Mango

We are coming in from the Capital Region for the Hopener. One part of our group is driving in Sunday AM. What is the etiquette on hold a spot in any of the lots for one car? Never dealt with this before. Feels not cool, but also not trying to have our two groups a mile apart. I was hoping to get into Hammers early, set up the TV, get the Heineken Grand Prix and some breakfast going. I would have to imagine holding a spot their has got to be off limits, right? Really have not had to address this one before, but the second car has like 6 people. Pretty frustrating. Thanks in advance! Mods- Please move if this should be somewhere else

I am sure there is a relative line that people smarter than me could figure out. Negative is generally a really bad spot though. Ha! NEWS FLASH: Good teams score a lot more points/hold their opponents to a lot less points! Low margin victories are difficult to sustain over multiple games and/or seasons!

You're welcome to think +/- is garbage. It may or may not be. You might like vanilla ice cream the best, another OK opinion to have. But you can't use the BB history vs. Buffalo as an example. The fact that the Patriots beat us by 2+ possessions at a high rate is not really up for debate, or an opinion. In fact, they have a higher point differential against us over 20+ years than any team had over 16 weeks in 2020. You can shout "OPINION" all you want, but you would be wrong about it. I will bow out while you keep yelling at clouds.

I think it is sort of a pass/fail metric. If you want the odds of your season/post season success to increase you want to have a higher +/-. Don't be near the bottom or negative. I haven't taken enough time to dive into it, but I would imagine that rather than total +/-, differential from top of the pack, or other teams in the playoffs is a good indicator. You just want to be in good company.

You were quick to respond, I edited the typo pretty quickly as well. Long and short, 66% of the time BB beats the Bills by 2 scores. On average BB beats the Bills by 10.5 points. Sure "some" of those games are closer than other. Hell the Bills even wine "some" of those games, but historically over 20 years, BB beats the Bills by a margin that would rank them at the very top or very close to the very top of point differential in the league on any given year. You are welcome to have any opinion you would like, but it does not make it correct.

Right, I get what you said, and you are wrong. The Bills have lost to Bill Belichick by 2 possessions 24/43 times. Over half the time, the Bills lose by 2 scores. 7 of the 19 remaining games the Bills have actually won. That means of the 36 times Bill Belichick has beaten Buffalo, 24, or 66% of the time it is by two possessions. For reference, only 5 teams in the league last year had an average +/- of +7 or greater....

I don't think it is meaningless. I am also not a statistician, so in some regard a lot of statistics are over my/our collective heads. I think it is something to pay attention to and a reasonable talking point amongst fans on a message board. Also, you would never regularly bet on a team with an average point differential of +1.5 ppg to win 13 games (Buffalo before December 2020). I think people look at stats to be a guarantee for things to happen, but most of the time it is a probability. Like Josh Allen's career arch, or the Bills last season. It CAN happen, but not likely. When we talk about +/- here, there aren't a group of people saying the Bills won't be good, or they can't win a lot of games, rather they are making it hard on themselves and will have to beat the odds unless they can address/adjust some things. Your point about Bills vs. Pats is incredibly flawed. Bill Bellichick vs. the Bills as HC of the Patriots is +10.5. In just about every year in NFL history that would be one of the three highest, if not THE highest +/- in the league, and that is the average against us. It shows that we historically get a public beatdown when we go up against BB. (BB is +6.6 against McD) Point differential is meaningless at a single game view. But over a season, or multiple season, it is a good starting point for conversation and things to be addressed. Source on Bill Belichick vs. Buffalo: https://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/new-england-patriots/teamvsteam?opp=4

This is a good point. One thing to note, until the Bills huge last quarter of the season, they were among the worst 3Q scoring teams in the NFL. This has been true under McD since 2017. The Bills have been one of the best 4th quarter scoring teams in the NFL in 2019 and 2020. Even without the big final month in 2020. Defensive points allowed by quarter have been a mixed bag over the last 4 seasons for Buffalo. Last year Buffalo allowed some of the most points in the 3rd quarter as well...up until the final month again, where they were able to move from 28t to 21st. https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stats/ 3rd quarter woes have become a pattern for us the last few years for whatever reason. If we can fix that, I think we become pretty dangerous as last years final month showed. And the entire point differentia probably takes an uptick. To note, in the playoffs we were +3, +14,and -7 in the 3rd quarter.

