ThurmasThoman
-
Posts
1,019 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Gallery
Profiles
Forums
Events
Posts posted by ThurmasThoman
-
-
I think it's called Middle Man (?)
Just saw a commercial for it on the NFL network. Looks like a special on Reed's career, with (at minimum) interviews with Thurman Thomas and other NFL players.
Should be a great way to start Hall of Fame weekend, and, for that matter, the 2014 Bills season!!!!
-
This fanbase deserves a winning team so badly its ridiculous... like, it genuinely makes me sad to think that there are guys in their early to mid 20s (and younger!) who have never experienced this team when it's winning.
That Pats game, yeah it was special, but that was for 3-0.
Not to derail the thread... but remember going into that Jags playoff game in 97... it's hard to believe now, but there was a time when the Bills losing at home in the playoffs was just unheard of.
And talking about all these games makes me remember the red end zones. *sigh*
I hope we're good this year.
-
Why would San Francisco want Spiller?
Gores backup blew out his knee this morning
-
I hope someone is dumb enough to offer something high for him. I think his big play potential is great but i dont see him being a back fit for this offense.
this is what drives me crazy.
lol. he's not a fit for "this offense". The guy is all-world talent, but we can't fit him into our dream team, 6-10, offensive structure that was good enough to finish 19th in the league in total offense, even though our running backs accounted for the second most potent rushing offense in the league.
So Spiller was basically a top 3 running back in the league when he was healthy 2 years ago,
Then when injured for the entire season and playing on a bum leg was half of the best 2nd best rushing attack in the league.
But Nathaniel f*cking Hackett (who???) can't
"figure out"
how to use him, so let's get rid of him.
That's almost as stupid as trading away your best wideout because he doesn't "fit" the kind of vision Marrone has for a team.
You know, our Big East reject of a coach with a 6-10 life time record in the NFL? Who has yet to figure out how to challenge calls.
Don't worry though guys, let's keep stockpiling picks because "we're on the right track."
Buffalo Bills players make the playoffs all the time--the only problem is they do it for other teams.
I swear to god, there's a reason why this team hasn't made the playoffs in a decade and a half, and it's reasons like this.
How to manage the Buffalo Bills:
1) Draft a stud running back with your top 10 pick
2) Watch him rise to prominence in the league over his first 3 seasons
3) Realize you're going to have to pay him big bucks
4) Disparge his abilities and discredit his track record
5a) Trade him for a 5th round pick
or
5b) Make a lowball offer and insult him, then let him walk after the season
6) Cover your ears while he badmouths your organization to his new team mates
7) Throw hands up in the air and feign surprise when big name free agents and coaches don't want to sign here
8) Finish 6-10 for a decade and a half
9) Profit
F*ck this sad sack of an organization if they make this move, and f*ck you if you think it's a good idea.
-
(0-0) @ Bears: Cutler is a beast, first time in his career he'll be playing in the same offensive system for consecutive seasons. On the road, opening week... their defense was terrible last year, so this game is really up in the air. Seems like a 50/50 bet, which makes it tough to imagine pulling out an inter-conference win on the road: Loss.
(0-1) Dolphins: Looks like the same team from a year ago, with the addition of that running back from Denver, but the subtraction of their center for awhile. Home opener, with Miami coming off a game v. New England. Tannehill has always seemed somewhat overrated to me, should be an easy win. Win.
(1-1) Chargers: This is a team led by a great quarterback, that went 10-6 last year. Philip Rivers really is underrated. The Chargers are looked at like a slumping organization, but in the last 5 years they won the division with 13 wins, then won 9, 8, 7 games, then last year won 10 and a wild card game. That's a better 5 year stretch than the Bills have had since Clinton's first term in office. Hard to see beating these guys, even if they do have to make a cross country trip. Loss.
(1-2) @ Texans: Thank god Fitzy is their QB. This should be a game that we might only score 7 points, but it should be enough to win. Their defense should be absolutely phenomenal, Clowney and Watts… phew. Wear your knee brace EJ. Hard to see that offense getting anything going against our defense though, Fitz sucks, foster was injured last year and Johnson doesn’t want to be there. Low scoring game. Win.
