purple haze

NHL is a different business than the NFL. The NFL is more profitable. Teams have to spend to a certain amount in the NFL. The Islanders were also having issues with Nassau Coliseum right? Hence the move to Brooklyn. A new stadium is not going to be an issue for the Bills. I don't think it's an apples to apples comparison between his Islanders tenure and his potential NFL tenure. Because it was believed his financing of the purchase would include too much debt. Sounds like a good possibility. I would say though, as much as Niagara Falls could use redevelopment, if the Bills played out there the state and Erie County need to ensure the continue redevelopment of downtown Buffalo at the same time. WNY should be a gold mine in general. Hopefully, this will be one time when corruption, lack of vision or incompetence won't derail a good possibilities.

No. Lee is good, but he's not in Watkins class. If the Bills traded down and had to get a WR Odell Beckham, Jr. should be the pick at that point. Lee is very similar to Robert Woods. That's not a bad thing. But Watkins is blatantly a better talent. And Beckham is more consistently explosive even when Lee is healthy.

He shouldn't be taken at pick 9. Being a safe talent does not an elite talent make. In the top 10 a team should be getting a difference maker. If that can't be obtained at 9 then the Bills either need to trade up and get that talent or trade down and see if Martin is still there at that point. Whaley and co. have me utterly confused so they are doing a hell of a job leading up to next week. I can see them trading up, trading down or staying put and taking a WR, TE, OL, DL or LB. LOL

What two draft picks? They trade SJ13 and a 2nd in this scenario. They swap 9 for 4. So it's not actually giving up a first because they get a first back.

Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland games were all down to the wire. If they win those games they're 9-7. Saying a "6-10" team is meaningless. A bounce here or there is all that means. Bills have talent all over the field. They need a RT, but they might like Hairston. Or they might not think it's a dire as you do. As dire as you believe the line to be they were one of the top rushing teams in the NFL and could have finished with a winning record. 2nd year QB's is meaningless too. EJ has to step up. Simple as that. And that's what they seem to be counting on. So they build the talent around him. Watkins is dynamic. I can see how they believe playoffs are a distinct possibility.

I hear you. I think it's more of a case of a person without the pedigree trying to get credit for what he does report and getting his name out there. But I can see how some can take it the wrong way. A lot of bloggers use info from other sources and don't always give credit or do it in a timely fashion. It's a competitive biz. Even moreso if you have no rep.

Its regulated up front by who they choose to sell the team to. And by selling the team to someone with a business plan that would show how they can keep the team in WNY and make money. Is a TO group or L.A. group going through the hassle of that type of in-depth plan if they are just going to move the team?

LoL at the folks who still refuse to see the good news. Anything is possible, but it's not likely. Enjoy your football team into perpetuity. No. He did say this was the case a long time ago and some folks treated him like someone who had no real info. He deserves his props.

A sports broadcaster in Columbia, SC is irrelevant. As they would say down there, "God bless his heart."

Very possible. That was a thought I had which is why I threw in SJ13 instead of more picks. But yeah, Watkins to Cleveland looks like a possibility. Imagine Gordon, Cameron and Watkins?? Lord... I doubt that. Chandler allows them to run two TE sets. And Chandler can play. He's just not the explosive player like Ebron or Davis or Graham or Gronk. Bye bye Lee Smith would be more like it to me.

I don't think Evans is a dynamic enough talent to move up for. He is a very good talent, yes. But teams move up for players who can score from anywhere on the field. That's Watkins, not Evans. Stuck with him? Can we give the kid some time before you want to toss him out the door? He needs to improve, but he also did some good things last year.

