ny33

Yep, Washington is a great example. Despite having a consistently terrible team, they have been the second-most profitable team this decade. That's entirely because of their market and corporate sponsorships, which the team would have win or lose. As you said, Buffalo isn't going to attract corporate sponsors even if they become the next Packers (the Packers actually have some of the lowest revenues from sponsorships- because they're in a tiny market). There's no financial benefit to pouring NYC or D.C.-like money into advertising in Buffalo.

I agree with the OP's point. In the case of teams finishing with similar records, the head-to-head record should take precedence over strength of schedule. So if the Bills finish 5-11 but lose twice to Miami, who finish with the same record, but Buffalo's SoS is considered stronger, Buffalo should get the prior selection in the draft.

The profit margins are fairly thin for some teams. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/30/nfl-valuations-11_land.html Sorting by operating income/EBITDA, the Bills are ninth with operating income of $40 million. That's a huge number, largely driven by the fact that Buffalo spends so far below the cap each year. With the new CBA rules, Buffalo will likely cease to be profitable most years; revenue-sharing is capped at $3.5 million, and Buffalo will have to spend a significant amount (at least $20 million per annum) more on players. Interestingly, Cleveland and Detroit lost money, while teams like Seattle and San Francisco- in big markets- barely made a profit. Cleveland and Kansas City may be in particularly dire straits with the new salary cap requirements, given that they tend to spend 20-30 million below cap every year, which would result in an annual operating loss. As other posters have said, it is delusional to believe that Buffalo's businesses spend significant amounts on luxury boxes; they aren't full, despite being among the cheapest in the league. It will be interesting to see what happens with these small market teams as they're forced to spend more money.

There's a thread on this already: http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/139775-houstons-in-and-i-hope-detroit-gets-in/page__p__2334577__hl__lions__fromsearch__1#entry2334577 Detroit has a game on the Cowboys and Giants, but the Lions have, by far, the hardest schedule of the three. I can see two of the NFC East teams making the playoffs. Either way, this drought is pitiful and let's hope things change next year.

I agree with this, but I'd also argue that Pierre-Paul benefits from having great coaching, both from coaches and the other guys he plays with on the Giants front seven. He's a very good player, but also was fairly raw coming into the league; I'm not sure how much success he would have had in Buffalo (though more than Maybin, certainly). After looking at the 2010 draft, besides a few impact players, it's clear that this year's draft had way more talent. Though the Spiller pick wasn't ideal, there is some comfort in knowing that the draft was one of the weakest in recent years. 2012 looks to be a strong influx of talent, too, and let's hope that the management hits the first few rounds.

From Adam Schefter: Q: Any chance the Buffalo Bills fire Chan Gailey and blow up their ineffective front office to attract a talented coach who could also act as it's GM? I think that is only way the Cowher's of the NFL world would ever go to Buffalo. What do you think? -- Michael (Ga.) A: For starters, Michael, Cowher isn't going to Buffalo. The Bills tried the last time they were searching for a head coach -- and Cowher highly recommended Gailey. Gailey did a good job this season before injuries crushed the Bills. For that reason, it's hard to see Buffalo changing head coaches. Gailey is good -- he just needs more talent around him. And I wouldn't count on Buffalo getting rid of its general manager, Buddy Nix, either. As one anonymous member of the Bills recently said: "I have never been more sincere when I tell you I've never seen a GM in Buffalo with more power and security. He has total power." And that power is expected to remain with him.

Where are you hearing this? If you have a link, I'd appreciate reading more about that. Edit: Just found this link: http://tracking.si.com/2011/12/15/report-sam-hurd-dealt-drugs-to-double-digit-list-of-nfl-players/

I'm surprised, shocked even, that there hasn't been more press about this. I live in NYC and attend quite a few games at that stadium; the security and police presence is enough that people throwing punches gets broken up immediately, let alone something on this scale. I wonder if NFL management have instructed ESPN etc. to keep this stuff off of the front page or reports?

I'm not disagreeing that the top three guys are worth a look. My point is that we likely- especially given their talent, as you have mentioned- won't be around, with Cleveland, Washington, Miami, and Kansas City all likely picking ahead of us. What I'm saying is that taking a guy like Landry Jones is panicking and not worth it. He's had five picks and zero TDs in his last three games; that's terrible. As for the weapons, I agree Nelson is a solid slot guy. Chandler is a good third down and end zone weapon, but he doesn't have the skills to become a Gronkowski/Witten; that being said, I am content with keeping him and Nelson. There's no question that Fitz, particularly recently, has started missing a lot of throws he has no excuse to mess up. I don't have a link for you, but there have been a number of articles detailing the fact that Fitzpatrick has far less time to throw the ball than most offensive lines, and our early season success throwing the football was partially predicated on his quick release. If we were drafting third and had to decide between Matt Barkley and Matt Kalil (assuming Luck and Blackmon were drafted), I'd take Barkley. Given our current position, though- and the fact that I think we beat Miami to finish 6-10 this season- the Bills may have other teams make the decision easy for them. Again, despite Fitz's errors, I think it is ludicrous to give up on him before at least the end of next season.