(2-2) @ Lions: Just an impossible game to predict (not that any of them aren’t lol). That season the Lions made the playoffs is looking more and more like an outlier. They were bad last year, and there’s no reason to think (aside from a new head coach) they’ll be any better this season. Caldwell’s approach in Indy always seemed to be a hands off approach: let Peyton do his thing. Doubt that works with Stafford, lol. With that being said, what are the odds the Bills go on the road in back to back weeks and get wins? This seems like the most important game of the young season, really a toss up, but I’ll go: Win.
(3-2) Patriots: We’re due for a split against these guys. We always play them close at home. Law of averages says it’s time we win against them at the Ralph again. No way in hell we sweep them, so let’s just take the Win.
(4-2) Vikings: By this point, the wheels should have come off for them and Bridgewater will be starting at QB. It will likely only be his 2nd start, and he’ll have to go on the road to face a tough Bills team coming off 3 wins in a row. Bills continue their early season magic, and fans start talking playoffs. Win.
(5-2) @ Jets: Just as in 2008 and 2011, the Bills enter a week 8 matchup with the Jets with a chance to get to 6-2. In both previous attempts, the Bills fell short and hit the midway point at 5-3. This looks like it will be the case again. A couple of reasons: the Jets defense is good, really good. Cue Jauron, but it’s hard to win in the NFL, and it’s really hard to win divisional road games in the NFL. They’re 50-50 bets at best, and it’s hard to see this Bills team winning 5 in a row. They got beat in the meadowlands last year with a green Geno. Even an old Vick could hurt us to the same degree. No way around it… Loss.
(5-3) Chiefs: Off a bye week, at home against a team that we’ve played very well against the past 4 seasons. This team’s good though, very good. Alex Smith is criminally underrated, and they did win 11 games last season. Hell, they were a few plays away from moving on to the divisional round of the playoffs. This is a team that beat us last season too, in a game that they played terribly. Hard to see us winning this one. Loss.
(5-4) @ Dolphins. Coming off a tough loss at home, time to go on the road in a short week to play the Dolphins. So much going against us in this game: road teams do terrible on Thursday night football, the bills aren’t the best on the road in divisional games, unlikely we sweep the Dolphins 2 years in a row. Loss.
(5-5) Jets: Gut check time. All the reasons that we lost to the Dolphins should be why we beat the Jets at home. No way they sweep us. No way Marrone can let us lose 4 games in a row, including back to back divisional games. If this team is as talented as they appear, even a mediocre game from EJ should be enough to get it done here—absolutely imperative Bills don’t let loss streak hit 4. Win.
(6-5) Browns: At 6-5, Bills are over .500 with 5 games to play for the first time in a decade. Another home game against a Browns team starting Manziel at QB should work in our favor. Loud stadium and playoff like atmosphere flusters Manziel all day, stage proves to be too big, Bills offense uses familiarity of Pettines system to score at will, best Bills victory of the season, fans are starting to Bill-ieve. Win.
(7-5) @ Broncos: EJ’s worst game of the season, Peyton picks our defense apart. One of those games you want to turn off in the middle of the second quarter. Bills run right into a buzz-saw, and it’s not pretty. Fans on here will be in full panic mode, and rightfully so. Loss.
(7-6) Packers: This has Cowboys v. Bills (Monday night) written all over it. Bills come home, knowing their season hangs in the balance—hell, this game might even be flexed. It will be a playoff atmosphere, but the stage will prove to be too big for our guys. These are the kind of games that the Bills need to play in, a stepping stone of sorts. There are no such thing as moral victories, but the Bills haven’t played in a game of this magnitude since they played the Steelers for a wild card in 2004. It’s just simply too much, and although we perform admirably, it ends in heartbreak as Rogers drives for a game winning field goal as time expires. Loss.
