign almost anyone we want if we're willing to overpay them. Sounds like some guys like Amari Cooper wouldn't even go for that though.

Well good thing there is almost no chance Beane has any interest in inconsistent and pass dropping Amari anyway.  
 

Amari is going to be over paid no matter who he signs with.  He’s a guy who puts a handful of big games up a year while the majority are duds.  Seasons totals look good cuz of it, but week to week he lacks consistent impact too much and he has shaky hands too.  
 

We already led the NFL in dropped passes, I don’t Beane wants to add the highest paid pass dropper too.

[All_Pro_Bills]

I don't take a lot of these player evaluations of NFL cities very seriously.  What do they have to go on?  A flight in on Saturday, one night in a hotel, and a bus ride to the stadium?  I expect the nightlife in KC isn't up to par with LA or NYC or NO.  I'll also suspect that almost every one of these players dissing Buffalo would give their front teeth to be on the Chiefs active roster on Sunday. 

 

The Bills were avoided because they were not contending.  That looks to be changing.  If you want a chance to help build a winner, come here.  If you want advanced training facilities, come here.  If you want to play in front of the most passionate fans in the league, come here.  If you think it might be a better opportunity elsewhere, take it and good luck to you.

[BillsFan4]

Buffalo will probably never be high on the list of Diva-type star players looking for fame and “big city living” (lots to do off the field and a crazy nightlife scene like in NYC or Miami, etc). 

 

But that’s ok. With this new regime in town I feel pretty good about being able to sign the guys they drafted (they don’t seem the type to want to run away from Buffalo 1st chance they get) as well as being able to attract the type of free agent players they are looking for.

 

Also, With the type of team they want to build, IMO Buffalo actually gives them a bit of a unique advantage. They can build a team filled with players who truly want to focus on football (because they aren’t signing here for the nightlife), and it also makes it easier to build a team atmosphere where guys become closer friends by hanging out with each other more often off the field (in part because there’s not a million other things they could/would be doing, like in big cities).

[DrDawkinstein]

27 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Well good thing there is almost no chance Beane has any interest in inconsistent and pass dropping Amari anyway.  
 

Amari is going to be over paid no matter who he signs with.  He’s a guy who puts a handful of big games up a year while the majority are duds.  Seasons totals look good cuz of it, but week to week he lacks consistent impact too much and he has shaky hands too.  
 

We already led the NFL in dropped passes, I don’t Beane wants to add the highest paid pass dropper too.

 

My feelings as well.

 

Folks bag on Jerry Hughes for his penalties but then clamor for Clowney who has 4x the amount of penalties.

Folks bag on our WRs for dropped balls but then clamor for Cooper who leads the league in dropped passes.

Neither of which want to come to Buffalo as it is.

 

This is just pouring more fuel on the fire, not solving the problem. But... I heard of them.

[atlbillsfan1975]

The Bills signed some pretty good FA so far under Beane and McDermott. 

Players who are focused on winning and what that takes are players that Beane and McDermott want.  These are also players who don’t care about being seen eating a fancy meal on Rodeo Drive during the season.

Edited January 29, 2020 by atlbillsfan1975

[noacls]

Really getting hard to continue watching a league that's full of women beaters and child abusers. 

[transplantbillsfan]

If you read the article and what all of the players say, it's basically about winning, not the city itself.

[Beast]

The Bills need to remember this when Amari Cooper comes for a visit just to try to drive his price up for another team to sign him.

 

Want to run your ignorant mouth? Screw you.

 

Somewhere, their agents are wincing.

[YoloinOhio]

Well you can scratch Amari Cooper off the FA wish list. 

 

Location, location, location,” Cooper said when asked his impression of Buffalo as a free-agent destination. “If I had to sum it up in three words, that’s what they would be.”

What about money, money, money?

“I don’t think it’s all about money,” Cooper said. “Most players in the NFL, and if you’re a highly touted free agent, you’re going to get paid a lot of money no matter where you go. So is it worth it to go somewhere you don’t want to go?

“You might be a guy like me, who is from South Florida and has never played a game in the snow. Is it worth $1 million more a year or $2 million more a year, especially if you’ve been taking care of your money? Is it worth that to be in an environment you don’t want to be in? Or would you rather stay somewhere in the South?”

[HappyDays]

7 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Well you can scratch Amari Cooper off the FA wish list. 

 

 

 

 

If I was any team reading that I'd cross him off my list. I don't care if you play for Houston, eventually you're gonna play a few games in the cold and snow. What a baby.

[JoPoy88]

8 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Well you can scratch Amari Cooper off the FA wish list. 

 

 

 

Never on mine to begin with. Talented guy, but too many disappearing acts.

[YoloinOhio]

1 minute ago, HappyDays said:

 

If I was any team reading that I'd cross him off my list. I don't care if you play for Houston, eventually you're gonna play a few games in the cold and snow. What a baby.

I thought the same thing. He’s frankly not even good enough for me to give a *****

[Alphadawg7]

Here is the deal.  Players who have an issue with "Buffalo" and make it about "things to do in Buffalo" proximity to other major cities etc, are not the type of players Beane and McD are looking for in the first place.  

