PromoTheRobot Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) https://buffalonews.com/sports/professional/nfl/bills/the-orlando-bills-heres-what-might-have-been-if-team-looked-to-relocate/article_a3c74d58-9b59-11ee-b0b0-0ff8fdd3ee6c.html The vultures are always circling, like this guy in Orlando who thought he could poach the Bills as recently as last year. Both the Bills and Sabres, and maybe even the Bandits, are desirable assets that billionaires covet. The Orlando Bills? Here's what might have been if team looked to relocate ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s a crowded late-autumn Monday morning at Orlando International Airport, and I’m weaving through multiple terminals and thick crowds to find Pat Williams, the storied sports executive who helped bring a big-league franchise to this city some 35 years ago. He wants to do it again. Search Williams’ name, and you’ll read about how he helped build the NBA's Orlando Magic. You’ll also find that he is leading a group called the Orlando Dreamers that is trying bring Major League Baseball here. That is his big goal, but until last spring, Williams had one eye on still another possibility, albeit a fancifully faint one: The Orlando Bills. That never happened, and it won’t. But when Williams was watching, it wasn’t an impossibility, and so I’m here today to take the visit that Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula never did. Or never had to. What would a Bills visit to Orlando – or any of the several potential NFL relocation cities – have looked like? I asked Williams to give me the same tour (or as best as he could approximate it) that he would have given to Pegula, or any prospective investor or owner looking to relocate. – Tim O'Shei Edited January 7 by PromoTheRobot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 7 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said: https://buffalonews.com/sports/professional/nfl/bills/the-orlando-bills-heres-what-might-have-been-if-team-looked-to-relocate/article_a3c74d58-9b59-11ee-b0b0-0ff8fdd3ee6c.html The vultures are always circling, like this guy in Orlando who thought he could poach the Bills as recently as last year. Both the Bills and Sabres, and maybe even the Bandits, are desirable assets that billionaires covet. Read your article. "This guy" was desperately hoping the Bills Billionaire would give him a call if the state didn't build a stadium (let's assume OBD doesn't know who "this guy" even is). There were no other coveting billionaires involved. He's a "sports executive" who helped land an NBA franchise 35 years ago and now seems to be spending his days waiting by his phone for a call from MLB. A welcoming luncheon....lol. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfanmiamioh Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 5 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said: Read your article. "This guy" was desperately hoping the Bills Billionaire would give him a call if the state didn't build a stadium (let's assume OBD doesn't know who "this guy" even is). There were no other coveting billionaires involved. He's a "sports executive" who helped land an NBA franchise 35 years ago and now seems to be spending his days waiting by his phone for a call from MLB. A welcoming luncheon....lol. The sentiment of the post is valid but this article is a pretty poor example of it. All the obvious obstacles aside, no way nfl would ever allow a central Florida team considering they already have two nearby (one of which already struggles with fan base support) 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 4 minutes ago, billsfanmiamioh said: The sentiment of the post is valid but this article is a pretty poor example of it. All the obvious obstacles aside, no way nfl would ever allow a central Florida team considering they already have two nearby (one of which already struggles with fan base support) Even Hochul didn't really believe the Bills would move, but she's savvy enough to take the limp threat PSE gave her to use as cover for this huge public giveaway. It was all Kabuki theater. This guy in Orlando seems like a really nice man, but also seems to be clinging to his past as some sort of mover and shaker. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warcodered Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Gross, and then there'd be four Florida teams like a whole division unto themselves. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Lamb Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said: https://buffalonews.com/sports/professional/nfl/bills/the-orlando-bills-heres-what-might-have-been-if-team-looked-to-relocate/article_a3c74d58-9b59-11ee-b0b0-0ff8fdd3ee6c.html The vultures are always circling, like this guy in Orlando who thought he could poach the Bills as recently as last year. Both the Bills and Sabres, and maybe even the Bandits, are desirable assets that billionaires covet. The Orlando Bills? Here's what might have been if team looked to relocate ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s a crowded late-autumn Monday morning at Orlando International Airport, and I’m weaving through multiple terminals and thick crowds to find Pat Williams, the storied sports executive who helped bring a big-league franchise to this city some 35 years ago. He wants to do it again. Search Williams’ name, and you’ll read about how he helped build the NBA's Orlando Magic. You’ll also find that he is leading a group called the Orlando Dreamers that is trying bring Major League Baseball here. That is his big goal, but until last spring, Williams had one eye on still another possibility, albeit a fancifully faint one: The Orlando Bills. That never happened, and it won’t. But when Williams was watching, it wasn’t an impossibility, and so I’m here today to take the visit that Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula never did. Or never had to. What would a Bills visit to Orlando – or any of the several potential NFL relocation cities – have looked like? I asked Williams to give me the same tour (or as best as he could approximate it) that he would have given to Pegula, or any prospective investor or owner looking to relocate. – Tim O'Shei Just as the NFL tries to fend off San Antonio (See Jerry J) - no way they allow another Florida team - Mexico City and London are the way to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 1 minute ago, Bob Lamb said: Just as the NFL tries to fend off San Antonio (See Jerry J) - no way they allow another Florida team - Mexico City and London are the way to go! Holy hell you're alive! I thought we'd lost you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBFL Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 20 minutes ago, Warcodered said: Gross, and then there'd be four Florida teams like a whole division unto themselves. Four Florida teams? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warcodered Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 1 minute ago, BBFL said: Four Florida teams? The article is about somebody trying to get the Bills to move to Orlando when they were trying to get a new Stadium. So even if it wasn't them if another team went there, there would be the Jaguars, Buccaneers, Dolphins, and >insert team here< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBFL Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 1 minute ago, Warcodered said: The article is about somebody trying to get the Bills to move to Orlando when they were trying to get a new Stadium. So even if it wasn't them if another team went there, there would be the Jaguars, Buccaneers, Dolphins, and >insert team here< You know what, I changed tabs without realizing and was wondering what “four Florida teams” had to do with the playoffs. My bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Lamb Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) 26 minutes ago, Pine Barrens Mafia said: Holy hell you're alive! I thought we'd lost you I get a 24 hour pass every now & then Edited January 7 by Bob Lamb 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 3 minutes ago, Bob Lamb said: I get a 24 hour pass every now & then Good to see Roy you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDIGGZ Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 35 minutes ago, Bob Lamb said: Just as the NFL tries to fend off San Antonio (See Jerry J) - no way they allow another Florida team - Mexico City and London are the way to go! Toronto...wait no jk definitely not Toronto - JBJovi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) 1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said: https://buffalonews.com/sports/professional/nfl/bills/the-orlando-bills-heres-what-might-have-been-if-team-looked-to-relocate/article_a3c74d58-9b59-11ee-b0b0-0ff8fdd3ee6c.html The vultures are always circling, like this guy in Orlando who thought he could poach the Bills as recently as last year. Both the Bills and Sabres, and maybe even the Bandits, are desirable assets that billionaires covet. The Orlando Bills? Here's what might have been if team looked to relocate ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s a crowded late-autumn Monday morning at Orlando International Airport, and I’m weaving through multiple terminals and thick crowds to find Pat Williams, the storied sports executive who helped bring a big-league franchise to this city some 35 years ago. He wants to do it again. Search Williams’ name, and you’ll read about how he helped build the NBA's Orlando Magic. You’ll also find that he is leading a group called the Orlando Dreamers that is trying bring Major League Baseball here. That is his big goal, but until last spring, Williams had one eye on still another possibility, albeit a fancifully faint one: The Orlando Bills. That never happened, and it won’t. But when Williams was watching, it wasn’t an impossibility, and so I’m here today to take the visit that Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula never did. Or never had to. What would a Bills visit to Orlando – or any of the several potential NFL relocation cities – have looked like? I asked Williams to give me the same tour (or as best as he could approximate it) that he would have given to Pegula, or any prospective investor or owner looking to relocate. – Tim O'Shei Whenever I read or hear whiners declaring that the Pegulas should sell the Bills or Sabres, I think about that old Chinese proverb: “Be careful what you wish for.” I do not believe that there was anyone - other than the Pegulas - that would keep the team in Buffalo when the Wilson estate auctioned the team. The Pegulas overpaid for the team at the time (relative to the Bills value as a team IN BUFFALO) to make sure that the team stayed in Buffalo. If the Bills or Sabres were sold today, I don’t see anyone out there who could afford either team (and the carrying costs) and would be sentimental about keeping the teams in Buffalo. Financially, it would make more sense to move the teams to a larger market (presumably even with having to pay whatever penalty would have to be paid re the new stadium). Again, I will never understand the people who scream for the Pegulas to sell either team. Edited January 7 by Peter 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heitz Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Team is going to play in the new EPCOT BuffaloLand. Should be sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Lamb Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 12 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said: Toronto...wait no jk definitely not Toronto - J B Jovi If you go to the Bills mecca at Santa Monica (Busby's) - the first thing they do is throw Bon Jovi CD's in the urinal. I cannot comment on what happens in the ladies room? Is that allowed in California anymore? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 It's crazy we have two major league sports teams. I'm a little uneasy about the state of the Sabres and the expiring lease though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 2 hours ago, Mr. WEO said: It was all Kabuki theater. Sounds messy. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Coot Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 In 1960 Ralph Wilson was awarded the Miami franchise in the AFL. So why are the Bills not the Miami team? Wilson had no stadium. The Orange Bowl was not available. The All-American Football League had a Miami Seahawks tram but they left town on 1946 without paying their Orange Bowl rent. As a result the Orange Bowl later refused to rent to the AFL. Wilson was then offered a choice of three cities: Louisville, Atlanta, and Buffalo. After looking at the attendance figures for the defunct AAFL Buffalo franchise, Wilson chose Buffalo and the rest is history. Except for the fact that Buffalo's colors for the first two years were blue and gray, the colors of Wilson's favorite NFL team the Detroit Lions. So in some alternate history dimension, Buffalo's fans are rooting for the Dolphins and Miami's fans are rooting for the Bills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uninja Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 3 hours ago, Warcodered said: Gross, and then there'd be four Florida teams like a whole division unto themselves. Florida does not need 4 NFL franchises, they can barely pack the stadiums as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warcodered Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 2 minutes ago, uninja said: Florida does not need 4 NFL franchises, they can barely pack the stadiums as it is. Well not with their own fans at least. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Lamb Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 12 minutes ago, uninja said: Florida does not need 4 NFL franchises, they can barely pack the stadiums as it is. And forever on the verge of losing Jacksonville. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ControllerOfPlanetX Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Drove by Abbott Road today…stadium is going up, so I will now take them for granted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 14 minutes ago, ControllerOfPlanetX said: Drove by Abbott Road today…stadium is going up, so I will now take them for granted. Not so fast, my friend. The lease buyout is $850MM. The Bills are valued at $4B. $4.85B for a franchise worth $6B in a larger city isn't so daunting, is it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyC81 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I was one that thought they could come out of the bye and run the table when many on here were counting them out at 6-6. Now, let’s keep the momentum going to Vegas and win one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 8 hours ago, uninja said: Florida does not need 4 NFL franchises, they can barely pack the stadiums as it is. Well if they all had d0mes...... according to experts number of seats are not important as long as enough boxes and PSLs are sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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