(7-7) @ Raiders: By this point, the Bills are a far superior team to the Raiders, and are able to win games like this. Games they should win. Oakland is an absolutely dismal franchise, worse off than us. Schaubb shouldn’t be starting by this point, but I have no idea who they could even turn to? Trent Edwards? Doesn’t matter if they play this game on the freaking moon, much less the west coast. Win.
(8-7) @ Patriots: And so it ends. Win and we go to the playoffs, lose and it’s heartbreak city. I have no idea. I’ll be there though, if it’s for the playoffs. Glass half full or half empty? You tell me! Go Bills!!!!
-
Thanks, I have a question. Last year I felt that EJ was at his best when he would just play, good two minute drills. Then there were times he seemed , and I hate to use this word, tentative, aiming the ball not throwing it. Is this what you are referring to?
reminds me of my golf swing.
Ill be out there, not thinking about golf, not thinking about my round, just swinging the club naturally--with great results.
then ill make a minor mistake, maybe play the ball to far forward in my stance, and have a slight mishit, and then immediately i snap back into the reality that im golfing--and although i may have a good round going, my head fills with negative thoughts about my swing, and some triple bogies are on the way.
hope ej can handle that scenario better on the football field
edit*: great job op. been waiting for some sort of deep insight into how ej is looking. with the amount of beat writers there, and the fact that our season hinges on his progress, i was hoping for reports like this every day.
-
I'm actually taking the plunge this year and buying the 20$ preseason package from NFL.com.
Every year I think "what a rip-off, why would I pay 20$ to watch preseason football!"
And every year, I'm sitting in front of my computer watching the espn.com gamecast of every Bills preseason game.
-
CJ will be gone. He's more valuable to other teams than he is to us. His production doesn't support the hype that surrounds him. I believe he is talented but if we can't take advantage of that talent then we won't get our money's worth. $9 mil a year for a RB is stupid, unless he has 2000 all purpose yards then he ain't worth it
im quite the pessimist when it comes to the bills, but i think with the talent at wideout, a healthy spiller should be able to have an absolute monster year.
-
I agree .
No pressure Dougie W and the Boys.
Dont forget Spiller and Jackson though . Those are each a delicate affair too . Mike Williams . Brandon Spikes . What if Spikes Kills it and solves the run problem.
How about Jim Schwaatz . Isnt he a one year deal ?
A lot of change could happen next year.
I am stressed just thinking about it
absolutely.
How are we going to keep this 6-10 team together?????
Start saving your pennies Terry!
-
What about a simple pledge committing to boycott, watching or attending nfl games, buying direct tv subs and buying nfl merchandise from a couple hundred thousand fans if the bills relocate to TO? That would get some attention.
One of things they count on with the TO move, I assume is retaining a significant portion of the current market.
worst possible scenario right here.
the last thing we should do is pledge to not support the team--look into houston's final season as the oilers, it just hastens a move.
-
What a terrific plan! I will volunteer you as the streaker for every game you're not in jail the first season. I hope you've been staying in shape. It wouldn't be fair to the rest of the crowd if you're not taking care of yourself. Unless, of course, you're of the Chris Farley mold, and then this could be even more entertaining.
But, ummm, (slightly) more seriously, I hope there's some magic font I'm missing or you've just been over-served for the evening.
Well, you stay home and cry into your pillow while the grown ups save the team then. Some men are built to take action, others arent. 99% of this board is made up of the latter. I've learned that over the years.
How about this:
a "F*ck Bon Jovi" chant.
that lasts the entire third preseason game.
-
With today's report that JBJ is submitting a bid with a Toronto cartel that will more than likely harbor idea of moving the team to Canada, Bills fans are understandably nervous.
I think I have thought of the solution to our problem, and if the team is indeed sold to him, this solution seems so toxic, so averse to the NFL, that if this spreads around before bidding closes, I could see it torpedoing that ownerships group of even winning.
So here's how it works.
No, we don't boycot Jon Bon Jovi music at the stadium, and in Buffalo. He doesn't care, and it makes us look disorganized and foolish. He's got well north of 300 million in liquid cash at the moment, his music earns him royalties, sure, but he's a business man and has money coming in from other sources. Boycotting his music does nothing.