 

The only guys that they will have interest in are players whose drive is football and winning.  Not guys who prioritize recreation and partying.  

 

I have no worries about our organizations ability to attract the types of players they are looking for.  We are an ascending team with a rabid fan base and great staff top to bottom with the best training facilities in the league.  We will attract the right players.

[DCbillsfan]

5 hours ago, Boatdrinks said:

As fans, we can say whatever we want and counter these points of view, but that doesn’t matter at all. What does matter is that actual NFL players have these views and perceptions, and that’s a problem. Denying them or trying to minimize them doesn’t make them go away. Green Bay is mentioned, but it still has a certain “ championship” aura to it and they still have Rodgers. That gives the organization credibility. Yes, money matters but these players are going to get paid somewhere. That means Buffalo has to pay more, and that is a big disadvantage. Other “ cold” NFL teams are near a major city, so there isn’t a lot attractive about Buffalo to a player with options. 

I think Green Bay is a good barometer for Buffalo.  Years ago they were terrible.  They got Favre and turned it around.  Winning is everything.  If Bills keep improving, the free agents will come.

[mjt328]

Every year (just prior to free agency), this topic pops up.

It doesn't matter how successful the Bills are in attracting free agents (and by all accounts, we did a fantastic job last season), there are still self-conscious Bills fans who are totally convinced we are a totally undesirable location for NFL players.  It's just not true.

 

Yes, Buffalo is cold.  Yes, Buffalo doesn't have as much to do as bigger cities.

But some people really don't mind the cold.  And there are lots of people who don't WANT to live in a crowded metropolitan area.

 

There are multitudes of factors that go into where free agents decide to play.  And I would imagine that weather is pretty low on most people's lists.  Money is most definitely near the top.  As would playing with a contender/winning organization.  Comfort with a particular coach, coaching staff, scheme or other players is probably very high as well.  Some players with families/children are going to factor in schools, just like regular people.  An article came out just this week on Richard Sherman, who was courted highly by the Detroit Lions.  But he DID NOT want to play for Matt Patricia, because he didn't feel his personality fit the "Patriot-Way" that was being installed.

 

Go back to the early days of free agency (right after our Super Bowl years), and we had no problem attracting the biggest names on the market.  Bryce Paup, Chris Spielman and Ted Washington were eager to come and play for us, because we had a winning reputation.  Mario Williams was sold on his love for the hunting grounds.  Takeo Spikes was impressed by the fans.  Last year, numerous guys talked about wanting to play with Josh Allen or falling in love with our state-of-the-art workout facility.  

 

Bottom line.  If a player doesn't want to come to Buffalo because of the snow, or because it doesn't have a hot club scene... then they probably won't fit this team anyway.

 

[machine gun kelly]

This is much ado about nothing.  Make the playoffs next year, and we are 3-4 yrs.  anyone would want to be part of it.  As someone said, they’re only here during the season, until they realize how special Buffalo is as a place.  We keep winning and people will come.  I know Breen Bay was brought up, but you guys know how god awful cold KC is in the winter, and there isn’t that much to do there.  I’ve been there so many time for work, and it’s a nice small city, but it’s not NYC, or Miami.  If you take that logic, why isn’t everyone on the planet wanting to go to Jax, Miami, Tampa, LA, SF, and so on.  This is a job for these guys.  They want a fair compensation, but a city eventually will make them love them.

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

A city with things to do for average buffalo Joe Sixpack is very different than a city with something to do for young ego driven millionaires. Combine that with crappy weather for a fair portion of the year, NYS income taxes, and an overall record of crappy football?  It is what it is and you will pay a “Buffalo tax” for free agents 

[SirAndrew]

4 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

I see a lot of folks in this thread disagreeing that players should feel that way... yet posting from places other than Buffalo ourselves. ?

 

Looks like the majority of us in here are in Atlanta. And even more so the Southeast in general. Better weather, better jobs, lower taxes, etc. So we, as "free agents in life", are guilty of it too. Heck, I moved back to Buffalo in 2014 to give the resurgence a shot, yet here I am back in Atlanta 3 years later.

 

Guess Im not a "process guy" (again, whatever that is).

That’s comparing apples and oranges imo. The average person pursuing a career, better weather, or lower taxes isn’t the same as a pro football player. Your reference to better jobs and lower taxes are money related issues. People often leave an area to make more money, but if Buffalo is the place where a player can earn the most, they’re coming here imo. Remember that football players aren’t necessarily laying down roots where they play either. These guys are free to live anywhere they choose during the off-season. Much different scenario than WNY expats. 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

People from Buffalo hate Buffalo but make the most of it.

 

It's funny though that I always see these articles when Buffalo teams are good. I remember when the Sabres were the best team in hockey and NHL players voted Buffalo the 2nd worst city to be traded to behind Edmonton.

 

It is what it is. Buffalo isn't our problem, I don't know why fans get upset when people don't want to be here. Especially people from the south.

Edited January 30, 2020 by Buffalo_Stampede

[noacls]

Since you have a scumbag rapist as your avatar did not think you would understand C. Biscuit97.