You said it. Smoke and mirrors my friend. I don't doubt Whaley likes Clowney to a degree, but if they trade up I think it would be in the 3-5 range and they would grab Watkins. I think that's truly Whaley's guy. It might also allow him to substitute players in lieu of several draft picks. My hypothetical guess: Watkins gets past J-ville. Whaley does a deal with the Browns. Bills send: 9th pick Manny Lawson Stevie Johnson Browns return: 4th pick 6th rd pick (2014) Browns still get a pick in top 10. Get a young, very good starting WR and a DE who is proven in their scheme. Bills recoup that 6th rounder spent on Williams, get the 4th pick to grab Watkins and give Lawson a chance to play in a scheme that fits him. w/Watkins on board, SJ13 goes to Cleveland and settles in nicely with Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron. (I would hate to see SJ13 go btw). Seems like an equitable trade to me. Browns get two starters, one who is still young just to drop 5 spots in the draft. Bills get the dynamite to go with Woods, Williams and Goodwin. I'm not saying this would be the exact trade, but something like this. There are still veterans out on the market for depth. Vets who have already proven themselves at the NFL level unlike a 4th, 5th, 7th round pick who you can't count on to make the team at this point. The Bills already have playoff talent. It's up to EJ. Get EJ more weapons and protection. Or make the defense beyond dominant. That will help him too. You talk like it's five years ago with the depth thing.

You like Hockey. We get it. Reggie White better than Bruce? Very debatable. More like even. Emmitt or Barry better than The Juice? Just stop. Based on natural talent and physical stature you won't find any sane person who would take Emmitt Smith over O.J. And most would take him over Barry too. He was bigger, yes, faster and not far from being as quick. And no, the Bruins are not as profitable as even the worst valued NFL team. It is what it is.

I would hate to see Stevie go. However, if they drafted a WR it wouldn't be to replace him. Mike Williams would be the player they acquired to replace him, who they acquired for pennies on the dollar. If they drafted Watkins or Evans it is to be the man on the WR core. If Stevie did get dealt I believe it would be as part of a package to move up into the top three of the draft.

None necessary. Thanks for sharing your info with us. Hope the next few months go better for you.

Truth. Scripture says it rains on the just and the unjust. We just have to keep the faith and accept everything is working out for the good, whether we see it, understand it or not. And always keep praying. There is power in it.

Credibility with fans, yeah, but I'm not talking about that. My thoughts are he needs credibility with Mrs. Wilson and the Bills organization as well as the league itself. Other people have money too. The Wilson's don't have to sell to Trump, and the league need not approve of his ownership. And Trump's ownership experience did not end well wouldn't you say? The Bills organization trusts Jim Kelly. Mr. Wilson kept him involved all of these years as an ambassador for the organization. JK, being a trusted member of the Bills family, someone who does not want to see the team move, would give Trump credibility if he chose to align himself with him. Because on its face, Trump saying he will keep the Bills in Buffalo is not necessarily something one could take to the bank. So Trump needs credibility, don't think he doesn't. His reputation for being an attention seeker, a flake and a man with, although it's his constitutional right, political opinions that could be embarrassing for the league could cost him because there are other options with money and less bad notoriety. Notice we don't hear public political opinions from sports team owners, particularly in the NFL. Because it's bad for business.

Donald Trump would need Jim Kelly more than anyone else. JK would give him the credibility he lacks at this point. I don't trust Trump and I don't think most do. He's an attention whore, always saying something questionable and loves to be a star. Him saying he will keep the Bills in B-Lo means little to me. Now if JK aligned himself with Trump? I still wouldn't be a fan of Trump's act, but I trust JK. I think the group JK aligns himself with will say a lot.

That's something we don't know. That would be a part of the trust document. Unless you are in the family or an executor of the estate one would be hard pressed to know that info. I could be wrong, but just from reading what everyone else has, I have a hard time believing that the Bills will be sold to a group with plans to move them. Say the trust has to sell to the highest bidder. Well, that bidder can buy the team, but still has to be approved by the league. And the trust has no say in that as far as I can tell. So I think the highest bidder claim is erroneous. I think it would more likely be the highest bidder who can gain league approval. If one is needed, that is where the fix could come in. But I don't believe there will need to be a fix. I don't think the league wants to see the Bills relocated. And I believe there are groups out there with enough money to bid competitively with any group including Bon Jovi's potential group. Because WNY itself is not economically prosperous in general does not mean there are no people there, or with ties, with the money to play the game. We already know the usual suspects who do have that type of money. There are most likely others. As I said, my guess is the Bills next potential owner is known to the estate and the league, but not the public. People who talk at this point (Trump, Bon Jovi) want to get in the game; meaning they want to climb the list of potentials. If they were at the top of the list they would need to say nothing because they are where they want to be already. Notice how quiet all of the usual suspects have been about buying the Bills (Pegula, Gundlach, Golisano) or making statements that leave what they don't say more important (Jacobs). Real business is not discussed in public. The public finds out about mergers and acquisitions, usually, when it's already set to be voted on for approval. Not before. When the Sabres got sold I don't recall Terry Pegula being a name prominently mentioned, if he ever was.