No, we don't stop going to Bills games or buying Bills merchandise--that does nothing either. In fact, it makes us look even worse as Bills fans, and further encourages a move out of Buffalo.
No, the solution is far more simple: rather than making Buffalo the place the NFL wants to be... we make Buffalo the place the NFL doesn't want to be.
Bear with me.
The Bills are locked in Buffalo for 7 years. NOW is the time to let Goodell know how long those seven years are going to feel if the Bills get sold to an owner looking to move the team--and it happens like this:
obnoxious chants at games
the stadium wearing all black
fans holding up signs that spell out obscenities towards toronto--and not just 10 fans, 80,000 fans
80,000 people at once throwing beverages on the field--every game
a streaker between every play that is run, delaying the game for hours and hours and hours
cutting the electricity to the stadium during prime time games
We as fans need to band together and let the NFL know that WERE going to make life a living hell for THEM for the next 7 years, not vice versa. Winning a super bowl? lol. our focus will be on becoming the biggest story in sports for the next 7 years. We can do the most absurd and ridiculous things as fans... as an 80,000 strong flash mob... things the NFL hasn't dreamt of... things that will keep Goodell up at night.
This is our chance. Don't boycot, don't riot, just make the big boys in the suits think loooooooooong and hard about selling this team off.
This is the nuclear option, but if they want to sell to a Toronto based group, who's willing to fight the good fight?
Picture: with 5 minutes and 30 seconds left in the fourth, 20,000 fans storm the field.
Every week.
For 7 years.
-
Man 14 pages long and still going!
What can I say, but as a Bills fan, the sky is no longer falling and I'm back to hoping for 16-0! Happy Birthday America!
-
You want us to go 0-16 when we have no 1st round pick?
CBF
absolutely.
that is, to me, immensely more preferable than going 7-9 and maintaining status quo.
i want pegula to sit in the owners box and watch this train wreck. i want the wheels to come off. and then i want the league to laugh at us for not having a first round pick next year. i want it to be a disaster.
and i want that because i want everyone associated with buffalo bills football to be fired. littman, overdorff, whaley, brandon, marrone, hacket. everyone.
the bills have drafted all-stars: turn on the tv, youll see them winning super bowls and playoff games for other teams around the league.
we suck. we're poorly run. and we're going to be bad again this year, because we didn't upgrade our team. but the problem is: there's no relief next year, because our gm gave up our pick.
so let's be done with it, once and for all. let's get rid of all the guys out who have carved out their seat of power in the organization. let's build a winner from the top down. that's not happening if we go 8-8.
we need to fail. spectacularly.
-
This organization is like the tree in your backyard that's dying. Oh sure, there are some branches with some green leaves on it, but by and large it's dead. You know it's dead, and the only thing to do is call a tree guy to come cut it down, chip it up, grind the stump, and give you the bill for it.
That's the Bills for you right there--oh sure, Sammy Watkins may be great, Dareus is a pro bowler, Spiller has looked good in places... there's some healthy young, green leaf growth right there. But the trunk? Dead. And before you jump down my throat and say "Is this another Kiko post? lol" consider the following--there was a point during the offseason (before the Byrd negotiations) where Marrone let it leak that there is a rift between the bean counters and the football guys. Well, I'll lump them all together: everyone must go.
See, here's the thing: I may be the biggest optimist on here. When the Bills are there usual 4-8, I'm the one on ESPN.com's playoff calculator figuring out just how easy it will be for the Bills to steal the 6 seed. I'm the one staying up to watch the Chargers/Bengals games in week 15, because it impacts the chances of the Bills getting a wild-card at 7-9. But not this year.
On offense: we lost our best receiver. Yes, our best receiver. I dont care about his antics, or what you think a true number 1 receiver should look like. It doesn't matter--Stevie Johnson was our biggest producer on offense over the last 3 years, and he's gone. Who will replace him? It's a gamble, but for whatever reason, Whaley saw fit to ship out our most productive offensive weapon. Our best running back is now a year older and 30 is long-since faded out of his rear-view mirror. We are, at this point in time, worse on offense. Oh sure, there's potential to be better, but for now, we are worse.