First, let me say I agree with you. I also think it would have been smart for the league to put language around mandates and FDA approval so that they could address this in season if need be. I think the problem with this from a league standpoint is having an available vaccine and an opt out may end up having way more opt outs. Just from a Bills perspective we could have lost Beasley, Milano, Davis, and Poyer (based on Rachel Bush). The league does not want to risk that kind of star power as well as product on the field.

Would not be shocked if clicks, or % increase in clicks is part of their metrics to get paid. Miami is bigger than Buffalo, which probably equals more viewership, which may get him more money.

For some reason I thought the league rule was 6 max. I could be wrong on that. 8 is a lot.

I have never been to GB. I just spent the last bit trying to help you out via the google, but it is tough. I am sure you can get the game on since GB plays later. But it is GB. Imagine trying to get the GB game on at Danny's by the stadium or even Coles on Elmwood at 1pm with a Bills 4pm kickoff. You can and you will get it. But you will there is a chance they boot the game entirely when the pregame starts. Your best bet is to find the biggest baddest sports bar you can that maybe has a big video wall and most TV's not near the stadium.

There can be a whole lot of why, but I think ultimately it is a concern. Teams with low or negative point differentials rarely have good runs in the playoffs. One thing to note is, outside of the final 3 games of the season, the Bills point differential was +2.9 points per game/+38 on the season. The schedule was harder for sure. But the Bills also had some struggles on defense that they didn't have in 2019 where our differential was higher. Buffalo had a negative differential in 17 and 18.

I believe I was one of those posters who had some concern about point differential. I think it could still be a concern. We need better production from the defense on a consistent basis. I think the DL will be somewhat improved. Unsure if they will take the leap we hope. I think the back 7 need to do a better job at holding their own. Specifically CB depth and LB's. Winning a lot of games with a poor differential is tough, especially over multiple seasons. EDIT: Mid October last year I had a post on it. Not often do teams make the playoffs with a negative point differential. More often than not, they lose early and lose big in the playoffs. Something to keep an eye on.

Unfortunately, Sept 9, 2007. Opening kickoff vs. the Broncos. I think about Kevin Everett every time the season is about to start and how scary those moments were on the field.

Roost Hs a rotating menu. Sometimes adjusts weekly. Sometimes monthly. Martin C. The head chef was actually the original head chef at Left Bank. He later moved to Toronto and ran a kitchen there forever. Came back when Mike A lost his leg and helped in the kitchen at Tsunami. He opened Martin Cooks for a few years that was an intimate 15 seat Prix Fixed 10-15 course meal. That was phenomenal. He closed that and opened Roost, which is much more approachable. Just some background. New place but not a new chef.

I think Roost is my favorite restaurant in Buffalo. The vibe is upscale casual. Sort of trendy. Not fine dining but not not fine dining if that makes sense. It’s approachable, delicious, but high scale food. Gabes Gate is my favorite wing. I like almost all the Buffalo pizza. I grew up on the WS so La Novas will will always hold a special spot for me. But I also like Picasso’s and Casa Di Pizza. Charlie the Butcher hands down. I grew up on the north side of the arena. South of that might as well be a different country to me outside of a handful of spots.

Also I think Northtown is a large sponsor for the Bills. Don’t be surprised at some Groot commercials this year. I wouldn’t be shocked if a car for his mom was part of the deal. To note, he pulled up in a wrangler.

It sucks to say. But Brady is not only better than Kelly, he’s not even in the same conversation. Love Jim the QB. But come on. I don’t even think JK12 is in the second grouping of HOF QB’s. Jim was integral to our success but he was also at best the third best player on that team behind Thurman and Bruce. Brady . . Everybody else. Hurts to say but it is what it is and it’s not close.

It’s totally possible. There are a lot of players before my time. But perspective, Bruce had something like 12 straight years with double digit sacks )our suppose if 91 where he played a handful of games. Its a bit too early, it he’s in the conversation.

I agree I think it’s a shift. I did work with Journeys End for a bit a while back so my data is out of date. But back then Buffalo was taking in more refugees than NYC. Because of it the population loss was always assumed to greater than reported. Not that those people don’t count. They do. They’re just not the “look at all the people moving here” anybody accounts for. People like to think that population gain is because people are moving from X city to come live here. And a lot of it is people being placed because we are cheap and have more job opportunities than Syracuse.