Why do you think they can afford it? And if they can they aren't the only groups with money. Bills are probably going nowhere. And whoever the next owner is will probably be a name/s we haven't heard of before it happens. And they will be the name who will also keep the Bills in WNY. I get the vibe that the Bills have more support in the league/$ circles than some want to believe. I also don't think Mrs. Wilson is selling to anyone who would move the team. There are never guarantees, but this is the strong vibe I get.

Don't worry. It's the way they do business under Whaley. He has said he wants to keep good players and be proactive about it. I don't think Dareus is going anywhere.

What are you talking about he will not agree? If they draft him and say "you're playing RT" he's going to hold out, miss a season and go back into the draft next year? I tend to doubt that. And if he's the best player on their board at 9 then why not draft him and, if deemed the right decision, put him at RT? That would potentially give the Bills one hell of an OL. I couldn't find fault in that. Personally, I want the Bills to trade back, pick up another 2nd rounder and get Ebron, Mosely . Take an OT w/one of the 2nd round picks.

I'm sure there are many. But they are making their moves in silence. Trump doesn't seem, to me, to be serious. When I lived in NYC, suddenly I would go somewhere and see a new building being constructed and it would be a Trump building. No public displays or sideshows associated it with. The man did his business and when the building was being built one knew of it at that point. He's talking too much which gives me pause. Power moves are made in silence. I don't think it will be him in the end.

What character flags? Celebrating too much isn't a character concern nor is dropping a pass here or there. Getting arrested, locked up, playing dirty are character concerns. SJ plays well mostly. Plays hurt all the time. And engages the fans and city at every turn in positive ways. He's a quirky family man. I don't see character flags. SJ and CJ are fine right where they are. You're looking in the wrong place. The Bills are already ready to make a run. But it will be up to EJ Manuel if that happens or not. SJ might have to restructure after the season, true enough. I would give you that.

It makes no sense for him to publicly do anything like that. What serious person has publicly stated their intentions to buy the Bills? No one outside Donald Trump. And we all know that he's an attention seeker in general. Bon Jovi's publicist releasing a statement? Know what that tells me? Those entities want to get in the game, but aren't in the game in a serious fashion at this time. So they have to drum up publicity to get noticed, get momentum. I wouldn't doubt Jacobs hat has been in the ring for quite some time behind the scenes. In spite of what many have said in the past, it's highly doubtful that Mr. Wilson or Bills officials had no idea about who would be interested in buying the team before he passed away. Corporate businesses aren't run haphazardly. Especially NFL business. Buying a team is a negotiation. The trust will want the best offer it can get that suits the purposes of Mr. Wilson's intentions (which likely means a WNY-focused ownership). Those interests are businessmen/women. They may want to buy the Bills and keep them in WNY, but they still want to do it at the most cost-effective price possible. Start to publicize intentions and it can add other elements into that process that could drive up the price. No serious business person will do that. Because they can afford to pay 1 billion doesn't mean they won't attempt to get the entity for 950 million. They won't weaken their bargaining power. The fact that it has been said by many of the WNY-centric ownership potentials that they don't want to see the Bills move or that they would support the Bills remaining in WNY tells you all you need to know. I would also keep in mind that another WNY-centric ownership group that no one has heard a peep out of might be the new owners. Power moves are made in silence. Be easy and keep the faith. Because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not there. And because a group with deep pockets might announce intentions to try to buy the Bills doesn't mean there aren't WNY groups with as much or more money. And keep in mind that the league has to approve any new ownership group. I believe WNY has more support than people think.