On defense: our coordinator, gone. our best safety, gone. our best linebacker, done for the season. our best d-lineman, in trouble with the law. this is a problem. The strength of our 5-11 unit is now weaker. this is undeniable. do not try to tell me that i am a glass half empty person, this point is irrefutable: our defense is weaker.
special teams: an absolute disaster last season, remains largely intact. Same coaching. this is also a problem.
And most importantly (as everyone will note) our quarterback, because this is what our season hinges on, right?: missed too many games to injury last season, a major major problem that Bills fans seem to be in denial about. 3 knee injuries in one season? THREE KNEE INJURIES IN ONE SEASON? If that happened to Brady, we would be dancing in the street. But in Buffalo? That's cause for optimism because he "hasn't had a full season to show us what he can do yet!" Well, in the limited time he did have to show us what he could do, he was middling. a .500 qb at best, who looks like he needs to be surrounded by an extremely talented cast to succeed. He is not a game changer, he is not elite, he can not put this team on his back and take us to the Super Bowl. It's not happening, and in your heart, you know that's true.
So a 5-11 team (please note the 1 game regression from Gailey's teams--we got worse, not better) who is weaker across the board, is going to turn it around this year? What, may I ask, in the last 15 years, has given you ANY indication whatsoever, that that is going to happen? It isnt. But for the first time ever, this is now a good thing. A new owner will inherit this train wreck. And after another typical, awful 4-12 Bills train wreck, there will finally be some accountability.
And it starts right with the golden boy GM, because our rebuild will have to be put off ANOTHER year--with no first round draft pick in next years selection meeting, we suddenly will be the most pathetic franchise in the NFL. If we truly, truly bottom out, (and im talking 0-16 here folks) that should be all the impetus that is needed to drop an a-bomb at one bills drive and clean house. everyone: from russ to the ball boys.
Sorry to piss in your coffee this morning, but I've been thinking about this a lot since OTA's. But ask yourself this: are the pieces in place for this team to win a super bowl? Do you think EJ Manuel can be a Super Bowl winning quarterback? Ask yourself that. Don't just hit reply and tell me the sky isn't falling: ask yourself if you can picture EJ Manuel hoisting the lombardi trophy. If you're older than a 4th grader, the answer is likely "no."
So open your mind. Let's be happy when Pegula takes over ownership, and then let's just enjoy this season for what it is: the curtain call for Bills football as we've known it for 2 decades. Yes, it's going to be painful to watch us struggle this year, and yes it's going to be even worse next offseason knowing we don't have a first round pick, but good times are on the horizon.
-
From all I've read this Greenberg fellow is a heavy hitter.
well duh!
everyone knows catholics make the best lawyers!!
-
As someone who worked in restaurants and knows plenty of day time waitresses,
and someone who hates Warren Sapp,
let me be the first to say: I hope this woman is without a job this morning.
2 things about this story:
1) the girl would NEVER personally tweet out a bad receipt she got, but she'll send it to her sister, let her post it to facebook, and then give interviews about it.
and 2) read the article. warren sapp was there to watch the soccer game. she came over and called them boys, they didnt like it, then she kept doing it. why was she hovering during a sports game? that's sporting event hot waitressing 101, get them their food, let them hit on you, move on to your next table.
i mean, come on. conducting interviews because she's short a 12$ tip? TWELVE DOLLARS? sounds like she had an agenda from the start--im sure she went to her (male) bartender or manager and said "that guys being a dick". to which he replied, "that's warren sapp".
"who"
"warren sapp, he played in the nfl, he's on tv now"
"he's famous??"
"big time"
and then she likely spent the entirety of the match hovering while sapp was trying to watch the damn soccer game.
it's infuriating, to be quite honest. i hope sapp sues for defamation of character--show her how much of a boy he isn't.
the fact that there are men(?) who can read this sh*t and think that sapp is a bad guy really makes me fear for the future of this country. we've been so neutered into just accepting crap like this. james bond would have slapped that girl across the face, broken her phone, lit a cigarette, and personally called everybody defending this dumb broad out for being a "boy" themselves.