Downtown is nice. But I am glad it’s not. It’s a huge footprint for a building that barely gets used. I’m pumped for the Buffalo downtown resurgence but it should stay on path the way it is and not take a bunch of great real estate for a stadium. Also Buffalo metro is still losing population. The “resurgence” of Buffalo is largely just the same people leaving the suburbs infilling the city. Which is good in some respects. But also a reshuffling. My better half and I talk about coming back a lot. But ultimately it’s tough. There isn’t a lot of work. You catch on at a handful of large employers and find a fulfilling career path or you don’t. Not a whole lot of options I live in the capital region now. Not a ton of work. BUT! I can manage territories that include Philly, NYC, NJ, Boston. A lot more opportunity. Rooting for the city and very much keeping my eye out to return!

The Bills are not a public service like the post office or libraries. It isn’t a public good like the zoo or museums that are owned by the city. It’s not a public equity, it’s going to cost the county about $10M to knock it down, after it sits there for 20 years rotting away and costing money during that time too. It’s not a county owned rec center. I went to the rec center after school as a kid. My cousins play softball 3 days a week at a rec center. Hosting the Monsignor Martin Championship game between St Joe’s and Canisius once a year does not constitute a rec center. Are we going to start running T-Ball tournaments in the summer at the stadium? Maybe a “lock in” for the middle schoolers one weekend. You know rec center stuff. Maybe we can donate an old fooz ball table for kids to play with in their after school programs. Zoo’s, museums, libraries, orchestras, etc. are constantly fundraising to keep the lights on. The Bills provide a value to Buffalo that isn’t measurable. That is fine. I don’t mind public funding. But let’s stop calling this a public good, community equity, or anything similar regarding the postal service, animal conservation, or a science museum. Because it’s not. The Pegula can’t charge league average pricing because Buffalo is poor. 70k seats at $300 for the 300’s isn’t sustainable here. You can’t sell that many tickets that often in this town at that price. That’s the only reason. Not because they’re cutting us a break. And it’s not because of county money from the 1970’s to build the place. The Ralph has cost the county about $500M to build and upgrade in 2021 dollars. (Just based on going through past upgrades and costs) If a $1.4B stadium doesn’t make fiscal sense for the price point of ticket sales for private investment. Maybe we don’t build a $1.4B stadium…where is the extra $1B in costs coming from. Pegula can come to the table with a stadium that makes sense for him and what he would be able to afford himself and still profit. The county/state are welcome to chip in at that point. A good investment is always a good investment regardless of public subsidy. You and I are having a conversation about the county chipping in $1B to keep ticket prices to an NFL game affordable for people in Buffalo. Maybe that means it’s not a great investment in the first place. And that is my biggest deterrent here. If it’s a good investment, the Pegula’s don’t need our help. They can cover what’s profitable. But hey, I love the Bills. Let’s get the county/state to chip and we can get some minor access for HS football games and like 2 concerts a year. But when we talk about covering the whole bill, or most of the Bill. And doing it to subsidize ticket costs? We are talking about throwing a whole lot of public money at a terrible investment.

I just don’t think I can whine about OJ on the list, off the list, at 100, whatever. I think it’s pretty well understood that the top 3 pass rushers of all time are LT, White, and Bruce. All in different orders between who you talk to. To have LT and White so far ahead of Bruce is wild. I still think Thurman deserves a place on the list. I am not sure where yet. When I am not on my phone I’ll take a deeper dive at the list. But Bruce and Thurman were hands down the two best players on those Bills rosters, and as far as I am concerned it’s not close. Lofton, Kelly, and Reed were not on that level. A full standard deviation back. And those guys had HOF careers. That’s how good Thurman was.

Yeah, I couldn’t swallow that sentence while he was with NE. Out of conference, it is easier to say. He’s hands down the best player in NFL history and it’s not close. Everything about Brady is a good Buffalo story…if he played here. On and off starter in college. 6th round pick. Tells the owner on day one he’s going to be the best decision he ever made. Unseats Bledsoe. Wins a Super Bowl. Takes team friendly deals on the regular. Buffalo hates Brady because he tortured us for a decade. But the boogyman is gone now guys. We don’t have to be scarred.