It's always too early to tell with this franchise, but I do think management has realized that flashy, skill position players aren't where this team should be drafting in early rounds. I say this as an advocate of drafting a WR, but with the caveat that we should go for a big WR who can grab jump balls (the last thing we need is a DeSean Jackson type player). Buffalo has drafted poorly in recent years, but I think we will continue last year's trend of drafting physical players from successful programs. Don't be surprised, either, if we draft a defensive lineman again with the top pick. If Buffalo goes back to a 4-3, I like the idea of Dwan Edwards, Dareus, Kyle Williams, and a guy like Dontari Poe in the middle (with Edwards at end) or Quinton Coples at end with Edwards or Heard in the middle. Either way, we should draft front seven, Dre Kirkpatrick, or Alshon Jeffery with our pick. RG3 would be worth a very hard look, but I don't think he or Barkley will be available.

That's a fair point, but for a mid-round pick I'm not sure that would happen, particularly in a situation without a C.B.A. Conceivably, had the season been cancelled, White might never have had a contract.

One of the most confusing things for me, this season, has been Kirk Morrison's role on the team. He's been a consistent tackler over the last few years with Oakland and then the Jags, and I thought he and Barnett would be consistent, veteran help in the new scheme. Leaving the debate between whether we should play Sheppard to let him gain experience aside for a second, I think it's important to ask exactly what is going on with Morrison. He must have lost a step or two, because it is very strange for a guy who had, at worst, 89 tackles for decent defenses to come into one of the worst run defenses in the league and see basically no playing time.

I believe David Carr would have been a good QB had he not been thrown into one of the most dangerous situations for a QB in history, surrounded by a team with absolutely no talent. That killed his confidence and, sadly, some of the hits he took probably caused some mental slowdown. Buffalo needs to keep building the defense and add some talent at WR. You don't give a QB who has had the best season in the recent history of the franchise a new contract then give up on him after just a year.

This is why the Packers are so frightening. Most of their talent- Rodgers, the WRs besides Driver, and most of the front seven are young guys. We're lucky that our divisional contenders have aging stars. We're lucky that the top teams in our division are aging quickly. If we get our team together, Buffalo has a great window coming up to start owning the division. Most of our talent, except Barnett, are young players, unlike the Patriots and Jets. That's not to say that either team doesn't have any quality young players; the Patriots obviously have Gronkowski, Hernandez, Mayo, and a few other guys; the Jets have a bunch of good youth talent, but likely will have to let some players go for salary cap reasons. By the time Brady retires, Buffalo has a great opportunity to be a, if not the, force in the division. That's a big if, obviously, but we are in great shape in the AFC East if we hit on our early picks in 2012 and 2013 and keep our talented players.

That's true.

Yet you changed your wording to "ellipsis." I know that this has to do with correct word usage and spelling rather than punctuation; I was just pointing out an error that you had made.

That's interesting how you mention time, given that Fitzpatrick has had almost no time to throw the ball and let plays develop. On top of that, Sanchez makes as many mistakes as Fitzpatrick, and messes up quite a few throws. Also, besides the problems on the offensive line, our receiving corps has been decimated, and there's little talent besides SJ and Nelson (in a possession role). It's absolutely unfair to say that Fitzpatrick can't have the level of playoff success as a guy like Sanchez, Dilfer, or numerous other average QBs who have relied on great defense and a running game. Give Fitz another year, add some weapons around him, and improve the defense. If he can't make the playoffs with that, then draft a first round QB. It's amazing how impatient people are, as frustrating as this team can be to follow.

An "ellipse" is different from an "ellipsis"; the former is a geometric curve, and the latter is a form of punctuation, which you used.

"Elipse" is not a word. The "..." punctuation is an "ellipsis."

So you think we made a mistake in not drafting Gabbert, Locker, or Ponder- the three players we would have likely picked over Dareus? Gabbert looks terrible; Locker hasn't played enough to get an idea of his skills; and Ponder looks like he will be mediocre at best. Dalton is a great success story, and there is certainly a good argument that we should have selected him over Aaron Williams. That being said, none of those QBs- even Dalton- will likely end up being much better than Fitzpatrick. I'd rather have Dareus, and we have a number of decent prospects to look at in the second round next year (Tannehill, primarily). As countless posters have said, we need to keep our free agents- particularly SJ- and draft help at OLB or WR before we can make a consensus judgement on the regime or Fitzpatrick. Give him Alshon Jeffery, or let him play with a lead, and we'll see what he can do.

Thanks for the information and a good post. I don't agree with the OP, or his exact sentiments, but there is a lot of evidence for professional sports teams- I'm not saying the Bills, necessarily- signing white players to draw attendance. If any of you follow the NBA, the Pacers were seen, including by major news outlets like ESPN, as having a predominantly white team to appeal to the fan base. I'm not saying that Buffalo is racist in the way they handle their signings. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that sports franchises, particularly in blue-collar, predominantly white regions, have a financial interest in signing white players.

I agree with you, but also keep in mind that rookies couldn't exactly pay for personal training during the off-season, given that they hadn't earned any NFL money yet.

Dude, try doing some research before you post. Tyrann Mathieu isn't even eligible for the upcoming draft.

Flynn is garbage, in my opinion. Not sure if you've had the chance to see him play, but he looks bad every time he's on the field.

I'm not saying that I believe we should have so many public employees. My point is more that having high unemployment can mean social unrest and increase in drug use, violence, etc. People need to be occupied.