-
i used to think the bills "charging buffalo" logo was tacky, but through the years it's really, really grown on me.
the simple use of the streak behind the horn to symbolize speed, strength, and movement is superb, and the charging buffalo itself does a great job of conveying the animal.
im in the EXTREME... EXTREME... minority here, but the jerseys worn for the first decade of the 2000s were nice, in my opinion. please please please note that it was a decision of the players to wear blue on blue/white on white with those jerseys--they were never designed, nor intended to be worn like that. if you see the white jerseys paired with the blue pants (and vice versa) the uniform, the colors, and the striping all makes sense. the uniforms were never given a fair shot, and were never worn correctly.
those uniforms, with white helmets, could have been the best uni combo we've ever had.
-
No chit?
How about fixing the title first so that people have some idea what this is about?
done! sorry.
-
There arent enough guys to make it work with American Football. Also, are marginal players going to play in the 2nd - 4th tiers and destroy their bodies for peanuts?
I have been saying this though. The US Sport that needs this overhaul is MLB/MiLB. I think they need to wipe out the minors system and allow teams to spend what they want and allow players to fall where they may. MLB teams' rosters can be expanded. Perhaps players can be loaned to lower tiers. No more draft, it will just be open season and you can sign a guy to a contract when he is 18+ or something like that. Lower teams wont be able to employ a scouting staff etc so maybe a lot of low level players would remain somewhat local. The fact a young guy will need to play for less money at first may enhance NCAA Baseball. If a young guy is ripping it up for a low level team, then he can be traded for or bought by a higher tier, etc.
It would be awesome. If the Bisons were really playing for something like a possibility of winning the IL/AAA and going to the show, I would probably go to a ton of games. (They have sucked the soul and meaning completely out of minor league baseball which is a huge problem). As it is now, even if the Bisons do well, they get to the playoffs, September call-ups happen, and their playoff team ends up being a bunch of miscellaneous and inferior players we havent seen all year. Its garbage.
The only selling point in the minors is when they do special events and try to draw people in for anything they can think of (that isnt baseball).
Heck I would even check out Batavia a lot more.
This would restore baseball throughout America IMO. They could even place a couple teams in San Juan and Mexico City (remember, no draft and players are ultimately free). I think it would also be cool to see washed up minor leaguers be able to stick around well into their 30s.
Wow. First of all, thanks for taking the time to reply with such an awesome post. In my opinion, this "issue", as it were, is possibly the most important question in North American sports. Your post does an amazing job highlighting why it's so relevant. What you just described for baseball sounds like something that would be lightyears ahead of the NBA, NFL and NHL in terms of putting fans in the seat across the country--from the smallest city in Maine to the biggest city in California.
Which is why Goodell needs to find a way to make this work for the NFL before another sport swoops in, implements this league structure, and "wins" the eyes of the American public.
It's not hard to envision a scenario where, let's say, baseball does this first, and immediately shoots to the top of the country in terms of attendance, viewership, revenue, etc. etc. etc. All of a sudden, with less eyes on the NFL, their problems become more compounded and less easy to sweep under the rug (concussions, etc.) They experience the same swoon that the other 3 sports have experienced in the shadow of the NFL these last 15 years, with the difference being that when they do decide that a relegation/promotion system could work, it's too daunting of an issue for smaller municipalities to turn over their college stadiums for 3-4 months a year to host the NFL minor league. In my opinion (and my opinion only) yes, football would be the hardest sport to install a minor league, which is exactly why they need to do it first: strike while the iron is hot and you have the eyes, ears, hearts and mind of the country at your disposal. Right now, anything the league does, people will watch--stake your claim now Roger.
The real problem which some one pointed out to me once (with expansion on a global scale) is talent would have to come from all over said globe. There are not enough Americans/ Canadians and few other places where American football is played to ever man what you are talking about. Soccer has a true advantage with the sort of cheap/almost no equipment. Only the NBA and MLB can go truly international with this limitation.
This is another great point and a part of the equation that I've mulled over for a long time as well.
Put simply: of course the smaller, minor league teams are going to suck compared to the big boys in the NFL. It will be a league constructed of the guys who just weren't good enough to make it to the big leagues. However--they're supposed to suck! And this is where it becomes somewhat of a paradigm shift for the American sports viewer who is accustomed to seeing 32, top flight teams competing every sunday, each with the goal of winning the superbowl.
The minor league system would be so large, and so widespread, that as a fan you simply wouldn't watch the majority of minor league games. Let's say, for instance, there was a "southern" league, with 6 teams scattered about louisianna, georgia, mississippi, florida, and alabama. Hell, it might even grow to 20 teams over the years. The talent level in that league might be so low that it's classified as level 3 in terms of the minor leagues, (level 1 being the NFL, level 2 a larger scale minor league, etc.) So instead of playing for promotion into the NFL, youre playing for promotion into level 2 football. Now, the team that wins the level 2 championship won't be great, compared to their NFL brethren, but that too is not the point. The point is that a team from the middle of nowhere could, theoretically, work it's way up to the NFL.
Imagine a 15,000 seat stadium in the middle of Kansas hosting the Dallas Cowboys some Sunday. Imagine (if you're not from Buffalo), your little town hosting the Patriots some day! That's why soccer fans riot, that's why they stand and sing for the entire game, that's why everyone in the world watches. They don't love the beautiful game, they love that their backwater town in the mountains of Italy could make it to the premier league someday and beat ManU. It's never going to happen, obviously, but the Bills aren't exactly going to win the Super Bowl any time soon, and here we are.
-
As the FIFA World Cup takes center stage this summer, American news outlets once again will cram soccer down our throats. It's a game the rest of the world loves--in fact, it is truly the world's sport. But what is it about soccer that makes it so exciting? As an American watching the games, I'm bored to tears--between the low rate of scoring, the flopping, and the asinine subjectivity of the referees, it's hard to imagine the sport ever taking off in America at a level that rivals any of the big four sports.
But the reason why Americans can't conceptualize soccer as a dominant sport has nothing to do with the game itself, and everything to do with our ignorance of the way the rest of the globe structures their sports leagues. And I will preface this discussion by saying that the first American sports league to modify their league structure to mimic that of global soccer leagues will reap the financial benefits--forever.
For those of you unfamiliar with relegation and how it pertains to global soccer leagues, check wikipidia--it does a better job explaining it then I am able to, or care to: http://en.wikipedia...._and_relegation
But more importantly, how would relegation look if the NFL adopted a similar model. Or, phrased differently: how would the NFL become the most dominant sport on the planet if relegation became part of their scheduling procedure?
The first step in the NFL taking over the world would be in starting a "minor" league.. It would of course be run in the exact same manner as the NFL, and could even follow the conclusion of the league schedule: Perhaps games on Saturdays starting the weekend of the conference championships, and running for 10 weeks. Teams making up this league--let's call it the "NFL Proving Grounds" for now could be placed in cities with infrastructure that can already support teams: college towns in Alabama, Mississippi, maybe San Antonio, (yes) Los Angeles, Portland, Hartford CT, etc. etc. The key is to have teams in cities where the NFL isn't--cities that may not be big enough to support an NFL team, but still have fans that want to watch football.
Here's where it gets interesting: following a regular season of action in the NFL Proving Grounds, and a brief 2-3 round playoff, a champion is crowned. For the sake of argument, the Oklahoma City Stampede are your 2015 NFL Proving Grounds champion--and then immediately take their place in the NFL. Replacing the team who finished dead last in the NFL the season before, in this case, the Houston Texans. And what happens to the Texans? They are relegated to the NFL Proving Grounds.
Now, as in European soccer, certain rules would need to be in place to ensure that the teams in the NFL have all the competitive advantages: higher salary caps, preferential treatment in the draft, etc. etc. etc. Once you're in the NFL, getting relegated to the Proving Grounds should be difficult. And if you're an NFL team that gets relegated, getting promoted back to the NFL should be relatively easy.
But that's why soccer is a global phenomenon. Put yourself in the shoes of a kid in Tuscaloosa Alabama, who just got an expansion franchise in the NFL Proving Grounds. Hey, your little podunk stadium might be playing host to the New York Giants in next years NFC championship game if a few bounces go your way.
I could go on and on and on about this for pages--I've thought about it from every conceivable angle. The stadium experience is dying, so who cares if teams in the NFL are playing games in small college stadiums. The drama of a team moving up from the Proving Grounds to the Big Leagues and having a chance at shocking the world would be amazing television. The fact that every moderately sized city in America could be host to an NFL game at some point is enticing. The hundreds of players that go undrafted would have a career. THE NFL COULD OWN TELEVISION EVERY WEEKEND OF THE YEAR FOREVER.
Mark my words: some day, an American sports league is going to realize that the money isn't going to be in getting people in the 30 biggest cities in America to spend more, it's going to be in getting the people in the next 75 biggest cities their own teams to root for. A league with 2, 3, 4, even 5 levels of relegation could ensure that every fan in every city has a personal, home town rooting interest... and they can hold on to the 1 in a million dream that their team from Nashua New Hampshire could be NFL champions someday.
Expansion into London? Why not? Have the NFL Europe be the first step in relegation/promotion.
London, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Paris and Moscow. The Winner comes to the NFL--the worst team in the NFL becomes part of NFL Europe.
Keep the NFL at an even 32 teams, with its flawless scheduling format, and its flawless playoff structure.
Don't expand the NFL--expand the minor leagues. But in every city you put a minor league franchise, give them the hope of someday being Super Bowl Champions.
Act now Goodell, because it's too good of an idea to let another league take it first. Mark my words--the first league that does it, be it the NFL, the NBA, the NHL... they will own the sports landscape in America forever.
-
One building out of billions vs 32 NFL stadiums. I think naming rights on an NFL stadium pull in more cash than a hotel name.
And now that I say that knowing he is as arrogant as he is he would probably do it.
seriously.
how tacky would that be?
could you even imagine how arrogant... how classless... how tasteless.. someone would have to be to name a stadium after themselves!!!?!
i mean, that would just completely torpedo the success of a team. set a franchise back for years. honestly, if a team did that, they could kiss the playoffs goodbye for a decade, maybe a decade and a half.
probably the only thing you could do worse would be building your stadium on an indian burial ground!!!
LOL!
-
EJ Automatic
Manuel's Clutch Play Drives the Bills to the Super Bowl
can you envision that as an espn.com headline this january? just hit me this morning.
(car references, for those slow on the uptake)
-
And then see it instantly get cut in half after taxes are due?
People are ignoring that little tidbit that he'd probably owe a big chunk of change, as his cost basis was likely very low.
not sure because im not a tax lawyer, but wouldnt it be his net gains that are taxed, at the end of the fiscal year?
Ridiculous Pegula fracking assertion made by Bulldog.
in Politics, Polls, and Pundits
Posted
great post.
this board is about as controversial as a f*cking mashed potato sandwhich on white bread hold the salt please sandwhich, so i expect a bunch of
"wow! look who got out of bed on the wrong side this morning. i'd like to call you a bad name but i'm not a fourth grader so i guess ill pass, unlike YOU
"
comments from the half-a-f@gs who post in here and think that any post that doesn't conform with
"i love the bills! i hope they go 16-0 and win the super bowl, but if they don't that's FINE! as long as everyone plays hard and represents the team and city in a manner I can understand and appreciate ILL be happy, and that's all that matters. poo poo heads like stevie and byrd are long gone, and soon big ol' meanies like CJ spiller (more like CJ winded lol!) and marcell dareus (or should i say marcell failedadrugtest oh boy im on a roll now!) are gone, the bills can get back to following Marrone's vision all the way to a wild card!"
you're probably going to "banned" for a week by a "moderator" who will really give you a stern look for running with the wrong internet crowd.
if the bills are half as sissified as this board, we're not winning 4 games this year.